The Top Ten Songs Of 2021

Music tells a lot about your personality. Some love the beats of hip-hop, while others draw to the strings of country music. From artists like NBA Youngboy to Dan+Shay, we’ll talk about the songs that are great to listen to while cleaning, working out, or just chilling in your room. A few will bring joy while others will provoke sadness. Songs bring forward memories and tell stories. Here’s ten that tell good stories, at least, in my opinion.

1. Heartless By Diplo and Julia Michaels- It’s a tune about love and lies and a good country song for the road. The singers ask why you gotta be so heartless as they beg for each other’s love. It’s a continuum of love and loss. You can feel the emotion poured into the lyrics as they beg to know why the other is in between loving them and leaving. I often find myself wanting to yell this song because the beat and melody make it catchy!

2. Rules By Killumanti- This is a TikTok favorite. It’s a song about checking the haters. It lists steps to addressing someone who has offended you. “Rule #1 if it’s ‘bout me @ me so I can see it.” She speaks very clear in her rap which I love! The profanity is mild, but it’s a good girl-power song that can hype you up.

3. You’re Mines Still-By Yung Bleu ft. Drake- It’s a love ballad about how he can’t let the girl go and wants her to stay true to him. “Don’t go build a life without me cause you’re mines still.” Even though she has moved on, he says she notices her new love is nothing like what they had. The Caribbean vibe of his voice serenades the women to stay in love with him. Play this song late at night to feel its true melancholy nature.

4. The 1 By Taylor Swift- This is a heartbreak song about moving forward in life. She is known for writing about her exes, so this one is no different. It tells how she wishes that he would’ve been the one, but instead, she has to go on with life. A lot of reminiscing is done in this ballad. The piano and the drama of how she says “ it would’ve been fun if you would’ve been the one”. The 1 is about when you say what if, but it’s okay it wasn’t.

   

5. The Bones By Maren Morris & Hozier- If you ever felt like giving up on love listening to this may bring you back to serenity. It’s an affirmation that “when the bones are good the rest don’t matter”. It’s a lovely love song. When the foundation has been assured and is steady then the rest of it will come together. Their use of metaphor shows great lyricism. Through the storms “the house” won’t fall if “the bones” (the relationship) are built well. The essence of real love is felt through this harmony.

6. This City By Sam Fischer- This one describes what a million of us feel daily. He sings about his city feels lonely, and it breaks his heart. He’s going through the motions of loving a woman, then waking up feeling like not doing anything but laying back down. Losing sight of where you belong, you can let the city you’re from consume you. We ask if the city symbolizes his love or his need to feel loved, but we do know it will break his heart. This lovely pop song is one of my favorites to sing around the house!

7. Bare Wit Me By Teyana Taylor- R&B/ Soul is one of my favorite genres! She pleads for him to bear with her through all the hardships. With her cultural influences on hip hop culture, we find ourselves in love with Teyana. From the cover art of this album to the deep soulful feel, I “stan” this song. It’s short but worth the listen.

8. How I Been By NBA Youngboy- It’s another love ballad set to some nice beats. He’s updating his lover on how he’s been since they separated. The chorus explains he’s making money, taking care of himself, and missing her. A beautiful melody in the back plays at the end “ If I can get you off my mind’’, which shows how he misses her and wants them to be together.

   

9. F-150 By Robyn Ottolini- This can definitely be the song for getting over a boyfriend. She tells us how the image of an F-150 reminds her of him, and the memories of them come back to her, except she’s getting over it day by day. At first, she’s reminded of him, but by the last verse that F-150 is in her rearview mirror as she enjoys going out with friends and living life. It’s a “get over him” type of song!

10. Love Cycle By Toosii- It’s an adult hip hop song made for love! Have you ever been caught in a love cycle with someone? He talks about how the girl is the type of person he wants and how he cares for her so much that he’d go to war for her. It’s an explicit song full of lust and jealousy. She asks “You for everybody and he says you must be everybody”, meaning she thinks he’s for everyone else, while he says he is only for her. It’s a cute little love cycle. No pun intended.

Pop, R&B/Soul, Country, and even Hip Hop all bring people together! I hope these songs bring some joy. Some might bring sadness, but these are some of the tops tunes I recommend. Most have to do with love, which should get us ready for Valentine’s Day coming soon.

• new music