Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,488
37,766


With 2021 wrapping up in another month, Apple today shared a number of Apple Music top charts, highlighting the top songs of 2021, the most-read lyrics, the most streamed workout songs, the most Shazamed songs, and more.

apple-music.jpg

Dynamite by BTS was the top streamed song of 2021, followed by drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo, positions by Ariana Grande, For the Night by Pop Smoke, and Blinding Lights from The Weeknd.

The most read lyrics included drivers license and good 4 u from Olivia Rodrigo, Dried Flower by Yuuri, Dynamite by BTS, and Kiss Me More by Doja Cat.

Apple's most streamed workout songs included Head & Heart by Joel Corry, Post Malone by Sam Feldt, and Levitating by Dua Lipa, while the most Shazamed songs included Astronaut in the Ocean by Masked Wolf, Save Your Tears by The Weeknd, and Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran.

All of the Top 100 playlists can be accessed though the Apple Music streaming service, priced starting at $9.99 for a standard membership. Apple also offers a student plan for $4.99 per month, and soon there will also be a $4.99 per month Voice plan that allows users to ask Siri to play content, but it will not feature lyrics, song downloads, and other features.

Earlier today, Apple also announced the winners of the third annual Apple Music Awards, with The Weeknd being named the Global Artist of the Year and Olivia Rodrigo named as Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Article Link: Apple Shares 2021 Apple Music Top Charts and Highlights
 
Last edited:
Can’t wait for the several pages coming up of “who?”
Olivia Rodrigo? You mean talentless garbage?
The Weeknd? You mean autotuned crap?
BTS? You mean the music that’s corrupting the youth?
Etc
*grabs popcorn*

Rodrigo is cool.
Weeknd is entertaining.
Blackpink are hot.

They don't need to be Pavarotti or something to have a decent pop identity ?

It's pop music. It's supposed to be that way.
 
Rodrigo is cool.
Weeknd is entertaining.
Blackpink are hot.

They don't need to be Pavarotti or something to have a decent pop identity ?

It's pop music. It's supposed to be that way.
Pop isn't music. It's a corporate funded product. And no, it's not supposed to be that way. Music is supposed to be art.

And who cares what the "artist" looks like? It has no bearing on whether they're able to write and perform their own music. I'd rather have a band look like the back end of a garbage truck (Fear Factory) than "look hot" while lip syncing to the product that was created by ghost writers, fifteen producers, and a computer.
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: tabbytab10
Rodrigo is cool.
Weeknd is entertaining.
Blackpink are hot.

They don't need to be Pavarotti or something to have a decent pop identity ?

It's pop music. It's supposed to be that way.
It’d be appreciated, though, if other genres were also recognized and rewarded.
Maybe this year’s Pavarotti. The current Glenn Gould. Wynton Marsalis.
 
I usually only listen to classical or broadway but I always give these yearly top songs a listen to see how pop music is doing. I can appreciate all kinds of things I don’t necessarily follow or like.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zooby and Moonlight
Pop isn't music. It's a corporate funded product. And no, it's not supposed to be that way. Music is supposed to be art.
There it is!!!
For the record, all music that’s available for purchase is a product. Doesn’t mean that it’s not art.
Music doesn’t have to be overly experimental 3 1/2 hour jazz rock masterpieces with string interludes, backwards guitar solos and incomprehensible lyrics to be art.
2 1/2 minute verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/fade pop songs are also art, even if you don’t think so
A lot of pop artists make pop… because they like it.
In fact, most products are in some form a type of art.
Even the iPhone is a type of art.
 
Honestly, my biggest problem with this list has nothing to do with the actual musical content, and more with the fact that it shows really how slow the music industry got over the past year mainly due to The pandemic. Huge artists delayed their albums by over a year, tours delayed.
And because of that, a huge chunk of these tracks are 1 to 2 years old and already hit their peak in 2020.
The biggest song, dynamite by BTS, came out in August 2020 and peaked that fall.
Blinding lights by The Weeknd came out in November 2019, and peaked in spring 2020.
WAP by Cardi B was July 2020.
Rockstar by DaBaby was the biggest hit single of summer 2020.
Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles came out in 2019.
Sunflower by Post Malone came out back in 2018.
There are always holdovers from the previous year on the charts obviously, but there is *a lot* this year.
Waymore than usual, not to mention the songs from 2018 and 2019 that are still on this list.
 
Pop isn't music. It's a corporate funded product. And no, it's not supposed to be that way. Music is supposed to be art.

And who cares what the "artist" looks like? It has no bearing on whether they're able to write and perform their own music. I'd rather have a band look like the back end of a garbage truck (Fear Factory) than "look hot" while lip syncing to the product that was created by ghost writers, fifteen producers, and a computer.
I don’t understand the criticism. Many people enjoy the music these artists produce, so it’s music to them and therefore, art.

Music is completely subjective to the listener. One can say metal music is trash and same for pop, but it works both ways. To them, it’s art.

There’s no objective stance on music besides the musical theory, raw sales and ranking on the charts.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: nycjdc and DotCom2
I don’t understand the criticism. Many people enjoy the music these artists produce, so it’s music to them and therefore, art.

Music is completely subjective to the listener. One can say metal music is trash and same for pop, but it works both ways. To them, it’s art.

There’s no objective stance on music besides the musical theory, raw sales and ranking on the charts.
Many people do. Many more probably don’t.

The trouble I personally have with Apple Music is that it is very hard to find/discover new music that isn’t pop or hip hop/rap. Apple goes to great lengths to repackage the same three genres while almost completely disregarding most of the rest of what is out there. There is clearly a lot of decent music out there that Apple is ignoring.
 
Many people do. Many more probably don’t.

The trouble I personally have with Apple Music is that it is very hard to find/discover new music that isn’t pop or hip hop/rap. Apple goes to great lengths to repackage the same three genres while almost completely disregarding most of the rest of what is out there. There is clearly a lot of decent music out there that Apple is ignoring.

I agree. There's some hope on the horizon as far as classical goes because of Apple's acquisition of Primephonic. Of course, it could turn out to be one of those things where Apple winds up sidelining and destroying Primephonic, sort of like what Starbucks did with Teavana.

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Montana_Griz
I'm 49 years old and yeah..."who" for the most part. I know of a few artists and bands here. (Progress I guess?) The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran I like a few of the tunes.

First time I heard of Yurri, Doja Cat, Masked Wolf, Pop Smoke. ??‍♂️
I'll keep listening to my 80's, 90s music...aka "Classics" ?

Me confused on 98.4% of today's music.
giphy.gif
 
Spotify Wrapped is better at end of year stats. Apple needs to step their game up.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.