Billboard Top 20 Ranking: Summer 2020

Billboard Top 20 Ranked: Summer 2020

Week of July 18th, 2020

Alright, it’s been three months since the last ranking, so it’s time to check out the Billboard Top 20 again. A lot has happened in these past three months, both in the real world and the pop music world, but this is about the latter, so ignoring the real world, how is popular music right now. Well, I was expecting this current Top 20 to be a downgrade from the last one I looked at, but the opposite was actually the case. Yeah, this is a pretty solid Top 20, a solid 65/100, the best Top 20 that I have ranked thus far. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any duds, so let’s get those out of the way first, shall we?

TERRIBLE TIER

 #20: We Paid by Lil Baby and 42 Dugg (This Week: #14)

Ugh, this sucks. The beat is dour, the lyrics aren’t anything I haven’t heard before and 42 Dugg has one of the most grating voices I’ve ever heard. It’s a real chore to sit through, and is likely going to end up pretty dang high on my worst list. I’ll get back to this in December.

#19: Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé (This Week: #4)

Hey, speaking of a chore to sit through. This remix is significantly longer than the original (which you can hear my thoughts on in my spring ranking), and that is definitely not for the better. The constant ad-libs from Beyonce leave no space for my ears to breathe, and it gets real tiring real fast. Just hope the Beyhive doesn’t find this…

(Beyhive finds it)

OH NO NOT THE BEES! NOT THE BEES! AAAAAHHHHH!

BAD TIER

Ah, it’s empty. Okay, let’s move on.

MEDIOCRE TIER

#18: For The Night by Pop Smoke ft. Lil Baby and DaBaby (This Week: #6)

R.I.P. Pop Smoke, but this doesn’t do anything for me. Too much autotune on the hook.

#17: Intentions by Justin Beiber ft. Quavo (This Week: #10)

Man, this Justin Beiber song sure does exist, doesn’t it?

#16: Whats Poppin (Remix) by Jack Harlow ft. DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne (This Week: #3)

So this guy is one of 2020’s big breakout stars, huh? Well, I’ll say that it’s not bad, but it’s not my thing. Sure, the piano keys in the beat are a nice touch, but they repeat throughout the entire song, and while none of the rappers are at all bad (DaBaby’s flow is actually really good, and Tory Lanez ain’t bad either), but the lyrics aren’t my cup of tea, and I can’t take Lil Wayne seriously after my Worst of 2008 list. I wouldn’t discount this song growing on me, but for the time being, it’s not my thing.
DECENT TIER

#15: Roses (Imanbek Remix) by SAINt JHN (This Week: #5)

So, this is a strange way for a song to become a hit. This was originally released in 2016 as a downbeat Trap song (here’s the original BTW), only for Imanbek, a random teenager in Kazakhstan (insert Borat joke here) to remix it and for it to blow up out of nowhere, topping the charts in countries like Australia, Canada and the UK. As for the song itself, well, it’s a perfectly solid House song, with pitched-up vocals and a beat that I can vibe with from time to time. I’ve heard it called a hybrid of the Club music that dominated the Early 2010s and the Trap that dominated the Late 2010s, and I guess that’s a fair comparison. Either way, it’s OK by me, not my favorite, but not bad.

#14: Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey (This Week: #8)

Yup, it’s grown on me a bit since last time. That beat makes me wish I never quit those drum classes I took in 6th grade, and the melody on the chorus is quite strong. While I can’t give it the full endorsement, I don’t mind this sticking around.

#13: Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (This Week: #7)

Listen closely to the lyrics and really think about them… this ain’t actually about Harry Styles liking watermelons, but something else entirely ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Jokes aside, it’s a catchy Pop song that I could see growing on me, but I can’t put it above the 3/5 category as of now. I’ll have to let this fruit digest a bit more before I come to a definitive answer as to its quality.

#12: Rockstar by DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch (This Week: #1)

So after a good two month stretch of rotating #1’s, it appears as though this is what we’ve settled on, and while there are better songs that could’ve had a multiweek run at #1, this ain’t a bad choice by any means. The beat has a nice guitar loop and both DaBaby and Roddy Ricch have varying flows that they employ throughout the song. Lyrically, it’s quite similar to The Box and Ballin’, so it’s become a well-proven formula for Roddy at the very least. Hey, I’d rather have this at #1 than a certain rainbow-haired troll (pun intended), so I’ll count my blessings, solid song.

#11: One Margarita by Luke Bryan (This Week: #19)

If only life right now was a beach party. Hey, I guess we need some form of escapism, especially when it comes to a catchy Country song. While Luke Bryan may not be my favorite Luke in Country Music, I still think this song is A-OK. Heck, I could see it growing on me, so stay tuned for that.

#10: Say So (Remix) by Doja Cat ft. Nicki Minaj (This Week: #9)

Umm, why did we need this remix? I mean, the original song is great, but all this remix does is stitch on a slapdash verse from Nicki Ménage À Trois. Don’t get me wrong, I still like it, but it does leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

GOOD TIER

#9: The Woo by Pop Smoke ft. 50 Cent and Roddy Ricch (This Week: #11)

This is a lot better than For The Night, but I can’t quite figure out why. Pop Smoke’s voice is still lathered in autotune, and the lyrics are pretty standard. If I’m gonna guess, it’s probably the latin guitar and the Candy Shop interpolation. All I do know is that this is a solid song.

#8: The Bigger Picture by Lil Baby (This Week: #20)

It’s a good protest song with well-written lyrics and easily Lil Baby’s best vocal performance. Even though I’m pretty jaded when it comes to politics and have no interest in discussing it on this blog, I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. Maybe Lil Baby isn’t so bad after all…

#7: Adore You by Harry Styles (This Week: #12)

Nope, my thoughts on this haven’t changed, it’s still a solid 8/10 Pop song.

#6: The Bones by Maren Morris (This Week: #18)

Nor have my thoughts on this one changed. It’s still a really good song, but not quite enough to get the full 5/5. Now, which ones were good enough to get said 5/5?

GREAT TIER

#5: Rain On Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande (This Week: #16)

Did this song just come out of a time capsule from 2011 or something? I mean, it’s an upbeat electro-pop song by Lady Gaga, that can’t be too implausible. Jokes aside, it’s a song that is about persevering through hard times, and I’m sure why you can all figure out why that theme resonates with me right now. I’m glad that this has become a hit, hope it sticks around.

#4: Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (This Week: #15)

I’ve already covered this song twice, still as great as ever, next.

#3: Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (This Week: #17)

Hey, remember last time when I said that I wanted this to become a hit? Well, it looks as though my wish has been granted, as this is now in the Top 20! Built around a funky groove similar to Another One Bites The Dust and an (unintentional) interpolation of Need You Tonight by INXS on the hook, Break My Heart is about Dua falling in love with a guy, even though she’s had her heart broken before and fears it happening again. While I wouldn’t call myself a fan of Dua Lipa, I do think that the pop world is better for having her around, and I have a hunch that she’ll be one of the defining artists of the coming decade.

#2: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (This Week: #2)

Three months later and all of my thoughts still stand, it’s one of the best Pop songs we’ve had in years. Now, if only In Your Eyes hadn’t flopped. This song looks to have longevity, and could possibly even compete for the Year-End #1 if it sticks around long enough. So, what could be #1

#1: Circles by Post Malone (This Week: #13)

You know how I just said that Blinding Lights seems to have longevity? Well, let me put this song’s record-shattering longevity into context. This song came out in September of 2019. The Coronavirus wouldn’t be detected in humans until December of 2019, which means that this song has been around longer than the Coronavirus. Through all that has happened over the past 10 months, Circles has been in the Top 20 the entire time, and if any song is going to set the record for most weeks in the Top 10, Circles is the one that should do it. This’ll likely go down as a time-honored classic for decades to come, and I for one could not be happier about that. 

I’ve got a bit of a change of plans for my schedule. I’m gonna get back to work on the 1995 Year-End list, and both my Best and Worst list should be out by the end of the month. However, the next year after that will not be 2006, but 2016, as Pulse Music Board has launched a redo of the 2016 Year-End Rankdown. I will eventually do 2006, but that’ll have to wait for a little while. I hope you enjoyed reading this ranking, and I will be back with more content soon, but until then, have a good one.