Billboard #1 Songs of 2021

 Having recently listened to every Billboard #1 from the year 2021, here are my very brief thoughts on each of them.

“All I Want or Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey (January 2; December 25): Meh, pretty indifferent on this one.

“Mood” by 24kGoldn feat. Iann Dior (January 9-16): Missed this when it came out- apparently it got big on TikTok. Pretty fun, inoffensive pop-rap song.

“Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo (January 23-March 13): Man, 2021 was Olivia Rodrigo’s year. Wasn’t a huge fan of this song, however; I just can’t get into these weepy acoustic pop ballads that have become hugely popular over the past several years. 

“What’s Next” by Drake (March 20): The enduring popularity of Drake never ceases to baffle me. Pretty annoying beat, coupled with some mediocre bars.

“Up” by Cardi B (March 27): Pretty forgettable, sound just a little too similar to her song “Money” from a couple years ago.

“Peaches” by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon (April 3): Cringe.

“Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X (April 10): This one was great! After “Old Town Road,” I was fully expecting Lil Nas X to fade into obscurity, but he keeps putting out fun, catchy stuff. 

“Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic (April 17; May 22): Not really my style, but I do enjoy the retro feel.

“Rapstar” by Polo G (April 24-May 1): Was pretty bored by this one. A few kind of funny lines over a not-super-memorable beat.

“Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande (May 8-15): Really good track! I enjoyed After Hours decently when it came out, but missed this remix with Ariana Grande. 

“Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo (May 29): Pretty cool to see a through-and-through rock song at the top of the charts. I liked this one much better than “Driver’s License.”

“Butter” by BTS (June 5-July 17; July 31-August 7; September 11): Definitely inescapable this past summer. Not terrible. I’m all around pretty meh on it.

“Permission to Dance” by BTS (July 24): This was forgettable and bland. 

“Stay” by Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI (August 14-September 4; September 25-October 2; October 16): Kind of a fun song. I actually like the over-processed and unnatural vocals in the chorus; reminds me a bit of “Gold” by Kiara.

“Way 2 Sexy” by Drake (September 18): Again, why do people like Drake?

“My Universe” by Coldplay feat. BTS (October 9): Boring music, coupled with some pretty insipid lyrics. 

“Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow (October 23): Another really solid song from Lil Nas X.

“Easy on Me” by Adele (October 30-November 20; December 4-18): I don’t like this as much as some of Adele’s older songs, but it’s not terrible.

“All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift (November 27): I like this song, but find the 10 minute version pretty unnecessary; I’ll have more to say in my review of Red.