Eligibility Criteria:
Any single, be it a radio, promotional or video release.
Released during the calendar year of 2021, or those released during 2020 that reached either its chart peak or greatest visibility in 2021.
Limit of one proper single per artist, though an artist can appear multiple times if they were on a feature or collaboration with another artist.
50) Red Rum Club- “Vibrate”
Clever, catchy, and captivating, Red Rum Club easily claims the best booty-call anthem of 2021. These British chaps are best known for their ultra-energetic romps like “Elevation”, and while those jams are undoubtedly killer, I find myself most entranced when they travel down the road of more pensive allure, as they do here. They imbue this track with convincing layers of aural sex appeal, but not without a seeming notion that the idea of Red Rum Club being sexy is ridiculous in the first place. And that quality makes it all the more enticing, as well as convincing. So many one-night stand anthems focus on the extreme elements of passion and regret, but “Vibrate” offers a slinky ambience that remembers the real-life awkwardness and foolish discomfort that color both the act itself and the cover-up in the real world.
49) Billie Eilish- “Therefore I Am”
Just when you thought that the dark-pop princess was going to remain on coo-control through snoozy alt-ballads for the rest of all time, “Therefore I Am” found her returning to the same banging bite that made “Bad Guy” such an anthem, and that subsequently ushered in her reign as pop’s unlikeliest superstar. It retains all of her gloomy trademarks of course, which makes the punch of this unassuming ear-worm all the more satisfying. It results in an insatiably venomous kiss-off track that’s supremely heightened by Eilish’s put-on indifference of the entire matter.
48) Marshmello and Jonas Brothers- “Leave Before You Love Me”
This electric collaboration proved to be the silky sensation of the summer and it remained just as durably satisfying as both the leaves and the snow began to fall. If you had asked me during the height of their initial hit-streak a dozen years ago whether I’d even remember in 2021 that the Jonas Brothers existed, I probably wouldn’t have even dignified your question with an answer. Today, they rank among my favorite pop pleasures, and not a guilty one either. Another notch on an impressive list of memorable and reliable smash singles.
47) Olivia Rodrigo- “Good 4 U”
This and opening track “Brutal” were positive head-turners when I finally gave Sour a chance this summer. While I didn’t necessarily love everything else that surrounded it, what I did appreciate was what a well-rounded artist the stylistic diversity suggested Rodrigo to be. And that gives us something to look forward to as she matures as an artist. Meantime, the girl has a serious knack with angsty pop-punk. She can keep wearing her Paramore influences on her sleeve all she wants. “Good 4 U” is a fiery, hooky home-run.
46) Royal Blood- “Trouble’s Coming”
A fierce coming-out to the mainstream for Royal Blood, with the third studio release that it anchored giving this duo an overdue proclamation to the masses as one of rock music’s most promising young bands. This simmering anthem just gets your blood boiling in the all very best ways with an emphatic, thrill-seeking vocal and arrangements that are frenetic, foreboding, and frigging fantastic.
45) Demi Lovato and Sam Fischer- “What Other People Say”
This is likely the most well-balanced performance of Lovato’s career to date; they don’t completely abandon their tendency for melodrama but rather counteract it with a stirring sense of intimate vulnerability. Sam Fischer’s crystalline vocals contribute tremendously to that middle-ground, and together they soar both emotionally and musically. Our human tendency to place greater weight on the opinions of society rather than those that love us unconditionally plague us all, Hollywood stars or not, and the pair brings that sad truth to powerful life.
44) Anderson East- “Drugs”
Who the hell knew that there was such a funky disco boy lurking inside of Anderson East, the Americana world’s most brooding country-soul crooner? Sure, “Drugs” is not without its camp or frivolity, but I love how clear it is this wasn’t simply a novelty cut. East approaches this stylistic 180 with the same level of stylish commitment and passion that he does anything else he sings. As a result, we’re rewarded with one of the most surprisingly and effortlessly entertaining records of his career thus far. I can’t get enough of it.
43) Elton John and Dua Lipa- “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)”
As if Dua Lipa hadn’t already established herself as a certifiable icon, what with keeping our quarantined asses grooving throughout the pandemic with her era-defining sophomore album and all. Then she goes and gives one of rock music’s most treasured living legends a late-career chart rebirth by unveiling him as a modern dance club staple on the level of Timberlake and The Weeknd. These two sound positively dazzling together. The mash-up choices are superb and Lipa’s delivery of the classic “Rocket Man” chorus is magnetically sublime.
42) Tim McGraw- “7500 OBO”
My #1 country ear-worm of 2021. Yes, this would have failed miserably in the hands of any bro-country amateur, and subsequently nose dove into an expose’ of every polarizing country truck song stereotype. But in the smooth hands of a capable veteran and great song-man like Tim McGraw, it’s executed flawlessly as a heart-stricken, and oh-so-catchy, story about the memories left behind in a heartbreak’s aftermath. Oh, and the fiddle samplings of “Where the Green Grass Grows”? Golden.
41) Ed Sheeran- “Bad Habits”
“Bad Habits” may play like a B-grade take on “Blinding Lights”, but that takes nothing away from its status as both an undeniable smash and an impressive comeback effort for Ed Sheeran. In fact, that quality really only solidified its massive success. The singer-songwriter once again proves what a suave pop operator he is. He knows how to play the game, adapt to the scene around him, and score a simmering success in the process.
40) I Don’t Know How But They Found Me- “Leave Me Alone”
What a fuzzy, blistering rock concoction this is. The soaring heights of Dallon Weekes’ vocals and the atmospheric roar of the clashing guitars that surround him will immediately transplant you to a paralyzing state of modern rock euphoria. All the best qualities of New Wave, alternative and pop-rock smash into one another to create a bona-fide force to be reckoned with. iDKHOW belong at the absolute forefront of the rock world. Earthquaking stuff right here.
39) Lorde- “Stoned At the Nail Salon”
This naked and off-beat reflection is one of Lorde’s most powerful moments as a singer and songwriter thus far; a striking reality check that urges us to remember that all of the surface-level joys and manufactured pleasantries of life will one day fade and reveal the shallow nature of their substance. Even more cutting however is the equally true reality that the truly meaningful components of our lives, like the people and relationships we cherish, also fade with time. In the end, will you look back with regret over which area you chose to invest all of your time and attention?
38) Margo Price- “Long Live the King”
A sterling one-off from the honky-soul songstress. Over the course of four minutes, Price masters the daunting challenge of paying balanced and seamless homage to the lives of three vast cultural and societal icons (Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lennon), with all three stories never once sounding like they don’t belong together. So many songs that celebrate larger-than-life figures seem to feel as if they must paint their subjects as God-like immortals without a trace of any human flaws. Not so with the always pointed Price. She captures all of the legacies, tragedies and, when pertinent, personal downfalls of each man (in the case of Lennon: “He was a feminist, and an asshole too.”). It’s that grit, realism and honesty that makes this track all the more interesting, and in turn, only further elevate the tribute being paid to each of these storied figures.
37) Miley Cyrus- “Angels Like You”
I’ve already gone on record in proclaiming Miley Cyrus’ most recent release as one of the best pop-rock albums in recent memory, and unfortunately it’s also gone onto become one of the most criminally overlooked, both as an overall body of work and potential hit factory. This gutsy power ballad truly showcases how far her vocal ability as expanded since her teens, in terms of range, texture and nuance. She’s developed a ragged beauty in her pipes somewhere between the prime versions of Bonnie Tyler, Stevie Nicks, and Tanya Tucker, and this is the type of powerhouse female rock ballad we simply don’t hear anymore.
36) John Mayer with Maren Morris- “Last Train Home”
While Miley Cyrus’ most recent album was a deliberate homage to the glam-rock sounds of the 80s, John Mayer’s was an exercise in the synth-soaked rock sounds of the same era from the likes of Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, and Don Henley. This utterly infectious first single goes down so damn smooth and served as a reminder of the longing we didn’t know we had for this particular style of soft rock. It proved to be a natural lane for Mayer’s signature vocals and slick guitar licks to merge into. The subtle late-track backing vocals from Maren Morris add just the right dose of spice to an already potent performance.
35) Aaron Lee Tasjan- “Up All Night”
A spell-binding display of all the brilliantly jittery creative tendencies floating inside the brain of Americana favorite, Aaron Lee Tasjan. The pulsating arrangements, his delightfully eerie Tom Petty vocal similarities, and his unorthodox, left-of-center turn-of-phrase all blend to create a contagious and dizzying listening experience. The soundscapes throughout are so damn mesmerizing, that you almost miss the sly social commentary he sneaks in regarding sexual identity and society’s unnecessary tendency to fit us all into single, limiting categories. A riveting release.
34) Kacey Musgraves- “Justified”
A positively hypnotic single that relentlessly seeps its way into your consciousness. Musgraves’ vocal performance is beautifully evocative and, when paired with alluring electronica-infused folk sonics and one of the most infectious choruses of her career, it all adds up to an impressively strong single that should have had a prominent home on both country and pop radio. The essence of the track remains deeply rooted in the somber failure of her marriage, and the rollercoaster of emotions that arrived in its wake. When she alters the pronoun in the final chorus to reveal that she’s taking just as much ownership in taking their relationship for granted, it cuts deep.
33) Fretland- “Too Much”
What a refreshing burst of jangly roots rock energy this record is. The bright-eyed vigor and soul within Hillary Grace Fretland’s exuberant vocal gloriously radiate from the speakers and through the veins of the listener, and the twangy, reverb guitar backdrop that surrounds her is equally marvelous. This is a youthful, vibrant celebration of one’s vices, and I absolutely love how joyous she is in her dismissal of her loved ones who caution her about her own personality’s excesses, rather than focus on their own. Take note: Fretland is one of the best kept secrets among today’s crowded roots scene.
32) Hiss Golden Messenger- “Sanctuary”
Perhaps the year’s most soul-cleansing release, “Sanctuary”, much like the very best work of Hiss Golden Messenger, soars thanks to a tasteful arrangement that beautifully highlights the rustic folk qualities of MC Taylor’s classic voice, bolstered by acoustic guitars, comforting piano and a bluesy organ track that dutifully crescendos at the emotional climax of the cut. As uplifting as the single’s overall track is, its acknowledgement of the very real and hard times so many are living in is where it really finds its true gravitas: “Ragged people, hard times/Lightning strikes the poor house, the rich man cries like a crocodile.”
31) Miranda Lambert- “Settling Down”
In a year that saw Miranda Lambert continually explore side-projects and underground collaborations at the pace and creative liberty of an artist well past their time in the mainstream limelight, “Settling Down” provided her with her first consecutive top ten terrestrial hit since 2014, officially cementing a refreshing comeback on country radio. It’s a sturdy and memorable offering, landing squarely in Lambert’s classic wheelhouse, powered by twangy-sweet vocals, tastefully clean neo-trad instrumentation, and sharp lyrical celebration of an artist’s constant tussle between home and the road: “I could love a picket fence if it wrapped around the world.” Lucky for us, Lambert doesn’t appear to be settling down any time soon.
30) Hayes Carll and Brandy Clark- “In the Mean Time”
An excellent entry in the long storied catalog of country and folk duets, Carll and Clark are just two of those singer-songwriters that sound made to sing together, thanks to their equally unique points of view and respect for classic musical storytelling. The world of popular music is so littered with songs that celebrate the extremes of romantic relationships: the falling in and the falling out of love. This track literally documents that “mean-time” middle ground; the daily struggles and give and take that defines every day life as a committed couple, in hopes that these particular characters find a way to stay on the right side of that equation.
29) Morgan Wade- “Wilder Days”
One of the most promising arrivals on the music scene this year, Morgan Wade revealed a biting one-two punch with her country-rock vocals and no-holds-barred pen, both stained by cigarettes and whiskey and all the accompanying bitter truths that make music all the better. On her debut single, Wade finds herself enticed by the notion of spending time with the younger version of her lover, and witnessing all the escapades that defined his life back then. We find ourselves forever changed when we meet our better halves, and it’s captivating and sometimes terrifying to contemplate what life would have been like if you’d met at a different place and time.
28) Kings of Leon- “The Bandit”
Kings of Leon never replicated the commercial heights of 2008’s “Use Somebody”, but this rollicking comeback hit helped remind listeners that they’ve remained one of their era’s most reliable arena rock ensembles, and have only improved since that widespread breakthrough over a decade ago. I just love the cinematic urgency that ripples through the Western-inspired storyline and prominent guitar trappings of this track, and Caleb Followill’s raspy voice remains one of the most character-filled in modern music. These Kings still have the royal goods.
27) Walk the Moon- “Can You Handle My Love”
I become a bigger Walk the Moon mega-fan with each new release. We had to be patient for the arrival of this, their first single since 2019 and album launch since 2017, but it was well worth the wait. Their work just always possesses such an eclectic burst of colorful personality and creativity. It has a quality that just doesn’t feel as present in today’s music as it did back in classic pop and rock eras of the past. “Can You Handle My Love” fires on those cylinders more intensely than any of their other singles to date, save for probably “Shut Up and Dance”. It’s impossible to not become deliriously entranced by the joyful combination of Nicholas Petricca’s unflappable charisma and the endless barrage of hooks. And those keys? Man, those keys! A certifiable serving of delicious pop-rock ecstasy.
26) The Killers featuring Bruce Springsteen- “Dustland”
In a year of artistic zig-zags for one of modern rock’s greatest bands, The Killers followed up 2020’s box office production of Imploding the Mirage with Pressure Machine, a modern-day Nebraska that spawned zero proper singles (rest assured though: you’ll see it appear on this year’s Best Albums List). Ironically, that release coincided with a single-only collaboration with Springsteen himself on a remake of 2009’s “A Dustland Fairytale”, a song inspired by Brandon Flowers’ parents. It’s an enthralling and thoroughly moving improvement on an already excellent performance, with an added layer of pathos and passion resulted not only by the inclusion of Springsteen, but also by way of the added rugged wisdom in Flowers’ voice when an additional decade of living is factored in. It’s one of the best pure rock singles to be released in many moons.
Continue to: Part II
The 706 