At long, long last we've reached the end of 2023's List. Hardly an end of the year list, as it turned out. Nonetheless, I hope you've found some new favorite songs that will carry you well in to 2024.
1. Stick Season by Noah Kahan.
"And I'll dream each night of some version of you
That I might not have, but I did not lose.
Now you're tire tracks and one pair of shoes
And I'm split in half, but that'll have to do ...
Have to do."
Several significant departures from the norm for the List with this song atop it. Never before has a song released in the previous year (i.e., 2022) made number one. Neither has a song this popular (14 million YouTube hits for the original video - which is not the one above) been at the top. But this is the song that kept bouncing around in my head from early in 2023, and convention was thrown out the window. Also check out Homesick and Dial Drunk from the excellent Stick Season album.
2. Lights Light Up by Fenne Lily.
"You came to me at the speed of a bad decision
Just the speed, the bad not so much.
We held each other while everything burned up 'round us
And inside of me, too
That's called love."
A lovely little love song from Ms. Lily. The first two stanzas quoted above are likely my favorite lyrics of 2023. As often happens, Lights Light Up traded the top spot with Stick Season for much of the year. The fact that it ended up number two is no reflection of how much I admire this song.
3. Modern Girl by Bleachers.
"Changed my meds, changed the flight
Bodies on, bodies wild
Body cam, only flams
Bleachers band only flams.
Playin' it like a heart attack for you
We playin' it like a heart attack."
Yes, the Jersey boys are back on the List. And they may well have risen to the top again, if this song had been released earlier in 2023. Pretty sure they could care less ...
4. Honey by Samia.
"I wanna go to the beach and die on the beach
I wanna be a mermaid.
I'm not scared of sharks, I'm not scared to be naked
I'm not scared of anything."
Along with boygenius member Lucy Dacus, Samia is the only artist on 2023's List that I've seen live - and that was as an opening act for ... Lucy Dacus. Bonus fact: Samia's last name is Finnerty, which was my paternal grandmother's maiden name. No wonder I like her, and love this song.
5. Dripfield by Goose.
"Howling out the prism
Calling for the rhythm
Time's my only prison
Dripfield where you sitting
Rising like the weather
Blood gets pumping redder
I know that life comes better
I know that life comes better
In love."
Believe it or not, there are two songs that are 5+ minutes long in 2023's top 11. Even more incredibly, there are two songs by bands named after winged water fowl in 2023's top 11. This is the first of both. Goose are apparently a popular jam band, which generally isn't my cup of tea. But this song goes down smoothly, especially first thing in the morning. Check out Hungersite and 726 from Goose's Dripfield album as well.
6. Not Strong Enough by boygenius.
"I don't know why I am
The way I am
There's something in the static,
I think I've been having revelations.
Comin' to, in the front seat, nearly empty.
Skip the exit to our old street and go home ...
Go home alone."
My admiration for Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and particularly Lucy Dacus has been expressed many times on the List. Put them all together and you get ... well, genius.
7. 3D Country by Geese.
"I used to cut 'em up
I used to tear it down
I coulda been the king of this town ...
But I'm going home."
Yup, here's the other big bird on the 2023 List. As well as the other 5+ minute song. What is it about geese and long songs you may ask? I have no idea. But I love Cameron Winter's (the lead singer for Geese) vocals on this song.
8. Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths.
"Can we erase our history
Is it as easy as this?
Plausible deniability
I swear I've never heard of it.
And I can close
The door on us
But the room still exists
(and I know you're in it)."
Spotify tells me this was my most-listened to song in 2023, which makes sense because it was released in 2022 and it may have been the first song I added to the playlist that eventually became The List. While their "A Real Thing" made 2022's List at No. 27, as you can tell I prefer this song from their "Expert in a Dying Field" album.
9. Hope is a Dangerous Little Thing by The Menzingers.
"They hope is a dangerous, dangerous little thing.
To keep finding out the hard way
What tomorrow never brings."
Now this is something you don't hear much of anymore (at least I don't): good ol' fashioned punk rock. That driving drumbeat certainly gives it away.
10. For Your Soul by Josh Ritter.
"Will you be worthy and yet
Unworthy in the same breath
And look yourself in the mirror?
Will you be righteous and strong
By saying when you are wrong
And put aside your own fear?"
"This is a test." But, apparently, this is not only a test.
11. Tropic Morning News by The National.
"I was suffering more than I let on
The tropic morning news was on.
There's nothing stopping me now
From saying all the painful parts out loud."
One of my all-time favorite bands issued not one, but two, albums this year. To be honest, I found them a little uneven, but this is my preferred song from both "First Two Pages of Frankenstein" and "Laugh Track."
