Little by little, I’m trying to make peace with all the unknowns in my life. Still, I have trouble getting out of bed, even when I have perfectly good reasons to do so. It appears that once again, to get me through each day, I have to rely on the truth that there is always something new to listen to. And it’s nice to listen to the old things, too.
Reconsidering my yearly rankings
By the way, if you’re wondering which artists met the quota of 10 songs added to the playlist in the span of 10 years, they are: Marianas Trench (16), Taylor Swift (13), and One Direction (10). This means that I will listen to any forthcoming release of theirs up to 2026. One Direction have not released anything since 2015, but it’s not too late!
Quite a few bangers are missing from my playlist. For instance, Marianas Trench (my faves), have not charted on Billboard since 2019. I also check radio station charts, but their music is not always welcome on the radio. Taylor Swift, on the other hand, I don’t have to worry about. Her songs always chart and play on the radio, which is why I haven’t mentioned her much in this article series.
Once I started finding hidden gems to add to my playlist, I figured it was only fair to re-evaluate my yearly rankings. I listened to these songs alongside the ones already on the list for three days. Then I compared them to my current top ten for each respective year. I got really excited when I saw my rankings change. Simultaneously, I always felt bad for whoever ended up in eleventh place.
I now present to you… the hidden gems!
5 Seconds of Summer — Lie to Me (2018) and Wildflower (2020)
You know I love me a sad jam. I think the duet version of “Lie to Me” with Julia Michaels is the more popular one, but I’m partial to the original. Also, I discovered that this track is only available to people with YouTube Music Premium, so I had to add a random lyric video to my playlist instead.
“Wildflower” is the song that is responsible for me doing all of this in the first place. I replayed this song an unhealthy amount of times when it first came out. And yet, it did not chart on Billboard. It was my duty to right these wrongs! And so, after 6 years, I finally got to rank this song at #4 on my 2020 top ten.
Alessia Cara — A Little More (2018), Best Days (2021), and You Let Me Down (2021)
Another understated track from an album that technically did chart on Billboard. This song does a great job of capturing a budding infatuation. It hits even harder for people like me who haven’t had a serious relationship before (or a casual one, for that matter). Neither this song nor “Lie to Me” made an impact on the 2018 top ten, but regardless, they are welcome additions to my playlist.
Interestingly, I had no songs from September 2021 on my playlist until I added these two. While “You Let Me Down” is a nice, mid-tempo breakup song, “Best Days” hit me like a bus. It perfectly captured the anxiety around a big chapter of my life ending and restlessly waiting for the next one. That’s probably why this album is called In The Meantime. “Best Days” was bumped to #6 on my 2021 top ten.
Billie Eilish — Male Fantasy (2021)
Technically, “Male Fantasy” did chart on Billboard so I must have passed on it at the time. Upon listening to it again, I found that I deeply related to the lyrics. It’s hard to describe, but I get the feeling from listening to the song that it’s about being resistant to change even when it’s good for you. A relationship that was never going to end well, but you miss the familiarity, the sense of purpose. It may not have cracked my top ten, but I’m still sorry that I overlooked this song.
Marianas Trench — Only The Lonely Survive (2019)
Hopeless romantics, assemble! If “A Little More” tackles budding romance, this song covers romance that burns too hot. I absolutely adore the line “It hurts us both to love this close.” I have a strong urge to sing this song at karaoke, but unfortunately, I don’t think an instrumental version of this song exists. I’ll just have to learn how to drive and blast it in my car. I bumped this song to #2 on my 2019 top ten.
I’m still catching up with the present. In particular, I’m still wading my way through 2022 pop music (I heard this was a good year). I can’t wait to see which artists make my list next!