AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

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Moonbeam
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Moonbeam »

Some amazing songs in the 21-50 range.

I’ve updated the Spotify playlist.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by acroamor »

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20. Fiona Apple - Heavy Balloon
"In the middle of the day, it's like the sun
But the Saharan one, it's staring me down
Forcing all forms of life inside of me to retreat underground
It grows relentless like the teeth of a rat
It's just got to keep on gnawing at me
And it constricts like a boa on a hose, nothing flows
So the pressure grows instead of the seed"

810.461 points / 17 voters
Critic’s List: #51
Biggest Fans: BleuPanda (#4), Acroamor (#8)

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19. The 1975 - If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)
"I've been wearing nothing every time I call you
And I'm starting to feel weird about it
Sometimes, it's better if you think about
This time, I think I'm gonna drink through it
Then I see her online, and I don't think that I should be calling"

820.049 points / 13 voters
Critic’s List: #23
Biggest Fans: Nick (#1), Henry (#2), whuntva (#5), Madzong (#6), Neil (#9), BleuPanda (#10)

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18. Perfume Genius - Describe
"No bells anymore
Just my stomach rumbling
Can you describe them for me?
Can you describe them for me?"

849.114 points / 17 voters
Critic’s List: #39
Biggest Fans: Edre Peraza (#4), Neil (#5), cetamol (#6), javi (#10)

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17. Yves Tumor - Kerosene!
"I ain't like them other girls
Look me in the eye, tell me I'm the one
And I'll be your only boy
Oh, I can be your only girl, little baby
I can be anything you need
I need kerosene!"

865.252 points / 18 voters
Critic’s List: #88
Biggest Fans: Fred (#2), Nick and andyd1010 (#6), Acroamor (#9), Cold Butterfly (#10)

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16. Dua Lipa - Levitating
"If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy
And I can take you for a ride
I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm
Where the music don't stop for life"

875.068 points / 14 voters
Critic’s List: #163
Biggest Fans: Moonbeam (#1), Safetycat (#3), Dan and andyd1010 (#4), Arsalan and Future Critic (#6)
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Nick »

I was REALLY hoping for a top 10 placement for "If You're Too Shy" but I'll take a top 20. It's probably my favorite song that's been released since 2015.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Edre Depeche Head »

Nick wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 3:16 pm I was REALLY hoping for a top 10 placement for "If You're Too Shy" but I'll take a top 20. It's probably my favorite song that's been released since 2015.
Funny enough while Notes on A Conditional Form was by far my favorite album last year (and the only I would give a 10/10 to) that song was my 4th favorite, behind Jesus Christ, Birthday Party, and People
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by acroamor »

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15. Sufjan Stevens - My Rajneesh
"I lit a fire and drank off the breath of his kiss
My tambourine affirmed by the dance of his wrist
Mystical star, burn bright like the tail of a dog
And now we are blessed with the righteousness of the Lord"

902.702 points / 17 voters
Critic’s List: #152
Biggest Fans: Gillingham (#1), phil (#3), cetamol (#5), JohnnyBGoode (#6), Jackson (#8), Listyguy (#10)

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14. Dua Lipa - Physical
"Adrenaline keeps on rushing in
Love the simulation we're dreaming in
Don't you agree?
Don't you agree?"

917.2475795 points / 18 voters
Critic’s List: #10
Biggest Fans: Dan (#1), Arsalan (#2), Henry and Moonbeam (#7)

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13. HAIM - The Steps
"And every day I wake up and I make money for myself
And though we share a bed, you know that I don't need your help
Do you understand?
You don't understand me, baby"

949.100 points / 18 voters
Critic’s List: #12
Biggest Fans: Rocky Raccoon (#1), Neil (#2), Future Critic and votingbloc (#4)

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12. Yves Tumor - Gospel for a New Century
"I looked you in your eyes, it was over
'Cause when I really needed you the most, yeah
You were gone then on that Summer
But I can’t be there and this ain't by design
I adore you, I really wanna be there, oh"

1006.208 points / 19 voters
Critic’s List: #9
Biggest Fans: Holden (#3), Acroamor (#4), LunarPiper (#5), Nick and Jackson (#7), Future Critic (#9)

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11. Christine and the Queens - People, I’ve Been Sad
"Les gens viennent et parlent mal (Ils parlent si mal)
Des sentiments qui pourtant comptent (Tellement ils comptent)
Pris au piège de quelque chose de fort (Quelque chose de fort)
Je n'ai décroché pour personne (Jamais pour personne)"

1019.529 points / 18 voters
Critic’s List: #2
Biggest Fans: Holden (#1), Javi (#2), LunarPiper (#7), BleuPanda (#9)
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by acroamor »

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10. Fiona Apple - I Want You to Love Me
"I move with the trees in the breeze
I know that time is elastic
And I know when I go
All my particles disband and disperse
And I'll be back in the pulse
And I know none of this will matter in the long run
But I know a sound is still a sound around no one"

1033.681 points / 19 voters
Critic’s List: #11
Biggest Fans: Craig (#3), Cold Butterfly (#5), Brad (#7), LunarPiper and Future Critic (#8)

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9. Adrianne Lenker - Anything
"Christmas eve with your mother and sis
Don't wanna fight but your mother insists
Dog’s white teeth slice right through my fist
Drive to the ER and they put me on risk"

1055.016 points / 20 voters
Critic’s List: #22
Biggest Fans: Greg (#2), Craig and Kendon (#4), Listyguy and Jackson (#5), Gillingham (#7), cetamol (#9)

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8. Grimes - Delete Forever
"Lying so awake, things I can't escape
Lately, I just turn 'em into demons
Flew into the sun, fucking heroin
Lately, I just turn 'em into reasons and excuses"

1101.520 points / 21 voters
Critic’s List: #16
Biggest Fans: bonnielaurel (#2), Javi, Listyguy, and Acroamor (#3), Neil (#6), Edre Peraza, Slick and schaefer.tk (#7),

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7. SAULT - Wildfires
"We are dying, it's the reason we are crying
We are crying
But we will never show fear
Even in my eyes
I will always rise
In wildfires"

1195.424 points / 23 voters
Critic’s List: #13
Biggest Fans: schaefer.tk and Jackson (#3), Javi and Honorio (#6), Dan (#7), Chambord (#10)

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6. Perfume Genius - On the Floor
"How long 'til this washes away?
How long 'til my body is safe?
How long 'til I walk in the light?
How long 'til this heart isn’t mine?"

1200.917 points / 20 voters
Critic’s List: #8
Biggest Fans: Dan and Future Critic (#3), FrankLotion (#5), LunarPiper (#6), BleuPanda (#8), andyd1010 and Rocky Raccoon (#9), M24 (#10)
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by acroamor »

I broke the top 20 up into fives instead of tens partially for suspense, but also because our final five were above the rest of the competition by a ~considerable~ margin. Incoming soon!
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Jackson »

Wildfires and Anything in the top 10 :music-rockon:
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by acroamor »

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5. Fiona Apple - Shameika
"Tony told me he'd describe me as pissed off, funny, and warm
Sebastian said I'm a good man in a storm
Back then I didn't know what potential meant
And Shameika wasn't gentle and she wasn't my friend but
She got through to me and I'll never see her again
She got through to me and I'll never see her again"

1507.922 points / 23 voters
Critic’s List: #24
Biggest Fans: phil (#1), M24, LunarPiper, Rocky Raccoon and FrankLotion (#2), sonofsamiam (#3) panam and brad (#4), Craig (#6), whuntva (#9) Nick (#10)

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4. Jessie Ware - Spotlight
"If a dream is just a dream and a dream is just a kiss
Then tell me what it means, tell me what this is
(Tell me when I'll get more than a dream of you)
And if a touch is just a touch, then a touch just ain't enough
Tell me what it means, tell me you're in love"

1643.651 points / 29 voters
Critic’s List: #35
Biggest Fans: Fred and Jackson (#1), BleuPanda, rdwdbob, Honorio, and andyd1010 (#3), Krurze (#5) Nick and cetamol (#8), Safetycat (#10)

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3. The Weeknd - Blinding Lights
"I've been tryna call
I've been on my own for long enough
Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe
I'm going through withdrawals
You don't even have to do too much
You can turn me on with just a touch, baby"

1679.760 points / 26 voters
Critic’s List: #4
Biggest Fans: slick, Antonius, and Henry (#1), Listyguy (#2), Neil (#4), Dan and JohnnyBGoode, (#5), Safetycat (#7), schaefer.tk, BryanBehar, and Cold Butterfly (#8), whuntva (#10)




and now, for our final two, a totally unprecedented result from the Acclaimed Music Forums...

Our number one AND number two songs were both by the same artist. Miss Bridgers, take it away...




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2. Phoebe Bridgers - I Know the End
"Either way, we're not alone
I'll find a new place to be from
A haunted house with a picket fence
To float around and ghost my friends
No, I'm not afraid to disappear
The billboard said "The End Is Near"
I turned around, there was nothing there
Yeah, I guess the end is here"

1775.792 points / 26 voters
Critic’s List: #7
Biggest Fans: BleuPanda, M24, schaefer.tk, sonofsamiam, Craig (#1), Nassim, andyd1010 (#2), panam, Gillingham (#3), Arsalan (#7), SL3 (#8), Schuttelbirne (#9)

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1. Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto
"I don't forgive you
But please don't hold me to it
Born under Scorpio skies
I wanted to see the world
Through your eyes until it happened
Then I changed my mind"

2122.336 points / 34 voters
Critic’s List: #6
Biggest Fans: Chambord, LunarPiper, BryanBehar, and andyd1010 (#1), Edre Peraza, BleuPanda, and prosecutorgodot (#2), Rocky Raccoon (#3), Nick (#4), Honorio (#5), Kendon (#6) Craig and Future Critic (#7), Holden (#9)
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Nick »

WOW! A nearly 350 point gap separates #1 and #2. And they're both by the same artist! While I really enjoy "I Know the End", I'm very happy "Kyoto" won. "I Know the End" is great, "Kyoto" is transcendent.

Thanks for hosting, acroamor!
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Nick »

And here are the SOTYs as chosen by the AMF!

2008) Fleet Foxes- White Winter Hymnal
2009) Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks
2010) Kanye West (featuring Pusha T)- Runaway
2011) The Black Keys- Lonely Boy
2012) Frank Ocean- Pyramids
2013) Daft Punk (featuring Pharrell)- Get Lucky
2014) Future Islands- Seasons (Waiting On You)
2015) Tame Impala- Let It Happen
2016) David Bowie- Lazarus
2017) Kendrick Lamar- HUMBLE.
2018) Janelle Monáe- Make Me Feel
2019) Sharon Van Etten- Seventeen

and now...

2020) Phoebe Bridgers- Kyoto

Welcome to the club, Phoebe!
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Nick »

The artists of the decade (in songs):

There are 2 artists with 2 songs in AMF EOY Top 10s this decade:

Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto; I Know the End
Fiona Apple - Shameika; I Want You to Love Me
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Edre Depeche Head »

I am so pleased with Phoebe Bridger's performance!
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Listyguy »

Interesting result, thanks for running this acroamor!

Also, I'm very glad you used the Super Bowl GIF for "Blinding Lights"
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Jackson »

This might be my favorite top ten we've done, Delete Forever was the only one I didn't vote for and the biggest outperformer relative to the critics was my #1.

Everyone thought I Know the End would take #1, but in the end it wasn't even close. Was the lead ever in doubt for Kyoto? I didn't remember it having as many top 2 placements.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Henry »

It would be great to see the spreadsheet if possible.

I'm especially curious about whether someone else voted for any of the following songs:

Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now
Conan Gray - Maniac
The Weeknd - Alone Again
Maren Morris - Them Bones
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by acroamor »

And here is the spreadsheet:

Re: those four songs, Henry. "Don't Start Now" received a very large share of votes and would have placed at #35 in the final tabulations, but was ineligible for inclusion because it already appeared in the top 100 of the 2019 poll. You were the only voter for the other three songs you mentioned.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Moonbeam »

Thank you for the great rollout! Very happy to see so many great songs in our top 20. It's been awhile since my top song of the year has done so well!

I'm posting the playlist again here. There are 3 missing:

199. Dan Weiss and Starebaby - "Accina"
201. The Microphones - "Microphones in 2020"
222. Frank Ocean - "Dear April [Justice Remix]"

Let me know if you can find them and I'll add them.

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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by panam »

Interesting results!!

First time in annual AMF 1st and 2nd song belongs to the same artist? I'm just curious.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Moonbeam »

These results make me feel that "Levitating" was really undervalued by critics. I wonder if it will get any love in 2021 EOY lists as it really blew up in December and January.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by prosecutorgodot »

Great rollout and very interesting results. I had a feeling that Kyoto might win, but didn't want to jinx it.

We ended up with the same top Fiona Apple song and Dua Lipa song as critics, as well as a lot of other artists' songs. We really synced with critics in that sense.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Nick »

Moonbeam wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 11:53 pm These results make me feel that "Levitating" was really undervalued by critics. I wonder if it will get any love in 2021 EOY lists as it really blew up in December and January.
Its remix recently hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, so I could easily see the new attention the song has received helping it place on some lists come EOY season.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Moonbeam »

Nick wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:50 am
Moonbeam wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 11:53 pm These results make me feel that "Levitating" was really undervalued by critics. I wonder if it will get any love in 2021 EOY lists as it really blew up in December and January.
Its remix recently hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, so I could easily see the new attention the song has received helping it place on some lists come EOY season.
Yeah, it's blown up in a lot of places:

Re-peak at #5 in the UK in January and 6 total weeks in the top 10
Peak at #5 in the US and top 10 for 7 weeks and counting in the US
Peak at #4 for 3 weeks in Australia and top 10 for 15 weeks and counting
Peak at #2 (higher than DSN!) in Canada and top 10 for 12 weeks and counting

Chart performance and critical success are a lot more correlated than they used to be, particularly for pop artists, so I'm hoping its success can give it a boost in critics' eyes.

I haven't been so excited to follow a single's chart positions since "Can't Get You Out of My Head". I've put together an extensive spreadsheet here with chart positions for all of the Future Nostalgia songs for a number of countries, in case anyone's interested.

Globally, I think the trend is that "Don't Start Now" is the biggest smash, and then it varies by region, with "Levitating" doing the best in the Anglosphere, "Physical" in continental Europe, and "Break My Heart" in Latin America.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Chambord »

Great work, acroamor. Thank you for the time and effort invested.

Kyoto no1, what a great surprise! First time my no1 pick in an annual poll is also the forum's no1.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Holden »

It’s interesting to me that after ten years of no female artists winning this poll, we’ve got three in a row now!
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Jackson »

Holden wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:25 pm It’s interesting to me that after ten years of no female artists winning this poll, we’ve got three in a row now!
There will be a three peat in the AOTY too. This will be the trend for the foreseeable future given the amazing number of strong female artists operating right now.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Rob »

Jackson wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:43 pm
Holden wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:25 pm It’s interesting to me that after ten years of no female artists winning this poll, we’ve got three in a row now!
There will be a three peat in the AOTY too. This will be the trend for the foreseeable future given the amazing number of strong female artists operating right now.
Don't jinx it! By saying this out loud you suddenly increased the chance of an all-male, all-white AOR band winning in 2021!
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Holden »

Rob wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:05 pm
Jackson wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:43 pm
Holden wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:25 pm It’s interesting to me that after ten years of no female artists winning this poll, we’ve got three in a row now!
There will be a three peat in the AOTY too. This will be the trend for the foreseeable future given the amazing number of strong female artists operating right now.
Don't jinx it! By saying this out loud you suddenly increased the chance of an all-male, all-white AOR band winning in 2021!
In all seriousness, this actually brings up another point, we’re three years a row for artists instead of bands as well, so when do we think a band will win again? In fact, it’s been a VERY long time since we’ve had a band that wasn’t just really (arguably) a vehicle for one person.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Chambord »

Surprised to be the only one to pick Shame - Snow Day, a really solid song from an album that I expect to feature heavily on critics and AMF EOY 2021 lists. The critics ignored it too. RYM currently has it at 36 on the 2020 singles top.
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Re: AMF Favorite Songs of 2020 - RESULTS

Post by Nassim »

Holden wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:10 pm
Rob wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:05 pm
Jackson wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:43 pm

There will be a three peat in the AOTY too. This will be the trend for the foreseeable future given the amazing number of strong female artists operating right now.
Don't jinx it! By saying this out loud you suddenly increased the chance of an all-male, all-white AOR band winning in 2021!
In all seriousness, this actually brings up another point, we’re three years a row for artists instead of bands as well, so when do we think a band will win again? In fact, it’s been a VERY long time since we’ve had a band that wasn’t just really (arguably) a vehicle for one person.
Why 3? Is Kendrick Lamar a band? ;)
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