Musically speaking, 2018 was just as special as it was unpredictable and weird. Our culture and its artistic products are rarely harmonious, but the music world didn’t pull any punches when it came to delivering engaging content this past year. Week by week, seemingly timeless records were broken, new superstars were manifested out of virtual nothingness, and the international media had more cultural substance to talk/write about than they could get their covetous hands on. If you’re having trouble remembering some of the yearly insanity, let these surface level illustrations serve as a sentimental reminder:
While farewell tours from some of the world’s favorite legacy artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, and Paul Simon graced audiences with bittersweet swan songs, Paul McCartney scored his first #1 album in 36 years with Egypt Station.
By the time the Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody became the highest grossing biopic of all time, Kendrick Lamar, Laga Gaga, and Bradley Cooper (yes, Bradley Cooper) had already sparked a resurgence in global soundtrack appreciation through their original scores respectively supporting Black Panther and A Star Is Born.
Global concert sales reached a record high $2 billion, yet Americans were more accepting of outside influences than ever before – South Korea’s BTS became the first K-pop group to earn a No. 1 album in the United States with the release of their primarily Korean album Love Yourself: Tear.
Drake broke a 50+ year record held by The Beatles for the most songs charting in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 list. Only a few months earlier, the release of Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy saw her crowned as the first female artist with an album in which all of its songs became certified Gold or above by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
All those fun facts, as strange and mind-blowing as they may be, only scratch the surface of what 2018 had to offer. At the very least, such a memorable 365 days deserves a moment of celebration and reflection, don’t you think?
That being said, the following playlist contains my favorite songs released in 2018 in order from 1 to 100. Play each song in order if you can, shuffle if you must, but most importantly, keep your mind open to the distinct value proposition that each song has to offer. The spectrum of genres, moods, and energy levels can occasionally be vastly different from song to song – just realize that, no matter how fast or slow, each song has something special to offer.
Top 100 Songs of of 2018:
- Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves
- Night Shift by Lucy Dacus
- All That Fear by Lucy Rose
- Wouldn’t Leave by Kanye West
- REAL IT IN by Aminé
- Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
- Yours & Mine by Lucy Dacus
- Isles by Fleet Foxes
- Valet by Kiah Victoria
- Me & My Dog by boygenius
- Seventeen by No Rome
- Bubblin by Anderson .Paak
- Let’s Find An Out by Snail Mail
- I Like That by Janelle Monae
- Every Time I Hear That Song by Brandi Carlile
- Heartbreak Story by Girlyboi
- Your Dog by Soccer Mommy
- My My My! – Acoustic by Troye Sivan
- Treasure by Sampha
- ‘Til It’s Over by Anderson .Paak
- Put You On by Amber Mark (feat. DRAM)
- Heart To Break by Kim Petras
- Leave It All Behind by John Splithoff
- I’m With You by Vance Joy
- Timefighter by Lucy Dacus
- The End Of Love by Florence + The Machine
- Where U Been by Cosmo’s Midnight (feat. Boogie)
- Stolen Moments by Cautious Clay
- Freakin’ Out on the Interstate by Briston Maroney
- Tennessee by Joshua Worden
- The Spot by Your Smith
- Gonna Love Me by Teyana Taylor
- Animal by Troye Sivan
- Forgive You by Leon Bridges
- Oh What A World by Kacey Musgraves
- Narcissist by No Rome (feat. The 1975)
- Oscillation by Wild Nothing
- False Knight On The Road by Fleet Foxes
- If It Makes You Feel Better by Kira
- Gardens by Parisalexa
- Me & You by HONNE (feat. Tom Misch)
- High Horse by Kacey Musgraves
- No Going Back by Yuno
- Craving by ford. (feat. Sarah Kinsley)
- Talk To Me by Cosmo’s Midnight (feat. Tove Styrke)
- Heat Wave by Snail Mail
- It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) by The 1975
- All Mine by Kanye West
- I Know How To Speak by Manchester Orchestra
- Better by SG Lewis & Clairo
- What’s Hot Water For A Frozen Heart? by Melgarth
- 101 FM by Little Simz
- Call On Me by Litany
- Pareidolia by Isaac Lewis
- A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega by Ashley McBryde
- Hope by Blood Orange (feat. Diddy & Tei Shi)
- Tell Me How by Miki Fiki
- Discoteque by Sun June
- Temporarily by Alissa Musto
- God’s Plan by Drake
- Work Out by Chance the Rapper
- Miracle Love by Matt Corby
- New Place by Tasha
- Small Talk by Courtney Barnett
- I Found You by benny blanco & Calvin Harris
- Red.23 by Conner Youngblood
- Traveler by L. Martin
- In The Air by DMA’s
- Bite The Hand by boygenius
- Short Court Style by Natalie Prass
- Polarised by Cosmo’s Midnight
- Supposed To Do by Stevie Appleton
- Pristine by Snail Mail
- Baby I Love You by Ryan Adams
- Ventura Acoustic by Camel Power Club (feat. Racoon Racoon)
- PlantedInMyMind.Memo by Charlie Burg
- Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves
- Scorpio Rising by Soccer Mommy
- Me Who Wasn’t Trying – Mahogany Sessions by Ethan Gruska
- Terribly True by Deanna Petcoff
- Sit Next To Me (Stereotypes Remix) by Foster The People)
- Pictures of Girls by Wallows
- Waves by Alex Schaaf
- Beautiful Life by Kidswaste
- Good Kisser by Lake Street Dive
- O.M.G. (I’m All Over It) by Jenn Champion
- To Live A Life by First Aid Kit
- Favors by Wilderado
- Rise by Helena Deland
- Gold by Sister Sparrow
- Never Get Used To by Seinabo Say
- Try by Lawrence
- It’s Down To You by Deva Mahal
- Hard To Find (Peter Lyons Remix) by Strong Asian Mothers
- City Rain by John Vincent III
- I Feel Good About This by The Mowgli’s
- Low by Victoria Bigelow
- Blossom (Wasting All My Time) by Soccer Mommy
- Morning View by Towkio
- Love Is Fire – Live at Omeara by Freya Ridings
THIS LIST DOES NOT HAVE TO END AT 100 – there are another 100 songs that barely missed the cut just waiting for you to add them into your mental/digital library. Check out the next best songs from 2018 in the post: FeenyFaves – Top Songs of 2018 Part 2: 101-200
If you’d prefer to dive into the work of particular 2018 authority figures, listen to entire albums from front to back, and get a light read in, the top albums of the year might be a better horse for your saddle. Check out the albums that ruled 2018 in the post: FeenyFaves – Top 10 Albums of 2018
Great stuff Matt. My two faves so far are #100 Love is Fire by Freya Riding (Live at Omeara), wow… and #8 Isles by Fleet Foxes. Pure talent right there. 🙂🙂👍👍 Thanks for sharing!!
LikeLike