by Anton Dedvukaj
Hello, everyone, and welcome to “Mic Drop”, the column where we talk about all things music. It’s officially November, which means we’re nearing the time when the Year End Charts are released. I intend to cover those next month when they come out, but for now, I’d like to speculate what the biggest song of the year might end up being.
To do this, I’ll try to look at it using chart performance as a basic barometer of success, as any conversation of what is “culturally” the biggest song of the year is going to be inherently subjective. I’ve compiled a short list of songs that could have some claim to this title, discuss what stats they have that could point to them earning the title, as well as some reasons why they might not be able to.
To start, let’s look at “Levitating” by Dua Lipa. This song has a lot going in its favor for the title. It initially debuted as a late album single thanks to its DaBaby remix, before steadily rising up the charts and initially reaching a peak of No. 5. However, it saw a massive resurgence in streaming, sales, and radio following her performance of the song at the 2021 Grammys, which saw the song get as high as No. 2. The song’s two distinct runs of popularity within the year helped it score 41 weeks in the top 10, which is the second most of all time, and it still sits at No. 11, 57 weeks into its chart run.
However, if I had to point to a weakness for the song, it would be its peak. It only spent one week at its peak, and it only reached number two, meaning that, if it were to be the biggest song of the year, it would be only the fourth song in history to top the Year End without being a number one hit, and the first since 2001. It’s more than doable, in my opinion, but the fact that it was never the biggest song in the country at any point is something worth noting.
Secondly, I’ll point to “Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd & Ariana Grande. Like with “Levitating”, this song benefits from its longevity. It initially charted last year as an album deep cut, before returning to the charts back in January thanks to its radio push and attention-grabbing music video. The song then benefited from The Weeknd’s performance of it at this year’s Super Bowl, before finally hitting No. 1 following its remix with Grande. If it tops the Year End, it would make The Weeknd the first artist to top two consecutive Year End Lists, as “Blinding Lights” ranked at No. 1 last year, and the third to top two Year End Lists at all, after The Beatles and George Michael. It currently ranks at No. 17 on the Hot 100.
Its weakness, though, also like “Levitating”, would be its peak. It only spent two weeks at number one, and while Year End No. 1 hits have had short runs at the top in the past – “Blinding Lights” only led for four weeks last year, for instance – it does put it at a disadvantage compared to longer-running chart-toppers.
Next, I’ll look at “Mood” by 24kGoldn and Iann Dior. On paper, when you look at its stats, it looks like a solid pick for the position. It hit number one for eight weeks, it was in the top 10 for over half a year, and while it’s not charting right now, it did chart for 52 weeks – a full year – which implies longevity.
However, what lowers this song’s chances at the “song of the year” title is exactly when it was big. It first hit number one in October 2020, and made the Year End List last year, at No. 47, which is a fairly respectable position that implies that a fair amount of its run of popularity took place last year. While it will certainly rank higher this year compared to 2020, its chart run being split between years lowers its chances at being a defining song for 2021 specifically.
Now, let’s look at an artist with two songs that could have a claim to the title, Olivia Rodrigo. Firstly, I’ll look at “good 4 u”, which spent a week at number one, still ranks in the top 10 right now at No. 9, and which has so far spent all but one week of its chart run in the top 10. Additionally, despite only having come out in May, it’s already racked up a billion streams on Spotify.
What would be holding it back? Well, for starters, one single week at number one isn’t a lot, but it did spend ten weeks in the No. 2 position immediately after that No. 1 debut. The real problem is with timing, but not in the way it was with “Mood”. This song was released in the middle of May, so while all the other songs we’ve discussed to this point have had most or all of 2021 to rack up popularity, this song has been playing catch-up, having just two-thirds of that time to beat them, and I’m not sure that’s a gap it can close.
However, that’s not an issue for “drivers license”, her other number-one hit from this year, which debuted atop the charts in January and spent eight weeks there. The song’s massive debut numbers support its claim to the title, and if you were on TikTok a lot this winter, like I was, you would remember how inescapable this song and all the theories about its subject matter were.
However, it didn’t have longevity. It’s not currently charting right now, and hasn’t been for a couple of months. It only charted for 28 weeks, and most of this year’s contenders spent more time in the top 10 than this did on the Hot 100. This lack of longevity is what I think might stop it from being as high on the Year End as its massive peak might suggest.
One final song I’ll mention is “STAY” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber. It was released in July and yet has already accumulated a billion Spotify streams, and has spent seven weeks at number one. It hasn’t left the top 10 since its chart debut, and it’s still very popular now, ranking at No. 2 this week. It will likely be very high on both this year’s and next year’s Year End if its popularity holds.
However, we end up in another “good 4 u” situation, as this song was released in July. This song has had only half the year to overtake all other contenders as the potential song of the year, and if I didn’t think that Rodrigo could close the gap with her song, I’m especially skeptical of LAROI and Bieber’s chances.
So, which of these songs do I think will score the “song of the year” title? My vote goes to “Levitating”, as the song’s insane longevity and enduring popularity throughout the past year are enough, in my eyes, to offset its comparatively low peak. However, we won’t know until December what the answer to this question will be, and we will revisit this, and much more, in next month’s “Mic Drop”, as I intend to look at the whole list and discuss 2021 in music as a whole. Until then, we will be left to wait and see what the “song of the year” will really be.
