Top 10 songs released in 2023

We were always surprised by music in 2023. The famous from TikTok rose to the top five. A trio of folk-rock darlings proved they had the range and a sense of humor. Some late, great icons made a comeback with a new song thanks to technology, and it sounded kind of glorious rather than spooky. Padam became our favorite verb, noun, adjective, a way of life.

Every year, it is a daunting task to narrow down our many excellent selections to a short list, but the best candidates merit special recognition. The top 10 songs of 2023 are listed below.

10. Doechii feat. Kodak Black, “What It Is (Block Boy)”

“No Scrubs” is as perfect a pop song as it gets, and it takes some pretty big stones to sample it. However, Doechii was more than game; her breakthrough single, “Crazy,” received no less than five stars. The rapper turns the misogyny of that era’s hip-hop on its head with a clever interpolation of Triville’s 2004 “Some Cut,” while TLC’s timeless hit lends “What It Is” that golden Y2K R&B sheen (“What it is, ho? What’s up?”). Deceptively simple, like the best pop, this irresistible earworm (just try to get “if he put it down, I’mma pick it up, up, up” out of your head) is an ode to block boys and the good girls who love them. And it just sounds like summer — the summer of 1999 — which is why it was nominated for MTV’s Song of Summer and became Doechii’s first track to enter the Billboard Hot 100. Left Eye would be proud. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite

9. Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”

It would not be the summer’s most sunny existential movie without an equally poignant bait-and-switch soundtrack. The emotional pinnacle of Barbie’s dance moves and bubble gum food is provided by mood-enhancing celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, and Charli XCX. However, ice queen Billie Eilish saved the day with her performance. Here the singer becomes fixated on self-related issues, as if staring at her broken reflection in a whirling pond or a broken mirror (“When did it end? / All the enjoyment?”). She asks earnest questions about losing feeling and purpose. Like a eulogy as you bury a loved one—in this case, the joyful little you that you once were—the lyrics are solemn and the piano is soft. “What Was I Made For?” is a quiet ballad fit for a sentient doll, a scrutinized pop star, or, really, any human being who’s ever felt defeated —Allaire Nuss

8. PinkPantheress feat. Ice Spice, “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2”

It is difficult to believe that John Lennon, sitting down at his piano in his Upper West Side apartment, could have imagined that this little song, which would become the Beatles’ last song and their first U.S. top 10 hit since 1995, would not be heard for 45 years. As its name implies, “Now and Then” is a singular fusion of the past and present. It deftly blends in musical performances by the late John Lennon and George Harrison from decades past with contemporary technological developments that allowed Lennon’s vocals to be isolated for a more distinct, coherent sound. With new songs and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr providing backing vocals, the result is a moving and melancholic farewell to one of the greatest and most influential bands of all time. —Emlyn Travis

7. The Beatles, “Now and Then”

It is difficult to believe that John Lennon, sitting down at his piano in his Upper West Side apartment, could have imagined that this little song, which would become the Beatles’ last song and their first U.S. top 10 hit since 1995, would not be heard for 45 years. As its name implies, “Now and Then” is a singular fusion of the past and present. It deftly blends in musical performances by the late John Lennon and George Harrison from decades past with contemporary technological developments that allowed Lennon’s vocals to be isolated for a more distinct, coherent sound. With new songs and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr providing backing vocals, the result is a moving and melancholic farewell to one of the greatest and most influential bands of all time. —Emlyn Travis

6. Jessie Ware, “Hello Love”

On the fourth track of her opulent, champagne-soaked album That!, Jessie Ware dropped the greatest dance record of the year. Feels Good! She puts away her Donna Summer costume and gives those floor-filling beats a smoke break. “Hello Love” tells the moonstruck story of two former lovers reuniting under the mirrorball’s glow, less like a disco cut and more like straight-up soul. Its arrangement is pristine and intoxicating: yearning strings, stately brass, a tenor sax that coils itself around the lush oohs and ahhs of the track’s backup singers like a satin ribbon. However, Ware’s vocals, which are still incredibly smooth, are the main attraction here. It feels better than good when she waxes poetic about those “electric butterflies” sweeping her off her feet. It feels real — like maybe, just maybe, this time these crazy kids can make it work. —Jason Lamphier

5. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers”

Miley Cyrus was there for you in 2023 if you were single. With “Flowers,” the singer knew she had a hit right away. “I have been doing this for a while,” the singer admitted to British Vogue back in May. When the song was released at the beginning of the year, it quickly gained momentum and became Cyrus’s biggest hit to date. And for good reason. Many love songs exist, including ones about falling in love, falling out of love, and wanting to be in love. Miley then released a song about being okay with just loving who you are. “Flowers” was based on the pop star’s past (fans dissected the song and its video, looking for clues about her broken marriage to Liam Hemsworth), but its real strength was how universal it was. No matter who you are, at the end of the day, chanting “can love me better, I can love me better, baby” just makes you feel good. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite

4. Kylie Minogue, “Padam Padam”

Padam, padam. Padam? Padam. The lead single from Kylie Minogue’s most recent studio album, Tension, has had a greater impact on the world vocabulary this year than any other song—or, to be honest, it has helped to introduce a collective cross-cultural tongue. “Padam Padam” is a late-career reminder of everything that has allowed the Australian legend to endure for nearly 40 years. It is a pure-bliss cocktail of diamond-crusted, throbbing club-pop and cheeky lyrics about euphorically teetering between lust and love at first sight. But beyond the memes and the icon’s sustained mothering of the industry. It is just not how the girls do things these days, so here’s to Minogue continuing to rock the house well into her next phase. —Joey Nolfi

3. Olivia Rodrigo, “Vampire”

When Olivia Rodrigo bit back at a troubled relationship and all of its vices in her brutal ballad “Vampire” this summer, she cemented her position as the leader of the next generation of great singer-songwriters. With a gentle piano accompaniment, the Grammy winner uses her moving words to describe how her romantic relationship with her ex turned into “six months of torture,” complete with lavish spending and starry-eyed promises. Rodrigo skillfully criticizes the bloodsucking “fame f—er” who is determined to see her downfall as the tempo and her fury pick up, warning the ingenues about the consequences of letting the wrong person in. —Emlyn Travis

2. Boygenius, “Not Strong Enough”

Boygenius’ Grammy-nominated track, which starts with the storybook prompt “black hole opened in the kitchen,” surges perfectly, engulfing this year’s top supergroup in its entirety. With shimmering guitars and polished synths hurtling forward like fine china hurtled at a wall, the Record’s fourth single manages to be both elegant and turbulent at the same time. The melody by Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker reverberates through the canyons as the lyrics lament insecurities (“I do not know why I am / The way I am”) and dwell on how others can underestimate you (“Always an angel / Never a god”). “Not Strong Enough,” which captures feelings of imposter syndrome and the difficult path toward self-worth, was adopted as the new theme song for wounded and recovering egos in 2023. —Allaire Nuss

1. Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”

For the better part of ten years, Victoria Monét has been penning absurdly catchy hits, mostly for other musicians (Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” Chloe x Halle’s “Do It,” Selena Gomez and Blackpink’s “Ice Cream”) but also sometimes for herself (“Coastin’,” “Experience,” “Ass Like That”). But in “On My Mama,” she found the ideal mix between her natural swagger, which makes her an attractive artist in her own right, and what made her a sought-after hired gun (“I am so deep in my bag / Like a grandma with a peppermint” is undoubtedly the song of the year). Based on the 2009 song “I Look Good” by rapper Chalie Boy, Monét created a strong empowerment anthem housed in a sleek, low-riding R&B body. Even though “On My Mama” is mellow in the best way, the song’s overall excitement is enhanced by the way those horn stabs support the singer as she croons, “I can not even lie, lie, lie.” —Lester Fabien Brathwaite

by EW