My Most Memorable 2020 Songs

No need to stress how stressful 2020 has been. A lot of things in our lives were frozen during the first months of the pandemic. Even the entertainment industry took quite a time to adjust. It was rather unfortunate that, because of the restrictions, many tours and concerts were cancelled, many films were not continued, and many activities were deferred. Later on, entities have set up online virtual concerts and fan meets. Artists had to work extra harder to create good quality content and deliver them to people even with the restrictions.

As for me, the lockdown gave me a chance to indulge in music. I didn't really make an effort to expand my playlists before—I just settled on the songs that I have been listening to for years, which include mostly classics, love songs of my parents' generation, and animé songs. Because of increased exposure to social apps, I discovered some songs which I might have not given attention to.

I am sharing some songs released in 2020 which became really memorable to me this year. Just a note, these are mostly Korean and Japanese, which represent the kind of songs I actually indulged into this year. I won't put numbers anymore because this is not a ranking anyway.

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Laughter by Official髭男dism

Language: Japanese | Released: July 10, 2020

Laughter talks about freedom and acceptance. It talks about the journey of uncertainty, contemplating others' opinion, taking risks, fighting adversities, owning consequences of one's own choices, accepting oneself, realizing what's most important, reconciling with oneself, and triumphing the challenges.

When this song came out, I wrote a full-length blog about it, just to help me flow my overwhelming emotions. Actually, even this post is pioneered by this song. That's how special it is to me, and why it's the first thing I mention.

HELLO by Official髭男dism

Language: Japanese | Released: August 5, 2020

HELLO talks about the little things that small gestures connect people together even through different values, races, upbringing, and locations. Life may be stressful—we lose our temper and damage relationships in times of distress. We might be too guarded that we might forget to enjoy life and be compassionate to others. This song also makes us appreciate the friendships we already have, and treasure the connections we occasionally find. This song encourages us to appreciate the little things that bring light to our lives.

HELLO is a vibrant song which sparks hope and celebration even in times when connection is hard to maintain. The music video also emphasizes that our loneliness roots from being so focused on protecting ourselves, but we can actually still be compassionate and connected even with just simple gestures. This is my favorite quarantine-attributable song.

Zombie by DAY6

Language: Korean/English | Released: May 11, 2020

Zombie talks about an overwhelming emptiness. Life reaches a point where nothing seems to radiate meaning anymore. Time is turning into mere slots of history which need to be filled out just for the sake of being filled out. This song bravely discusses some of the sufferings of a depressed person—seeing everything as unreachable, losing enthusiasm and hope to fix oneself, wanting to cry but the heart has already been dried out of emotion.

This song is the next strongest trigger of this whole blog. The song seems to appeal to the young people trapped in burnout culture. Zombie was first released in Korean, and it having a fully English version even amplified the resonance of the song's meaning to me. The song has no resolution and does not seek advice—just a straightforward narration of the feelings which demands to be heard and understood.

Where the Sea Sleeps (파 도가 끝나는 곳까지) by DAY6 (Even of Day)

Language: Korean | Released: August 31, 2020

The song talks about fighting against the currents of life. The painful journey is discouraging enough, but having someone by our side, willing to stay until we get through our struggles, makes the sweet end something to look forward to. In reality, finding someone willing to stay with us during rough times is very hard to find, which is why the song seems to repeat asking the person to "stay" and "don't leave" because he will become nothing anymore should he lose that person. This person also sends a strong message to be brave to ask for help when we can't lift ourselves alone.

The song's music video features the band's animal avatars, which actually doesn't make the song less emotional. To add on that, the video features how friends and draw strength from each other even if they are not physically together.

Telepathy (잠시) by BTS

Language: Korean | Released: November 20, 2020

The song title translates to "for a while". Telepathy highlights the happiness brought by having certain special people in our lives. We think about them most of the time, and we remember each other even when far apart. These people lighten our worries even without them knowing their impact to us. So, we want to give them the best things like how they do to us.

This is my personal favorite in the BE album. It's unfortunate that the song does not have a music video of its own, but that doesn't diminish its value to me anyway.

Dynamite by BTS

Language: English | Released: August 21, 2020

Dynamite is a lighthearted song which brings us to a party mood even while literally sitting on our daily hustles. Dynamite gives an impression of staying cheerful, and making that cheerfulness transcend to your environment. If we can pick what's going to be contagious nowadays, it should be happiness.

This song has broken a lot of records and stereotypes that it's almost impossible not to be memorable. This song also triggered me to finally explore KPop.

Exile by Taylor Swift

Language: English | Released: July 23, 2020

Exile is a sad song which describes a fallout between a couple. Both parties put up their own defenses—the man thinking he had done everything he could, and blaming the fallout to the things he didn't knew were broken because the lady didn't say—the lady thinking she had communicated everything she needed, and blaming the fallout to the lack of efforts in the relationship. Both fail to recognize their own mistakes and focus only on their own suffering, but both know that the relationship cannot be revived nor saved anymore no matter who's fault it is.

Exile is my favorite in the folklore album. This song might seem different from the others in this list because it's a heartbreak song. Artistically, I really like the way the song was executed, which portray the reality that most breakups and even failures of friendships stem from both parties asserting their own sides but failing to acknowledge their own faults. Anyway, the song highlights to the listeners the importance of communication.

A Ghost in a Flower (花に亡霊) by Yorushika ヨルシカ

Language: Japanese | Released: April 21, 2020

The song talks about cherishing the present moment, so that they become unforgettable memories. The things that need to be said and done today should be said and done today. We cannot stop time, so we have to make the present meaningful before they become part of the past.

The song references summer, focusing especially on the smell of summer. It brings a nostalgic feeling to the listener—ice cream, shadows of trees, fluttering skirt on summer wind, clouds on a distant hill, and other key words. It is a sweet plea to never forget the moments together.

SLUMP by Stray Kids

Language: Japanese | Released: May 6, 2020 (April 1, 2020 as an OST)

SLUMP vividly discusses the fear of being left alone. The song talks about the frustration of being weak, not able to keep up with the pace, and not having anyone to blame but the self. All goals and motivations become blurred when we are afraid—all we can think about are failures, weakness, self-pity, and feeling that we are a burden to everyone else.

The song is only 2:17, but has that impact to make me tear up. SLUMP is the ending theme song of Tower of God animé adaptation, which as you may know, features a main character who keeps chasing a girl because she is literally all he used to know.

Sa Susunod na Habangbuhay by Ben&Ben

Language: Filipino | Released: February 28, 2020

The song talks about the unending hope to save a relationship even if it takes up to "the next lifetime". There is frustration over the loss of warmth of the relationship, and the seemingly broken promise to cherish the trust given. Everything built up to that point was ruined. But even with all the pain, even a lifetime cannot change that we will pick the same love if given the chance.

The song is actually short. But, I also think that the repetition of the chorus lines emphasize that unconditional choice. It has also released an official music video on December 14, 2020, which narrate the story of a couple who still found their way to each other after reincarnation.

Is It? (맞나요) by YoungK

Language: Korean | Released: October 25, 2020

The song talks about uncertainty even while becoming familiar with the journey. We know what we are doing, and know what we should expect at the end. Still, we are not completely sure of our actions and do not have full confidence on ourselves. We accept that we may fall at some point and get hurt. The important thing is that we know that we are on the right path, and that we will eventually reach our destination.

The uncertainty is never shaken away, though. It's still there, just like how it is in real life. It's a sad thing that DAY6 members' mixtapes are not released in Spotify. This song soulfully repeats the idea, "Is this the correct path? Because I have to know [before I proceed]."

Sweet Night by V

Language: English | Released: March 13, 2020

Sweet Night is a song that talks about an affection towards a person recognized a little late and not being uncertain if it will work out anymore. The parties never entertained the thought of a relationship more than what they already had. They shared some memories together, for a rather short while, and parted ways as the metaphor "ships in the night" depict. Only when they have already reached their goals did the protagonist realized that a special feeling has bloomed, but how could he open up the topic anymore. Now, the singer is suffering alone with all the flowing thoughts about "what could have been", and he is wondering if it is okay to ask if the possibility can still be entertained even if it seems too late.

Sweet Night seems like a cute and relaxing song about a confession. I actually haven't watched Itaewon Class, so I'm here making up my own version of fiction of the song lyrics. The song triggers my mind to recreate the emotions that the song delivers—not just from the lyrics, but also the blending of voices and instruments. Listening to this song is a bittersweet experience.

Friends by BTS

Language: Korean | Released: February 21, 2020

This song celebrate friendship built over the years. The parties tell the story of their meeting and how they didn't blend together at first. While sharing experiences and learning about each other's personalities, they appreciate their differences and become best friends. Both of them celebrate the seven years of friendship, trust, memories and gratitude together. Both make a promise to stay together for the future ahead, even when their bright present dies down someday.

When I first heard of this song, I was really amazed by how the song was worded and delivered. It was sung by Taehyung and Jimin, who were schoolmates before they were BTS. It features a cheery mood which literally celebrates the past, present and future of the friendship, even "when this cheer does down one day". This is one of my favorites among BTS songs.