During this year, many artists have blessed us with providing new songs while we were all in quarantine so we didn’t lose our minds (completely). With my diverse taste in music, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite songs of 2020, and what better way to send off the memorable year that has been 2020, than with a list of my top ten songs that were released that helped me get through this extremely long year.

“Is it True” by Tame Impala (alternative/ indie)

The whole The slow Rush album deserves its own reward, but my favorite from the album would have to be “Is it True” taking the number three spot on my list. Being released in February of 2020, this was a song I listened to for the majority of the year. The song’s overall vibe that it gave off made me want to take long drives at night with my friends. It always uplifted my mood whenever I was down. It’s the type of song that you can’t listen to and still be in a bad mood. 

“Circles” by Post Malone (pop/hip hop)

Although it feels like the Hollywood’s Bleeding album came out forever ago, it was released in early January 2020. “Circles” gave me that upbeat feeling whenever quarantine got me down in the dumps. It’s a song that I never got tired of no matter how many times I listened to it. Posty really did us all a favor with this one.

“Adore You” by Harry Styles (pop)

Also released in the earlier parts of January, Styles really got us feeling good with this song. The upbeat track and smooth melody could make me forget all the troubles that were going on, but just looking at Harry can make me forget all my troubles, especially when he says “Oh, honey I’d walk through fire for you, just let me adore you, like it’s the only thing I’ll ever do.” “Adore You” was something I could never get out of my head.

Amber Run’s song “Affection (unplugged)” (alternative rock/indie):

Stealing the number four spot and my heart. The band decided to get together during the early months of quarantine to produce a set of unplugged songs from their latest album Philophobia which was released in September 2019. Having the band produce and release these songs for us fans really felt special during the hard times of the pandemic. My favorite song from the set was their new rendition of “Affection.” This song gave me the nostalgia of life before the pandemic and the normalcy we had when I first listened to the original song. Although on the slower side it still made me have the same joy and happiness as any upbeat song would have. You can listen to the full unplugged album here.

“Blue World” by Mac Miller was another favorite this year (hip hop/rap).

With the beginning having a snippet of the recording of “It’s a blue world” by The Ink Spots, it made the song have a nice nostalgia with a new beat and twist added onto it later. It’s another type of song that instantly boosts your mood, and can’t listen to while still being upset or angry. It’s easy to be relaxed and remember to stay calm with lyrics like “we don’t gotta let him in, don’t trip Yeah, yeah I let it go, but I never go with it Uh, yeah.” 

“Low” by Chet Faker (electronica)

Faker’s song gave me everything I needed to forget that I was trapped in my house for over six months. “Low” was a song that I was really unsure of at first but then grew to love. It’s unusual intro and beat made the song feel different to what I was usually listening to. Because of this, the song made it enjoyable to listen to on repeat and made me feel good because I was listening to something different. 

“Trapped In The Sun” from Future (rap)

This was a song that I always had a great time listening to, that’s why it’s number ten on the list. Future brought a great upbeat track that made me want to get up and do things instead of just laying around. It was truly a perfect song to get me pumped up to do something and get it done. 

“Your Love” from the Glass Animals (alternative/indie)

This upbeat song was also different from the usual songs I had listened to. With another strange type of track they used, it made the song that much better because of its uniformity from what was being released around it. The catchy lyrics made this a song I could have in my head all day. “I can feel your love, your temporary touch It’s a hit and run.”

“Texas Sun” by Leon Bridges (r&b/ soul)

This was a song I couldn’t get enough of this year, I usually don’t listen to country music but this song was a huge exception. At first listen I didn’t even notice that it was a country. It had a different tone than most country songs do, and that’s what made me fall in love with it. Listening to it made me feel like I was far away from home traveling across the warm sunny state, loving life and everything around me.

“Tisk Tisk” by Earl Sweatshirt (rap)

“Tisk Tisk” made me feel like it was another normal day with my friends. This gave me vibes of a time where we had no idea what Covid 19 was and didn’t have a care in the world. This song makes me feel like it was just another regular day and I wasn’t stuck at home. 

With all of these great songs released in 2020 it will be exciting to see what artists will bring to the hopefully better year of 2021.