EXHALE TOP 100 of 2021 - Full list revealed

[PokemonSpears]

2 hours ago, CrazyButItFeelsAllright said:

So now I know why it was rated so high up 

 

tbh basically all the songs on the Top 100 were voted by at least two people, but the majority were given some points from more than two 

For example many of the songs on my Top 20 didn't make it, or ended up at lower positions, even though they were given 90-80 points because no one else voted for them. In the case of Shakira, she wasn't very high on anyone's list (except maybe mine  ) but she did appear on several people's lists, so that's why she ended up on this position. 

[PokemonSpears]

#40 - Let Me Reintroduce Myself
Gwen Stefani

After doubting she was able to create new music at this point of her career, Gwen Stefani left behind the Holiday releases and Country duets from previous years to go back to her reggae-pop roots, reintroducing herself with this new song for her fans. It was written along with Ross Golan and Luke Niccoli, the latter of which produced the track. Gwen declared she doesn't seek new music from her favorite artists, so she wondered if her fans would do the same, but after the COVID-19 pandemic and the Me Too movement, she felt inspired to start writing music again. Fellow No Doubt member Gabrial McNair and her brother Eric collaborated in the instrumentation of the song. The music video, premiered on January 1st last year, was directed by Philip Andelman and it shows current Gwen trying to film a videoclip, only to be interrupted and ultimately joined by other Gwen's wearing various iconic looks from the videos and albums throughout her career, since No Doubt and as a solo artist.

 

 

[PokemonSpears]

#39 - gold rush
Taylor Swift

Track No. 3 off 2020's evermore, gold rush was written and produced by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. In the song she shows herself unhappy about being in love with someone that everyone else wants to be with, someone like a famous person. Fans then have speculated that the lyrics are about her past relationship with Harry Styles, and have tried to dissect every verse and translate it into an Easter egg that could prove the theory.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#38 - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land
Marina

The third single off the album of the same name, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land is a pop-rock song with elements of disco, glam and electro, co-produced between Marina and James Flannigan. Reflecting on our ancestors' feats through the ages in order to be where we are now, Marina encourages us to be unapologetically ourselves, she states "I'm not my body, not my mind or my brain". She also points out the current times we're living, times of change where walls are being broken. Some critics compared the song to be sonically similar to Britney Spears' Womanizer (2008). Lyrically, if you speak Spanish and know Shakira's early work, you may find the topics of this song very similar to what she sings on Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos (1995), though chances are that's just a coincidence.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#37 - Best Friend
Saweetie ft. Doja Cat

The third single off Pretty ***** Music, Saweetie's upcoming album due in 2022, was produced by Dr. Luke and Rocco Did It Again!. After a messy release ahead of time, which ended up in Saweetie calling out her record label Warner and the song being pulled off streaming services, it was finally officially released in January along with its Dave Meyers directed video, where we see Saweetie and Doja Cat doing best friends things, such as offering her derriere so the other could reach an expensive purse from a shelf, or pushing up her breasts for the perfect selfie. A ride in a bedazzled Tesla, a trip to the stripclub and skinny dipping off a cliff are other activities we see in the video for the friendship anthem.

 

 

[Isla]

Just catching up. Not sure how to feel about I Bet You Think About Me charting higher than Message In a Bottle

[PokemonSpears]

#36 - Confetti
Little Mix ft. Saweetie

 

The first single that Little Mix released without Jesy, this collaboration with Saweetie is a remix of Confetti, originally released in November 2020 as a promotional single from the album of the same name. It was produced by TMS and celebrates the positivity that comes after a break-up, with all great things falling from the sky like confetti. The music video was directed by Samuel Douek and it features the girls fighting their male counterparts: Pez, Lenny and J-Dog in a nightclub reminiscent of the one from Janet Jackson's Rock with U video (2008). It also counted with cameos by three of the contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, A'Whora, Tayce and Bimini Bon-Boulash.

 

[Slayer]

11 minutes ago, PokemonSpears said:

#36 - Confetti
Little Mix ft. Saweetie

 

The first single that Little Mix released without Jesy, this collaboration with Saweetie is a remix of Confetti, originally released in November 2020 as a promotional single from the album of the same name. It was produced by TMS and celebrates the positivity that comes after a break-up, with all great things falling from the sky like confetti. The music video was directed by Samuel Douek and it features the girls fighting their male counterparts: Pez, Lenny and J-Dog in a nightclub reminiscent of the one from Janet Jackson's Rock with U video (2008). It also counted with cameos by three of the contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, A'Whora, Tayce and Bimini Bon-Boulash.

 

Amazing song and video 

To think Leigh and Perrie were pregnant and were still serving choreo!

[PokemonSpears]

#35 - Heartbreak Anthem
Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix

Don't be fooled by its title, the girls make very clear this ain't a heartbreak anthem. This EDM track was produced by Galantis and David Guetta, and its creation process actually began since before the pandemic. In fact, Jesy's vocals had to be removed from the arrangement once she announced her departure from the group in December 2020. "Sometimes it works out, but it sometimes it don't" and the Little Mix members have no time to hear explanations about what happened, they're just ready to move on. In the music video directed by Samuel Douek like the previous one, shows the three girls performing the song dressed as angels in a theater production.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#34 - A Second to Midnight
Kylie Minogue and Years & Years

No, you're not seeing double, it's just Kylie and Olly switching characters here and there in the music video for A Second to Midnight, directed by Sophie Muller. The song was released to promote the Guest List Edition of Kylie Minogue's Disco, originally released in 2020, which contains new tracks and remixes, including this disco jam produced by Biff Stannard and Duck Blackwell. The song, which will also be included on Years & Years upcoming album Night Call, topped the UK Physical Singles chart.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#33 - Marry the Night
Kylie Minogue

In 2011, Lady Gaga released her critically acclaimed Born This Way album, and for its 10th anniversary, she reissued the record, adding six reimaginations of its tracks covered by artists that represent the LGBTQ community. The covered tracks were the five original singles from the album plus Highway Unicorn, in the voices of Big Freedia, The Highwomen, Britney Spears Brittney Spencer, Madeline Edwards, Ben Platt, Years & Years and Orville Peck. Kylie Minogue was in charge of recreating Marry the Night under the production of Biff Stannard and Duck Blackwell. Whether the renditions made the original songs justice or not is debatable, but at least this track in particular was liked enough by our Exhalers to chart at #33.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#32 - Pa Mis Muchachas
Christina Aguilera, Becky G and Nicki Nicole ft. Nathy Peluso

I can't tell how long people have been waiting for Xtina's comeback to singing in Spanish; I can't, but I'm happy for heeerrrr. Christina and Becky G teamed up with the Argentine artists Nicki Nicole and Nathy Peluso for Pa Mis Muchachas, a guaracha song produced by Federico Vindver and Jean Rodríguez and it's expected to be included on Christina's upcoming Spanish album. The song is an anthem for strong, independent women, a tradition of female empowerment inherited from one tough woman to another. The Alexandre Moors directed video was released in October and it was named the second best video of the year by Radio Disney Latino.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#31 - We're Good
Dua Lipa

We're Good was released as the lead single off Future Nostalgia: The Moonlight Edition, the reissue of her 2020 album, back in February. The tropical-pop song was produced by Sly, co-written by Dua Lipa, Sylvester Sivertsen, Emily Warren and Scott Harris. This midtempo stays away from the disco sounds that characterized the rest of Future Nostalgia, but Dua considered it fits the meaning of the song, which talks about calmly ending a relationship in good terms after both sides gave all they could. A peculiar music video directed by Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia shows Dua Lipa performing on the Titanic as we see the love story of two lobsters in a tank, until one of them is taken to the kitchen to be cooked. Afterwards we see the surviving one looking in horror how its loved one gets eaten by the diners. It's only because of the sinking of the ship that the lobster escapes from being cooked too, returning to the sea.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#30 - traitor
Olivia Rodrigo

traitor was the fourth single off Olivia's debut album SOUR, though it became a fan-favorite way before its official release as a single. Co-written with Dan Nigro, the producer of the song, traitor peaked at #7 on the Global 200 and #9 on the BB Hot 100 chart. The indie pop-rock ballad talks about the hurt of seeing your ex starting a new relationship shortly after their breakup. "Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor" Olivia sings after realizing she did have to worry indeed about that girl she brought up in their fights when they were still together.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#29 - I am not a woman, I'm a god
Halsey

Halsey released this song as the lead single off her fourth studio album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. I am not a woman, I'm a god was written by her, along with the producers of the song Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with additional writing by Johnathan Cunningham. In the chorus of the rock-pop song she explains "I am not a woman, I'm a god. I am not a martyr, I'm a problem" in contrast with the rest of the lyrics that show the pain and insecurities of being in love with someone that's not there with her, and preferring to stay alone, rather than going somewhere and confirm something everybody knows but she doesn't want to.

 

 

[PokemonSpears]

#28 - Free Woman (Rina Sawayama and Clarence Clarity Remix)
Lady Gaga and Rina Sawayama

This year Lady Gaga released her third remix album, the remixed version of 2020's Chromatica, featuring collaborations with different artists for each of the remixes. For Free Woman she teamed up with Japanese singer Rina Sawayama and producer Clarence Clarity. The duo bring new life to this album track, sharing their powerful voices as they sing about their freedom.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#27 - Bang Bang
Rita Ora and Imanbek

This catchy EDM track is part of Rita Ora and Imanbek's EP Bang released in February. Bang Bang was one of the two promotional singles, produced by Imanbek, Gia Koka, Joe Hike and Matt Waro. It samples Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer from the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cops.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#26 - Don't Go Yet
Camila Cabello

This summer, Camila Cabello released Don't Go Yet, which is set to be the lead single from her upcoming album Familia. This Latin Pop, salsa infused song was co-written by Camila and Scott Harris along with the producers Ricky Reed and Mike Sabath. In the tropical track we hear lots of instruments and elements traditional from the Latin American, particularly Cuban music, like maracas and trumpets, as well as rumba, flamenco and mambo rhythms mixed with verses that some critics compared to more modern influences, like Doja Cat. The colorful music video was directed by Philippa Price and Pilar Zeta. It shows Camila arriving to a family reunion filled with exuberant and androgynous characters dressed in a late 80's fashion, with a Walter Mercado reference and everything. It's even reminiscent of the Beetlejuice film (1988), especially with the stop-motion scene of her car at the beginning. We see the family enjoying the fiesta with a big dinner and lots of dancing, as Camila begs in the chorus "oye, don't go yet".

 

 

[PokemonSpears]

#25 - champagne problems
Taylor Swift

Track No. 2 on evermore, champagne problems tells the story of a girl that ended her relationship the day her boyfriend proposed. It was co-written with her boyfriend Joe Alwyn, and produced by Aaron Dressner. Instead of being autobiographical, the song was just the result of Taylor and her boyfriend's love for sad songs. When the song was teased prior to its release, it was described as "two longtime college sweethearts had very different plans for the same night, one to end it and one who brought a ring.". The song peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

 

[PokemonSpears]

#24 - Mood Ring
Lorde

An ode to pseudo-spirituality and pseudo-wellness, Lorde sings about cleansing crystals, burning sage and horoscopes as she looks at her mood ring to know how she's feeling. The song, which was written by her and Jack Antonoff, the producer, is the result of Lorde's deep-diving into the 60's and the interconnections and parallels she found out with what she and her friends do nowadays. Without missing the opportunity to call us old by reminding us how far away the early 2000's are, by the way. The music video directed by Lorde and Joel Kefali follows-up Solar Power, and depicts a cult-like ceremony, where Lorde and other girls make salutations, read and sleep together, all activities scarily done in unison as they play with the various spa-like elements.