40 songs you slept on in 2020, including singles by Don Toliver, Kygo and Celeste

The biggest songs that narrowly missed the Official Singles Chart Top 40 in 2020

2020 has been a busy year at the top end of the Official Singles Chart. The last 12 months has seen 19 songs reach Number 1, up from 12 last year and the highest in five years.

But while turnover at the top is on the up, breaking into the Top 40 is still no mean feat. Competition is tough, meaning some songs – usually for very different reasons - miss out on a spot in the top flight.

The biggest song to miss out on a Top 40 placing this year is Juliet & Romeo by French DJ/producer Martin Solveig and Canadian singer-songwriter Roy Woods. The dance-pop track first appeared on the Official Singles Chart in April, debuting at Number 77 and peaking at 51 four weeks later.

MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2020 so far

Despite being hugely popular on radio, the song’s chart success was possibly hindered by his Jax Jones and Raye collaboration, Tequila, which hit the Top 40 around the same time. Its total chart sales to date stand at 233,000.

In second is After Party by US rapper and singer Don Toliver. Released in April as the fourth single from his debut album Heaven Or Hell, the track had brief viral success as a dance challenge on TikTok but narrowly missed the Top 40, peaking at 47.

The third biggest song to miss the Top 40 this year is What If I Told You That I Love You by Ali Gatie. The rap ballad was the follow-up to the Iraqi-Canadian star’s debut single It’s You – a hit around the world in 2019 (though it stalled at 45 in the UK). Released in January, the song logged 10 weeks inside the Top 100, peaking at Number 57 in March, notched up 176,000 chart sales to date.

Stripped-down pop ballad Selfish by US singer-songwriter Madison Beer is the fourth biggest song to miss the Top 40 this year, peaking at Number 53 in April. Another hit-that-shoulda-been, soul-jazz stomper Stop This Flame by Celeste places in the Top 10 on the list, topping out at Number 47 on the singles chart in February, shortly after winning this year’s Rising Star BRIT Award.

DJ and producer Kygo released two songs this year that narrowly missed out on Top 40 glory: Like It Is ft. Zara Larsson and Tyga in April (49), and Lose Somebody with OneRepublic in May (46). He eventually landed his ninth Top 40 hit in July with his re-working of Tina Turner's What's Love Got To Do With It? (31).

Elsewhere, Ella Henderson's Take Care Of You, The Other Side by SZA and Justin Timberlake - released for the Trolls World Tour film and a massive radio hit in March - and Tom Walker's Wait For You were also popular songs that just managed to miss the Top 40.

The Official Top 40 biggest songs that missed the Top 40 in 2020 so far

Listen to this Top 40 as a playlist on Spotify | Deezer

POS	TITLE	ARTIST	PEAK
1	JULIET & ROMEO	MARTIN SOLVEIG & ROY WOODS	51
2	AFTER PARTY	DON TOLIVER	47
3	WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT I LOVE YOU	ALI GATIE	57
4	SURRENDER	NATALIE TAYLOR	58
5	SELFISH	MADISON BEER	53
6	ONLY IF YOU KNEW	DUTCHAVELLI	95
7	LIKE IT IS	KYGO/ZARA LARSSON/TYGA	49
8	THIS IS THE PLACE	TOM GRENNAN	73
9	LOSE SOMEBODY	KYGO & ONEREPUBLIC	46
10	STOP THIS FLAME	CELESTE	47
11	TAKE CARE OF YOU	ELLA HENDERSON	50
12	GOT IT ON ME	POP SMOKE	N/A
13	SOMETHING SPECIAL	POP SMOKE	N/A
14	THE OTHER SIDE	SZA & JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE	44
15	GO	KID LAROI & JUICE WRLD	43
16	BLOODY VALENTINE	MACHINE GUN KELLY	51
17	WAIT FOR YOU	TOM WALKER	47
18	MAGIC	ILL BLU/OFB/BANDOKAY/DOUBLE LZ	46
19	ENJOY YOURSELF	POP SMOKE FT KAROL G	N/A
20	CONO	DERULO/PURI/JHORRMOUNTAIN	55
21	INDULGE	M HUNCHO FT D-BLOCK EUROPE	50
22	LEVEL OF CONCERN	TWENTY ONE PILOTS	42
23	WALK EM DOWN	NLE CHOPPA FT RODDY RICCH	85
24	MARTIN & GINA	POLO G	71
25	TKN	ROSALIA & TRAVIS SCOTT	41
26	GOOD NEWS	MAC MILLER	45
27	FUTURE NOSTALGIA	DUA LIPA	N/A
28	HATE THE OTHER SIDE	JUICE WRLD/MARSHMELLO/POLO G	N/A
29	OURSELF	NSG	43
30	UNACCOMMODATING	EMINEM FT YOUNG MA	N/A
31	YOU GON' LEARN	EMINEM/ROYCE DA 5'9/WHITE GOLD	N/A
32	HEAT WAVES	GLASS ANIMALS	63
33	SHAKE THE ROOM	POP SMOKE FT QUAVO	76
34	TATTOOS TOGETHER	LAUV	N/A
35	THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN DYNASTY	TAYLOR SWIFT	N/A
36	BLACK AND WHITE	NIALL HORAN	91
37	P*SSY FAIRY (OTW)	JHENE AIKO	84
38	21	POLO G	N/A
39	EMOTIONALLY SCARRED	LIL BABY	78
40	WE PAID	LIL BABY FT 42 DUGG	89

Related artists

🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜

31st December 2020

shout out to don toliver, lil baby, polo g & pop smoke, they really deserved better! 21 is such a tune... 🔥

Piran

27th December 2020

A lot of the Eminem & Pop Smoke songs here (maybe even all of them) would've easily charted if it weren't for the limit of three entries per artist at one time, so they weren't really "slept on" among the British public.

Kygo deserved better though! :(

Joshua Sombra

27th December 2020

I am mad that Kygo's two songs 'Like It Is' and 'Lose Somebody' were close to the top 40. I have been listening to them songs and it still bothers me that they were not in the Top 40. I was totally annoyed when 'Lose Somebody' was so close to the top 40, I am still over that but his re-worked stuff is much better because more people like it I guess.

Damián

12th July 2020

Most of Ellie Goulding's latest releases also dropped out the top 40

Joshua Sombra

12th July 2020

Why is "Lose Somebody" on here? It is still on the charts and you are saying it missed out on the Top 40. It still is prepared to go on the Top 40 next week or the week after or any other weeks after that.