Ah, 2021 — there are many things we’d hoped this year would be that it was not. But after 12 months of good news and bad news, happy days and sad says, and tiptoeing the line between careful hopefulness and sombre realism, we once again stand here in boundless gratefulness for the escapes and comforts that music has brought us this year.
New Year, New Voices
And what a year it’s been for music! We’re happy to welcome some new faces (or voices?) into our Chordify Hall of Fame: The Kid LAROI delivered two smash hits with “Stay” and “Without You”, with the former sneaking into the Top 10 of 2021. Congratulations!
Other newcomers are Eurovision winners Måneski. As the only group with a double entry on our year-end list, the Italians rocked their way into the hearts of users with “Beggin” and “Zitti e Buoni”. We’re excited to hear more from them in 2022!
Shallow Ever After
Then there are those songs that simply belong in our Top 10 like peanut butter and jelly belong on bread. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” has been enshrined in every list, month after month, year after year. We’re happy it still brings joy to so many of you.
Did you know that we dissected the song in our Songs Explained series? Whether you’re a beginner or pro, whether you play piano, guitar or ukulele…you will find everything you need to master the Grammy-winning power ballad.
And the winner is…
But who snatched the crown of 2021? Coincidentally, the most-played song of the year was also the song that topped the list all the way back in January. A certain 18-year old wrote a song about heartbreak and getting her drivers license and here we are, a whopping 150,000 jam sessions later. Because our winner this year is Olivia Rodrigo, with her debut single “drivers license”. Listening to this song again while writing this blog post brought with it a sense of nostalgia and bewilderment…Has it really been almost an entire year? Either way, the track still holds up, and is a deserving winner. Here’s to you, Olivia!
Before you check out the full Top 10 of 2021 below, we’d like to thank you for jamming with us this year. Happy jamming, and see you on the flip side!
Top 10 of 2021
- Olivia Rodrigo – drivers license
- Maneskin – Beggin’
- Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow
- Passenger – Let Her Go
- Maneskin – Zitti e Buoni
- Adele – Easy On Me
- Ed Sheeran – Perfect
- John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Roads
- Eagles – Hotel California
- The Kid LAROI – Stay (feat. Justin Bieber)
