Year in Review: The 10 Best Songs of 2020

There probably (hopefully!) won't be another year like 2020 but despite how bad things got it was an absolutely incredible year for music, with a number of artists releasing career highlights. That's especially true in pop music; and putting together a top 10 list for the best songs this year was harder than ever. Below is just a sliver of the incredible music that came out in this chaotic and brutal year.

10. HAIM - "I Know Alone"

Several artists made albums in quarantine this year, and though a lot of HAIM's sprawling album "Women in Music Pt. III" is a love letter to Los Angeles, the Haim sisters' "I Know Alone" resonates with our current moment. It's the trio's most complicated song to date (the song was produced by HAIM along with frequent collaborators Ariel Rechtshaid and former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij) with its dark and moody shifts as the lyrics reflect 2020's lockdown state: "Been a couple days since I've been out/Calling all my friends but they won't pick up... 'Cause nights turn into days/That turn to grey/Keep turning over."

09. Rico Nasty - "iPhone"

Rapper Rico Nasty's "iPhone" is a chaotic banger with production from 100 gecs' Dylan Brady. Distorted and trippy, Rico's voice is distorted as Brady's vicarial hyperpop glitchy beats explode: "Smoking so much gas, I forgot to put my mask on, Nails razor sharp, called you off my iPhone," Rico yells. "iPhone" finds both Rico and Brady at their best and fusing their abilities into an addictive and aggressive track.

08. The Chicks - "Gaslighter"

The return of The Chicks kicked off with "Gaslighter," a thumping and melodic anthem against shitty men. Produced by Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey), it was the country trio's first song in 14 years. "Gaslighter" sounds contemporary without losing the Chicks' signature sound; Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire sing beautifully and Maines brings her venom towards her ex: "'Cause, boy, you know exactly what you did on my boat / And, boy, that's exactly why you ain't comin' home / Save your tired stories for your new someone else."

07. Dua Lipa - "Fever" (feat. Ang�le)

Dua Lipa had quite a year and though "Fever" wasn't her biggest chart topper, it was her best song. Featuring Belgian singer Ang�le, "Fever" is the sexiest song of 2020. "I've got a fever, so can you check? / Hand on my forehead, kiss my neck / And when you touch me, baby, I turn red," Dua sings over bubbly beats from Dua collaborator, producer Ian Kirkpatrick. Ang�le, who sings in French, adds a dreamy quality to the dance-pop bop, resulting in an addicting and glittery gem of a song.

06. Chloe x Halle - "Do It"

Like Dua Lipa, sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey had an excellent year, working through the pandemic with a number of renditions of their songs, namely "Do It," a super-catchy and confident R&B song. Stunning harmonies from the duo glide over a sexy bass line: "Yeah, I beat my face/Moving fast 'cause the/Uber on the way/Taking pictures, make sure you can't see no lace/That wig secure like the money in a safe." Then the sweet chorus kicks in, and "Do It" becomes an instant pre-clubbing classic.

05. Taylor Swift - "august"

If her new album "folklore" signaled a change for Taylor Swift, then her song "august" proved her switch to indie rock-sounding pop songs is the case for the pivot. It's an immaculate song, sprawling at 4-minute and 20-seconds where Swift's songwriting is at its peak: "August sipped away like a bottle of wine / 'Cause you were never mine." Co-produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, the song glistens with longing and wistful memories of a past relationship. Like the best Swift songs, it's specific and universal at the same time and Antonoff's production makes "august" a standout.

04. Roisin Murphy - "Jealousy (Extended Mix)"

Clocking in at over 11 minutes long, "Jealousy (Extended Mix)" is Roisin Murphy's longest track from the deluxe edition of her fabulous house-disco funkhouse "Roisin Machine." It's also her best song, which was originally released in 2015 and called a "Disco Remix." But the five-year-old track holds up incredibly well in 2020, when we saw pop stars bring back disco from the dead (again!). Murphy's epic "Jealousy," a song that vibrantly pulsates and would be an incredibly choice for a lip sync song, never sounds dated and even sounds more forward thinking than some of the year's biggest disco-inspired hits.

03. Kali Uchis - "Aqui Yo Mando (with Rico Nasty)"

Commanding, confident and sexy, Kali Uchis' "Aqui Yo Mando," off her first album written in Spanish "Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)," translates to "Here I Command." Uchis enlists rapper Rico Nasty for the track, where the two sing about how they plan to dominate their partner: "I make the decisions, I choose the positions / You can have the balls, but I have the pants / No, no, she can't do it like me." It's an aggressive track, where Uchis' voice sounds stunning, that grabs you by the neck and forces you under its spell.

02. Charli XCX - "party 4 u"

The crown jewel off Charli XCX's quarantine-created album "how i'm feeling now" is "party 4 u." The song has been around for a few years in different forms but the U.K. singer, who produced and wrote the song with frequent collaborator A.G. Cook, officially released it just this year. Though originally written a few years ago, the song resonates stronger than ever on 2020 as Charli's autotuned voice sings: "I'm waiting for you by the window, yeah/Called your digits, but the phone kept ringin'/Wish I knew what you were thinking/Na-na, na, one thousand pink balloons/ Dancin' on to your favorite tunes/Hope you walk in the party/'Cause I threw the party just for you." The track explodes and then comes back down and, in an ode to her fans, ends with a live performance of "party 4 u" from a Charli concert where the crowd can be heard cheering; it's one of the most effective and moving pieces of music to (officially) come out this year.

01. Lady Gaga - "Rain on Me (With Ariana Grande)"

Lady Gaga returned to her dance floor roots on her album "Chromatica" and its chart-topping single "Rain on Me," which features Ariana Grande, is a powerful and healing anthem. Gaga and Grande's voices complement each other over four-on-the-floor house-fused dance beats from producer BloodPop and Burns. The pop stars sing about the trauma they've endured ("I'd rather be dry, but at least I'm alive / Rain on me, rain, rain") while celebrating their strength. It's a beautiful song with purpose but one that doesn't sacrifice its ability to make you dance to send a message, easily becoming one of Gaga's best songs to date.