Most Influential Songs
Most Influential Songs of 2020

Songs Which Have Created Huge Waves and Impact in An Unpredictable Year

The beginning of 2020 was a period of hope and huge expectations. Not only were we beginning a new year, but we were also beginning a new DECADE. So people were not only creating the usual ‘New Year’s Resolutions,’ others were creating ‘New Decade’s Resolutions’ as well.

Playing the long game is proving to have been the smarter option at the time because 2020 has been crazy and caused a lot of mayhem. It has pretty much thrown most people’s New Year’s resolutions out the window. However, the beauty of it all is whether you are going through happy times or sad times; music always has and will always have your back.

Through the panic, despair, sadness, and economic/social upheaval, music is always there for us. It is like the perfect “wingman” or “wing-woman” (if that’s a word). It has been a hero for many in a year that feels like a bad horror movie.

Here is our list of the 15 most influential songs of 2020 that have rocked, impacted, and kept us sane through this unpredictable year.

15. “Dynamite” by BTS

This song is a relatively new release by BTS –a South Korean act comprised of seven members. It only dropped on August 21, 2020, but is already taking the world by storm. Although it only comes in at number 15 in this list because it has not made as much impact yet, we predict that it will go on to break several records and shake the music world for the remainder of the year.

“Dynamite” is an upbeat pop song with crazy harmony and a perfect balance that nudges you to put it on repeat. By the date of this article, the song had debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it BTS’ first No.1 single on the chart. It is also the group’s first song to be performed completely in English.

The song sold 265,000 downloads in its first week, translating into the biggest pure sales week since Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017). The seven members were also recently issued shares in their record label by their producer and CEO. A move which quickly resulted in each artist becoming a multimillionaire and their producer becoming a billionaire after the company’s IPO! How’s that for a cherry on top?

14. “Blueberry Faygo” by Lil Mosey

Lil Mosey delivers guaranteed ‘feel good’ vibes with this refreshing hit that places you in the mood to have fun. With its bouncy beat and very catchy chorus, it is a certified mood brightener that easily dispels all the grim moods of this year. This refreshing jam effortlessly went viral and caused waves on different platforms despite a leak before its release.

By February 4, 2020, the song had not been officially released but had been uploaded and attributed to fake artists about 3 times on different platforms before being taken down. One of the fake artists even reached a staggering 22 million streams on Spotify. Just goes to show how popular the song was and how much of a frenzy it’s caused among Lil Mosey’s impatient fans.

13. “Will” by Joyner Lucas

“Will” is definitely one of the spectacles of 2020 in as far as a positive influence and showing gratitude are concerned. With a very uplifting and positive message at its core, the bouncy trap-style –yet still emotional and touchy beat coupled with Joyner’s smooth delivery makes it a befitting tribute to his hero, Will Smith.

The video is also extremely creative and flawlessly blends with the song’s lyrics. It masterfully lays out a powerful portfolio of some of Will Smith’s greatest movies of all time. It also clearly shows just how much time, thinking, and work Joyner put into ensuring his hero loves the smell of his roses when he mortally receives them.

The best part of the story was when Smith jumped on the track and did a remix where he dropped lots of wisdom and showed how human he actually is –even seeming vulnerable at times. The legend dropped a hot and shockingly “new school” verse where he mentions and pays tribute to his own mentors and heroes like Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali. He then shows his class by acknowledging Joyner, how he breaks the rules, and how Joyner is a legend-in-the-making himself. Watch the video here. All in all, the two songs romantically spread a message of inspiration and appreciation in an exceptional and artistic way.

12. “Life is Good” by Drake and Future

This fire song by Drake and Future is purely one of its kind. The song builds upon the historical chemistry of the two artists from their collaborative album What a Time to Be Alive which shook the world in 2015. The composition of the song alone is worthy of comment and has been a huge talking point among critics and music commentators.

“Life is Good” kind of feels like two songs stitched together –but it is done with such tremendous artistry that you can clearly tell that you are in the realm of the same song. It starts off with Drake dropping a somewhat laid back verse in his trademark style where he touches on his old spats with Kanye West and Pusha T. Future then steps in and brings the hype with an up-tempo style when the beat switches into a trap-style beat. 

The transition is so natural that it feels like you are in a car whose driver has switched the gears up with the stick shift –and not like you have hopped onto a different car altogether. At some level, this feels like an out-of-body experience where you literally end up trying to get out of your own body because you are bopping too hard as Future does his thing.

The song’s video is also perfectly crafted and very relatable for many as it shows the two artists take on a string of blue-collar jobs. It is no surprise the song caused a frenzy when it dropped.

11. “Roses” (Imanbek Remix) by SAINt JHN

The best songs usually come with intriguing stories of how they were birthed into existence. The up-tempo dance/electronic vibe of “Roses” was initially released in 2016 by Guyanese-American rapper, SAINt JHN. However, the midas touch to the original creation came from a 19 year old Kazakh part-time producer and railway worker called Imanbek.

The highlight of the story is that Imanbek did not have the rights to the song originally and only obtained them from SAINt JHN later. This song has been a huge success on TikTok and topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Charts for several weeks. It is no secret that EDM songs really strike a nerve when perfectly executed. This jam is a sheer example of perfect execution.

10. “Godzilla” by Eminem Featuring Juice WRLD

This Godzilla-esque monster of a song from the ‘Rap God‘ is definitely one of the highlights of 2020. In “Godzilla” Eminem essentially bests his ‘rocket flows’ from his 2013 song “Rap God.” On the third verse of the song, Eminem raps 229 words in 30 seconds. That translates into 7.6 words-per-second or 11.3 syllables-per-second which consequently breaks the previous record he set with “Rap God” in 2013.

The song also resulted in a ‘speed rap’ challenge called the #Godzilla challenge where different people from around the world (including some famous artists) tried to rap the 30-second flow on camera. The challenge was started by Eminem himself when he asked fans to rap as fast as him.

Well let’s just say many people realized that Marshall is a ‘Marshian’ –who may be from a different planet –and that he doesn’t breathe air. “Godzilla” posthumously features the late Juice WRLD who sings the chorus. It is Juice WRLD’s first posthumous release.

9. “Yo Perreo Sola” by Bad Bunny

You know a song is extremely good when you can feel its intrinsic power and connect with it –even though you do not understand a word of what is being said.  This is usually the case for many people who listen to this electrifying song “Yo Perreo Sola” by Bad Bunny. You somehow find yourself moving to the rhythm and irresistible bassline of the song because of its immaculate production and exquisite deliveries by the artists.

The song gets even better when you discover it has an empowering message for women. “Yo perreo sola” translates into “I twerk alone.” The female voice in the song is Puerto Rican artist Genesis Rios, known as Nesi. Bad Bunny comes in after her and artfully smashes the song home. The ultimate message of Bad Bunny’s song is:

This girl dances alone, parties alone, and embraced being single “before it was fashionable.” Most importantly, she doesn’t twerk for any man: she twerks alone.

Really classy we must say.

8. “Good News” by Mac Miller

Off “Circles”, Mac Miller’s posthumous album, “Good News” is a gentle artistic piece by the late rapper. As you listen to the song, you kind of get the feeling he was trying to communicate something important through it.

Miller delivers the chorus and verses in a calm low-tone and generally sounds sad yet somewhat humorous. This gives the song a gripping bittersweet vibe and causes you to deeply appreciate his posthumous project while being sharply reminded of the loss of an irreplaceable talent. It is also a touching reminder of why people all over the world are still coming to grips with the loss.

7. “Toosie Slide” by Drake

This banger really hit a nerve when it dropped and went insanely viral. The catchy tune of “Toosie Slide” chorus which is characteristic to most of Drake’s songs is simply irresistible. In addition, the generally warm and gentle bouncy beat of the song which dropped during quarantine times makes you want to sing along to it.

Drake also pays tribute to Michael Jackson on the song when he sings the words who’s bad? in reference to the late legend’s song, “Bad.” The lyrics on the chorus of “Toosie Slide” also serve as a dance instruction guide for the easy-but-fun dance depicted in the video –which itself was shot from Drake’s opulent mansion. Overall, this song is beautifully soothing and really helped to make the confusing times of 2020 much easier to deal with.

6. “Physical” by Dua Lipa

One listen to “Physical” song lyrics and you get the strange realization that we have a very rare and unique talent in Dua Lipa. With what is now only her second album titled Future Nostalgia, Dua already has a formidable portfolio of hits to her name.

“Physical” is the second single off the album and it’s clearly a certified smash hit. From its gradual enchanting start to the crescendo towards the final chorus, this song is an electrifying masterpiece.

The song’s power is best described using its own lyrics. To be specific; you will keep on dancing like you ain’t got a choice –because quite honestly you don’t.

The witty lyricism on the song is also noteworthy. Most notably the line I don’t want to live another life, coz this one’s pretty nice.

Followed by Dua’s magnetic voice saying when she says, who needs to go to sleep, when I got you next to me? This 80’s-inspired hit is expertly delivered and truly worth the listen.

5. “The Bigger Picture” by Lil Baby

“The Bigger Picture” is definitely one of the most influential songs of the year due to its blatant activism. In the song, Lil Baby delivers a good mix of conscious wisdom and artistic activism. He speaks out against social injustice and inequality among the races while advocating for unity amongst everyone in his song.

The deeply conscious lyrics in “The Bigger Picture” force you to pay attention to his words as you listen to the song. Lil Baby essentially acknowledges that there is a problem that needs to be solved while admitting that real change will take time.

Some of the notable lyrics are where Lil Baby raps:

“It’s bigger than black and white,
it’s a problem with the whole way of life
It can’t change overnight (nah)
But we gotta start somewhere”

The Bigger Picture by Lil Baby

“Every coloured person ain’t dumb and all whites are not racist
I be judgin’ by the mind and heart, I ain’t really into faces”

The Bigger Picture by Lil Baby

“Every video I see on my conscience, I got power, now I gotta say something
Corrupted police been the problem where I’m from, But I’d be lyin’ if I said it was all of them”

The Bigger Picture by Lil Baby

In the final analysis, Lil Baby’s song is a highly influential hit which stresses the need to be assertive against visible wrongs when doing so is within your power. It also emphasizes how unity amongst all kinds of people is the best way to deal with the negative elements that plague our society.

4. “Say So” by Doja Cat

With a perfectly executed “old school” feel and touch of the 80’s, “Say So” 2020 hit song sticks out like a sore thumb when considered among its contemporaries. It has a rare mix of beautifully laid down whispery vocals on the chorus and a really laid back beat.

In addition, Doja Cat’s rap verses are surprisingly unique and masterfully delivered. It is no surprise that the song was making huge rounds on TikTok. The eventual remix with Nicki Minaj served to increase its popularity and shoot it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nicki’s verses also created the perfect fusion of the past and the new school.

3. “Savage” (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion Feat. Beyoncé

The “Savage” tremendously spiced up the good feel of the original version by Megan Thee Stallion and created waves among pop fans everywhere. Queen Bey really brought the fire in the remix with some well-crafted rap verses which are delivered so comfortably you would forget that her strength lies in her strong vocals.

“Savage” song was essentially put together because Bey and Meg are both from Houston. For her part, Megan’s voice and strong attitude on the chorus –where she shows off her versatile personality and entailing she can be classy, bougie or ratchet.

The chemistry between the two Houston stars sublimely shines in an exceptional verse where Bey’s vocals compliment and elevate Meg’s rap verse as she blazes her fire on the track. Bey then proceeds to shut the song down strongly with some ravishing vocals.

2. “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

It really doesn’t get bigger than this. “Blinding Lights” smash hit triggers a few nostalgic feelings as you listen to it. The nostalgia makes sense when you realize it is because the song’s drumbeat is pretty similar to the one in Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” which was also a smash hit in its time.

The Weeknd masterfully delivers powerful vocals in this song where he sings about how much he misses a lover and how it is negatively affecting him. This song was a breath of fresh air in 2020, and we are pretty sure it helped scores of people get through quarantine because of its appeal. The composition of the song is truly in a league of its own.

1. “WAP” by Cardi B Featuring Meghan Thee Stallion

“WAP,” the highly controversial banger by La Cardi and Megan has been a monster of a hit this year despite only dropping on August 7, 2020 debuting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. With a heavy and bouncy hip-hop/trap style beat which includes a looped vocal sample, the song’s instrumental is extremely catchy and nothing short of a masterpiece.

The somewhat hardcore and raunchy verses by Cardi and Meg go on to bring the heat and add the sauce to everything! Guess it’s hot and saucy macaroni in the pot right? (pun intended).

Anyway, despite the freaky and controversial lyrics, WAP has been on repeat on radio stations worldwide and already has millions of streams under its belt. The song’s influence has even penetrated the political arena where it has not gone without comment by politicians.

For instance, a Republican candidate for congress, James P. Bradley, tweeted:

https://twitter.com/JamesBradleyCA/status/1291735105774522368?s=20

He was of course trolled by unforgiving fans on Twitter for saying he “accidentally” heard the song. Which was quite honestly to be expected.

Our thoughtful comment on the project is that it’s probably not a song –and more importantly –video to put on when your parents and very little kids are around.

Because YES, even Waffles And Pancakes could get you in trouble in 2020.

Sources