2020 Playlist

I consider myself to have a wide range of interests when it comes to music. I can listen to any genre and be okay -- I grew up on country (from my dad and brother), plus the 80s (both my parents); I've been listening to foreign music since I started watching anime (age 11); I'm a 90s baby, so Britney and Christina and all pop music are staples; and my boyfriend has opened up my world to some rock and heavy metal, such as Sum-41 and Disturbed.

I find a lot of my music from movies (you'll notice a few songs here) ... but with everything going on in the world this year, I've been on social media (Instagram and TikTok) more frequently, and found a fair few songs there too. So there's no theme for this list -- it's as eclectic as my music taste -- but I chose songs that I have a backstory/explanation to as to why/how it made the list.

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History of Violence by Theory of a Deadman

When I'm in the car with my boyfriend, the same two radio stations play, back and forth -- if there's too much talking on one, he switches to the other. It's not my car, I don't care enough to voice an opinion about the stations ... and I'm glad, because we've heard this song a few times on the radio. As I said earlier, thanks to my boyfriend, I've gotten more into the rock genre in the past couple years ... and I'd recommend this song to anyone.

I'm Alright by Kenny Loggins

I watched Caddyshack for the first time ever this year ... I say watched, but I think I fell asleep halfway through, so now I have to rewatch it. Let me tell you though how excited I was when I found out this song -- the theme of Caddyshack -- was performed by KENNY LOGGINS! True to my brand, I only know of Kenny Loggins from other movies -- Top Gun and, of course, Footloose. I really should branch out and actually listen to some of his non-soundtrack songs (goal for 2021?).

James Dean (I Wanna Know) by Daniel Bedingfield

This is a somewhat old song -- almost 20 years, I believe. I heard Daniel's song Gotta Get Thru This, YEARS ago, and randomly remembered it recently. After purchasing Gotta Get Thru This on iTunes, I decided to listen to the whole album -- which is out of character for me, but on his particular day, I went with it. James Dean was the first song that caught my eye, and nothing compared to it afterwards. (I think I've listened to it more than Gotta Get Thru This -- and that was my song for the longest time!)

Kings & Queens by Ava Max

Of all the songs released this year, THIS is my absolute favourite. Has it been a little overplayed? Sure ... but it's good, great even! It's a great female empowerment ballad. I don't even think I need to say more than that, I just love it. And if you don't, well ... yeah, I know, it's overplayed. (Still made the list though!)

Meaningless Kiss by Hugh Grant

Drew Barrymore is one of my favourite actresses -- I adore all of her films. I'd never heard of Music & Lyrics before, but I saw Hugh Grant was in it, and he's alright (Bridget Jones' Diary is probably my absolute favourite film!). Well, I fell in love with Hugh Grant after watching this movie ... and finding out he actually sang all of the songs his character sang! (If you haven't seen the film, Hugh Grant plays a musician.) To be honest, I bought the whole movie soundtrack for this film on iTunes -- something I rarely do, buying a whole album. And there are a number of songs I could've chosen: Slam; Buddha's Delight; Entering Bootytown. I decided to go with my favourite Hugh Grant piece though -- such a beautiful song.

Shot Down by BRKN Love

Just like History of Violence, this is one of those songs that I kept hearing on the radio with my boyfriend. It's interesting, people's different preferences for radio stations -- I NEVER would've been exposed to this song in my mom's car (who usually has the "hit list" or "top 40" playing ... you know, the recent pop music, whatever that station is called).

Speechless by Naomi Scott

I resisted watching the new Aladdin film when it came out. I'm not sure why -- Aladdin is in my top 3 favourite animated Disney films. (I think it was hard to imagine the story without Robin Williams.) But my boyfriend and I watched it together this year, when it became available on streaming services. I had seen Naomi Scott in the Power Rangers remake (and then after Aladdin, I saw her in the Charlie's Angels remake) -- she's on my list of favourite actresses now, I love her work. What I wasn't expecting was for her to sing such a beautiful (and new; it's not in the original movie!) song! Whenever this song comes on, I can't help but sing along ... and cry, nearly every time (it's that powerful). If I had to pick one of the songs on this list to be my anthem of the year, it's this one: "I won't be silenced / You can't keep me quiet / Won't tremble when you try it / All I know is I won't go speechless". 2020 has been the year of discovering my authenticity and using my voice more, and that's how I read these lyrics: speaking my authentic truth. (I know, it's so much more powerful than that in the film!)

Strip by Little Mix ft. Sharaya J

I've gotten into Little Mix this year (slowly ... I go through phases ... again, I should make my 2021 goal to explore more albums when I find a song I love). Salute is another song by them I fell in love with this year ... but the reason Strip is on the list is because of the message -- "Take off all my make-up 'cause I love what's under it / Rub off all your words, don't give a UH, I'm over it / Jiggle all this weight, yeah, you know I love all of this / Finally love me naked, sexiest when I'm confident". I think this is the most body-positive song I've ever heard. (And as someone who has struggled with body image issues her entire life, I'm taking this song to heart with me into 2021.)

Vitamins by Qveen Herby

Someone I follow on Instagram posted a TikTok from Qveen Herby's account. This was the first song I heard (but I also really love Sugar Daddy), and I actually used it in my own TikTok video because it was so perfect for a video I envisioned. In all actuality, my favourite song is a TikTok duet she did with a rapper named Token ... but that's not a full song. (I would love to purchase it though, just saying, I think this should be a full collaboration!) I love Qveen Herby's music style; it's been awhile since I've found a rapper I enjoy listening to.

What A Man Gotta Do by Jonas Brothers

Did you know this song came out in January 2020? Yeah ... it's been a long year! I had to include this one on my list, not just for the catchiness of the song, but for the music video. First of all, the movie references -- Risky Business, Grease, Say Anything ... as a movie fan, my heart exploded watching this! But what really got me (and I know this isn't the first time the Jonas Brothers have done this, but still) was that they included their wives in the video with them -- I love that, so cute!

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Would you like to listen to the eclectic-ness? Enjoy here!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7dDJxfTXvqXgAa5ky4SQtw?si=eHjQMDOJQ3qS11UNR-CNQQ