2020 Mashed

December 16, 2020 9:42 AM

DJ Earworm's United State of Pop, the annual amalgamation of chart-topping songs returns for 2020 with Something to Believe In.

For another take on this year's hits check out DJs From Mars' Best of 2020 (NSFW lyrics)

Not enough? Buckle in for Stuck in 2020, a multi-chapter epic from Adamusic (NSFW lyrics)

As a bonus, feel your patriotic fervor surge for the Mashional Anthem, DJ Earworm's collection of songs about, or that at least mention, America.

posted by subocoyne (15 comments total)

I was kinda thinking about my lack of music exposure this year as a result of not being in the car hearing the radio, not being out among friends, etc. It felt like WAP was literally the only song to come out all year. I'm glad to be reminded Blinding Lights and Rain On Me came out this year, too. So that's, like, three whole songs for 2020!

I recognize almost none of the other stuff but that only drives home how different this year has been for me than previous years. Thank you for sharing this.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:20 AM on December 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

I hardly listened to any pop music this year, but nonetheless I was surprised not to hear BlackPink, they managed to crack my defenses more than once in 2020.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:41 AM on December 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

I get embarrassingly sentimental about the end of each year and this year more than most, it seems. This is probably my favorite Earworm year-ender since Blame It on the Pop way back in 2009.

Thank you for posting this.

oh hey, it’s nice to see BTS in this thing!
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:42 AM on December 16, 2020 [2 favorites]

I really liked the way the DJs From Mars video mixed the original videos together with titles. These compilations always have a song or two that I don't recognize, especially when they're sampling a background track.
posted by allegedly at 10:46 AM on December 16, 2020

It appears that all my pop song familiarity comes from 1 Million Dance Studio videos.
posted by of strange foe at 10:59 AM on December 16, 2020

I was surprised how hopeful this one made me feel - not a true encapsulation of 2020, but a great way to leave it.
posted by Mchelly at 11:27 AM on December 16, 2020

I guess I had never really noticed before that like every pop music video is filmed in LA.
posted by 3j0hn at 11:54 AM on December 16, 2020

Thank you for posting these, subocoyne!

I'd watched and listened to "Mashional Anthem" earlier this year, but between then and now I read some of The 1619 Project and now it hits way harder.
posted by brainwane at 1:06 PM on December 16, 2020

This is something I look forward to at the end of each year, and each year I am familiar with fewer of the songs, which is probably as it should be. The oddest thing about this year's entry is that the music videos of groups of people dancing together maskless not only makes me feel kind of anxious, but also makes them seem like they're from a different time.
posted by subocoyne at 3:42 PM on December 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

It hadn't really occurred to me people would still be making music in 2020, at least beyond the goofy videos of a bunch of people getting together on zoom to record some preëexisting song. Good on them I guess. The purple and yellow factory thing looked kind of interesting.
posted by one for the books at 5:12 PM on December 16, 2020

I don't watch music videos so I need to ask: were the parts with old guys golfing, and the lady (?) in the oxygen mask, from a video -- or more like found footage?
posted by wenestvedt at 5:58 AM on December 17, 2020

That is actually one of the few music videos from this year I've actually seen: Dance Monkey by Tones and I
posted by subocoyne at 8:58 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

And here I thought that DJ Earworm was putting a message into the annual mix, like an ABC After-School Special. Got me!
posted by wenestvedt at 9:53 AM on December 17, 2020

I also really enjoyed Time of Our Lives: Songs from EVERY YEAR (1970-2020), also posted yesterday by DJ Earworm. Two bars per year for 40 years and pretty fascinating. Could definitely tell what I was exposed to most - the music my mom was listening to when I was younger, and my high school/early college years jumped out a lot more than the other songs.
posted by miratime at 5:06 AM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

Hey, I can't add, it turns out. 50 years!
posted by miratime at 5:16 AM on December 18, 2020