Top 5 Songs of 2021

In March of 2020, as the population of the western world stocked up on toilet paper, went into their homes, locked the doors, and settled in for the Long Spring; many a keen cultural observer wondered openly about that art that would be created during the COVID age. Forced indoors and often physically separated from their collaborators, musicians were presented the opportunity to cast aside their everyday distractions – like touring and…income – to focus on writing, composing, and refining their work.

2021 gave us the first fruits of 2020’s extended hibernation. Songs that celebrated the human spirit and its resilience as the outside world descended into chaos, but also songs that reflected the isolation and pain brought on by the last 21 months of human history.

But it is here where I will make absolutely sure to note the following opinions:

Only a few albums released in the year 2021 will be remembered as cultural touchstones.
The uplifting songs of 2021 were better than the downers.
As music is concerned, 2021 belonged to women.

That last point…it’s a big one. From Olivia Rodriguo making pubescent drama palatable for geriatric millennials to the triumphant coming out party of Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner, 2021 was defined by the female artists who monopolized the musical conversation and gave us something exciting to listen to. The world may have been crumbling around us, but at least we could pop in some AirPods and breathe every now and then.

5. “A Passionate Age” by Islands

I was missing Nick Thorburn. Having latched onto The Unicorns back in 2004 during the discovery phase of my indie rock-listening life, his music has been a constant part of my existence for the last 16 years. But after 2015 he left, and according to a great Stereogum write-up, he thought he was done.

Thankfully, he wasn’t. While Islomania, his 2021 comeback album isn’t as urgent or inspired as some of his earlier work, it does contain some amazing songs. None were more impressive to me than “A Passion Age,” whose vocoder-laden melodies evoke the later work of Apples in Stereo. The chorus’ “Gotta go/ gotta get out the halls/ got to get into interior walls” is so unbelievably catchy. The rest of the song’s lyrics read like an inner-battle between a man who can’t decide whether to cage himself up in his later years or make a triumphant return.

For our sake, I’m glad he chose the latter.

4. “Control” by Mannequin Pussy

2021 was the year that I discovered Mannequin Pussy.

Not a sentence that I’ll say to my family during a festive Christmas dinner, but one that I feel comfortable writing here for the one to two people who have ever read this underdeveloped blog.

“Control,” the first track and stand-out song on MP’s fantastic 2021 EP is vicious and delicate, much like the album’s cover. It perfectly captures the balancing act between staying independent or giving yourself to another. It’s a love song, but one coated in nihilism.

3. “Chaise Longue” by Wet Leg

Some songs start as jokes, as silly ideas that eventually transcend their inane beginnings. Think “Vega-Tables” by The Beach Boys or…”She’s Going Bald” by The Beach Boys. (Those kids love to joke around.)

“Chaise Longue” seems like it’s one of those songs. Filled with double entendres, Mean Girl references, and a chorus so simple, yet so catchy, “Chaise Longue” will have legs. It’s the “Peaches” of 2021, infinitely playable, and quotable. From now until the rest of my life, I will never look at a long chair without thinking of this song.

2. “Submarine” by L’Impératrice

Tako Tsubo, L’Impératrice’s unbelievable 2021 album, is one of the most criminally-overlooked albums of the year. An album filled edge-to-edge with smooth synth-funk, gorgeous vocals, and catcher’s mitt melodies (cause they’re so goddamn catchy). If you’ve yet to listen to it, make yourself a cocktail, dim the lights, and press play.

“Submarine” is the easy stand-out on the album, about watching a loved one go through depression and feeling helpless about it. The chorus, morose as hell, is also the most infectious melody of 2021.

“Try me I won’t make a scene/ I’ll stay silent and serene/ Watching all your feelings die/ I don’t cry/ Do I?”

The catch here, according to the words sung by Flore Benguigui, is that we’re all sad, we all feel blue, but we put on a happy face when we have to. To no avail, she’s pleading with her loved one to just pretend to be happy like everyone else.

As someone who’s always appreciated the juxtaposition of sad lyrics with happy music, this one hits hard. According to Spotify, it’s my second-most played song of the year.

“Paprika” by Japanese Breakfast

As I’ve perused 2021’s year-end lists over the last few weeks, I’ve had the overwhelming feeling that my opinions are wrong. On nearly every list I’ve seen, “Be Sweet” by Japanese Breakfast is listed as one of the best songs of the year, and it’s always the highest-rated song from Michelle Zauner’s unparalleled 2021 album, Jubilee.

On a longer version of this list, “Be Sweet” is my fifth-highest ranking song from Jubilee. Which should tell you something about my relationship with this album, namely that I love it! It is, to me, the best album of 2021.

What sets “Paprika” apart is that it’s track one, the first song on this album I ever heard. And from the moment the first chorus hits, I knew that I was listening to something that would affect me greatly. The gong hits, Zauner stretches the limits of her vocal range, the brass instruments come in…”it’s a rush.”

Lyrically, it doesn’t hit as hard as “Be Sweet” or “Kokomo, IN,” but “Paprika” is the most beautifully-arranged song I’ve heard in 2021. It opened a door that I was more than willing to walk through, and I haven’t left the world of Jubilee yet.

While you’re here, I might as well let you know that I began assembling this list over a month ago, but as a much more appropriate “Top 21 Song of 2021.” Sadly, my dedication to writing about music hasn’t exactly recovered since my 8-year gap in blogging. But I’ve added the rest of that list below just in case you’re interested. It includes (a lot) more Japanese Breakfast and songs from one of my favorite albums of 2021, Remi Wolf’s Juno.

Happy Holidays, everyone!