Tag Archives: olivia rodrigo

Best Songs of 2023

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Here’s a list of my top songs for this year, in an order that might be surprisingly mixable. These are not necessarily from 2023; I just happened to have heard them in the last twelve months.

  1. The Grants, by Lana Del Rey on Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
  2. Right Hook, by Corvair on Bound to Be
  3. The Loneliest, by Måneskin on Rush!
  4. vampire, by Olivia Rodrigo on GUTS
  5. Million Dollar Baby, by Ava Max on Diamonds & Dancefloors
  6. Dream to Me, by Dario G on In Full Colour
  7. Devastatingly Mediocre, by Deanna Petcoff on To Hell with You, I Love You
  8. Truth About You (Live), by The Particles on 1980s Bubblegum
  9. While Without, by Annie Hart on The Weight of a Wave
  10. Give Me Your Love, by Girl Ray on Prestige
  11. Mine, by Kelly Clarkson on Chemistry
  12. Juliet, by Passion Polka on Musik Music Musique 3.0
  13. Finding Paradise, by Petite Noir on MotherFather
  14. Yesterday, When I Was Mad (Jam & Spoon Mix), by Pet Shop Boys on SMASH The Singles 1985-2020
  15. Blame Brett, by The Beaches on Blame My Ex
  16. Sour, by Echosmith on Echosmith
  17. Arm’s Length Away, by Tanlines on The Big Mess
  18. Nothing Left to Lose, by Everything but the Girl on Fuse
  19. Burn Away, by Patrick James on All About to Change

So many good songs here, but the one that most surprised me was Give Me Your Love by Girl Ray. It clocks in at almost eight minutes, and usually I find four-minute songs to test my patience. And yet this one is full of so many gentle twists of the melody and style that I felt like I could listen to another eight minutes. It’s also just very mellow. I’d never heard of this band before, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

The poppiest song of the year has to go to Olivia Rodrigo’s vampire. It’s hard to believe she was able to top her debut album, but she did.

Best Songs of 2021

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Here’s a list of my top songs for this year, in an order that might be surprisingly mixable. These are not necessarily from 2021; I just happened to have heard them in the last twelve months.

  1. No Hard Feelings, by Wolf Alice on Blue Weekend
  2. Getting Older, by Billie Eilish on Happier Than Ever
  3. Drivers License, by Olivia Rodrigo on Sour
  4. Champagne Problems, by Taylor Swift on Evermore
  5. Obedear, by Purity Ring on Shrines
  6. Humankind, by Coldplay on Music of the Spheres
  7. Natural Blues (Reprise Version), by Moby on Reprise
  8. Don’t Go Dark, by Bleachers on Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
  9. Deja Vu, by Olivia Rodrigo on Sour
  10. Hard Drive, by Cassandra Jenkins on An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
  11. She Used to Be Mine, by Jessie Mueller on Waitress – Original Broadway Cast Recording
  12. Traitor, by Olivia Rodrigo on Sour
  13. Black Hole, by Griff on One Foot in Front of the Other
  14. Fallen Angel, by Erasure on The Neon
  15. The Let Down, by Francis Lung on Miracle
  16. Good Girls, by Chvrches on Screen Violence
  17. Hero, by Weezer on Van Weezer
  18. You Had to Be There, by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones on When God Was Great
  19. Made to Love (feat. Ronnie Wood, Gina Martin & Dr. Mos-Shogbamimu), by Imelda May on 11 Past the Hour
  20. Happier, by Olivia Rodrigo on Sour
  21. Let Me Love You Like A Woman, by Lana Del Rey on Chemtrails Over the Country Club

As you can see, Olivia Rodrigo is on here four times, and they are all deserving. What a talent! “Happier” is my favorite song of hers, and perhaps for this mix, though Cassandra Jenkins’ “Hard Drive” is such a delightfully oddball song…they’re both great.