Musical geography and other reflections on the music of 2023

It’s time for the 2024 music wrap-up, and we never did one on 2023. So, here are a few thoughts, because the old traditions will carry on, even if blogging is long dead and the world is burning to the ground as we speak.

One thing that has curiously stuck in my head about the 2023 year in music was the geographical musical matches that Spotify Wrapped presented last year (and didn’t do in this year’s mediocre version). Spotify found my music played during that year to be most attuned to the tastes of Christchurch, New Zealand, based upon plays of Madonna, Meat Loaf and The Motels. It comes as no surprise to me that I am more of a mind with folks on the other side of the globe from me. 

I can explain how Spotify came up with the match:  There’s always a Madonna song in my current playlist; I cycled through several Meat Loaf songs after his death, particularly focusing on Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and I was also exploring some of his less successful output from the ‘80s; and I had The Motels’ “Remember the Nights” in rotation for a good chunk of the year. It wasn’t one of their big hits, but it’s one of the best songs from those pensive ‘80s pop-rockers.

Overall, 2023 feels a bit unremarkable for me, musically. My most played song released in or near 2023 was Texas’ “After All,” a new song included on a new best-of compilation. Everything but the Girl placed at #53 (based on my airplay as tabulated by last.fm and including songs old and new) with “Run a Red Light,” which I got into late in the year and would make more of an impact in the 2024 roundup. One of the Pet Shop Boys’ best and most haunting songs to date, “The Lost Room,” from the Lost EP, was also split between the two years, finishing at #51 for ’23. Interest in Tears for Fears’ outstanding 2022 album The Tipping Point carried over to make it the most played current album again in 2023.

Click here to go down the rabbit hole of past years' roundups back to 2005.

Music that moved me in 2022

The blog reignites this week with a belated look back at the music of 2022. This ritual has occurred most every year since 2005 and must carry on, regardless of what life throws my way.

One of the most interesting developments of the year was courtesy of the Netflix show Stranger Things — I would never have believed Kate Bush would have a big top 5 hit at this late date, and it was great to see a quirky ‘80s tune like “Running Up That Hill” sprinting up the chart.

Looking at music released in or not too far from 2022, heritage acts pretty much defined my year in music as tabulated by last.fm based on both my streaming and local listening. Tears for Fears claims both the album and single crown with The Tipping Point and “No Small Thing,” respectively. Duran Duran’s stunning Future Past was the number two album (it also took the runner-up spot for 2021), and ABBA took number three with Voyage. I was obsessed with the lyrics to “Don’t Shut Me Down” for much of the year (like a dream within a dream that’s been decoded, etc.).

My first reaction to The Tipping Point was to walk away from it, because the pomp and grandeur of TFF does not, at first listen, seem to be there. It is, though, on a more subtle scale. The gentle guitar strums that open the album on “No Small Thing” are a fake-out, as the song gradually builds to an intoxicating crescendo. It is a beautiful album that, in the TFF cannon, bears the most resemblance to the post-split Elemental. This would be a fine swan song, but I hope they have another one or more in them.

The heavy rotation of Future Past placed a stack of songs in the top 50: “Wing,” #15; “Future Past,” #28; “Invisible,” #35; “Nothing Less,” #36; and “All of You,” #46.

I had a pretty good bit of memorial airplay going on in 2022, bringing Vangelis in at #27 with the rousing instrumental “Chariots of Fire” and Olivia Newton-John at #78 with the rousing ‘80s pop of “Physical.” Meat Loaf is in there as well with three six- to eight-minute placings from the Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell album.

What’s so hot about the Hot 100? // This year again finds three points of crossover between my chart and the Hot 100, surprisingly all in the top 10 of the Hot 100.

— As It Was • Harry Styles // #2 Billboard, #72 Me

— Ghost • Justin Bieber // #8 Billboard, #49 Me

— Cold Heart (Pnau remix) • Elton John and Dua Lipa // #10 Billboard, #58 Me. This one actually topped my rolling chart with a long run at #1 in the second half of 2021 and finished at #38 for 2021. I love it that Elton John, after being frozen out of the pop chart for the last couple of decades, made the top 10 of the year on the Hot 100 with this fantastic mashup.

Click here to go down the rabbit hole with past years' recaps.

Music that moved me in 2021

This year was more fun musically than last, I’d say, with interesting things going on like Elton John and ABBA going to the top of the charts again.

One of the pleasant surprises of the year was Duran Duran’s Future Past, a stunningly good album that begs the question of where their muse has been in the last 20-plus years. Released in October, Future Past ends up as my #2 album for the year but may ultimately have more impact in 2022 as the songs work through my playlist. The Durans are often at their best with downbeat numbers, and the song “Future Past” is probably my favorite since the extraordinary singles “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone” resuscitated them way back in the first half of the ‘90s.

Here’s a look at how some of the songs released in or near 2021 placed in my top 100, which includes songs old and new and is based on play counts as monitored by Last.fm:

#1 Be the One • Dua Lipa // It was a very Dua Lipa kind of year, and this single from her previous album emerged as my favorite apart from her Elton John collaboration. She has kind of taken on the Queen of Pop role that Gaga squandered over the last few albums. Lipa is also in the top 100 at #21 with “Hallucinate” and #74 with “We’re Good,” and she finishes as the #7 artist of the year.

#2 Anyone • Justin Bieber // Bieber has really carved a niche with melancholy and evocative grooves like this and “Sorry.” Dance with me under the diamonds / See me like breath in the cold is one of my favorite lyrics of the year.

#15 Got Me • Laura Mvula // The British R&B singer delivered one of the most interesting singles of the year. Its groove continually makes me think of Billy Ocean’s “When the Going Gets Tough,” in a good way.

#32 Unwanted • Rick Astley // Suggests Astley should still be making albums of danceable pop.

#38 Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) • Elton John & Dua Lipa // It’s hard to describe what this is — sort of a dance remix of 1989 ballad hit “Sacrifice,” (which by happenstance topped my rolling chart last year), wrapped in a very clever mashup with “Rocket Man,” “Kiss the Bride” and “Where’s the Shoorah?” It’s brilliant, but I wonder if it could have been even more so with a bridge somewhere in the second half. It had the longest run at #1 on my rolling chart and would have finished higher if it had come along earlier in the year.

#39 Free Woman • Lady Gaga // Sometimes a song works better outside the context of its album, and I have found that to be true for some of the tunes from the rather monochramatic Chromatica.

#48 Magic • Kylie Minogue // Kylie’s Disco album is surprisingly not particularly disco, sounding instead like just another pop album, really. There’s nothing anywhere near the disco-ness of Kylie oldie “Your Disco Needs You.” Nevertheless, the single “Magic” lived up to its name.

#53 Don’t Shut Me Down • ABBA // The new album Voyage is solid if not the mind-blower we were hoping for after all this time, right? The lovely ballad “I Still Have Faith In You” also makes it in at #89.

#57 Golden • Harry Styles // Not a name I would expect in my top 100, and he gets here by evoking a style of music that was never my cup of tea, but it works beautifully.

#68 Your Fandango • Sparks & Todd Rundgren // The incomparable combination of wit and musicianship that is Sparks ushered in the first time ever that I’ve played Rundgren. Love the castanets and the unmitigated glee of the insanity going on here.

#80 Golden G String • Miley Cyrus // My interest in Cyrus’ outstanding Plastic Hearts album carried over into ’21 enough to make it the #1 album of the year and Cyrus the #9 artist of the year, which opened with synth masterpiece “Midnight Sky” sitting at #1 on my first rolling chart of ’21. The raucous “Night Crawling (feat. Billy Idol)” also makes the year-ender at #98.

#81 Once I Saw the River Clean • Morrissey // The Mozzer never quite fades away, and the electronic sheen on recent album I Am not a Dog on a Chain was a welcome complement to his eccentric songs.

What’s so hot about the Hot 100? // We have three points of crossover this time, up from one last year. These minor miracles are:

— Save Your Tears • The Weeknd // #2 Billboard; #26 Me

— Anyone • Justin Bieber // #74 Billboard; #2 Me

— We’re Good • Dua Lipa // #90 Billboard; #74 Me

A close call was Ritt Momney’s “Put Your Records On,” a quirky cover of the Corrine Bailey Rae song that got inside my head but finished a bit outside my 100 while landing at #93 in Billboard, despite getting no higher than #30 on the Hot 100 weeklies.

Go here to view prior years' recaps.

Seven things about Spotify's 2021 wrapped

 

1 // I don't usually post about Spotify's yearly recap because the bigger picture of my listening comes via last.fm scrobbling, which aggregates all of my listening on Spotify and the things that I play from my computer, but this year will be an exception. My overall year-end recap will be forthcoming, of course …

2 // In a bit of a shocker, Wrapped tells me I listened to more music this year than 65 percent of other listeners in the United States. I wouldn't have expected this, since I almost never listen at work, and with last.fm I'm rarely in the top 50 percent.

3 // I was a bit surprised to see Erasure as the most played artist (spoiler: They will not be #1 on the aggregated list). It must stem from the fact that I did not purchase a physical copy of their last album, The Neon, or any of its offshoot releases, such as the Ne:Ep. It's a decent album but not one I feel like I played that much. Their songwriting is not as sharp, in my view, over the last several albums. Wrapped says I was in the top 1 percent of Erasure listeners.

4 // Wrapped says I listened to 63 genres, and that's a good thing — I'm proud to be eclectic. New wave coming out on top is a reflection of all that '80s music, and too much of it gets labeled that way.

5 //  The artists on those top songs are, in order, Bieber, Dua Lipa, Simple Minds, Johnny Hates Jazz and Griff. Then and now, now and then.

6 //  Kudos to fairly obscure electronic / chillwave artist Brothertiger for edging into the top 5 artists. That's largely on the strength of his excellent rendition of Tears for Fears' Songs from the Big Chair album in its entirety.

7 // December 1 is too early to close the chart year — there are weeks to go.

Music that moved me in 2020

Most played (new songs)

For songs released in or near 2020, Pet Shop Boys win the year with “New Boy,” a “b-side” from the “I Don’t Wanna” single. It’s one of those brilliantly maudlin midtempo meditations they reel off effortlessly, like “Only the Wind” and “Always,” which are often buried as extra tracks on singles and are better than most of what’s on the accompanying album.

The runners-up are the Pets’ “Only the Dark” from this year’s Hotspot album and “Do You Feel,” which emerged as the favorite from La Roux’s latest album, Supervision.

Most played (oldies)

Don Henley’s synthy “Sunset Grill” wins by a point over three tied songs — Tori Amos’ “Silent All These Years,” The Lighting Seeds’ “Don’t Let Go” and Paula Abdul’s “The Promise of a New Day (7” Edit).” When I went to an Eagles concert in Tupelo with my parents back around ’99 or so, the highlight for me was “Sunset Grill.”

Most interesting

From the first time I heard it, I thought Miley Cyrus’ “Midnight Sky” was the most interesting song of the year. It feels like she’s channeling the dark electronic sounds of The Weeknd on this one, and the whole Plastic Hearts album is sounding strikingly good.

What’s so hot about the Hot 100?

It’s becoming a trend that one song from Billboard’s Hot 100 of the year makes my year-end chart. This year, somewhat surprisingly, it’s Billboard’s top song of the year, “Blinding Lights,” by The Weeknd, which sits at #59 on my year-ender. It’s probably his best since "Can't Feel My Face," although I ended up playing “In Your Eyes,” with that killer sax riff, more (#27 for the year); it is currently in my top 10, having recently topped my chart, and could have finished even higher if its run had come earlier.

Lukewarm

Some of my core favorite artists significantly underperformed with new releases (this, sadly, has been a recurring theme in the last few years). With Chromatica, it’s time to accept that Lady Gaga isn’t going to reach the heights of The Fame / The Fame Monster / Born This Way and, to a slightly lesser degree, Artpop, again. Chromatica, to my ears, has a disturbing homogeneity, particularly when compared to her first few albums. It does land a couple of songs on the year-end chart — “Alice” (#51) and “911” (#56). Then there’s Erasure, whose last several albums have underwhelmed; their lone entry from The Neon is “Shot a Satellite” (#62). And the Pets’ Hotspot had some gems, as always, but it was not at all what I expected for the conclusion of their trilogy with Stuart Price, who has essentially been a Pet Shop Boy for the past decade.

Posthumously

It’s not unusual for me to have a Roxette song in rotation, and the late 2019 death of Marie Fredriksson had me hunting for some deeper cuts. They finish the year with several entries — “Wish I could Fly” (#32), “Queen of Rain” (#44) and “Perfect Day” (#66). And my favorite Eddie Money tune, “I Wanna Go Back,” is in at #78, while the posthumously released George Michael song “This is How (We Want You to Get High)" scrapes in at #95.

Ava Max

“Sweet but Psycho” was big enough to repeat; it was #53 for 2019 and #90 for 2020. “Kings & Queens” finished at #115 this year.

The chart statistics are courtesy of scrobbling via Last.fm.

Go here for recaps dating back to the 2000s.

Song of the decade

Does a decade's worth of music mean anything anymore? To me, it doesn't feel like it, and hasn't really since the '90s, which probably just means that I'm old. Time flies and a lot of life is happening, so I'm just getting around to taking a look at the past decade. Rather than serving up a big list, I've decided to simply crown my most-played song of the twenty-teens.

The winner is '90s survivor Robyn with "Dancing on My Own," which was released in June 2010 as lead single from the excellent Body Talk album (my #9 album for the decade, including music from all decades, per Last.fm), and which she cowrote and coproduced with Patrik Berger. It's a devastating dance music ballad, all swirling synths and heartbreak, that should have shot an arrow through the heart of the pop music audience. It is the epitome of the melancholy cast against a euphoric upbeat arrangement, which defines so much of my favorite music. How does a song this brilliant (and featured prominently in HBO's Girls) not even crack the Billboard Hot 100? Despite making no impression on the chart, it did, deservedly, go platinum in the U.S.

Music that moved me in 2019

Song of the year
Tanners, a relative unknown, won the year with a song from 2018, the urgent "Holy Water." It's hard to describe her vibe; I've been thinking I could imagine Sophie B. Hawkins doing this in the '90s if she'd had a tad more of a pop sensibility.

The runner-up
Dido put out a fine album in 2019, and the lush ballad "Give You Up" finished one point behind Tanners. It's her best track in years.

A year without breakouts
I said this about 2018, as well — there was no single artist or album that emerged as a big thing for me. Madonna's Madame X was a notable lemon in my world, a non-starter for the most part, although "Medellin" did get some spins and "Looking for Mercy" finished at #60 for the year. I feared this album would disappoint when I heard Mirwais was producing. For me, it's her worst since American Life and a real letdown after Rebel Heart, which had a few duds but, to me, is the best since Ray of Light. My most played album for the year was the new David Bowie compilation Loving the Alien (1983 - 1988).

Mildly unexpected
I've liked a random Bruce Springsteen song here and there through the years, but he stopped me in my tracks in 2019 with "There Goes My Miracle," #18 for the year. It's a beautiful tune and I've never heard him sing in this style — like an old-school crooner. Carly Rae Jepsen is not an artist I've given much attention, but her "Want You in My Room" finishes way up at #5 for the year.

When we was fab
I've never been one to listen to the Beatles, but a couple of the players had a good year with solo material — I've really gotten into some of the songs on Paul McCartney's latest, Egypt Station. He finishes #6 for the year with "Dominoes" and #22 with the beautiful ballad "Happy with You," while John Lennon is in at #69 with oldie "(Just Like) Starting Over." Julian Lennon got some spins as well with "Say You're Wrong."

What's so hot about the Hot 100?
We have but one instance of crossover for 2019 courtesy of Ava Max, whose "Sweet but Psycho" closed out the year with a long run at number one on my last.fm rolling chart. Had I discovered it earlier in the year, it probably would have been a contender for song of the year honors. Sounds a bit like early Gaga, doesn't it? It finishes the year at #53 for me and #23 in Billboard. Speaking of Gaga, the big soundtrack hit "Shallow" was a close call for another point of crossover (#134 me, #19 Billboard). And Post Malone's "Circles," which finished at #62 in Billboard, has recently gone onto my current playlist.

Previously
Go here for the best of 2018 and links to numerous previous years.

Music that moved me in 2018

Top Song
Foster the People claims the most-played song trophy with the sublime "Sit Next to Me," which has a really appealing, dreamy quality. This rekindled my interest in earlier single "Doing It for the Money," which lands at #21 in my year-end recap of most-played songs, new and old, as tallied by Last FM. The runners-up for songs released in or near 2018: "My My My!" by Troye Sivan and "Your Song," Lady Gaga's outstanding Elton John cover.

A year without scorchers
It was a cycle lacking in artist and album breakouts. My core artists didn't have new albums, and things that could have blown up, like Thompson Twin Tom Bailey's solo debut Science Fiction, failed to fully ignite. My most played "current" artist was Troye Sivan ("My My My!" #3, "Strawberries & Cigarettes," #51 and "Better Now," #83 for the year and currently in my top 10).

Double A-side
I loved that Paul McCartney called the lead single from his 2018 album a double A-side, as if that kind of thing still exists. Both excellent tunes, "Come on to Me" and "I Don't Know" (love that piano intro on the latter), finish in my top 50, along with one of his oldies, "Say Say Say." It's a tad surprising to find him thrice in my top 50.

What's so hot about the Hot 100?
Last year, my non-mainstream tastes yielded only two instances of crossover between my music of the year and that of popular consumption. Not to be outdone, 2018 has literally no crossover at all. It's not surprising, considering the Billboard Hot 100 of the year is a chart heavily infested with songs by Drake and Imagine Dragons. A close call, though, is Bruno Mars' "Finesse," finishing at #14 in Billboard and a bit outside my top 100 in the non-Cardi B version. Mars has become a bit boring, but I loved the overt musical references to Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison" in that jam. Also worth mentioning is Troye Sivan's cover of Post Malone's "Better Now," which is currently charting in my top 10, while Malone's original finished at #13 for the year in Billboard.

// Go here for recaps from 2017 and prior years.

Music that moved me in 2017

Top song …

My most-played song released in or not terribly far from 2017 is "Mistakes" by Avec Sans, which finishes at #2 overall in my top 100 of the year as monitored by last.fm. This kind of ethereal, melancholy electronic bliss leaves me drooling. It's the closer on their really good debut album, Heartbreak Hi.

Other notables …

• "Up the Creek," Tori Amos' best single in years, at #29
• "Losing Touch," a new synth masterpiece by Empathy Test, at #20
• Sia had a big year on my chart, finishing at #3 with "The Greatest," #4 with "Never Give Up" and #11 with "Move Your Body."

Oldies …

My most-played song overall was Billy Joel's somber and reflective ballad "I've Loved These Days" from Turnstiles. The most-played album overall, by a substantial margin, was the very good super deluxe release of Fleetwood Mac's 1987 classic Tango in the Night.

Posthumously …

• George Michael finishes at #6 with "Something to Save," #7 with "White Light," #29 with "Heal the Pain" and #66 with "Shoot the Dog."
• Prince lands at #73 with "Strange Relationship," #87 with "The Morning Papers" and #95 with "P Control."
• Leonard Cohen is at #67 with "Hallelujah."

Most-played new album …

With 2017 releases from Erasure and Goldfrapp sadly underperforming, the door opened for Depeche Mode to sneak in with the politically charged Spirit. It's the only DM album I've wanted to listen to all the way through since Violator.

What's so hot about the Hot 100 …

There is, per usual, minimal crossover between my year-end chart and that of popular consumption. Here are the two miracle compositions:

• "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk, #34 Billboard, #56 me
• "Chained to the Rhythm" by Katy Perry Featuring Skip Marley, #73 Billboard, #20 me. I'm skeptical of everything to do with Katy Perry, and I think she's one of the most commercially and critically overrated forces in popular music, but there is no denying that this is a successful stab at mature and sophisticated electronic pop music. The same is true of "Roulette," which sounds like it could have been released in 1996, and lands at #60 on my year-end chart.

Click here for 2016 and prior years.

What's so hot about the Hot 100? (chart week of May 6, 2017)

In 1987, I obsessively listened to the radio and probably could easily have identified about 80 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. But it's not 1987 anymore …

Here's the first of an occasional stroll through the nation's definitive music chart to see if there is any crossover with my current last.fm rolling chart and to see what snark might emerge:

#1 Humble. by Kendrick Lamar // Another chart-topper that I've never heard …

#2 Shape of You by Ed Sheeran // There's something about the combination of Ed Sheeran's voice and enunciation that grates. Plus, this seems almost intentionally derivative of Justin Bieber's much superior "Sorry."

#11 Body Like a Back Road by Sam Hunt // I haven't heard it and can only imagine how atrocious this song must be, but there's no denying the cleverness of the title.

#22 Sign of the Times by Harry Styles // An 18-point drop in week two? Ouch. It's a pretty good and mature effort that is poised to reach my chart, though. I just hope he knew there is already a classic "Sign of the Times."

#31 Love on the Brain by Rihanna // A close call, as this one sits just outside my own top 100. I gave it a few spins because it sounded interesting, but then it suddenly didn't seem as interesting, and I'd like people to quit using "bae." It's even more obnoxious than "shawty." Getting back to Rihanna, it's impressive that she can still get this many singles deep into an album campaign.

#39 The Cure by Lady Gaga // Crossover! This surprise single sits at #75 on my own chart, and I haven't yet decided if I really like it. What I do know with certainty is I didn't like the direction of Joanne, although I don't begrudge her the urge to do something different.

#69 Any Ol' Barstool by Jason Aldean // I once did a phone interview with this guy to promote a small-town concert in a time before he had such a long list of hits. I'm sure he doesn't remember it, and I barely do.

So, Gaga's new single is the only instance of crossover between my chart (which includes many non-current tunes) and the Hot 100. Currently #1 on my chart is "Move Your Body" by Sia, her sixth chart-topper if we include the David Guetta collaboration "Titanium." And I say we shall.

The songs that moved me in 2016

Based on my monitored music-playing activity from last.fm, my 11 most-played songs of the year, limited to those released in or not too far from 2016:

Burn ~ Pet Shop Boys // From this year's Stuart Price-produced Super album, it's one of their best-ever stompers and the best track to emerge from the Boys' new hardcore dance phase. Not that the single choices matter much at this stage, but how was this not a single?

Living Inside My Heart ~ ABC // What a year to be an ABC fan, with the incredible Lexicon of Love II preceded by two amazing appetizers — this one from Fly (Songs Inspired by the Film: Eddie the Eagle) and the incredible Radiohead cover from the 80's Re:Covered album.

Blue ~ Marina and the Diamonds // Cannot get it out of my head and don't want to.

Say It to Me ~ Pet Shop Boys

Love Will Keep Us Together ~ Kim Wilde // Another gem from 80's Re:Covered.

Mine ~ Third Eye Blind // A stunning, unexpected, deconstructing cover … and those are the best kind. Better, to my ears, than Beyonce's original.

Twenty-Something ~ Pet Shop Boys // One of the best lyrical efforts of their last few albums.

I Can Fly ~ Lana Del Rey // Not much from Del Rey has caught my attention prior to this stunner from the closing credits of the great film Big Eyes about the artist Margaret Keane.

In Bits ~ Pet Shop Boys // The B-sides of the last three albums have not lived up to their impeccable track record, but the dour "In Bits" is a notable exception.

The Dictator Decides ~ Pet Shop Boys

Viva Love ~ ABC // From Lexicon II, it sounds like a natural extension of their run of '80s hits.

A few factoids on my year in music:

• Most played "oldies" of the year: "Blue Eyes" by Elton John, a single from 1982, and "The NeverEnding Story" by Limahl from 1984, prompted by the Spotify commercial. Forty of my 100 are from the 1980s.

• A look at Billboard's top 100 songs of the year is, as usual, a reminder of how far removed my tastes are now from the mainstream. My top 100 played songs of the year has only two crossovers with Billboard: "Sorry" by Justin Bieber (me #27, Billboard #2) and "Cheap Thrills" by Sia (not the Sean Paul version, please) (me #40, Billboard #11). If I had discovered it earlier in the year, "Stressed Out" by twenty one pilots would probably have joined those two — it's certainly one of the most interesting tunes to get radio play this year.

• Prince had gone a bit underappreciated in my playlists in recent years, resulting in a gradual slide down to #57 on the artists chart at the time of his death. I've since spent a lot of time revisiting his vast discography, resulting in a huge rebound to #21.

Go here for last year's recap and links to prior years.

Favorite songs and album of 2015: The Weeknd and Madonna

SONG OF THE YEAR: Can't Feel My Face • The Weeknd // This is the one that stopped me in my tracks the first couple times I heard it to say, Who is that? Those moody, ominous synths and dark lyrics had me at, "And I know she'll be the death of me, at least we'll both be numb. And she'll always get the best of me, the worst is yet to come," which make me smile. I was surprised to find that Max Martin is one of the songwriters, given his pedigree, but this one could earn him a slot in my top 10 of the decade.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Rebel Heart • Madonna // With some careful editing of the track list, we get the best Madonna album since Ray of Light — a worthy successor loaded with mature and sophisticated pop songs like the title track and the brilliant stomper "Devil Pray." It figures that the only song from the album to crack the Hot 100, "Bitch I'm Madonna," is the first I excised from my iTunes. Now that radio has fully dismissed her, it's time to leave those pandering efforts behind and grow old gracefully with the rest of us.

Fifteen more favorite songs released in or around 2015, not necessarily in order of preference:

Ghosttown • Madonna // My most-played song of the year, this scorched-earth ballad would have been number one for weeks during her imperial years.

Rebel Heart • Madonna

High on Love • Class Actress

Hold Tight • Madonna

Devil Pray • Madonna

Déjà Vu • Giorgio Moroder (Featuring Sia)

Living for Love • Madonna

Talking Body • Tove Lo // Hypnotic and blissful pop.

Geronimo • Sheppard

Dead Inside • Muse

Boom Clap • Charli XCX

Baby Don't Lie • Gwen Stefani

I Can Change • Brandon Flowers

Recreational Love • The Bird and the Bee // Sounding nicely like an extension of their Hall & Oates tribute.

Can't Deny My Love • Brandon Flowers

Previously:
2014
2013
2010
2009

The songs that moved me in 2013

I feel pretty removed from current music these days — I rarely listen to the radio at all anymore, because who really wants to hear another Katy Perry song — so I'm sharing the songs I played most during the past 12 months as tabulated by last.fm rather than trying to formulate a "best of" list. The result is a mix of everything, with songs going back as far as the early '80s, and three songs that were actually released in 2013. Notably just scraping into the list with one entry is my venerable favorite, the Pet Shop Boys, whose Electric album is quite good but unjustly hailed as the second coming, in my view, perhaps as an overreaction to the rather tepid Elysium that preceded it by less than a year.

Anyway, here's the list:

1) "Maybe I'm Crazy" - Monarchy // The electronic duo Monarchy is perhaps my favorite new find this year, and this 2011 song is a soaring triumph.

2) "Somebody's Knockin'" - Terri Gibbs // This country-pop crossover gem from 1980 is sadly unavailable for purchase in its original version. Lord it's the devil / Would you look at him …

3) "Sacred Heart" - Shakespear's Sister // A lovely ballad from their first album; it's better than the album's minor hit "You're History."

4) "Instant Attraction" - Garçon Garçon // This duo is only getting better with their intoxicating retro-now jams.

5) "Love Me Like You Used To" - Class Actress // Retro influences also abound here; I'm addicted to this one, along with "Keep You" and "Weekend."

6) "Losing You" - Solange // Happened to catch the video for this on Palladia and wouldn't know it existed otherwise. It's a gorgeous synth-infused R&B ballad, and it's a crime something this good doesn't crack the Hot 100.

7) "Break It Down Again" - Tears for Fears

8) "Seduction Surrender" - Grace Jones // Creepy dance-pop from the 1986 movie Vamp.

9) "Another Minute" - Cause & Effect

10) "Cast Away" - Strange Talk

11) "Inside a Dream" - Pet Shop Boys // My favorite from Electric.

12) "I Won't Let Go" - Monarchy

13) "Fever (Edit One)" - Madonna // The hard-to-find mix used in the video; it's superior to the album version.

14) "Burn" - Ellie Goulding // Would have been a better lead single than "Anything Can Happen," in which she sounds like she's about to bust a vocal chord.

15) "You Surround Me" - Erasure

Previously:
Guiltless pleasures, or, 2010's top albums 
Most played artists, 2009 
Most played songs, 2009 

30-Day Song Challenge: Your least favorite song (day 2)

As with choosing a favorite, there are so many possibilities, and I strongly considered Warrant's "Cherry Pie" and Nickelback's "Photograph" before settling on "One Sweet Day," Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's record-holder for most weeks at number one (16) on the Billboard Hot 100. Given the song's earnest sentiment, this may seem cold, but I truly hated this inescapable, overwrought treacle from the first time I heard it. My animosity towards it also reflects my loathing of that time in mid-90s radio, when R&B had taken over and every chart-topper seemed to be there for 10 weeks or more; it was as if radio decided we would only listen to about 40 songs per year. I have equal loathing for Boys II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" and "End of the Road." Before I'm accused of being a hater, it should be noted that both artists have songs that I do like, and Mariah hovers just outside the top 50 on my last.fm artist chart.

30-Day Song Challenge: Your favorite song (day 1)

Seriously, how do you pick just one? I could spend a year whittling it down to a short list of possibilities. So, I've chosen one of the standout songs, "Alive," from my favorite album of last year, Goldfrapp's Head First. It's a little more sunny and positive than the typical 'frapp tune, and it's arguably the best example of the album's brilliant melding of synthy '80s pop sounds into their modern, elegant dance music. The cheeky video complements the upbeat vibe with an odd mix of vampires, zombies and '80s workout video; you wouldn't be surprised to see Olivia Newton John suddenly pop out, dressed in the spandex from her "Physical" video.

With this post, I'm kicking off the 30-Day Song Challenge, which has been a popular Facebook meme. I'm rarely on Facebook, so I didn't stumble across it until checking out Daft Monk's blog, where he's just wrapped up the challenge. Check out his answers for a good read. I'm already well intrigued by how these deceptively simple categories make you stop and consider the music that defines you. One caveat for my list — I do plan to swap out a handful of the categories for something I think is more interesting; there are a few of them for which I simply don't have an answer.

Guiltless Pleasures, or, 2010's top albums

Goldfrapp takes album of the year.

My top 10 scrobbled albums of 2010 per Last.fm again reveal that I am mostly out of synch with popular tastes, but who can blame me when the likes of Ke$ha and Katy Perry rule the chart? I like to go with a scrobbling recap rather than devising my own top 10 partly because I'm lazy but also because I like to consider everything current. That said, however, my favorite albums from this year are exactly where they should be on this list.

10 Christmas EP • Pet Shop Boys // Helped the boys retain their usual spot as most-played artist this year.

9 Information Society • Information Society // Had the big single back in the day but never got the full album until this year. The ballad "Repetition" is much better than I remembered.

8 Don't Stop / All Night EP • Annie // I'm throwing in the EP as well because I culled the best tracks from the two into one album of electro-pop goodness. It straddled the end of '09 and early '10, or it would have been closer to the top.

7 Kaleidoscope • Tiesto // The hardcore fans dismissed it as a pop sellout, so naturally I loved it, particulalry "I Will Be Here (Wolfgang Gartner Radio Edit)."

6 The Fame Monster • Lady GaGa // Whether you choose to view it as the second album or an EP, clever pop songs like "Bad Romance," "Monster" (how was this not a single?),  "Dance in the Dark" and "Telephone" make it essential.

5 La Roux • La Roux // La Roux put out one of the best Erasure albums of all time, and songs like "Fascination" and "As If By Magic" left me slobbering for more. To boot, it was gratifying to see that synthpop like "Bulletproof" can still be embraced by the wasteland of U.S. radio.

4 Fixin' to Thrill • Dragonette // I'm a sucker for melody and an '80s sensibility.

3 Body Talk • Robyn // Had the full album emerged earlier in the year, this sly dance album would have made a run at number one.

2 Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Darryl Hall and John Oates • The Bird and the Bee // Why didn't they just use the brilliant working title, Guiltless Pleasures? That sums it up perfectly in contrast to the bloated, over-compensating title it released under. Nevertheless, this concept worked, with The Bird and the Bee's electro lounge pop marrying perfectly with H&O's pop chestnuts. "One on One," with its mesmerizing synth filigrees, is a song that seems like it ought to be left alone, frozen in the perfect moody '80s production H&O bestowed upon it, but Bird and the Bee manage to create something equally evocative in its own way. However, for me, "She's Gone" is the crowning achievement here. I do wish there had been a less predictable song choice or two — throw me a "Missed Opportunity" or "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid" for fun. Also around the same time they gave us a soundtrack offering, a very groovy cover of "I'm Into Something Good." Now, who's up for Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Depeche Mode?

1 Head First • Goldfrapp // My expectations were lowered after the folktronic nirvana of Seventh Tree, but they needn't have been. Golfrapp veered back toward the dancefloor but did so with a set of hypnotic, danceable songs that reference the synth of '80s pop in a most satisfying way; I don't think I've heard music that is so satisfyingly now and 1985 at the same time. Brilliant stompers like "Rocket," "Believer" and "Alive" glisten alongside satisfying slow-burns like "Head First" and "Hunt." More, please.

2009's top tunes, part two

My 11 most played artists in 2009, according to last.fm:

1 Pet Shop Boys // Fueled by Yes, its b-sides and the Christmas EP.

2 Lady GaGa

3 Erasure // I didn't get the anniversary rerelease of The Innocents, but they made it near the top anyway.

4 Alanis Morissette // Producer Guy Sigsworth helps revitalize Morissette on Flavors of Entanglement. It's no doubt his influence that sees some of her denser rock pieces replaced by the toe-tapping likes of "Giggling Again for no Reason."

5 Madonna // She can't buy a hit these days, but "Celebration" and "Revolver" were welcome if not mind-blowing offerings.

6 Lily Allen // Allen didn't take hold the first time around, but second album It's Not Me, It's You is stuffed with the thoughtful ("The Fear") and hilarious ("F*ck You," "It's Not Fair"), all of it deadly catchy.

7 Tori Amos // My interest in some of Tori's newer material has cooled, but Abnormally Attracted to Sin, an impressively cohesive piece considering its 17-song length, provided a welcome thaw.

8 Annie // Had the really good Don't Stop appeared earlier in the year, Annie likely would have made the top three. "Hey Annie" is hypnotic, and the Berlin Breakdown Version of "Anthonio" is a fun throwback to '80s balladry.

9 La Roux // I haven't listened to the album as a whole a great deal, obsessing instead over individual tracks such as the sublime "Fascination."

10 The Bird and the Bee // Their second full-length, Ray Guns Are not Just the Future, which included a couple of previously released strong tracks amongst the new songs, failed to click with me (an ode to David Lee Roth — seriously, TBATB?), but standout songs "Love Letter from Japan" and "My Love" helped TBATB just squeeze into the top 10.

11 Michael Jackson // The list goes to 11 for the sole purpose of a nod to MJ, who fell so sharply off the radar in the late '90s and all of the 'oos that he had become out of sight, out of mind. It's sad that it took his death to get us all to rediscover the magic. The soothing "Human Nature" emerged as the song I listened to most following his death.