BILLBOARD HOT 100 - WINTER 2021 TOP 20 RANKING (feat. Camz Critiques)

Camz: Oh god, it’s the middle of February 2021 and I just got out my 2020 Worst list Part 1. And now I got a Winter 2021 top 20 ranking to deal with??? See this is why I’m jealous of bloggers; they don’t need to deal with recording or editing or even getting their content online without angering the copyright gods. I need to do all that AGAIN plus writing the script, how am I–

LUX: Uh… hi

Camz: Oh hi big bro. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i dont know what i’m gonna do for my Winter ranking.

LUX: Well, you’re on my blog,,

Camz: Oh yeah I am on your blog. 

LUX: ….yeah, so how is the idea of writing a script but not making a video? You don’t have to make a video and waste a month's worth of time recording and editing, especially when you could be focusing on tons of other projects.

Camz: I think I know where this is going,,,

LUX: That I want to collab with you while also gaining a new excuse to procrastinate instead of working on the GOAT ranking? Yes. Yes you’re correct.

Camz: Not exactly that, but yeah. Yeah let’s collab! Let’s do a cute lil sibling thingy!

LUX: I like that :3

Camz: I love that :3 I really hope enough of my subscribers see this. Because this might be one of the most wholesome blog posts they’ve ever read.

LUX: Alright, let’s start immediately!

Camz: No! Let’s plan this out first.

LUX: Oh... alright.

*a few hours later*

LUX: Alright, let’s start immediately!

This is...

Camz: Three quick things we gotta establish before we rank these songs. We were going to rank the top 20 biggest songs on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of January 23rd, 2021, (https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2021-01-23) which is an exciting week where Drivers License debuted, but that top 20 is filled with songs no one wants to hear reviews for anymore like Mood, Blinding Lights, Lonely, Laugh Now Cry Later, I Hope, and For The Night. The top 20 is also littered with songs no one wants to touch anymore like four Morgan Wallen songs. He had an album bomb. Before he was outed as a racist at least, but still. Don’t wanna touch those.

LUX: So guess what, we got rid of those 6 songs + all of the Morgan Wallen songs except for the highest one that debuted in the top 10, which was Wasted On You. So, as you would expect, this isn’t exactly a ranking of the top 20 but just 20 of the 29 biggest songs on that week lmao.

Since we’re doing a collab, we needed to find a way to add up our own individual rankings to make it fair, which was easy since we didn’t have all that many disagreements. As of right now, I’m over halfway through doing a rankdown / megarank of the entire Dance YE list for 2020 in the Talk of the Charts discord server, which made me discover an easy way to measure points.

Basically, the # of points Camz and I will be giving each song will be based on the spot each of us give it on our own rankings.

#1 gets 1 point

#2 gets 2 points

….

#20 gets 20 points

We then add up the 2 amounts of points for each song, the song with the least amount of points will end up on top, which means that we’ll start with the song that got the most points, and therefore did the worst in our ranking…...

Camz: #19 (1/5) LUX: #20 (0/5)

LUX: I was really rooting for Morgan Wallen! He really showed so much potential to grow as an artist and his recent album was really good. It’s a shame that his career had to go completely down the drain in just one whiskey shot.

Camz: It took me like a week to get over that incident. He was actually making me feel some passion for country music. The more best lists I saw the more I warmed up to him, until I totally supported him by the end of January. Timing is funny :)))

LUX: The worst part is that his career couldn’t even have a decent farewell, because his hit we have here is just,, one of the worst things he’s done and easily one of the worst songs on the album.

It plain sounds awful.

Morgan doesn’t even do all that bad here, he doesn’t sound great either but he’s done a decent job carrying Trap-influenced country production before, on principle this should be right down his alley, but on this song it all sounds messy and way too loud for its own good.

Camz: I can totally get down to some Chasin You and some More Than My Hometown (or I could’ve), but honestly when it comes to Whiskey Glasses and now this, maybe Morgan kinda sucks at songs about totally depressing heartache. His best songs work because they’re bittersweet (and have decent production), but this is just clunky and miserable and I don’t like it. I’m so disappointed. Get him away from me.

LUX: Yeah he couldn’t even go out with a bang.

Lol yeah this is THAT kinda ranking.

Camz: #20 (0/5) LUX: #16 (3/5)

LUX: This is AJR’s best song.

Camz: Go Check out my Worst Hits of 2020 Part 1 video xd

Let’s see what Lux has to say about this, though. I wanna understand the other side.

LUX: I mean to be fair I have not much else to add since I don’t love it or anything. For the longest time I had a love/hate relationship with it, I heard it and I liked it, I heard it again and I hated it, then with each listen I either liked it or hated it more than the previous time, this song is a giant ass russian roulette, which is a really good showcase of its appeal. Sometimes you need chaotic energy I guess?

Eh, maybe it’s just because of that one time I played this song in my house speakers with my irl sister in the room, turned up the volume on the first “BANG! BANG! BANG!” and scared the shit out of her. That might’ve helped me appreciate it I dunno.

Camz: I’m seeing a trend in Bang! apologists. They don’t *love* this song at all, they can just totally get with this song at the perfect moments. That’s when things click. Suppose that should apply to most songs but, Bang! might be special this way. I almost appreciate Bang! now.

Except I don’t because now I have a new reason to dislike it; It’s making 2021’s year-end list. I already put this on my 2020 worst list but it already feels more like a song from this year. Welp.

Camz: #18 (2/5) LUX: #17 (3/5)

LUX: When I hear this song, I get a really strong feeling that it could’ve been fantastic and it just,, actively decided not to be.

Camz: This feels so corporate,,, From the corny message desperately trying to be empowering, to the production that’s very clean and good, but too polished to feel genuine. Ava Max in general feels too polished to be genuine. Except for when she’s cute and quirky like in Sweet But Psycho.

Still, good production is good production. The guitar solo sounds like a battle theme in a magical girl anime. If that’s not empowering, I don’t know what is.

LUX: I don’t even think this is bad at all, it’s pretty decent, it’s just… a bit too much(?), the guitar solo sounds great, and in general the instrumental has a lot of punch to it, but as many Ava Max songs do, this song sounds like it’s, quite literally, yelling at you (mostly because of all the multitracking), which doesn’t particularly work in this context, it actually makes it a bit corny. Still, decent song, Ava’s fine.

Camz: #15 (3/5) LUX: #18 (2/5)

Camz: I really like how this starts. The sample of “Differences” by Ginuwine plays drowned out, like you’re sound asleep, and then BOOM. Cute twinkling that rains over Pop Smoke thinking about how lovely his girl is, not even rapping or singing, he sounds like he’s talking to himself. It’s adorable. And then I tune out.

It’s like it’s about to become a fantastic R&B song with a lot of dynamic and diversity, maybe even be a memorable experience... and then this doesn’t go anywhere with the repetitive chorus and more talk-rapping that’s hard to describe because it’s hard to pay attention to something as mild as this.. Kinda disappointing.

LUX: I agree with pretty much everything and even then nothing that I enjoy about the song is enough for me to consider it more than just pretty mid and watered down, not bad, just not particularly for me.

Camz: I genuinely like Mood Swings a lot more. This song doesn’t go ‘shawty got the fatty’ so it’s definitely inferior.

LUX: Aaaaa so based :3

Camz: #13 (4/5) LUX: #19 (2/5)

LUX: I don’t think this song is bad, it’s just,, sooooo mid.

Camz: I can see why people don’t think much of this at first. It’s Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber is best ignored. But Holy is honestly really good. It’s a grower for sure.

LUX: I’ve been exposed to it a lot and it hasn’t grown on me at all.

Camz: Well, I think this production is underrated. This soft percussion totally suits Bieber, puts an emphasis on what he’s saying to his loved one. I can’t quite take him seriously, but I like to think you’re not supposed to with Chance’s hilarious rapping that throws you in for a loop. What a pleasant meme.

LUX: ...Meh.

Camz: From the adorable instrumentation, to some of the best vocals of Justin’s career, to the subtle religious references that somehow avoid corniness and redundancy while remaining both wholesome and sexual, and best of all the iconic lines, you can’t appreciate them??

LUX: :/

Camz: Are you saying you’re not a believer? Your heart isn’t fleshy? That life isn’t short with a temper like Joe Pesci?

LUX: :/

Camz: THE WAY YOU HOLE ME HOLE ME HOLE ME HOLE ME HOLE ME

LUX: ….:)

Camz: #17 (2/5) LUX: #14 (3/5)

Camz: Uh honestly, exactly what Ben Eales said. It sacrifices being interesting for being cute. I’d argue usually that’s a worthwhile trade-off, :me:, but nah not here imo.

The straining also makes it a bit hard to listen to.

LUX: Hmmm I kinda hear it but I still enjoy it, specially bc despite being pretty loud, Luke Combs’ voice can carry a lot, even on an instrumental as simple and spare as this.

Camz: This may be a lower-tier Luke Combs song, but it is still a Luke Combs song. And it is still adorable. I can get into this during certain moods for sure, we all need some wholesomeness like this sometimes.

LUX: Top 20 rankings by Lux and Camz go better together :3

Camz: <3

Camz: #14 (3/5) LUX: #13 (3/5)

LUX: Oh yeah this remix, let’s get it out of the way now.

First of all I gotta say that I prefer the original version, I think it worked pretty nicely just having Ari carrying this vibey beat and the lighthearted horniness by herself, tho Doja and Megan are not bad additions on principle.

Camz: The original is definitely better, it’s very good. Sure Doja’s verse is awesome and she totally fits the song’s playful energy, but I’m really sad about the omission of “youuuuu driiiiiink iiiiit juuust liiiiiike waaaaaaaaaaaaater (WATER)” to make room for her verse. That was already one of the best moments of 2021. Not even a funny jab at 6ix9ine can make up for it.

LUX: I like Doja on here, she’s always had enough versatility to adjust to any vibe she goes for and she does a good job on the remix… unfortunately that’s not the case with Megan. Her performance is good, because she’s Megan, but her flow doesn’t naturally fit the vibe the way Doja and Ari do (although the “Netflix or Hulu, baby you choose” bit sounds great).

Honestly both new verses would probs be better if Doja and Megan didn’t both do direct 69 references because it makes Ari explaining the joke at the end hit a bit less hard and takes some of the funny factor away from it. It’s alright I guess.

Camz: I’ve grown very cynical towards remixes for the past year. This one easily could’ve been worse.

Camz: #16 (3/5) LUX: #10 (4/5)

LUX: I think this song is really good, not the best Billie has done in recent times, but it’s special in its own merits. I have a soft spot for darker, more speak-singing style Billie, and the beat for this song slaps, and has a lot of moments of true impact. The switch up between the bridge and the last chorus is one of the best moments in this top 20.

Camz: I have no idea what the lyrics mean. I know they sound great coming from Billie, this is very catchy and charming, but this song just leaves me confused and unsatisfied. What is the philosophical saying ‘i think therefore i am’ doing here?

LUX: Well, if you analyze the lyrics, they do have a lot of weight to them given the context the song was released in. Plus I’m totally on board with the concept of using philosophical metaphors to tell everyone around you to back the fuck off.

Camz: The reason why this song exists in the first place is my favorite thing about it. After all that Billie’s been through, she deserves this self-assuring hit. This may do a lot for her. Does nothing for me tho.

Camz: #9 (4/5) LUX: #12 (4/5)

LUX: Ah yes, porn :3

I kinda like Body more every time I hear it, but even then, the first few times I heard it, when I just mildly enjoyed it, this chorus never annoyed me at all.

Camz: This chorus is amazing. It’s not bad or cringey. It’s intentionally this dumb and annoying, and that is not a flaw. In fact, if you admit to being annoyed by Body, that’s Megan winning. The Bodyodyody’s is what makes this the positive force that it is. I will not hear anyone say otherwise, embrace Body or perish.

I’d also like to add, this is genuinely kind of empowering?? Like empowerment anthems fail because they’re just telling you how valid and strong you are over and over again, it’s very empty and artificial. Body doesn’t do that, it’s just flawless unapologetic energy that’s as obnoxious as it wants to be, not caring what other people think. Psychologists say that daily doses of Real Hot Girl Shit can cure depression.

LUX: Megan herself is the best part on pretty much all of her songs, even the ones with not the best production, she can save it all by going full force.

What I’m trying to say here is stream Cry Baby that one’s even better.

Camz: #3 (5/5) LUX: #15 (3/5)

Camz: That screenshot we chose for the image above sure is a position alright.

It feels like creating this song was a task given to an insanely experienced team to create a perfect Ariana Grande song that has to use lots of plucking and violins that must be called “positions”. And then they made the best version of this song without taking any risks. Sure, this can’t stand out very much because of the lack of risk-taking, but this may or may not sneak up on you HARD because of how pleasant and flawless this is. I can’t not appreciate this as much as I do.

LUX: I kinda feel bad for not appreciating this the way most people seem to. I like the flavor the instrumental has to it, and the way Ariana breaks in is pretty epic… not a fan of much else. It’s an alright song! It just doesn’t really have anything that catches my full attention besides Ari sounding good, which she always does.

Camz: Each time I listen, I appreciate this more and more. There’s so many lil details here I love, and a lot of them Lux mentioned. Like “HEAVEN -violin break- sent you to me, -violin break- i’m just hoping I don’t re- -violin break- peat history”. Like every pause in this song was added so thoughtfully, I don’t know how they did it. And the production in general becoming more grand throughout the song, flourishing during the choruses, is really lovely. Her “positions” album has lots of pretty violins now that I think back. Great stuff.

LUX: For me it’s still a pretty serviceable Ariana Grande song… just probably her weakest lead single.

Now you wanna know what song is not weak in the slightest?

Camz: #10 (4/5) LUX: #8 (4/5)

Camz: Now this song feels like it was made by one very experienced and talented guy who just gave a shot at creating Drill for fun experimentation, and ended up with this quick banger.

LUX: I’m really happy about the rise of Drill music in the mainstream, specially because of its background and how important it is for its culture, this might be one of its basic and low tier examples, but that doesn’t stop it from going hard the whole way through. Helped by CJ himself who’s just such a fun presence and I really enjoy his delivery for every line in the song.

Camz: The mainstream is really being exposed to this fun new genre for the first time and it doesn’t really have any standards or expectations for it yet. So for now, Whoopty is just a fun good time that we will be super nostalgic for in a couple years.

LUX: So here's a plot twist

Camz: #6 (4/5) LUX: #11 (4/5)

LUX: I think I kinda love this song?

I mean I'm shocked too, but what can I say, it sounds endearing, the melodies are pretty sweet, the instrumental is kinda disoriented in places, but the payoff at the end makes it feel like it was actually building up to something.

Justin generally has issues when writing love songs that don't feel corny or artificial, but there's something special about this one isn't there? He makes a song about wanting to keep his love safe for eternity and it... feels like a real song!

Camz: This is the closest Justin’s come to sounding genuine on a love song, or honestly on any of his hits since What Do You Mean. You know what, he actually does sound genuine. These sweet lyrics performed well is all solid enough on its own, but that with the bombastic production that keeps going further and further making this love feel truly special… actually reminds me of The Other Side by Jason Derulo. Another surprisingly adorable hit coming from a hated artist.

LUX: Not a fantastic song by any means, but def something I can appreciate.

Camz: If you understandably hate all of Justin’s songs, trust me. You should let this one grow on you.

Camz: #8 (4/5) LUX: #9 (4/5)

Camz: Yeah no this isn’t just decent. This might be a great song, because of all the cute little moments throughout here that I love hearing again and again.

Like the “bring it bring it back”s.

And Young Thug’s flow on “love is real / Lovin' skills, I need some lovin' skills / Left my dirty drawers and you love me still”.

And of course. “Top down, got her doin' donuts on the dick, YEA-EA-EA-EAH”

Chris Brown is such an.. *gags* overhated singer. He may be an uninteresting artist, but his voice is smooth and he has a solid amount of charisma here.

I know what you’re thinking. Yes Chris Brown is still a bad person. But I don’t know, Go Crazy still *gags* manages to put a smile on my face. It’s one of my.. *vomits* favorite Chris Brown songs along with Fine China and Run It! :)

LUX: I talked about this song on my YE ranking and everything is still true. To sum it up, it’s a much better version of No Guidance, really vibey, lots of elements stand out, both performers have the personality to carry it, and it still hasn’t lost its magic, good stuff.

Also this song peaked in January 2021 apparently.

Good to know.

Camz: #12 (4/5) LUX: #3 (5/5)

Camz: Yeah no this isn’t just decent either. These guitars are really lush and atmospheric, and I’ve been liking Don Toliver a lot lately. His voice is warm and unique and should totally be embraced and used more often on these tranquil vibey songs. No Idea, anyone?

LUX: Don Toliver’s hook for this song was always a monster of catchiness and perfection, but the moment I fully realized how much I loved this song was when I finally got to appreciate every performance on it, NAV does a great job, and yeah, Gunna is pretty unremarkable but he still sounds decent over this beat, and their content isn’t too unfocused. Eh, this song is about vibing anyways.

Camz: What truly made me appreciate Lemonade, was when I saw this on my timeline.

Lemonade is a chill and welcoming :) in a way High Fashion is too. This is so pleasant, so relaxing, so wholesome, and I’m glad this hit isn’t being caught between years.

LUX: This was my most played song of 2020 apparently. I’m fine with that.

Camz: #7 (4/5) LUX: #7 (4/5)

LUX: On the surface, there’s really not much to this song, the content isn’t anything special besides Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez wanting to have a memorable time with their partners, however, what elevates this song is how great it is at capturing an atmosphere.

Camz: These heavily atmospheric songs are amazing. They have a clear aesthetic that can change your mood and put you in a trance. This production is windy and mysterious and has heavy bass and soft drowned-out percussion. These songs are meant to be added to aesthetic moody playlists.

LUX: It’s like you’re in a small dark glowy room with lights blinking extra fast. So you feel like you’re in the music video.

Camz: How can a song be so great at capturing such a clear atmosphere I don’t get it.

LUX: I also wanna add that I’m interested in hearing more of Jhay Cortez’s work. I'd heard a few songs by him but this is the best he’s sounded, specially before the second chorus when he sings the pre-chorus by himself. This is just,, really comfortable stuff.

…and while we’re on the subject of songs that capture a heavy atmosphere perfectly.

Camz: #11 (4/5) LUX: #1 (5/5)

LUX: This song was my favorite song on the album since it came out and it will take one of my favorite songs of all time becoming a hit later in the year for this not to run away as my #1 best hit song of 2021.

Camz: Save Your Tears is indeed very good.

LUX: I have next to no context at all about The Weeknd’s past relationships or how the controversies rolled out besides anything I've read on Kenzie’s twitter profile, so I don’t know how much of this song is references to his personal life. That being said… this song is beautiful, in literally every aspect.

Camz: Mhm, very pretty retro throwback on an amazing album.

LUX: We’ve had way too many 80s style synth-pop throwbacks in the past couple years, most of them have taken a pretty upbeat and danceable approach, but this song is more… gloomy, and nostalgic, and it matches the vibe Abel is going for like no other instrumental could.

Camz: :)

LUX: This song is about Abel not being able to control his emotions, and how he couldn’t stop hurting his partner emotionally, he lets her go because he knows it’s too late to fix everything. This subject is not new at all, but all its elements combined with Abel’s performance make it the best it could be. When I hear this song, I hear a man that’s broken inside, at some points he even sounds like he’s about to tear up a bit, which helps him sell this better than most pop songs in this style that I can remember.

Camz: :)

LUX: Sis?

Camz: ……………………………………Save Your Tears was definitely always one of my favorite album cuts on After Hours, and I definitely rooted for it to be hit. Amazing melody that really sticks with you, every piece of this song comes together really well and naturally.

But now that it’s an actual hit single… Ngl I think it's my least favorite of the four.

I’m trying not to compare songs by the same artists, but this doesn’t seem to energize me or get me caught up in its vibe as the others do. I wish it did.

LUX: mmm :c

Camz: ;w; hey wanna talk about Good Days now?

LUX: mhm :c

Camz: #4 (5/5) LUX: #6 (5/5)

Camz: Butterflies in the night sky… flying through a pond… tadpoles swimming near the shore.. Sorry. I’m just daydreaming. Good Days does that to me.

If there’s one thing you can say to absolutely describe Good Days, it's that it's textured. Each instrument here is full of personality and together they work to create a scene you can always return to. Not a painting, but something you can feel and touch. There was so much thought into this production, it makes my mouth water… 

And then whenever these instruments flourish even more, like flowers blossoming, my mouth waters even more. Like when SZA and Jacob Collier’s backing vocals sing “Good daaaaaaaays always … always inside”.

As close as this got to transcendental perfection though, Good Days’ flow and structure is... very shapeless and watery, if that makes sense. So this isn’t a very song-like experience and it feels a bit unsatisfying. Also, the intro is cut off a measure(?) short, which makes me sad, I wanted to envelope in it more to prepare myself for SZA’s dreamy vocals.

LUX: Took me a while to appreciate how much I love this one. There are way too little songs right now that literally make me feel hopeful the way this one does. I agree tho that the structure is a bit odd, like the first few times I was too dumb to tell which bits were verses or the chorus, but that gives it a unique feeling that I really like.

...Now why did SZA change the vocals for the streaming version and most of YouTube too I swear they sound worse now I’m not crazy.

Camz: She did? That’s disappointing. But none of Good Days’ flaws matter much anyway because SZA’s just really hot this is a fantastic song overall.

LUX: ...okay.

Camz: #5 (5/5) LUX: #5 (5/5)

Camz: Tfw this is making a Year-End Hot 100 and cardigan won’t. Or that’s what I wanted to spend this segment ranting about before I gave this a couple more listens, and WOW. My saltiness is pretty much all gone, Taylor Swift’s magic got rid of it.

LUX: I hate how many people will immediately dismiss this one just for not being cardigan, her previous lead single that came just a couple months before this one, the one that also debuted at #1 but missed the YE list while this one probably won’t. To be completely honest I like this one almost just as much.

Yeah, cardigan is way more raw and emotional but this one also has a pretty clear aesthetic that gets fulfilled flawlessly. I listen to this song and it feels like being under a pretty yellow sky, not sunset or anything, just yellow, sitting by a river, under a willow tree, reading a good book, wearing a cozy knitted coat.

Camz: YES. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Like Dakiti, this is just one of those songs that are meant to be added to cute aesthetic playlists because they succeed at establishing their atmosphere with flying colors. Listen to those twinkly pianos and organic guitars together with Taylor’s mature vocals and tell me you aren’t feeling at ease right now.

Also this outro is amazing, one of the best I’ve heard in a while. Taylor transitioning to her lower register little by little, and before you know it, we’re at the end repeating the cutest lines in this song over and over.

No wonder Taylor Swift has such passionate stans. And no wonder why those stans are fantastic at writing music themselves, too.

Camz: #1 (5/5) LUX: #4 (5/5)

LUX: Here it is, the big one.

Never in my life would I have believed you if you'd told me that that one girl who made that one charting song from that one High School Musical spin off early last year would come back a year later to make the biggest song of the year.

Yeah remember All I Want? I liked that song quite a lot, and it seemed to be completely forgotten after charting for 2 short weeks. But now she’s back with her debut single as an independent artist, and yeah, it’s just as great as everyone says it is.

Camz: I never even knew this High School Musical spin off even existed until Olivia Rodrigo became relevant again. All I Want is pretty solid, and this is decent I guess.

Or that’s what I was gonna say here the day this hit #1 and I started planning what I wanted to write this segment. And now this is probably my favorite charting song right now so see how that worked out? I was probably hesitant to admit Drivers License’s greatness because Olivia’s only two years older than me and I’m having trouble coming to terms with such young talent existing. This isn’t one of my favorite songs of all time or anything, but it is one of the most impressively crafted I’ve reviewed honestly.

Each time I listen to this, I pay attention to something new, whether that be the car sound effects which are so seamlessly added into this production, to how that production builds up to that booming bridge, which shows off Olivia’s uglier side of her longing, yet it sounds beautiful still.

LUX: Yeah, not enough people talk about how beautiful the bridge for this song is, the way that the overlapping choir vocals collide with each other on a bombastic change of pace, it sounds fantastic. I also love this instrumental and the way the car sound effects naturally blend into the beat.

Camz: And also her vocals. They are kinda corny at first because I think she’s putting acting as a higher priority than sounding great. I mean, the raspiness and the way she sings “I drove through the suburbs”, I think acting mellow and heartbroken is what she’s doing here? I’m not sure, that could be her natural voice. But later as the song progresses, she becomes more sure of herself, and her belting really proves her undeniable vocal talent. (And her Jimmy Fallon performance proves that even more)

“...but I’ve never felt this waaaaaayyyyy for noooo-one” BEST moment of 2021. Yes Olivia please keep singing in that upper-throat voice I live for it.

LUX: Yet it wasn’t the #1 on this ranking, because no matter how hard you try

You can’t escape DaBaby.

Camz: #2 (5/5) LUX: #2 (5/5)

LUX: Literally no better sign of a song being actual literal magic than it ending at #1 on the ranking despite not being #1 on either of our individual added-up rankings lmao, this is obviously not because we consider it “objectively” better than the other 19 songs or anything like that,, it’s just the outcome of our system, the song that we collectively loved the most as a whole, and I think it’s deserved.

Camz: It really is. I’m so happy to finally put Dua Lipa this high on a seasonal ranking, and I hope it’s not the last. This was always a solid song off of her album Future Nostalgia, and while I thought it was mega overrated because the “sugar boos” (hah british) and “yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah”s annoyed me, they don’t seem to anymore. I don’t know how that works. Maybe Dua wasn’t meant to carry Levitating all by herself the whole time, maybe this song was destined to become a smash hit with someone very special.

LUX: I already talked about this song on my review of the EDM YE list with Casper (another collab I had fun doing and you should read) and I still hold the opinion that there’s barely any difference between this and the original in what Dua herself does, but what DaBaby adds by himself is what elevates this song to excellence. It’s a killer song and everything about it is polished to its best.

Camz: I think there’s a pretty sizable difference between this DaBaby remix and the original. Levitating is one of those songs that need to pull you right into action, right into the groove. So it doesn’t need a subtle opening, it needs “BILLBOARD BABY DUA LIPA MAKE EM DANCE WHEN IT COME ON, EVERYBODY LOOKIN FOR A DANCEFLOOR TO RUN ON”

Levitating is probably to disco as Blinding Lights is to 80s-synth pop. Probably as solid as these throwbacks can get. But it’s not really just a throwback. It’s got amazing rap verses along with other modern pop tropes that make Levitating an even more special experience.

LUX: The song to rule us all indeed.

LUX: So apparently Cam has never listened to the new Goosebumps remix that's climbing the charts rn, which is frankly a really big shame and probably illegal. So i'm gonna play it to her right here, right now, and she's going to type her immediate thoughts here completely unfiltered.

Take it away sis.

Camz: wow this

wow this uh

hm 

is this is a banger

it might be 

JEEZ that bass

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa wow this is neat

don’t know how popular travis scott is in the edm scene but i’m glad one example of that exists

early 2020s edm be sampling emo trap

it would be funny if this became a huge hit

LUX’s SCORE: 0x1 + 0x0 + 2x2 + 3x5 + 4x6 + 5x6 = 73 / 100

CAMZ’ SCORE: 0x1 + 1x1 +2x2 + 3x3 + 4x8 + 5x5 =  71 / 100

WINTER 2021 FINAL SCORE: 72 / 100

LUX: I think that’s accurate, pretty fantastic season overall, and even many of the songs we excluded were also fantastic and would’ve probably ended up pretty high too.

Camz: Not even gonna mince words, January 2021 was a fantastic month for pop music, hip hop, and R&B, and February doesn’t look worse at all. I am so optimistic for where these hits are heading. I’m loving all these adorable atmospheric love songs and I hope I never get sick of them.

As per usual, I have a Spotify playlist made to represent this season! It’s theme is Longing Love. Vague, I know, but I was able to stuff a ton of songs in here with similar vibes and you should give this a listen. (It originally had two Morgan Wallen songs, because, you know.)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5r4vis0AIb6TTDvHhNid8A?si=IVLf1aDPSCG8D1AMt1gukA

LUX: Nice! And before we go, here are a few songs on any chart (Hot 100, Global Charts, RS, UK charts, Dance charts, etc.) that each of us recommend as hits in the US.

CAMZ’s RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Saweetie ft Jhene Aiko - Back To The Streets

• Harry Styles - Golden

• Jack Harlow - Tyler Herro

• Saweetie ft. Doja Cat - Best Friend

• Taylor Swift. ft. HAIM - no body no crime

• Taylor Swift - champaign problems

• YOASOBI - Yoru Ni Kakeru

• Selena Gomez - De Una Vez

• Yung Bleu ft. Drake - You're Mines Still

• Billie Eilish & ROSALIA - Lo Vas A Olvidar

LUX’s RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Glass Animals - Heat Waves

• Tenille Arts - Somebody Like That

• All Time Low ft. Demi Lovato & blackbear - Monsters

• Studio Killers - Jenny

• Brent Faiyaz & DJ Dahi ft. Tyler The Creator - Gravity

• Juice WRLD & Young Thug - Bad Boy

• Lil Baby - On Me

• Eric Church - Hell Of A View

• Tiësto & Ty Dolla $ign - The Business, Pt. II

• Nathan Evans x 220 KID x Billen Ted - Wellerman

LUX: I’m rlly happy I got to make a collab with u,, this was so fun to do and I feel it came out pretty naturally :3

Camz: i’m really happy too bro! this is already my favorite seasonal ranking i’ve done. maybe we should do more of these together. maybe we should do ALL our seasonal rankings together….. 

LUX: I’d def be down to collab in more stuff with u!

Camz: i hope you guys are looking forward to those as much as we are! 

LUX: Bye sis!

Camz: bye :3

*a few hours later*

LUX: ...is she gone?

Okay

*clears throat*

Special thanks to dmoneymusicornr.

Okay bye.