I’m going to admit something to you. Just to you – and not to everyone else – because you’re taking the time to read this, and I feel I owe it to you. Here it goes:
I did not listen to every song that was released in 2023.
Wow, I’m glad that’s off my chest. I know it must qualify as some sort of malfeasance for a writer who is setting out to identify the best songs of the year. I’m sure everyone else who is putting out lists like this has done their due diligence, hearing every last track, from hip-hop to hardcore, EDM to emo. New wave and new rave and new age and … you get the point. Why, just today, I listened to a couple of new J Mascis tunes that I had not even considered for my list. And I love Dinosaur Jr. (SPOILER ALERT – I didn’t really like his newest stuff.)
Anyway, with that out of the way, here are the absolutely, positively 25 best songs of 2023. In categories for your reading convenience.
BEST SONGS FROM THE BEST ALBUMS
I already covered this material in my “Best Albums of the Year” article, so just as a quick refresher…
“EL DORADO” by MOLLY TUTTLE AND GOLDEN HIGHWAY
A kick-ass history lesson on the American gold rush done by the best contemporary bluegrass band playing today.
“YEAR ZERO” by BILLY WOODS AND KENNY SEGAL
As if it wasn’t enough for woods and Segal to create the year’s best hip hop album, they went ahead and added Danny Brown to this track to give that weird menace that he is so good at.
“BABY ON MY BIRTHDAY” by SKATING POLLY
Perhaps the greatest hillbilly cowpunk song of all-time.
“GEORGIA GIRL” by MEGAN MORONEY
With all the culture wars swirling around country music today, sometimes it’s nice to just have a good old-fashioned song about kicking a cheater to the curb.
“JEEZ LOUISE” by UNDERSCORES
Underscores throws everything at a listener on this riotous track, that seems to morph into at least three different songs during its seven minutes. Henhouse comes out of nowhere in the middle to usher in the first transition, and then everything changes yet again in the final minutes. Somehow, it all works.
“VAMPIRE” by OLIVIA RODRIGO
On an album chockful of standouts, this stands taller than the rest.
BEST POP SONGS
My other two genres are more circumscribed, so my definition of Pop is pretty broad. As you shall see…
“JACKIE AND TINA” by MARVELOUS 3
I don’t know why Marvelous 3 stopped recording twenty years ago. And I don’t know how or why Butch Walker got the gang back together in 2023. I’m just glad he did. This is simply glorious power pop. The music is a throwback to the ‘90s, but what puts this song over the top is the Thelma and Louise-like perspective that a lot of years and lot of living gives to the typical “girls gone wild” storyline.
“COOL ABOUT IT” by BOYGENIUS
A lot of writers included “the record” on their best albums list. I didn’t. Too many of its songs devolve into atmospherics which sacrifice the actual song. But not “Cool About It.” It is a brilliantly understated contemplation of break-up and heartache. And it truly shows off all three members of the young indie supergroup to the best effect.
“DUMBEST GIRL ALIVE” by 100 GECS
This is about as far removed from the understated boygenius song as you can get. The instant hyperpop classic begins with a THX Deep Note before launching into pulse-pounding guitar and Laura Les’ witty, ironic lyrics. Once it’s in your head, you’ll have a hard time getting it out.
“WON’T BE SATISFIED” by HARLIS SWEETWATER
And sometimes you just need to hear some old-fashioned rockin’ blues, delivered by a growling voice, and backed by Davis Hidalgo’s guitar and John Doe’s bass. That’s just what Sweetwater delivers.
“BOY’S A LIAR, PT 2” by PINKPANTHERESS (FEATURING ICE SPICE)
“Boy’s a Liar” Pinkpantheress’ 2022 single is a sweet, catchy ode to being in love with a sketchy dude. It’s a good song. It’s not a great song. The remix for her 2023 album adds a verse in the middle from Ice Spice, and the song soars. The rapper toughens the sweetness without breaking the purity of the tune. It’s a brilliant production maneuver.
“LANDMINES” by SUM 41
We’ll have to wait ‘til 2024 to hear Sum 41’s final opus, Heaven and Hell. But the single they have released from the “Heaven” side (old school pop punk) is everything you could want. Blink 182 put out a decent comeback album in 2023. If this track is any indication, Sum 41, who always seemed to be in their shadow, may be going out on top.
HIP HOP
Hip hop remains a dominant cultural force, but as a slew of critical essays reminded us, in 2023, it turned 50. And I can confirm, 50-year olds struggle to find new and creative ways of doing things. Sometimes, you don’t need to be new. You just need to be really good. In 2023, as the genre embraced its prosperous middle age, there were some great throwbacks, and some bold looks ahead.
“GLORIOUS GAME” by EL MICHELS AFFAIR & BLACK THOUGHT
Tariq Luqmaan Trotter and Leon Michels would seem to be the perfect pair to explore the crossover between hip and soul. Trotter (MC name – Black Thought) has a long history with the Roots, and Michels’ outfit has played with some of hip hop’s leading acts. They combine to put out one of the year’s best hip hop albums. The title track blends Trotter’s rough baritone rapping with Kirby Dockery’s heavenly vocals for a glorious song.
“BADLY DRAWN HERO” by SKECK185 & JEFF MARKEY
Speaking of Black Thought, here’s what SKECH185 has to say: “The revolution will have a laugh track – and a guest verse for Black Thought.” Do with that what you will. This is dense, name-dropping rapping that covers enough material for an entire album, all in one pulsating track.
“VIN SKULLY” by EARL SWEATSHIRT & THE ALCHEMIST
It kind of seems that Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist have been slowly drifting toward each other for a few years. Their collaboration here yields an album that may be better-known for the cool way they snuck it into the world without anyone noticing. But the tracks – and least most of them – are powerful too. “Vin Skully” has an epic feel despite being under two minutes long.
“CHANNEL FIT” by TIERRA WHACK
Tierra Whack hasn’t released a full album since her debut in 2018. If her new single “Channel Fit” is on a new album one day, it will be definitely be an album to check out. Her voice is more assured and shows a broader range. Over a tinkly Nick Verruto piano beat, Whack’s staccato flow is jam-packed with clever, offbeat rhymes, never once feeling the need to tell all the bitches how bad she is.
“SPACEMAN” by MONSTER FLORENCE
My last two hip hop songs come from British artists. I don’t know if that means anything. Thought I’d just throw it out there. Monster Florence is a three-rapper crew that performs over a guitar/bass/drum trio. “Spaceman” has Jonny Poole’s jazzy piano underneath a takeoff countdown before launching into a series of childhood memories about searching for a miracle that might come from above. They reference Maradona, Neil Buchanon, and, as you might expect, given the title, Buzz Aldrin.
“STOP GIVING ME ADVICE” by LYRICAL LEMONADE & DAVE (FEATURING JACK HARLOW)
OK, so neither Cole Bennett (of Lyrical Lemonade) nor Jack Harlow (who kicks off this track) are Brits. But Dave is. So I’m counting it. I mean, he mentions Knightsbridge, after all. “Stop Giving Me Advice” is one of those rare laid-back angry tracks that keeps its cool while calling out how people who haven’t lived it really ought leave true artists alone. That’s the kind of thing I might take personally. But I like the track way too much to take offense.
AMERICANA
The country music world fractured in 2023 in ways not seen since Willie and Waylon abandoned Nashville for Austin back in the early 1970s. You could see it coming from a mile off, and this split in country, like in the country writ large, is going to take a longer time to heal. But as Americana expands beyond the traditional country and folk, blending into rock and funk and hip hop and world music in unprecedented ways, it is actually a great time for the artistry involved. If country music has taught us anything, it’s that troubled times lead to some great music.
“CAST IRON SKILLET” by JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT
I wasn’t as big a fan of Weathervanes as some were, but this is one magnificent song. It contains everything Isbell does best, taking a sweet and simple melody, throwing in some detailed observation of regular life, and somehow transforming those elements into a statement that goes far beyond its parts.
“GOIN’ DOWN TO SING IN TEXAS” by IRIS DEMENT
…”where anyone can carry a gun.” That’s how Dement opens this track from her first album of wholly original material in more than a decade. At 62, her voice has lost none of its youthful twang, and her lyrics remain both combative and world-weary. Dement has always been an outspoken advocate of liberal POVs, and in this bouncy little number, she takes on conservative politicians, the Catholic church, George Bush and Jeff Bezos, while simultaneously speaking up for the Chicks, the Squad, and Muslims. Dement was never afraid to put her views out there.
“COUNTY ROAD” by MARGO PRICE
The piano that opens Price tragic “County Road” could be from a Joni Mitchell song circa 1974. But the song itself could have been one of Springsteen’s Nebraska stories of shattered hopes and bitter memory. It is one of her most ambitious compositions, and one of the most affecting songs of the year.
“SUN AIN’T EVEN GONE DOWN YET” by BROTHERS OSBORNE
John and T.J. have built a solid following over their first three albums. However, 2023 proved to be a bit of a breakthrough. Their self-titled album was full of great tracks, including this Little Feat-inspired funky tribute to the joys of having a hell of a night.
“LOSING MY RELIGION” by VOLUME FIVE
Volume Five has been a major player in modern bluegrass for more than ten years. Chris Wade’s banjo tells you right off the bat that this song is going to some dark territory. Then Glen Harrell tells the story of a devout man losing his son and consequently losing his faith. It was nominated for an independent Josie Award for best bluegrass song, losing to the Goodwin Brothers’ more optimistic “Everyday Thing.” I would have voted the other way.
“EAT PRAY DRUGS” by PILLBOX PATTI
Nicolette Hayford (Stage name: Pillbox Patti) is among the best songwriters we have today. Just consider the opening words of this dead-end-town shuffle: “Jesus – Reese’s Pieces – And a big brown bag of none of your business.” If that doesn’t capture a certain Ozark-like warning in a few words, I don’t know what does. Hayford, who along with one of her collaborators Aaron Raitiere, contributed mightily to Ashley McBryde’s magnificent Lindeville album last year, grabs the spotlight for herself on her album Florida, originally released in 2022, but re-released in a deluxe edition in late ’23. This track manages to be both simple and apocalyptic at the same time.
BONUS
”FORD ECONOLINE” by TODD SNIDER
I get one more song to get to 25 so I’m taking my favorite from the outstanding Nanci Griffth album released this past year. Snider has recorded a lot of covers, but given that he doesn’t have country’s best voice, he isn’t known as an interpreter of other people’s works. He really nails this uplifting paean to getting out of a bad situation and carving your own path. For what it’s worth, several of the other singers mentioned above (Molly Tuttle, Iris Dement) as well as Americana titans (John Prine, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Billy Strings) – all appear on this album. So it’s got that going for it.
That’s about it. Plenty of other great tunes from 2023 didn’t make this list, but I’m OK riding with this one. What’s on your list?