Our no. 1 songs: 2020

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Songs Considered – Our No. 1 Songs: 2020

Host: Robin Hilton
Guest: Stephen Thompson
Date: December 1, 2025

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Overview

In this episode, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson of NPR's All Songs Considered reflect on the music landscape of 2020, sharing their top picks for the year's best songs and albums. Despite the challenges and upheaval of the year, they highlight standout tracks and albums—particularly those that offered comfort, catharsis, or humor. The episode weaves together personal reflections, musical analysis, and a tour of some of the year’s most memorable releases.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Challenges of Picking a Favorite from 2020

• The hosts note the difficulty in selecting a single standout song from 2020 despite being closer to the present day.
  • Robin Hilton: “I really struggled trying to come up with what my number one song of 2020 would be... It's not gotten any easier, actually. Harder.” (00:35)
  • Stephen Thompson humorously acknowledges 2020 was a “nice, quiet, uneventful year.” (00:28)

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Major Releases and Top Picks

Phoebe Bridgers – "Kyoto" [Punisher]

• The hosts play “Kyoto,” quickly recognizing its significance.
  • Stephen Thompson: “That song Kyoto… has this amazing line. ‘I wanted to see the world through your eyes until it happened. Then I changed my mind.’” (03:15)
  • Robin Hilton calls Punisher one of the “most gorgeous records I’d ever heard in my life.” (03:00)
• Both hosts highlight the quotability and depth of Bridgers’ songwriting.
  • Stephen Thompson: “It [the album] is so gorgeous and so insightful and so quotable.” (03:15)

Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters

• Recognized as Robin’s favorite album of the year.
  • Robin Hilton: “The Fiona Apple record was my number one album… I didn’t have a song from it that I would pick as my number one song...” (03:00)
• The record is praised as a creative and powerful work, with a “slow burn” standout in “I Know the End.” (03:41)

Megan Thee Stallion (and "WAP")

• Multiple mentions of the cultural impact of “WAP” by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion, and Megan’s overall presence with “Savage” (with Beyoncé).
  • Stephen Thompson: “Musically speaking, 2020 was full of bangers. Not only WAP, you had, you know, Savage. It was a big year for Megan Thee Stallion.” (02:32)

Bad Moves – “Local Radio” [Untenable]

• Robin’s pick for the number one song of 2020; band includes longtime NPR colleague Dawoud Tyler Amin on drums.
  • Robin Hilton: “That’s so catchy, so infectious, so hooky. Great power pop, Bad Moves.”
  • Both hosts acknowledge possible bias but stress the album’s genuine quality:
    • Stephen Thompson: “A bias absolutely exists because we loved our personality.” (05:46)
    • Robin Hilton: “The album was called Untenable, which, by the way, felt like the perfect word for 2020.” (06:00)
  • Both lament the band’s breakup in 2025, highlighting what fans will miss.
    • Robin Hilton: “Heartbroken to know that the band has just this year announced that they're breaking up.” (06:08)

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Other Notable Songs & Albums of 2020

Chris Stapleton – “Starting Over”

• Stephen Thompson’s country pick for the year, emphasizing Stapleton’s continued strong run:
  • Robin Hilton: “What a run he had these last five, ten years too… releasing his own staggering works.” (10:10)
  • Stephen Thompson: “He has not. The quality has not faded.” (10:20)

Max Richter – Voices

• Mentioned as an “incredibly powerful” record, though not dissected in detail. (10:24)

Christian Lee Hutson – “Atheist” [Beginners]

• Produced by Phoebe Bridgers, the track almost made Robin’s top spot.

Rafiq Bhatia – Standards Vol. 1 EP

• A haunting version of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” noted by Robin for its impact. (10:38–11:28)

Njimale – “To Meet You There”

• Cited among Robin’s favorite discoveries of the year, appreciated for its haunting quality. (11:28–12:30)

The Chicks – “Gaslighter” [Gaslighter]

• Noted for their return under their new name and for the strong impact of their comeback album.
  • Stephen Thompson: “They took Dixie out of their name and came back as The Chicks and put out a record called Gaslighter that I heard in my car probably 350 times in 2020.” (12:35)
  • Robin Hilton recalls the realities of 2020: “When I finally came back to the building… there was a postcard in it from someone that said, here's to a great 2020. I just thought, yeah, about that.” (13:27)

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Memorable Quotes

• On Phoebe Bridgers’ lyricism:

  “Every song on that record has some great line that kind of stops you in your tracks... ‘I wanted to see the world through your eyes until it happened. Then I changed my mind.’”
  —Stephen Thompson (03:15)

• On 2020’s Power Pop:

  “That’s so catchy, so infectious, so hooky. Great power pop, Bad Moves.”
  —Robin Hilton (05:15)

• On country excellence:

  “Boy, what a run he had these last five, 10 years too… while releasing his own staggering works.”
  —Robin Hilton (10:10)

• On 2020’s unfulfilled optimism:

  “Here’s to a great 2020. I just thought, yeah, about that.”
  —Robin Hilton (13:27)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:23–01:15: Opening jokes and acknowledgement of 2020’s difficulty; struggle to pick favorites
• 01:39–03:53: Phoebe Bridgers – “Kyoto” and discussion of Punisher
• 03:53–06:22: Bad Moves – "Local Radio," band praise and NPR connection
• 08:37–10:24: Chris Stapleton – "Starting Over" and country music reflections
• 10:24–12:30: Other highlights: Max Richter, Christian Lee Hutson, Rafiq Bhatia, Njimale
• 12:30–13:27: The Chicks – “Gaslighter” and memories of their return
• 13:27–14:01: Reflections on the surreal year that was 2020
• 14:06–End: Outro music ("Gaslighter" by The Chicks)

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers a candid, nostalgic, and sometimes humorous look back at the music of 2020. Bridgers and Fiona Apple are lauded for their artistic achievements, while the hosts’ personal connections to songs and artists add warmth and authenticity. The discussion balances critical insight with the emotional resonance music provided during a turbulent year, making for an engaging listen and a fitting tribute to 2020’s musical landscape.

Transcript

[NPR Announcer]

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[Robin Hilton]

I'm Robin Hilton. Stephen Thompson, welcome as always.

[Stephen Thompson]

Hello, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

Somehow we've made it to 2020 in this long haul. Through all of these years, we're in the home stretch.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad, Robin, that we have finally got to a nice, quiet, uneventful year.

[Robin Hilton]

Just not a lot happened in 2020, you know, actually, joking aside, I really struggled trying to come up with what my number one song of 2020 would be. I kind of thought it would get easier once we got to the more recent stuff because we're in the final five years, but it's not gotten any easier, actually. Harder.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's gonna get harder.

[Robin Hilton]

But what do you got? What do you think of when you think of 2020?

[Unidentified Guest 1]

Well.

[Robin Hilton]

What do you think of?

[Stephen Thompson]

I think of just like, out adventuring in the world.

[Robin Hilton]

What do you think of with music in 2020?

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, tempted as I am to force you to create a radio edit for WAP by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee, Stallion. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go with this. So.

[Robin Hilton]

So we've been playing Name that Tune. And this is Phoebe Bridgers, right?

[Unidentified Guest 2]

Yes.

[Robin Hilton]

And this is Kyoto, which I think she says. That's like the first word she says in the song.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's like in the first line.

[Singer/Performer (Phoebe Bridgers or other artists)]

I don't want to kill you if you don't beat me to swim into Tokyo skies I wanted to see the world that I feel by the ocean.

[Robin Hilton]

This is from. I can't remember the name of the album this is from. But it was her second one, wasn't it?

[Unidentified Guest 2]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's from Punisher, right?

[Robin Hilton]

Punisher.

[Singer/Performer (Phoebe Bridgers or other artists)]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

That was a great record.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is such a great record. I mean, musically speaking, 2020 was full of bangers. You know, you had not only Wap, you had, you know, Savage. It was a big year for Megan. This for Megan Thee, Stallion. You know, because you had. You had Savage with, you know, Beyonce and Megan Thee, Stallion.

[Robin Hilton]

Right.

[Stephen Thompson]

But then album wise, for me, it was just this one, two punch where I spent the entire year, like, what's my favorite album of the year? Toggling between Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers and. And. And. And Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, the Fiona Apple. Record was my number one album of the year. I didn't have a song from it that I would pick as my number one song of the year. But, yeah, the Phoebe Bridgers that. I remember just thinking that was one of the most gorgeous records I'd ever heard in my life.

[Stephen Thompson]

That came out so gorgeous and so insightful and so quotable. Just about every song on that record has some great line that kind of stops you in your tracks, like even that, you know, that song Kyoto, which is probably the biggest kind of poppy banger from that record, has this amazing line. I wanted to see the world through your eyes until it happened. Then I changed my mind.

[Robin Hilton]

What an incredible line. It's funny, too.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's so funny.

[Robin Hilton]

It's really, really funny. But I think my pick from that album would have been the song I know the End.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yes.

[Robin Hilton]

Which I think that's a slow burn.

[Stephen Thompson]

At the end until it builds to just this screaming. That's a pretty near perfect record.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, so, like I said, I had a hard time just finding a very clear winner for me for 2020. I thought about maybe Atheist by Christian Lee Hudson, which is from his album Beginners, which Phoebe Bridgers produced. She's been a big supporter of his. But I think I'm gonna go with this one. And I actually think that this song was maybe on your personal top 10 for 2020.

[Singer/Performer (Phoebe Bridgers or other artists)]

Oh.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh bad moves, bad moves Come on now with our colleague and friend Dawoud Tyler Amin on drum.

[Singer/Performer (Phoebe Bridgers or other artists)]

Working in service in the capital I heard the burn I ripped this off and tried to shed it Yes, I ran into it like a dead I talk some shit about the job and I'm surprised with how it I dance Got interviewed on local radio and listen who fights the hand with the hand? Me. To the passing out scrap you can hardly believe it if you hanging up taps for some new Making a week trading shifts with the kids just getting started and the kids getting their wheels in and the corners. Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, come on, man. That's so catchy, so infectious, so hooky. Great power pop. Bad moves.

[Stephen Thompson]

Great lyrics.

[Robin Hilton]

Great lyrics. Oh, my God. So this is the song local radio from their album, their second album that they put out called Untenable from Bad Moves. And yes, full disclosure, the drummer, Daoud Tyler Ming, a long colleague of ours here at NPR Music. And, you know, there's part of me that feels like we shouldn't cover this band, you know, just like the ethics and.

[Stephen Thompson]

Absolutely, yeah, a bias absolutely exists because we loved our personality.

[Robin Hilton]

We do. But that's just so good. It's just so genuinely so good. This whole album was so good. The album was called Untenable, which by the way, felt like the perfect word.

[Stephen Thompson]

Perfect word for 2020.

[Robin Hilton]

For 2020. But you know, write to me a band that's right up there with like super chunk or Pup or something like that. And heartbroken to know that the band has just this year announced that they're breaking up.

[Stephen Thompson]

They're going out with a bang. Because the album they put out last year is also great, but just undeniable.

[Robin Hilton]

Absolutely.

[Singer/Performer (Phoebe Bridgers or other artists)]

I wanted more I hit it dead and though I wanted sleep I counted sheep I couldn't breathe I didn't get it My head was ring.

[Robin Hilton]

Let's just take a quick break and then we can come back and we'll talk about some of the other songs that we loved from 2020.

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[Robin Hilton]

Music Wise takes you back to 2020.

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, maybe my favorite song by one of the most decorated country stars working right now.

[Chris Stapleton]

Well, the road rolls out like a welcome man.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, Chris. It's Chris Stapleton.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yep, very good.

[Robin Hilton]

Give me a minute on the title.

[Chris Stapleton]

And I ain't got no kind of plan that I've had On with this town I can stand silent or no.

[Stephen Thompson]

Getting farther away from it.

[Chris Stapleton]

We can jump in the water and see what flows we've been saving for rainy day let's beat the storm and be on.

[Unidentified Guest 3]

Our way.

[Chris Stapleton]

It don't matter to me Wherever we are is where I want to be and honey, for once in.

[Robin Hilton]

Our lives take our Starting over.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yes.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, God. It just came to me.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's the last thing he says in the chorus, so I'm just gonna leave over.

[Chris Stapleton]

Starting over.

[Robin Hilton]

Boy, what a run he had these last five, 10 years too. All the records produced staggering works by other artists while releasing his own staggering works.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah. And he has not. The quality has not faded.

[Robin Hilton]

No, not at all. I could have picked anything from the Max Richter album Voices that came out that year. Incredibly powerful, powerful, powerful record from him. I mentioned Atheist by Christian Lee Hudson.

[Unidentified Guest 2]

Oh.

[Robin Hilton]

Rafiq Bhatia of the band Sun Lux. He had a solo EP called Standards Volume One that had this incredibly haunting version of the first time ever I saw your face.

[Singer/Performer (Njimale or other artists)]

And the first time.

[Singer/Performer (Phoebe Bridgers or other artists)]

Ever I kissed your mouth. I felt the earth move in my hand. Like the trembling heart.

[Robin Hilton]

And then I also think of the song by Njimale called To Meet yout There.

[Singer/Performer (Phoebe Bridgers or other artists)]

Yeah.

[Singer/Performer (Njimale or other artists)]

After death, after life I was up half the night Hurricane never came not for me, not again. I celebrate your celebration I revel in your revelation I holler in your hallelujah in plain view you're azaleas grew wide Believe you now have I been unyielding.

[Stephen Thompson]

2020 is also the year the Chicks came back.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, right.

[Unidentified Guest 2]

As the Chicks.

[Robin Hilton]

As the Chicks, yeah.

[Unidentified Guest 1]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

They took Dixie out of their name and came back as the Chicks and put out a record called Gaslighter that I heard in my car probably 350 times in 2020. On the rare occasions I ventured out of my house.

[Singer/Performer (The Chicks)]

Gaslighter, Denier Doing anything to get your ass Father Gaslighter big timer Repeating all of the mistakes of your father we moved to California and we followed your dreams I believed in the promises you made to for that night Till death drew us part but you La la la la.

[Stephen Thompson]

You know, they were clearly planning, you know, they were going to do a giant stadium tour and like so many plans in 2020 that that got dashed. But that's definitely a record I listened to a lot that year.

[Robin Hilton]

I always think when I finally came back to the building, like a year and a half later, it was like deep into 2021, there was this massive bin full of mail that I'd gotten just before we all had to vacate the building. And there was a postcard in it from someone that said, here's to a great 2020. I just thought, yeah, about that.

[Stephen Thompson]

Here, here. Enjoy this box of fresh fruit.

[Robin Hilton]

Anyway, so so much that we could play and talk about from 2020, but this gaslighter song feels pretty good. So until next time when we look back at 2021, thanks, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

And for NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's All Songs Considered.

[Singer/Performer (The Chicks)]

I think it's pretty cruel? And you know you lie best when you lie to you? Cause boy, I know exactly what you did on my boat? And boy, that's exactly why you ain't coming home? Save your tired stories before you knew someone else? Cause they're la la la la la. Look out you little gas lighter denier, do anything again you're a father. Gas spider, big timer repeating all of the mistakes of your father. Yes, Spider, you bro.

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