Best Hit Songs of 2023

 This year had good music too. Let's talk about it. 

Here's the chart I used: Link

Honorable Mentions:

• Princess Diana (Remix) by Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj (Year-end rank:#69): I like how these two rappers contrast. Neither girl says anything special, but I can't get that plucky beat out of my mind. I've listened to this song many times just because of that beat.
• wait in the truck by HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson (#54): I am not a fan of country music, but I like the storytelling in the song about a man getting revenge for a domestic violence victim by killing the abuser (Don't try this at home.). The gospel choir is also a nice touch.
• Chemical by Post Malone (#57): Post Malone may be a mediocre rapper, but he is a decent pop star. Here, Posty sings about his tumultuous relationship with his partner with the happiest-sounding tune behind him. 
• Cupid by FIFTY FIFTY (#44): A cute love song made by cute Korean girls. At least, I think it is. It's mostly in Korean.
• Tomorrow 2 by GloRilla and Cardi B (#70): This year's guilty pleasure pick. GloRilla's flow is complex enough to keep me interested, and Cardi is good at being funny on purpose. 

10. Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift (#18)

    I love that Taylor Swift likes the same artists I do. She collaborated with Bon Iver, the National, and Haim on her two folk albums. But on this track from 2019, she brought in indie artist St.Vincent to write the song and play the guitar, This led to a creative pop song with Taylor jumping on her style. The lyrics themself, however, are 100% Taylor, where she sings about her summer romance and wants to jump into a full-fledged relationship, even though it's designed to be short-term. 

9. What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish (#81)

    The Barbie movie is a great film. Two other songs from the soundtrack made the year-end list, but this one was the best. Here, Billie croons about how the ideal lifestyle is fake and doesn't know her purpose.  This applies directly to Barbie in the movie, but can also be about Billie's purpose as a role model to kids while she struggles. The message's melancholy is accentuated by Finneas's sparse piano. 

8. Bury Me In Georgia by Kane Brown (#89)

    I am not a fan of country music, but this song works for me. This is the type of country that borders on Southern rock. If this song was from the 80's it could've been a ZZ Top song. The song has much more muscle than most country hits do. In the lyrics, Kane Brown talks about his funeral with good detail about where he wants his body buried. In the end, the burial is the most important part. No one is live streaming your funeral, but your family will visit your headstone.

7. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez (#50)

    I like a good throwback. This one is a pre-Beatles, '60s pop song. This song was released in 2021 and found most of its success from TikToks of loving couples. Sanchez wrote this song for his girlfriend. He does a believable copy of  1960s blue-eyed soul. I like how warm and sincere it feels. I can feel his love every time I hear it.

6. golden hour by JVKE (#41)

    Here we have a (mostly) piano ballad from a new artist about a girl. Overall, this song is much like "Until I Found You." It also feels warm and sincere. Unlike "Until I Found You," this song goes hard on the chorus with JVKE going into a higher vocal range. Admittedly, the production other than the piano sounds cluttered and a little amateur, but this only adds to its charm like he made this specifically for one girl. 

5. I Remember Everything by Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves (#74)

    Now we are going into the unhappy part of the list. The next five songs are all about lowlights and weaknesses (I did not do this on purpose). Here we see the end of a relationship. In the first verse, Zach Bryan talks about the memories of the past while drinking some whiskey. He sounds a little slurred, but lovestruck nonetheless. Then Kacey Musgraves comes in with her verse. She sings that his drinking is a problem and that he will never actually change. However, she still loves the guys dearly. I love being able to see both sides of a relationship. It paints a full picture. Both singers have the emotions to sell it. 

4. Kill Bill by SZA (#4)

    Here's the next great murder ballad to go along with "Hey Joe" and "Goodbye Earl." SZA (pronounced sizz-uh) sings playfully about how he killed her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. I like how she sounds jealous and keeps telling herself she is "so mature" when her ex is actually the mature one. It is great acting within a song. This is over an eerie melody that adds to the deranged murderer vibe the song is going for.

3. Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan and Post Malone (#80) (Profanity Warning)

    I am so happy to see folk music come back from the 2010s. This is a genre I love. The lyrics are a story of a young drunk man who gets pulled over for a DUI. At the station, he uses his one phone call to his ex-girlfriend, but she does not answer. It gives me the feeling that she is tired of bailing out this drunk.  I like Noah's writing and delivery. He can seem apologetic about his drinking problem, while still portraying himself as a massive tool. Then, for Post Malone's verse, Posty matches Noah's persona. They both sell the idiot drunk well and hearing them sing the chorus together lifts this song to another level.

2. Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift (#3)

    This is Taylor Swift's best-written song I've heard. In this song, she cuts herself open and talks about everything she hates about herself. In the song, she talks about her depression, her fear of hurting others, her narcissism, and her fear of self-reflection. She makes herself relatable to everyone. This is over a production that emphasizes the right parts of the song to help you feel her problems.

1. Escapism. by RAYE feat. 070 Shake (#48) (Profanity Warning)

    RAYE is a British singer and songwriter who has racked up a ton of hits in her homeland, but this is her first hit in America as an independent artist. She was recently dumped by her boyfriend, so she goes to the club to escape reality. That means copious amounts of drugs, booze, and sex.  The song works because you can feel this night is about to go off the rails. The production has these eerie strings that tell the listener this could fall apart at any moment. Then, three and a half minutes into the song, it all falls apart. Yet RAYE does not care. She can not forget her ex. This dramatic night is my favorite hit song of 2023. \

If you read all of this, thank you. I like knowing that someone cares about my thoughts. I want to that Billboard Breakdown, the CHR83, and Todd in the Shadows. Their videos inspired the post.