It’s the most wonderful time of the year and by that I mean that all of us have been forced to look in the mirror of musical honesty and deal with our Spotify Wrapped. Sure, it’s a little weird that the app celebrates the fact it is watching/ analyzing all of our listening habits and probably selling that data, and ya, I am not actually sure that all of the stats are correct (like the top 0.0001% stuff always feels a little fishy, or the fact that sometimes I am baffled by what artists I supposedly love so much) but it is FUN. I usually spend the day texting people that I like and asking them about who their top artists are because I am nosy. I also really like seeing what people are listening to! I am going to share some of my own listening habits and my thoughts about them because, as many of you know, I love a data point.

My top song was “Always on My Mind” by the Pet Shop Boys. Not to brag, but I was in the top 0.001% of listeners. I would love to meet my fellow MindHeads so if you know of anyone else that listened to it 127 times+, you let me know. It is maybe the most on brand thing that has ever happened to me: a 80’s cover of an Elvis song that was featured in a movie that I liked (All of Us Strangers). Movies have such an underrated impact on my listening habits, if a song is well used in a movie, I am hooked. Anyway. I am who I am.

My top artist this year was apparently Charli xcx and (I guess?) I was in the top 0.5% of listeners. This is pretty crazy seeing as I distinctly remember giving brat my first listen in August and doing most of my listening over just three months. Also in this? The year of brat summer? Top 0.5%? I doubt it. Regardless though, I did listen to a lot of it. I loved this album– I thought it was fun and funny and honest in all the right ways. The song that made me get into the album was “girl, so confusing (feat. Lorde)” which is truly excellent. How many songs are there that are like “female friendships can be weird sometimes”?? It had exactly what I always want from a pop song which are good, preferably melancholic lyrics, and a beat you can dance to. The first verse starts “Ya I don’t know if you like me/ sometimes I think you might hate me/ sometimes I think I might hate you/ maybe you just want to be me” and well first off, ya, she is so real for that. But THEN with the Lorde feature you get her side of it “well honestly I was speechless when I woke up to your voice note/ you told me how you’ve been feeling/ let’s work it out on the remix” and basically they do like each other! Just sometimes the vibes are weird! I loved this song– it is playful and fun but also heartfelt.

The other song that I loved on the album had similar girl’s-are-confusing vibes and it was “sympathy is a knife.” This song gives me a great excuse to do something I have always wanted to do, which is power rank all the songs that have ever been written about Taylor Swift. This list was compiled through rigorous scientific analysis (I went on reddit and thought ya, that sounds about right) so no one get mad about me.

“Sympathy is a Knife” by Charli xcx: I really do think that this is the best one, this isn’t just recency bias – part of that is that it is not written by a man who is a) in love with her b) reacting to her writing about them c) hates her, but a peer(!) who is trying to figure it out. I love that Charli is like; I should not dislike her, or feel insecure because of her, or suspect that she hates me… and yet…?? “All this sympathy is just a knife/ Why can’t I even grit my teeth and lie?/ I feel all these feelings I can’t control.” This is an example of where Charli is strongest as a songwriter and why brat is so good– it is club music and then all the lyrics are like “what am I doing with my life, why does this girl get under my skin” and I love that. I like the remix too, Ariana did a great job.

“A Change of Heart” by The 1975: This 1975 album is about SYNTH baby! My favorite line is about how they are talking about regrets and then she immediately posts a pic of her salad which doesn’t really sound like Taylor but is pretty funny! My next favorite line is about how Matty smells and looks bad. Man, I love him so much.

“fallingforyou” by The 1975: This song is so lovely. It is so hesitant and has all these musical and lyrical stops and starts– even in the title. He tentatively hops through these lines about asking if she wants to sit next to him and then follows it up with “I don’t want to be your friend/ I wanna kiss your neck.” This song is asking “too much or not enough” the whole time and I think it works really well. I love this song.

“Famous” by Kanye: Look, I get it, Kanye is bad, etc. but look, this song rules. I am sorry! The Life of Pablo is an excellent album; Kanye is at his artistic best at his most maximalist. I love the samples on this track– “Bam Bam” by Sister Nancy originally but that song is also sampled by one of my all time favs, Lauryn Hill! Also Nina Simon is here! Incredible. This is my favorite kind of hip hop, when it is so clearly in conversation with former artists and reinventing, engaging with, and honoring their work, it’s really fun. Sorry Taylor!

“Ever Since New York” by Harry Styles: I have a special place in my heart for the first Harry Styles album– what a time! The suits alone! Anyway, I love the drums on this song and the chorus is catchy and easy to sing along to. This song is for wallowing and I respect that.

“Two Ghosts” by Harry Styles: A great breakup song. It’s unfussy, a simple guitar driven song without anger, just sadness. Banger.

“Perfect” by One Direction: This song is so fun and encapsulates everything I love about One Direction– it’s cheeky, sounds like they had a blast making it, and is pretty simple. They had such amazing energy! So youthful! Bring back boy bands for real, we had it so good.

“Paper Doll” by John Mayer: It is a little weird that his response to “Dear John” where Taylor calls him out for dating her when she was too young, is “ ya well you don’t know who you are” like babe ya? That’s the point? This is what happens when you date a 19 year old, they famously don’t really know who they are yet? Anyway, I love that guitar lick and I like the harmony on the chorus.

“About You” by The 1975: I love this song, it is dreamy and sweet and I love when the female voice comes in.

“Much Better” by The Jonas Brothers: These guys took themselves sooooo seriously. This is not a good song and unironically has the line “I’m done with superstars/ the girl in front of me/ she’s much better” and “much better” is the chorus which is pretty devastating. The line “I’m not bitter” is said three times which strains credulity.

“White Dress” by Parachute: Completely forgot that this guy had a thing with Taylor nor had I ever listened to a song by this band but anyway, it’s fine! Basically he is like she has left for the big city and left us behind and he was absolutely correct. A relic of a different time, a time when Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, and The Script ruled the charts. I don’t miss it.

“Swish Swish” by Katy Perry: Her response to “Bad Blood” and it’s terrible! Beginning of the end as far as Katy Perry goes– if they were battling for The Top Pop Girl spot, Taylor won. Pretty funny lyrics though “A tiger don’t lose no sleep/ don’t need opinions/ from shellfish or a sheep” which, why shellfish? What is the thinking there? or “Your game is tired/ You should retire/ You’re ‘bout as cute as/ an old coupon expired” which begs the question– what is Katy Perry’s obsession with paper goods? Plastic bags floating in the wind? Old coupons? Receipts? Her mind is a mystery. This song did give us the iconic Nicki line “don’t you try to double back/ I already dispiiiiiiise you” which is pretty good, one point for Nicki.

“Enchanted” but Owl City: This is probably the cringiest piece of art ever created, I wish it was funnier but it is a genuinely painful listen.

Ok back to me and my Spotify wrapped. It is fitting, despite everything that Charli was my number one artist because I went to her concert just last week in Glasgow and had a wonderful time. It is always fun when you can go to an artists concert at the peak of when you are listening to them.

My next most listened to artist was Joni Mitchell which is lovely, I am so glad she is back on Spotify. She is the best! I love the way she writes about being a person in the world, especially a woman, and on Blue, a woman in the world, alone in Europe. A resonant idea for me! My top songs that were hers were “Both Sides Now” (maybe the best song ever written???), “Carey” (which is the closest she gets to a banger in that folk era), “A Case of You” (so quietly devastating), and “Amelia” (haunting and beautiful, all about aging). I watched a great documentary about her, Joni Mitchell: A Woman of Heart and Mind, with some incredible interviews and footage that I cannot recommend enough.

After that we have Chappell Roan because I am a person living in 2024 and have to pay my dues, and the mandatory Taylor Swift and The 1975 spots. I think The 1975 have slipped their way into my top 5 almost every year– good for them and better for me.

I was in the top 0.5% listeners of TV and Movie podcasts which checks out! I continue to be obsessed with the Ringer podcasts: The Big Pic, The Rewatchables, and this year because I watched Game of Thrones, The House of R. I also got really into this podcast called Empire exploring world history through the lens of different empires– it has been fascinating and I have gotten a bunch of great book recommendations through the pod and the guests on the pod. I honestly can’t recommend it enough.

The last thing I want to shout out is my fifth most listened to song of the year, a song called “Keep Those Teardrops from Fallin’” by Natalie Bergman– it’s great! Slow and groovy and a great song to sing along to.