More people, brands, and odd combinations of the two are fighting for your attention now more than ever. The amount of hit shows to binge, influential profiles to follow, thrilling movies to watch, addicting audio books to read, and new songs to stream barely scrape the surface of the virtually infinite amount of content that we cross paths with on a daily basis. Combine that with the thousands of weekly advertisements desperately competing for your eyeballs and you get more than a trained set of ad-averting thumbs. You get a brain actively losing focus amidst a steaming heap of distractions.
Over the last several decades, this infinite stream of distractions has manifested a jarring change in the way music is produced and consumed by the public. According to the Washington Post, songs on the Billboard Hot 100 have decreased from an average length of over 4 minutes in the 90s and early aughts to approximately 3 minutes in 2023. Not only that, but this steady decline is consistent across all genres.
What does that tell us about the music industry? It tells us that apps like TikTok and Instagram are becoming more popular sources for music discovery. As a result, artists and record labels are forced to condense the songs they’re releasing to cater to shorter attention spans.
You heard that right. The music industry doesn’t think that you can pay attention long enough to listen to a 4 minute song, let alone something much longer than that. Forget taking inspiration from Bohemian Rhapsody, Stairway to Heaven, American Pie, Free Bird, and virtually any song by your favorite jam band. Record companies think you’ll scroll past songs like that without even a conscious thought of the potentially earth-shattering song you just skipped.
Music discovery is done a disservice when quality songs don’t see the light of day because they don’t fit the formula for potential virality. Neither the inherently distracting world around you, nor the contemporary definition for a hit song should prevent you from exploring the work of talented artists whose music isn’t designed to be shoehorned into a cookie cutter TikTok video.
If you’re scratching your head wondering where you can find a new source of music outside of your standard social media apps, you’ve come to the right place. This playlist contains two hundred of my favorite songs released over the past year in order from 1 to 200. Play each song in order if you can, shuffle if you want, but most importantly, remember the value that each song holds in defining what made 2023 a year worth celebrating.
Top 200 Songs of 2023
- The Party by Portraits Of Tracy
- Broadview by Slow Pulp
- My Love Mine All Mine by Mitski
- Black Earth, WI by Ratboys
- Sometimes Today Seems Like Yesterday by Samara Joy
- Not Strong Enough by boygenius
- Picture Me by tobi lou and FARADA
- Bug Like an Angel by Mitski
- TAKE IT OFF by FISHER and Aatig
- drive ME crazy! by Lil Yachty
- Swimming Pool by Jack Kane
- Sarah’s Place by Zach Bryan (feat. Noah Kahan)
- Watching Planes Go By Kassi Valazza
- Sweet Tea by Snoh Aalegra
- Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan (with Post Malone)
- Remember Fall in Montreal – Reimagined by Lottie Gabriel by Roo Panes and Lottie Gabriel
- the BLACK seminole. by Lil Yachty
- Sad Dream by EchoWave
- Cowboy Nudes by Geese
- Nothing’s Free by Angel Olsen
- Centurion by Sluice
- Golden State by Logan Ledger
- I Thought You’d Change by Hotline TNT
- The Same by Nico Segal and Dida Pelled
- Alley Light by Squirrel Flower
- Mother Nature by MGMT
- Hinoki Wood by Gia Margaret
- 8am in Charlotte by Drake
- Every Chane I Get (I Want You In The Flesh) by Dan Auerbach
- Jean by Hovvdy
- Angel by Another Michael
- Bluish by Chris Farren
- 1000 Times by Big Blood
- One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones by The Japanese House
- Another Life by SG Lewis
- True Love (Make Me Believe) by WILDES and The Flaming Lips
- Transient by S. Carey, John Raymond, and Aaron Parks
- Modern Girl by Bleachers
- Fireworks by JOSEPH
- sAy sOMETHINg by Lil Yachty
- Big Smoke by Matt Corby
- Any Time Of Day by The Lemon Twigs
- Blood And Butter by Caroline Polachek
- She Calls Me Back by Noah Kahan (with Kacey Musgraves)
- Rudolph by MJ Lenderman
- Bush by Straats
- For A While by Whitney
- There’s no Other by Felly
- Red Wine Supernova by Chappell Roan
- I Miss You So by Samara Joy
- Purple by Wunderhorse
- Leave Me Like This by Skrillex and Bobby Raps
- Birds Of San Francisco by Bo Staloch
- lily by Kara Jackson
- Dress Code by Mau P
- Apple Tree by Why Bonnie
- Caroline by Junior Mesa
- The Afterparty by Portraits Of Tracy
- Laisse Courir by Lou de la Falaise
- Babe by Mad Anthony
- I Tried by Boldy James and ChanHays
- Morning Zoo by Ratboys
- Will Anybody Ever Love Me? by Sufjan Stevens
- The Grants by Lana Del Rey
- I’ll Never Make It by Cut Worms
- ten by Fred again.., Jozzy, and Jim Legxacy
- HAHA by King Lazy Eye
- Eye On The Bat by Palehound
- Rich Man by Lo Noom
- Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl by Chappell Roan
- Rake Me Over the Coals by Megan McCormick and Jenny Lewis
- Working it out by ML Buch
- Doesn’t Do Me Any Good by Stephen Sanchez
- Protocol by Hotline TNT
- Houses of Americas Style by PÆRISH
- UNDERSTAND by Q (feat. Baby Rose)
- Slug Song by Magdalena Bay
- Stars Above by sweet93
- Big Songbirds Don’t Cry by Superviolet
- Cowboy Belt by Levi Roth
- Younger & Dumber by Indigo De Souza
- The Paradigm by Lil Yachty
- Something You Were Trying by Phoebe Go
- Don’t Do Me Good by Madi Diaz and Kacey Musgraves
- SORRY by The Kid LAROI
- Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo) by U.S. Girls
- No Company by khai dreams
- FML by Casper Sage
- Gz Up, Hoes Down by Snoop Dogg
- Son In Law by Hotline TNT
- Mary Cookins by Augustine
- KATIGORI by Oxlade
- Running Blind by Aluna, Tchami, and Kareen Lomax
- Stronger Together by DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ
- That’s Just The Way It Is, Babe by John Vincent III
- I Don’t Like My Mind by Mitski
- Dark Imagination by Kurtis Wells
- Sculptor by Jeffrey Martin
- I See Myself by Geese
- Without You Without Them by boygenius
- From The Start by Laufey
- the benefits of lying (with your friend) by Yot Club
- Gravity Blues by Geese
- From Here, To You by notcharles and Samuel T. Herring
- Beauty Filter by Hotline TNT
- Corner Of My Eye by The Lemon Twigs
- Running Away by Thee Sacred Souls
- A Matter Of Fact by Bibio
- 89 Earthquake by Larry June and The Alchemist
- For You To Sing by Mo Troper
- NYE by Local Natives
- Faraway Skies by Dean Johnson
- Steadfast by S. Carey, John Raymond, and Gordi
- End Of The World by Hether
- A day in the water by Christine and the Queens
- Theatre by Etta Marcus
- Ride by Christian Kuria
- Violent Jubilee by Fust and Michael Cormier-O’Leary
- Over by CHVRCHES
- Glue Song by beabadoobee
- Dive by Olivia Dean
- New Meaning by S. Carey, John Raymond, Aaron Parks, and Gordi
- Forecast – Mini Version by tobi lou and FARADA
- Pearls by Jessie Ware
- MONEY ON THE DASH by Elley Duhé and Whethan
- Neighbor Song by Lake Street Dive (feat. Madison Cunningham)
- Numb by Beach Fossils
- One more glass of wine by Baby Lemonade
- Dial Tone by Wild Nothing
- Laura by M83
- Fever by Sherwyn and Sariah Mae
- Hollowed Out by Ducks Ltd.
- Kaleidoscope by Chappell Roan
- Galaxy by DRAMA
- Doomsday by Lyrical Lemonade (with Juice WRLD & Cordae)
- Stardust by Ezra Glatt
- Prize Fighter by Armando Young
- U4EA by Casper Sage
- Sunny by Club 8
- Someway Somehow by Party Nails
- Three Drums by Four Tet
- Bound To Go by Dejima
- Carolina Burns by Carter Faith
- Uglyfisherman by Djo
- Hot Rotten Grass Smell by Wednesday
- Lost by Jalen Ngonda
- First Place by Chris Farren
- Hot and Clumsy by Quiet Houses
- As You Are by Day Wave
- Dearest Forsaken – Live by Iron & Wine
- Too Much for Me by Lo Noom
- Surface by acloudyskye
- Francesca by Hozier
- TWIN by SebastiAn
- I’m Gonna Lock My Hear (And Throw Away The Key) by Samara Joy
- Outlaw in Me by Colby Acuff
- Retina Show – Unreleased Demo by Tame Impala
- Sidelines by Toro y Moi
- October Sun by Oisin Leech, M. Ward, Tony Garnier, and Steve Gunn
- The Edge by Sydney Ross Mitchell
- You Don’t Want To Mess With Me by Teens in Trouble
- Changes by Joy Oladokun
- A Running Start by Sufjan Stevens
- Pan Over The Hill by ML Buch
- Come See Me Live by tobi lou and FARADA
- Keep It on A Burner by Margo Cilker
- Here, Hereafter by Nick Dorian
- Pulling Down the Moon (Before You) by Wild Nothing)
- MUD by Slow Pulp
- Fly To You by Caroline Polachek (feat. Grimes and Dido)
- First Person Shooter by Drake (feat. J. Cole)
- Kool Aid by Royel Otis
- Past Life by Felix Jaehn and Jonas Blue
- moved along by wilt
- Stump by Hotline TNT
- Best Disaster by Cuco
- Blues 2000 by Island of Love
- All The Way Back by Mitch Rowland
- From A Woman by Mariah the Scientist
- Make It Somehow by Headaches and Golden Vessel
- Next Exit by Vacations
- Daydreaming by NxWorries, Anderson .Paak, and Knowledge
- Only You by James Vickery
- Act Natural by Margaret Glaspy
- Unfinished House by Cautious Clay and Julian Lage
- Too True by Wishy
- Found! by Portraits Of Tracy
- Shame by TV Girl
- Clean by Gulfer
- It’s Real by Skinshape
- Mountains At Midnight by Royal Blood
- Seaforth by King Krule
- Gentle Pets by More Eaze
- Worthwhile by Maida Rose
- Tennessee Song by Josiah and the Bonnevilles
- Get Back by Margaret Glaspy
- D 4 N by Laura Groves and Sampha
- Uh by Zuaraz
- Chasing Spirits by Jess Williamson
- Bad At Letting Go by Leland (feat. MUNA)
~~FeenyFresh~~ 