You know, I wasn't great at blogging this year. But today, on New Year's Eve, I knew that there was one thing I really needed to do - write up a quick blog about my Spotify Wrapped for 2021. I've done this a couple years in a row, now, and it would be a shame if I didn't put together a lovely little post about my listening habits this year.
This year, I didn't listen to as much music as I typically do because I spent a ton of time watching movies and TV - and I kept track of everything I watched, too - (insert facepalm emoji) - because I'm weird. Nevertheless, Spotify used their super secret stats and algorithms to tally up my 6,918 minutes of music and tell me what I like to listen to. I just did the math and that's 115 hours of music, so that's not nothing, so let's take a look at what I did in 2021.
Spotify Wrapped - Top 10 Songs
Here are, allegedly - and that's a BIG "allegedly" - the 10 songs I listened to most this year.
- Island in the Sun - Weezer
- Could Have Been Me - The Struts
- Dela - Johnny Clegg, Savuka
- Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus - The Strokes
- Kings & Queens - Ava Max
- Run-Around - Blues Traveler
- Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
- Two Princes - Spin Doctors
- Instant Crush - Daft Punk (feat. Julian Casablancas)
- Another Hit of Showmanship - The Struts (feat. Albert Hammond Jr.)
Analysis: A couple observations. This is, by far, the most random and fun Top 10 I've had since I started making these year-end blogs. For crying out loud, that song from "George of the Jungle" is Number 3! Got a couple songs by The Struts, a song by The Strokes and a song by The Struts featuring a member of The Strokes, not to mention the Daft Punk/Strokes collab that came in at Number 9. Six, Seven and Eight are certainly three songs I listened to on repeat while driving several times, and, perhaps my proudest accomplishment of all is that Ava Max cracked the Top Five. Despite it's somewhat feminist overtones, "Kings & Queens" is, as the kids say, a real banger.
Now, let's talk about "Island in the Sun." There is NO WAY that "Island in the Sun" was my top song of the year. I highly doubt that it was even my top Weezer song of the year, so I'd be curious to learn Spotify's reasoning behind that one. Looking back, it was Number 4 in 2020, so something's going on to make Spotify think that I really love that song, but one thing is for certain: I'm going to do whatever I can to avoid listening to it at all in 2022.
Top Genres & Artists
Something that Spotify got right was my top genres for the year. No complaints about this list:
Also unsurprisingly, here are my top artists of the year:
Vampire Weekend might be somewhat debatable; there was a point in time, when their most recent album came out, when I listened to them a whole lot. I'm not sure how much I actually listened to them this year, but I'm also not sure who would take their place in the Top 5 if they got booted. Maybe Elton John, Queen or The Goo Goo Dolls? But yeah, I think this is probably right.
Looking back on previous blogs, this marks the fourth time that Weezer has been in my Top 5 artists. Bob Seger has also made the cut for three years in a row now, which is a testament to his classic discography. Gotta love Bobby Boy. Upon further inspection, it looks like Vampire Weekend knocked The Goo Goo Dolls out of the Top 5 for the first time in three years. Maybe they'll bounce back next year. Finally, congratulations to The Strokes, who entered the revered Top 5 for the first time - an accomplishment they can be proud of, for sure. Well deserved, gentlemen.
2021... as a Movie?
This year's Spotify Wrapped provided a look at what the soundtrack from the movie of my year would have been... or something. I don't know. It was kind of goofy and kind of interesting, but, if you're curious, here's what they came up with:
I mean... I'd probably watch it.
Other Fun Songs in My Top 100
- Centerfield - John Fogerty (#12)
- Superman - Goldfinger (#19)
- Safari Song - Greta Van Fleet (#26)
- Missed Connection - The Head and the Heart (#30)
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John (#32)
- I've Done Everything For You - Rick Springfield (#37)
- Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones (#47)
- Twilight Zone - Golden Earring (#54)
- Gloria - Laura Branigan (#60)
- I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany (#62)
- Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants (#70)
- She's Famous Now - Reel Big Fish (#74)
- Don't Pull Your Love Out - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (#77)
- Pain - Jimmy Eat World (#89)
- Free Fallin' - Tom Petty (#93 - The experiment worked!!! See you in the 90s next year, "Island in the Sun.")
- Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away (Live on Soundstage 2018) - Chicago (#96)
- Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers (#98)
- Layla (Acoustic, Live at MTV Unplugged) - Eric Clapton (#100)
Condensed Playlist
I've shortened the list to 50 songs, for your listening enjoyment. You can find it embedded below or hyperlinked here.
A Final Fun Fact
I learned this year that Spotify only tracks your listening stats until October 31 each year, so feel free to listen to whatever crap you want, once November rolls around, but keep in mind that if you're still listening to Michael Buble's Christmas album on January 1 of the new year, there's a chance that "Holiday Music" could be on your list of top genres for your next Spotify Wrapped.
That's about it for now, friends. Thanks for sticking with Signs of the Times for another glorious calendar year. We'll catch you on the flip side.
Oh, and remember - all of our problems aren't going to magically disappear at the stroke of midnight like everyone thought would happen on January 1, 2021. Later!
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