{"id":374,"date":"2020-12-31T18:34:06","date_gmt":"2020-12-31T18:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshsheetmusic.com\/blog\/?p=374"},"modified":"2025-05-07T09:54:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T09:54:25","slug":"six-top-selling-digital-songs-in-the-united-states-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshsheetmusic.com\/blog\/six-top-selling-digital-songs-in-the-united-states-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Top-Selling Digital Songs in the United States in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It\u2019s been a strange year, to say the least, but one source of normalcy has been the continued obsession over who tops the charts in the eternal measure of pop culture and public consciousness that is the Billboard<\/em> 100.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part of the fun of Billboard<\/em> and digital music sales retrospectives is the eclectic self-portrait of a year it provides. One-hit wonders, new stars making their first big splashes on the scene, fading stars going out with one last burst of glory (or infamy) \u2013 the list can tell us a lot about where we are, where we\u2019ve been, and where we\u2019re going.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So what do the top six songs of 2020 say about a year like no other?<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”6. Post Malone \u2013 \u201cCircles\u201d” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]Reaching #1 on the Billboard<\/em> 100 during the week of November 30th, this offering from Post Malone<\/strong><\/a> has been nominated for Song of the Year at the 2021 Grammys<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, the artist is also involved with a lawsuit against songwriter Tyler Armes, claiming that Armes is falsely claiming himself to be the cowriter of the song.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s quite a bit of buzz and 2020 drama for a song<\/a> that actually first dropped back in Fall 2019. It also broke the record for Most Weeks in the Hot 100 with 39 before \u201cBlinding Lights\u201d blew past it.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”378″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”5. Doja Cat \u2013 \u201cSay So\u201d” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]Another way pop music can serve as a litmus test for where we are as a society is by showing us how we feel about art and the forces responsible for it.<\/p>\n

That \u201cSay So\u201d hit it big on TikTok as well as traditional music platforms points to the changing<\/a> ways of how we consume music.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay So\u201d was a distinct blend of disco, pop, and rap, with Doja teaming up with Nicki Minaj<\/strong> to deliver a genre-spanning smash.<\/p>\n

Minaj isn\u2019t the only familiar face to make their presence felt in \u201cSay So,\u201d however. Dr. Luke<\/strong>, the former music production<\/a> standout accused by Kesha of sexual assault and emotional abuse, is back working on this song.<\/p>\n

Does that have you saying, \u201cSay It Ain\u2019t So?\u201d It depends on what you care about, and where you stand in this Brave New #MeToo world.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s fair to criticize Doja Cat<\/strong> for working with Dr. Luke<\/strong>, maybe it isn\u2019t fair to fault female singers for such choices in a male-dominated industry, and maybe the truth\u2019s somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n

Whatever your answer, \u201cSay So\u201d was a burst of summer fun in a summer that, for most of us, was anything but.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”4. Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani \u2013 \u201cNobody But You\u201d” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]Gwen ain\u2019t no \u201c<\/em>Hollaback Girl<\/em>\u201d<\/em> anymore, even if you wish she still were. Rolling Stone<\/em> said this duet by the married couple nicely blended Shelton and Stefani\u2019s styles, while E! News<\/em><\/a> predicted it\u2019d be a wedding song for years to come.<\/p>\n

Review after review focused on the couple\u2019s chemistry and real-life romance. How well will that age?<\/p>\n

These marriages of artistic opposites have gone artistically sour before (see: Cher and Gregg Allman) but for 2020 at least, Shelton and Stefani have enjoyed sweet reviews.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”379″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”3. Megan Thee Stallion \u2013 \u201cSavage\u201d” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]A searing, sassy, spicy and, yes, \u201cSavage\u201d masterpiece of pop culture took America and the world by storm in March and April of this year, an event that was the talk of the Internet for months and left us all humming the same few bars and doing the same dance.<\/p>\n

Yes, that\u2019s right \u2013 it\u2019s the Carole Baskin TikTok Dance Craze<\/a> that took off after everyone lost their minds while watching Tiger King<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Of course, the sampled music<\/a> fueling this strangest of dance crazes came from someone else slaying it this year, Megan Thee Stallion and Queen Beyonce herself in their hit single, \u201cSavage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also of note was the song\u2019s name dropping of OnlyFans, the website offering direct creator-to-patron content<\/a>, often of the NSFW variety.<\/p>\n

The reference didn\u2019t go unnoticed, either, shooting up traffic to OnlyFans from May onward<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”2. Tones and I \u2013 \u201cDance Monkey\u201d” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]An Australian songwriter<\/a> donning a fake beard and geriatric makeup before hitting the golf course to sing a song called \u201cDance Monkey\u201d \u2013 what\u2019s so strange about that?<\/p>\n

As with Post Malone\u2019s \u201cCircles,\u201d this is another case of a 2019 song carrying over into 2020, with the song first debuting in May of last year. In doing so, it became the first song solo written by a woman to crack the Top<\/a> 5 in eight years. Its continued popularity<\/a> in 2020 saw it top out at #18 on the Billboard <\/em>Global 200. Download Tones and I Dance Monkey Sheet Music<\/a> here.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”1. The Weeknd \u2013 \u201cBlinding Lights\u201d” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_single_image image=”380″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]Perhaps it’s fitting given the slew of 80s reboots and homages we\u2019ve seen over the past decade that the move from the 2010s to the dawn of the 2020s was marked by a big 80s-backbeat-blasting throwback, blazer and Michael Jackson gloves and all.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing that can be said for this song is its rhythm \u2013 both in that beating electric drumbeat and its surge to the top of the charts<\/a>, with the music video getting 322 million views on YouTube by the close of 2020 and the song itself being the singer\u2019s fifth Billboard #1 single.<\/p>\n

Billboard<\/em>\u2019s retrospective noted the song\u2019s retro appeal, and outlets as diverse as The Guardian<\/em>, Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a>, and Slate<\/em>. <\/em><\/p>\n

The latter hints at the song\u2019s strong retro flavor being part of its big appeal, noting that its popularity<\/a> started to soar right as COVID really began to batter the global community.<\/p>\n

Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cThriller\u201d dance with zombies may have been decades ago, and the zombified Endless March of the 80s continues (hi, Ready Player Two<\/em>), but amidst all the rehashes and real-world darkness, at least these \u201cBlinding Lights\u201d are more than welcome.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s fitting that a year as chaotic as 2020 would have such an eclectic collection of hits and hitmakers.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see what 2021 brings musically, and hope for more surprise hits and great songs from established stars \u2013 and that the world is in a better place to enjoy them. Download The Weeknd Blinding Lights Sheet music here.<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”377″ img_size=”full”][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fHI8X4OXluQ” align=”center” title=”The Weeknd – Blinding Lights Official”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n