Best of 2020
2020. What a year. While there were a lot of struggles and hardships that 2020 brought us, there is one good thing to come out of 2020 and that’s the music. Luckily many of our favorite artists had a lot of time on their hands to bring their creativity to life. The music definitely helped bring us some joy and cope with those hardships and struggles. There are plenty of great songs released in 2020, but these are some personal favorites of mine that I wanted to share. Enjoy!
This might be one of my favorites of 2020. Love the beat and the message. I never get tired of this song. I always stop in my tracks to jam out to this when it pops up on my shuffle.
Jonas Brothers - “What A Man Gotta Do”
I’ll admit it, I was never a fan of the Jonas Brothers when they were first starting out. The last year or so, I became a fan. I gave in to their catchy pop tunes and realized they have aged well ;-) Not only did I enjoy this fun track, but I loved the music video showcasing them with their wives!
Ingrid Andress - “More Hearts Than Mine”
This one is a heartbreaker. Good luck not shedding a tear or two listening to the song and watching the video. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of people who can relate to this song, especially if you’re as close to your family as I am. It’s always a risk introducing your family to a significant other because if they make you happy, your loved ones will become invested, too.
This one is a single gal’s anthem if I ever heard one. Demi tackled tons of inner thoughts that many of us have struggled with at some point. Plus, it’s another one with a great beat. I feel like this song was 2020’s “Truth Hurts.”
I’ve always been a fan of the Haim sisters. They bring a fresh sound to their music and I always appreciate that. My favorite part of “The Steps” is the line, “Every time I think that I've been takin' the steps, You end up mad at me for makin' a mess, I can't understand, why you don't understand me” because it reminded me of a past relationship.
I watched the Netflix documentary, “Shawn Mendes: In Wonder,” last week and I’ll admit I hadn’t listened to his album, Wonder, which was released earlier this month. I’ve always enjoyed his songs and thought he was a talented guy. After watching the documentary, I became a bigger fan of his. This song is a beautiful one. I love the arrangement and the addition of the choir.
Chris Stapleton - “Starting Over”
This guy. He’s by far one of the best country musicians to come around lately. I still remember the year he won all of those Grammys and I had no clue who he was. I’m glad I know his music now. I love his voice and he’s an amazing songwriter. There’s been a lot of songs that were released in 2020 that were very fitting for the year we were having, and this is definitely one of them. I think we all realized we had to “start over” this year and learn how to do things differently.
Gabby Barrett (feat. Charlie Puth) - “I Hope”
I remember hearing this on the radio and I Shazam’d it immediately. I love the sassiness of this song. At first, you think, “aww, isn’t that sweet, she’s wishing the best for an ex. Taking the high road.” Then, boom, just kidding! It’s all about karma on this track. I think we’ve all been there at some point.
Everyone has their opinions on The Chicks (I’m sorry, I’m always going to think of them as the Dixie Chicks), but there’s no denying they have some of the best country songs. “Gaslighter” has a similar vibe like “Goodbye Earl” which was one of my favorites and one of my first go to karaoke songs back in the day.
Dua Lipa has been a hitmaker the last few years and “Break My Heart” is no exception. This song always had me moving, even if it was sitting in my car driving. Plus, you know you’ve made it when your song makes it as a trending Tik Tok dance/song.
Harry Styles - “Watermelon Sugar”
This one made my list because I think it’s one of the songs I had on repeat in my head this year. If I heard it on the radio in the car, it was a given that I’d be singing “Watermelon sugar high” for the rest of the day. It always made me giggle when I heard the kids at my work sing this song because of the sexual innuendo. Thank goodness for their innocence.
Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Beyonce) - “Savage Remix”
There’s no denying that 2020 was the year of Tik Tok. I’m not going to lie, I found it sad that most of the time that I checked the iTunes Top 100 songs throughout 2020, it was predominantly Tik Tok songs and songs I personally wouldn’t consider necessarily good music (again, just my opinion). However, this song definitely was another one that was constantly stuck in my head thanks to my newfound addiction of scrolling through the “For You” page on Tik Tok this year, which is why it made my top songs of 2020.
John Prine - “I Remember Everything”
One of the many lives lost to COVID this year was the amazingly talented, John Prine. Prine was working on a new album before he passed away in April and this was the first song he recorded. It’s a very fitting song to be his last as he recalls many memories through his lifetime. It’s a beautiful ballad and a gift he left the world.
Halsey is another pop hitmaker on this list. When I heard “3am” I immediately was reminded of some nights in my past when I may have had one too many and was feeling lonely at the end of the night and sometimes made poor decisions (we’ve all been there, right?). This song is a reminder of how I do not miss those crazy nights at all!
Taylor Swift (feat. Bon Iver) - “exile”
2020 was definitely the year of surprise album releases from Taylor Swift. It was really difficult to pick only one track off of her two albums, but I ended up choosing “exile” because I love Justin Vernon’s voice and love his harmonies with Swift. The song is such an amazing mix of haunting and beauty.
Leon Bridges (feat. Terrace Martin) - “Sweeter”
Black Lives Matter was a major part of 2020. Regardless of your opinions toward the topic, it’s an important part of history and there were some heartbreaking stories on that front. I’ve always loved Leon Bridges and I felt like “Sweeter” was the perfect song in 2020 to represent BLM. The song is sad, yet it also has a sense of hope in the lyrics.
Ashley McBryde - “Hang In There Girl”
I’ve always been a sucker for a good “chin up” kind of song. We all have plenty of moments when we’re feeling down or like things will never get better, and what’s better than a song to help lift our spirits!
Jenn Grinels (feat. Marc Broussard) - “Evidence”
I couldn’t have a 2020 playlist without including some of my indie musician friends! Jenn released her first album in eight years and the minute I heard “Evidence” I knew it was going to be one of my new favorites of hers. Plus, I absolutely love Marc Broussard and their voices together were perfect! Oh, and those horns!
Todd is another indie musician I’ve followed for many years who released a new album in 2020. I had many favorites as he’s amazing at creating catchy pop songs, but “Rally” was a highlight on the album. It was very fitting for 2020 and I related to it personally as I worked on a lot of self improvements this year.
Sara Bareilles - “Little Voice”
I binge watched a lot of shows in 2020, but “Little Voice'' on Apple TV+ was one of my favorites and was created by Sara Bareilles. She wrote the original music for the series, too. “Little Voice” was my favorite song from the show. It’s a beautiful song of encouragement and hope.
This song is by far one of my most influential songs of 2020. I’ve been a fan of JD Eicher for many years, however, in 2020, he became not only a good friend but a huge inspiration for me. I had been sitting on the idea of starting up this website for a couple of years, but it wasn’t until he released his EP, Court Street, this past April, that I was motivated to begin the process of bringing Music Meds By Mel to life. If you read my review of Court Street, you’ll get an even better idea of how important this song, EP and musician are to me. “I’m Coming Home” was the highlight for me because of how much it hit “home” for me personally. I definitely count JD as one of my many blessings of 2020 and there’s no way I could leave him off of this playlist.
Andy Grammer (feat. Elle King) - “Best of You”
Andy Grammer has been one of my absolute favorites for years. His genuine positivity is contagious and his music and live shows have been like therapy to me for awhile now. When I heard this collaboration with Elle King, I was in love. The song was great without Elle King when he released it on the Naive album, but he improved it even more by adding her vocals to this duet.
I first saw AJR live when they opened for Ingrid Michaelson in November 2016 at the Fillmore and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. They also happen to be the last live show I went to since the COVID concert shutdown started in March 2020. If you’re a fan of an amazing production, once we can go to live shows, you should check them out (as long as it’s not sold out because their tickets sell fast). It’s incredible the way they produce their songs and shows. “Bang!” is the perfect song to play tonight as we say goodbye to 2020.
Meghan Trainor (feat. Lennon Stella and Sasha Sloan) - “Workin’ On It”
While this wasn’t a single off of Trainor’s, Treat Myself, this was my favorite song from that album. Their harmonies blend together beautifully and I love the message of the song. Another song I related to a lot in 2020. Fans of the TV series, Nashville, will recognize Lennon Stella who was one of the main characters on the show.
Foo Fighters are by far one of my all time favorite bands and I was so excited to hear this track from their upcoming album, Medicine at Midnight, which will be released in 2021. “Shame Shame” was the perfect teaser. Supposedly they experimented with new sounds on Medicine at Midnight and I can’t wait to hear what else is up their sleeves with the new music coming our way.
Maren Morris - “Better Than We Found It”
Maren Morris is one of my favorite songwriters and “Better Than We Found It” was a song Morris wrote and released in 2020 to share her thoughts on this year’s many events and struggles everyone went through. It’s another song of hope for a change for the better in the future.
Jason Derulo (feat. Jawsh 685) - “Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)”
Ok, so this was another Tik Tok song that was stuck in my head this year. Not exactly a classic, but so catchy and influential in 2020 that I had to add it to the list. It was also the only Tik Tok dance I actually learned thanks to my younger cousins (minimal amount of dance moves which is why I chose that dance to learn LOL). Watching my 5-year-old cousin do this Tik Tok dance was also one of my favorite memories of 2020.
Fleet Foxes - “Can I Believe You”
I was introduced to Fleet Foxes a few years ago by one of my good friends (who has impeccable taste in music). I’ll admit, Fleet Foxes are not the typical style of music I usually listened to in the past, but after seeing them live in Maryland years ago, I became a fan. They released a new album, Shore, in September and while it was hard to only pick one, “Can I Believe You” was one of my favorites. The harmonies alone make this a great album of 2020.
I had to put a second Alicia Keys song on this list because this one hit home real hard. My boss shared a YouTube video of a choir of children singing this song a few weeks ago and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry some ugly tears watching the video and listening to the message. Like many in 2020, I took on a lot at work this year. Almost three months not working with children was tough for me and was the first time this happened since I started working in the education field in high school. I felt like I had no purpose during those months. Then we reopened our child care centers in June and had a TON of adjustments to make ever since. Constant adjustments. Learning how to care for children in 2020 has been one of the most difficult challenges of my life. However, when I watched this video and listened to the song, it forced me to reflect on how good of a job I’ve done for my staff, the families and above all, the children in my program.
An uplifting song of hope and a song by Kelly Clarkson? That was an automatic addition to my list. I’ve always been a fan of Clarkson’s and I love this message.
Justin Bieber (feat. Chance The Rapper) - “Holy”
I’ve never been a fan of Justin Bieber, but I really love this song. It’s a gentle, sweet song and damn catchy. I don’t think it’s enough to make me a “belieber” but I don’t turn it off when it pops up on the radio. ;-)
I was introduced many, many years ago to Tower Of Power by my uncle and cousins. Some of my favorite memories is sitting on their deck jamming out to Tower Of Power’s song, “Soul With A Capital ‘S.’” They released “Step Up” back in March 2020 and there’s no way I was leaving Tower Of Power off my 2020 playlist. How can you go wrong with some great soul and a horns section?!?!
Gabby Barrett - “The Good Ones”
Gabby Barrett made it on this list twice because of my personal connection to “The Good Ones.” I end with this because when I heard this song it immediately made me think of the man in my life that I met a few months ago. He is by far one of the best things to come out of this crazy year and this song sums him up perfectly for me.