The song came on as gradually as a warm front, impacting internationally in late 2020 and sweeping stateside in early 2021, catching a viral booster shot whenever its momentum seemed to lag, and ...

Although the songs featured in this article are of great diversity, they all share a common thread – excellence. There’s no doubt each of the songs on this list will end up in the music history books.

Our list of 2021's 50 best songs includes Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, Adele, Little Simz, Tyler, the Creator, Jon Batiste and Doja Cat.