Welcome to the 8th installment of The WBW40, where I count down my top 40 favorite songs of the year. That’s pretty straightforward, right? The only real rule is that the song either had to have been released or made a major impact in 2024. Other than that, there are no rules! All genres were welcomed, and you’re going to find yourself discovering some new-to-you songs (especially in the bottom 20!).
I’m also doing something this year that I always meant to do, but never got around to doing in the past. You see, I lean pretty heavily on YouTube, as everyone’s got it so it’s fairly “universal”. I try to only choose lyric videos, so the visuals of the video don’t affect what I’m trying to convey about the song. Still, some folks have said that they wished this was available in another format, as some jobs block YouTube, yadda yadda. So, for all of you Spotify users (Sorry, Apple Music-ers), I’ve created a countdown playlist:
So, without further adieu, let’s get this show on the road!
40. Freya Skye – “Walk Over”
Right out of the gate we’ve got someone I KNOW you’ve never heard of before. I discovered this while Disney Channel was on the in background (probably during a Big City Greens marathon), as it appears Freya has a development deal with Disney. She first hit the scene representing the UK in 2022’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which led to a songwriting contract with Disney Music Publishing. I liked this song because it reminded me of early, “Candy”-era Mandy Moore. It’s a cute little bop – the kind of mindless pop we got during the late 90s/early 00s Pop Explosion.
39. Ruel – “Made It Awkward”
I don’t know Ruel, but he’s apparently a 22-year old Australian singer/songwriter, whose debut album came out in 2022. I don’t know where I discovered this song, really. I think it was YouTube, as I tend to listen to albums on YouTube (with ads), and I find the site sneaks other songs between the album tracks as “ads”. Yeah, they play full videos, for completely different artists, during ad breaks for the thing you’re actually listening to. Such a sneaky tactic! It works, though, as this isn’t a song that would get airplay on the radio. At best, it would end up in some teen movie, as the cute star is racing to tell his female best friend that he’s ready to take a chance on them being “more than friends”.
38. Ava Max – “Spot A Fake”
Every now and then, Ava Max crosses my path, and I have to take notice. I like this because it’s like the descendent of The Pointer Sisters’ 80s hit “I’m So Excited”. It doesn’t do a lot, but it’s catchy. Gets ya movin’!
37. Tommy Richman – “Million Dollar Baby”
This song could have been higher, but there’s something about it… First off, I don’t really know what the dude is saying in most of the song. Also, it doesn’t feel like an actual song. Instead, I feel like it’s from an ad campaign where they’re trying to sell me 7-Up or something. Can’t you hear a voiceover saying something like “Taste that cool, crisp lemon-lime twist!”? Good beat, though!
36. Remember Monday – “Famous”
I’m fascinated by Remember Monday because they’re a Country act, but from The UK! I felt some kind of way when Keith Urban came along, as I felt he couldn’t relate to the American Country Experience. Similarly, these girls have known each other since “6th form”, and rose to prominence by competing on the 2019 season of The Voice UK. I, however, don’t see them as “country”. Honestly, with those harmonies, they seem more like the second coming of Wilson Phillips, and I am HERE for that!
35. Jimin – “Who”
So, Jimin is a member of K-pop boyband powerhouse BTS, who are on hiatus as some of their members fulfill their mandatory military obligations. I kinda think they’re never getting back together (the guys in *NSYNC can tell you all about a “hiatus”), which is why the members are dipping their toes in the solo waters. I’ve mentioned this before, and I always feel like an asshole saying it, but so many K-pop songs sound like they learned the English phonetically, as the lyrics don’t flow naturally. That’s how it sounds here, as I love the melody, but Jimin isn’t performing, but rather reciting. Still, this is the second single, from his second solo album, so he must be doing something right!
34. Rookie of the Year, Shontelle – “Many Mistakes”
Remember those sneaky YouTube ads? This is another one, but I really love it because it’s got a sort of New Wave intro that turns into an emo pop ballad? I’m curious to check out more from Rookie of the Year, who have apparently existed since 2005?!
33. Halsey – “Ego”
Halsey’s been around quite a while, but I never really knew much about her. I couldn’t really tell you what her “sound” was, and her most recent album, The Great Impersonator, is what you might call “genre-defying”. Until this year, I couldn’t even name a Halsey song, as she was one of those artists who was somehow bigger than her music. My impression of Halsey was that she was always “going through some shit”. I guess she expressed a lot of this through her music, as she’s still going through shit. It’s almost like Jelly Roll, where I appreciate the artistry, but also hope they’re getting the help they seem to need. Anyway, “Ego” had the “rocker chick vibe” that used to forever play on the H&M mixes we’d get in-store every month, back in 2004. She’s equal parks P!nk and Ashley Simpson, and she, luckily, appears to have the staying power of the former.
32. Bon Jovi – “Legendary”
I’m something of a Johnny Come Lately to Bon Jovi, in that I didn’t listen to the hits when they came out. I mean, I was, like, 4 years old. Sure, I came around to them later, and “Livin’ On A Prayer” is damn near our secondary national anthem. Still, I have really loved their Old Man Soft Rock hits, like 2000’s “It’s My Life”, written by pop hitmaker Max Martin. Similarly, I love the drums and the tempo here. It’s not gonna go down as one of their “greats”, but it’s good enough to remind us what they’re still capable of doing, 40 years after their prime.
31. New Kids On The Block – “Kids”
Speaking of artists I didn’t discover in their prime, I HATED the New Kids On The Block – which surprises folks, given my love of boybands. Ya see, they came out when I was in 3rd grade, and that’s prime time for “You’re gay if you like girl stuff”. We were young and stupid. We didn’t know any better. That’s not to say I was hiding my love for them, though. I can’t stand their classic hits, even to this day. There’s no real musicality to “Hangin’ Tough”. I actually came to love them individually first, as Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre were right there at the dawn of the 90s Pop Renaissance. When it comes to the group as a whole, however, it wasn’t until 2008’s The Block – where they worked with then-popular artists like Lady Gaga, Akon, and Ne-Yo – that I began to take notice of them. That was a Hell of an album, and I was even more delighted when they formed the supergroup NKOTBSB with Backstreet Boys in 2010. This here is a really fun song, reminiscent of the kind of stuff BSB puts out now: Nothing that’s gonna get radio airplay, but will still delight longtime fans who are just happy the group is still together.
30. Kesha – “Delusional”
I keep wanting to type that dollar sign… Look, I have talked MAD SHIT about Kesha over the years, as I felt like there was no Kesha without Dr. Luke. By no means was that meant to excuse him for what he had done to her, but rather that she didn’t seem to realize she was torpedoing her career by going after him. Her first non-Luke single, “Joyride”, seemed to confirm that theory. Then this song came out, and I loved it. It’s quite the earworm. Maybe there is Life after Luke. If she keeps cranking out stuff like this, I’m all for it!
29. Bishop Briggs – “Here Comes The Flood”
Earlier, I called Halsey “genre-defying”, which would be an appropriate descriptor for Bishop Briggs. Two months ago, I didn’t even know who she was. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I was catching up on podcasts, and she was a guest on How Did We Get Weird?, hosted by SNL alum Vanessa Bayer and her brother Jonah. Jonah used to be a writer for SPIN and Alternative Press, so he’s friends with a lot of bands, and many of their podcast guests come from that sector. I don’t know if she was nervous or just doesn’t do a lot of podcasts, but she had this scattered, manic energy about her. She mentioned that she had been a nanny, and her first song blew up because it was chosen for a car ad campaign. I got curious, looked her up, and fell in love. In fact, she released her album Tell My Therapist I’m Fine this year, which just might be my favorite release of 2024. It got really hard limiting her appearances on this countdown, but this is not the last you’re going to see of her here!
28. Green Day – “The American Dream Is Killing Me”
This one is a bit of a cheat, as it came out at the tail end of 2023, but the album it was the lead single for, Saviors, was released in 2024. Ya know, it has taken me a while to come around to Green Day as “protest rock”. One of my very first albums was 1994’s Dookie, which was juvenile as you could get. They were the Fun Rockers! Then W got elected, and it’s like it broke something in them. They released American Idiot, found a new, socially conscious fan base, and never looked back. I always sort of wanted a return to the Dookie era, but I guess we’ve all gotta grow up sometime. I think I’m just glad to discover they’re keeping that same energy for Trump’s America that they had for W. It wasn’t an isolated incident, and we can apparently always count on Green Day to keep us honest. Lord, help us!
27. Hozier – “Nobody’s Soldier”
Whenever someone talks about how masterful Amy Winehouse was, I always bring up that producer Mark Ronson was just as responsible for her sound as she was. You see, Ronson was going through this Motown phase, and all of the stuff he produced that era sounded like that – be it Amy’s album, Back to Black, or his own album Version. I mean, Amy had a whole debut album, Frank, that nobody cared about. It wasn’t until Ronson that folks took notice. So, the same seems true here. Sure, Hozier has had hits, but this is a new, retro sound that we’re not entirely used to from him. He’s working with a new team. It’s not my favorite Hozier song of the year, but it was definitely good enough that it deserved a spot on the countdown.
26. Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
This song had to grow on me. I mean, I’ve been dying for the return of Weird Gaga. I’ve always said that she “maxed out on weird”, and needed to take some time to recharge. Remember how the second and third Matrix movies were filmed back to back, so we got incredible effects in Reloaded, but they’d maxed out the technology, so Revolutions had no amazing setpiece? It’s the same with Gaga, as there really was nowhere to go after the Meat Dress. She took some time off, to croon with Tony Bennett and Bradley Cooper, but I’m ready for something with “RedOne” and “Konvict” being yelled in the background. So, when this came out, it was not what I wanted. Still, I grew to like it, but you’ll see both of these folks higher on the countdown, on better songs.
25. Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things”
I’d say this song snuck up on me, but it was kinda everywhere. It has a distinct “We’ve got Hozier at home” vibe, but I think that’s what I love about it. I didn’t realize he’s the guy who withdrew from American Idol season 19, in order to “focus on his career”. Honestly, that’s how you do it. I mean, historically, the ones who don’t win tend to go further than the actual winners. It’s been 20 years, and folks still think Clay Aiken beat Ruben Studdard (he did not). Anyway, I hope this kid doesn’t turn out to be a one-hit wonder.
24. Dua Lipa feat. Pierre de Maere – “These Walls”
There’s a solo version of this on Dua’s latest album, Radical Optimism, but I like the contrasting vocals on this version, featuring Belgian artist Pierre de Maere. It’s such a happy, poppy song for such a sad topic. Dua said the song was written as if the listener has just walked in on a couple who have been fighting. It’s clearly the end of the relationship, even if both parties don’t want to acknowledge it. In fact, there were fears that fans in non-English speaking countries might not understand the song, as it doesn’t sound like what it’s trying to convey. But I think that’s what I love about it.
23. Coldplay feat. Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, and Tini – “WE PRAY”
What happened to Coldplay? They used to be what you listened to when the condom broke, and you were scared your life was over. This is not that. Instead, it’s reminiscent of the “Desert Rose” era, when Sting was traveling the world, trying to see how many international artists he could convince to come jam with him onstage. Anyway, I love multicultural calls to prayer – ya know, the whole “We’re praying to the same God, but in different ways” idea. Not everyone loves that perspective, but I’m not everyone. With all of the different featured artists, bringing their own perspectives, it reminds the listener that, despite differences, we’re all more alike than it might seem.
22. Addison Rae – “Diet Pepsi”
So, last year I discussed the rise of “Jailbait Pop”, with Tate McRae as the main flagbearer of the movement. Well, it seems Addison Rae is coming for her crown. I couldn’t even post the official lyric video, as y’all would get called into HR! For this year’s post, I committed the cardinal sin of pitting McRae against Rae, and Rae came out on top. Still, I’m confused. I’m 43 now, and I don’t get who they’re trying to attract here. Addison Rae is 24, but looks 16. The guy in the video is 30, but she’s writhing around the backseat of the car in a bustier. She’s trying to be equal parts sexy and goofy, but this feels like entrapment of some sort. We used to laugh that To Catch A Predator was even a thing, but is this the new version, but disguised? I’m not trying to go all QAnon, about basements of pizza joints, but what’s going on here, besides the trite “Sex sells” defense? Anyway, the funniest thing about this song is that it’s basically an ad for Pepsi, despite that fact that Rae doesn’t have a promotional deal with Pepsi. So, was this an audition? These are some Reagan-era deregulation shenanigans right here! Earlier this year, I commented that pop music was filled with a lot of “breathy warblers”, and Rae is another one to ad to the list, but I like this sound.
21. Victor Ray feat. Debbie – “Falling Into Place”
I actually discovered this via TikTok’s ForYou page, in a video of him singing with Teddy Swims in downtown London. I always love those outdoor “impromptu” videos, as they seemingly haven’t been mastered or anything, so you’re hearing the raw vocals. And you get to see passersby in awe of these regular looking folks with amazing voices. Anyway, this is a beautiful, soulful song, and the backing choir just sends it over the top.
20. Infinity Song – “Hater’s Anthem”
This song went viral on social media earlier this year, mainly, because it’s so relatable. People are always talking about their “haters””, but rarely do you get to hear the haters’ perspective. And I felt that. Hell, I even changed my Bluesky bio to “Classically Trained Hater”. If you know me, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Sorry, not sorry. Anyway, Infinity Song is a group comprised of siblings from a musical family. What I love about them, however, is that they don’t have a “Black Sound”, and this is just as quirky and twee as something you might have heard from The Bird and the Bee. We’re not supposed to sound like this. Hell, we’re not allowed to sound like this. Yet, here they are, doing it. This is what folks mean when they talk about “representation”. Love it!
19. Shawn Mendes – “Heart of Gold”
Let me just say that Shawn Mendes released the album Shawn this year, which was the Justin Timberlake album we didn’t get. Sure, Timberlake released an album, but this is what he should have given us. This song sounds like Timberlake by way of Chris Isaak, and it just hits this mellow sweet spot. Mendes is another one “going through some shit”, as he’s trying to figure out his sexuality, but he’s giving us gold while on that journey.
18. Lauren-Michael Sellars – “I Am Not OK”
I guess I’m going to have to start to take notice of these contestants from The Voice. Lauren-Michael was known for her rendition of this Jelly Roll song on the show, and I feel it’s better than the original. Sure, the meaning is there when Jelly Roll sings it, but Sellars adds feeling. One of the reasons I soured on modern country was that all of the women were just perky, interchangeable blondes, kinda like Fox News anchors. They were talented enough, but they weren’t powerhouses. They all wanted to be the next Carrie Underwood, when I was looking for the next Reba or Martina or Jennifer Nettles. That’s what Sellars is here, and I look forward to hearing more from her. Also, the song itself? My exact feelings for 2024.
17. Lady Gaga – “Happy Mistake”
Ya know, this still wasn’t what I wanted from Gaga, but you can’t deny what she’s doing here. Audiences hated Joker: Folie à Deux, so it’s no surprise that her “companion” album, Harlequin, went virtually unnoticed. Most of the album is just her singing American standards – ya know, the kind of stuff she and Tony used to sing together. But there are a couple original songs, and this is the best of them. It’s hauntingly cinematic, with something of a Bond Theme quality to it, which I loved. It’s got similar dynamics to “Shallow”, her hit from A Star Is Born, where it knows when to go low and when to let loose.
16. Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
I’m gonna be completely honest here: This was a song I did not care about until I learned Shaboozey was black. In fact, he’s a local, as he’s one of Woodbridge’s favorite sons! But remember what I was saying about representation and Infinity Song? It’s the same thing here, in that I sort of saw this as a throwaway Bro Country song – the kind you tend to get from the Florida Georgia Lines and the Jason Aldeans of the world. Earlier this year, Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter, in an attempt to lay her claim to yet another genre. And it failed miserably because it was a horrible album. I guess it was a fine Beyoncé album, but a terrible country album. Folks started moving the goalposts to define what makes a “country song”, but whatever they settled on wasn’t what she had given us. Shaboozey, however, gets it. Black folks made a splash in country this year, and it wasn’t Beyoncé who did it.
15. Teddy Swims – “The Door”
The same way I didn’t know Shaboozey was black, I didn’t know Teddy Swims was white. Did he have a black stepdaddy or something?! It’s got that similar Ronson retro sound, but the vocals are Hozier if he grew up in Watts. This is a level of Al Green vocal pleading that we never even got from Mr. Robert Kelly himself. This is one sexy ass song! Hell, his first single “Lose Control” is just as good, but it was a 2023 release, hence why it didn’t make it to this countdown. Can’t wait to see what he does next!
14. Gracie Abrams – “Close To You”
I came to know Gracie Abrams as “Taylor Swift’s friend”, and really that’s all it takes these days. Hell, how many folks went out looking for Charlie Puth albums after her name drop? It’s a great sounding song, that sort of gets stuck in your head. “That’s So True” was also quite the earworm, but this is the Abrams song I had stuck in my head for the majority of 2024.
13. Justin Timberlake – “Selfish”
This was touted as something of a “comeback”, as Justin was returning to his FutureSex/LoveSounds roots. Ultimately, the entire album, Everything I Thought It Was, was a dud. This was the one bright spot of a forgettable release, and even it only peaked at 19 on the Billboard 200. That might be a great rank for a song from, say, LMFAO, but that’s terrible for a star the caliber of Timberlake. Between Britney’s book, the DUI arrest, and this underperforming, we might get that *NSYNC reunion sooner than we thought. He’s gotta rehab his image STAT!
12. Dasha – “Austin”
I know I mentioned the “interchangeable blondes” of modern country, but Dasha feels different. Part of it is because she hasn’t been fully embraced by the genre, which might be in her favor. In interviews, she’s mentioned how Nashville has said “She’s not country”, but that’s really how Nashville operates lately. I love how this sounds. It’s got what I’ll call a “rodeo beat” to it. It’s unique, and could work just as well as a crossover hit. Whenever this came on, I had to stop and just take it in.
11. Taylor Swift – “Fortnight”
Ya know, there’s a bunch of folks who scour eBay, looking for deals on hot items that have been misspelled. It’s actually pretty lucrative, if you can crack the code. That’s why I think it’s a pretty savvy move that this song shares the name, albeit a different spelling, of one of the biggest video game franchises in youthdom these days. Not that Taylor needs to resort to subterfuge. I mean, folks were waiting to get whatever drips and drabs they could from her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department. This moody synth track set the tone of yet another post-breakup Swift album, but it wasn’t the best track on that release. No, we’ll get to that shortly.
10. Walk Off The Earth – “My Mom’s Old Car”
Another one that I’m not entirely sure how I discovered, but I love it SO much! It’s got that mid ’00s pop vibe, of having come from a group we never heard from again. Like, you could have told me this was 3OH!3 or something, and I’d believe you. Instead, it’s got an A-Teens meets The Band Perry thing going on. It’s like they crossed over from Contemporary Christian Music, as I’m getting “homeschooled” from all of this. Such a fun song!
9. Bishop Briggs – “Undone”
Told ya you’d be seeing her again! The final track on Tell My Therapist I’m Fine, it perfectly caps off an incredible album. I’m just so fascinated by her, as she seems like a true “Rockstar”, and not something that was packaged by a label for public consumption. She performed at Coachella while in her third trimester of pregnancy! She is BADASS! If I could have gotten away with it, all 10 tracks on this album would be on this countdown. Loved everything about this album.
8. Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
Like a bad church boy, I was late to Chappell, but I’m glad I finally made it. To be honest, I loved “Hot To Go!” more than this (it’s basically built on the Neal Hefti Batman ’66 beat!), but it was a 2023 song, so it didn’t make the cutoff. Chappell is fascinating for the opposite reason of Bishop Briggs, as I see her as nothing but “created in a lab”. We’re supposed to believe she’s this former theater kid, working through a persona, but I’m not really buying it. It’s the same way I didn’t buy that Gaga would actually wear meat somewhere. But I’m a cool guy. I’ll play along.
7. Meghan Trainor – “Criminals”
I said it earlier in the year, but Meghan Trainor finally put out a *good song*. Sure, she’d had hits, but I think of her as a “novelty artist”. A lot of her songs were cutesy things about Life as a Big Girl. They were fine enough, but they were a notch above Weird Al. Nothing I’d ever pay cash money to own. I know she toured and stuff, but she never had a single that I felt I’d want to see live. Until now! Sure, the tempo could be a tad faster, as it’s clearly designed for slower choreo (as seen in the credits for The Perfect Couple), but I still appreciate the effort. This could easily be a Kylie song (Minogue, not Jenner, you infidels!).
6. Rosé feat. Bruno Mars – APT.
My comments from the Jimin entry don’t apply here, as Rosé sounds…natural. Maybe Blackpink had a different dialect coach? Either way, I remember when this song debuted, and it was so fascinating, as I wasn’t familiar with Rosé. I couldn’t name a Blackpink song, but if she was good enough for Bruno Mars, she was good enough for me. It’s such a fun collab, even if we, as Americans, didn’t really know what “Apt./apateu” meant (It’s a Korean drinking game, fyi).
5. Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
And now we’ve come to the Queen of the Breathy Warblers! She’s been on these countdowns in the past, but I didn’t really take her seriously until “What Was I Made For?”, from the Barbie soundtrack. Prior to that, her genre was…different. But I could get down with “What Was I…” And I could get down with this, too. It’s a tricky song, as it sounds more simple than it is. There are tons of covers on YouTube, but very few can do it well, as it really all comes down to the dynamics of when to be loud and when to be quiet. A delicate science!
4. The Weeknd – “Dancing In The Flames”
The Weeknd continues to be trapped in 1987, and I ain’t complaining. I know he’s doing this whole thing where he wants to “kill” his The Weeknd persona, and all of his releases have been heading in that direction. If you watch the videos, you’ll notice that he’s gotten progressively more and more bloodied and battered over the years. The Weeknd, as a persona, is self-destructive, with no real happy ending in sight. Still, as his life gets worse, the songs just get better. That’s my problem, though: When the character comes to his end, what becomes of the music? Will I like the output of Abel Tesfaye (his real name) just as much? I guess time will tell…
3. Hozier – “Too Sweet”
I never thought Hozier, of all people, would put out a song I considered “Top 3” – especially in what was an absolutely wonderful year for pop music. Yet, here we are! It’s that falsetto, baby. All about the falsetto. That said, this is also a song I’d never want to see live, as I don’t think he’d be able to pull off those smooth transitions live. Sure, he’s capable, but this is also the result of “Studio Magic” and several takes to choose from. But it’s OH SO SMOOTH! Another one that seems to have been inspired by late ’00s Ronson. This song was EVERYWHERE, so it’s hard to think of “2024” and not mention it in the conversation.
2. Sabrina Carpenter – “Please, Please, Please”
Similar to Bishop Briggs, it was hard figuring out which song should represent Sabrina on this countdown. She had a big year, with “Please, Please, Please”, “Espresso”, and “Taste” released as singles from her album Short ‘N Sweet. Just as good are the songs that weren’t officially released to radio, like “Juno”. This was also in contention for my Album of the Year, as there were no songs that I disliked on it – just some I loved more than others. I still can’t believe this is that same little “Girl Shawn Hunter” from Girl Meets World! No, she’s all grown up now, and she’s here to FUCK! Don’t believe it? There’s 12 tracks here about just that!
1. Taylor Swift – “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
According to Spotify, this was my most listened to song of 2024, and I’d believe it. As one of the only fast tempo songs on Tortured Poets, it was a no-brainer to release it as a single. The lyrics also spoke to me, though. I had to use that “I’m a real tough kid, I can handle my shit” as a mantra for a while. Another album that was great from start to finish (even the slightly bloated Anthology edition), this was a standout track merely by speeding things up, so as to not get too mired in the moodiness of the rest of the album.
So, there ya have it: my top 40 favorite songs of 2024. How many of these were on your list? How many were new to you, but you kinda dug? Let me know in the comments below! Oh, and share it with your friends!
