There were probably 100,000 albums released this year. Maybe more. There were likely over 1 million songs released. Maybe more. And that’s not even counting the songs that are released by small acts, under the radar, without an ISRC (an International Sound Recording Code). Making any “Best Of” list – when there are more songs released than time available to listen to them – is an almost laughable attempt at imbuing your own sense of self-importance on to art that isn’t yours. And yet here we are. I’ve made a list of what I thought were the best songs of the year. And here you are reading it.

Because it’s fun! It’s fun to have a visual (and aural) representation of who you are, as defined by others. So much of what we do, and who we are, is connected with the things we become obsessed with. When you hear that song, or that album, or that note, and it strikes this chord inside you – that’s when you’ve found a sliver of yourself in someone else’s soul. It can be found in the most unexpected places. It can be sung by the most unexpected person, or in the most surprising voice. You can’t predict when that will happen. It’s organic. It’s also what proves that human beings are connected, in some ways, in how we receive emotion. Every song has its own goal, its own identity, its own emotion. Even if I’ve never been through the things Kendrick Lamar has been through, I can still be affected by his music because of the emotion he emits in his songs. Through the words that carry great weight to him.

Listening to music, in that sense, is a practice in empathy. It’s one way that we care for other people. It’s a way to understand what someone else is going through. Maybe that’s why music hits us so hard sometimes. Maybe that’s why it’s so inspiring.

The following list is comprised of songs that affected me in some way. Are these the literal best songs of the year? Of course not. But they’re MY best songs of the year. Maybe you’ll find some sort of connection to these songs like I have, even if you don’t recognize the artists. Maybe that’s one way we can understand each other just a little bit more.

Spotify Playlists can be found at the bottom of the page.

The List

30. GUMMY – BROCKHAMPTON

29. Panther Like a Panther – Run the Jewels

28. Foreward – Tyler, The Creator

27. Boys – Charli XCX

26. New York – St. Vincent

25. Yeah Right – Vince Staples

24. Dum Surfer – King Krule

23. Frontline – Kelela

22. Blood On Me – Sampha

21. Everybody Dies in their Nightmares – XXXTentacion

20. Slide – Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean

19. Total Entertainment Forever – Father John Misty

18. All About Me – Syd

17. XXX – Kendrick Lamar

16. 1 Night – Mura Masa

15. On Hold – The xx

14. GOD – Kendrick Lamar

13. Agnes – Glass Animals

12. Up in Hudson – Dirty Projectors

11. LOYALTY – Kendrick Lamar

10. The Embers – Vagabon

9. XO TOUR Llif3 – Lil Uzi Vert

8. ELEMENT – Kendrick Lamar

7. Prom – SZA

6. Shadowboxing – Julien Baker

5. Los Ageless – St. Vincent

4. Drew Barrymore – SZA

3. LOVE ft ZACARI – Kendrick Lamar

2. HUMBLE – Kendrick Lamar

1. DNA – Kendrick Lamar

 

Here is the playlist in Spotify. I also created a Best (Mostly)Family-Friendly Songs of the Year playlist, which you can find at the bottom of the page.

 

And here is the “Mostly Family Friendly List” – in case you’re listening at work, or in the car with your 5 year old.