Pitchfork’s #5 song of the year is the third single from Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts, the love-him-and-hate-him anthem ‘get him back!’
Rodrigo has such a knack for writing catchy hooks and tapping into Gen Z angst that she is well on her way to becoming the musical voice of her generation. Over just two albums, she has already amassed a laundry list of signature songs that sound simultaneously like they’ve been around forever and were written earlier today.
The #4 song of 2023, according to Pitchfork, is ‘namesake’ by Chicago-based rapper Noname. Noname (who does have a name, and it’s Fatimah Nyeema Warner) is a slam poet turned rapper who released her second studio album, Sundial, this year.
This is my first exposure to Noname and I’m immediately captivated. I love the sound of her flow as well as the music she’s rapping over. I sampled a couple of other tracks from the album and they all share the same sensibility and vibe. Could it be? A rap artist I like enough to keep listening?
It’s that time of the year when music critics start dropping their best-of lists and I realize how little I pay attention to new music outside of my own little bubble.
Looking back at the hundreds of albums released so far in 2023, the only ones with which I spent any amount of time were by these artists: Belle & Sebastian, boygenius, Lana Del Rey, Bob Dylan, Ben Folds, Jason Isbell, Olivia Rodrigo, The Rolling Stones, and Paul Simon. That’s not even enough for a top ten.
The week of December 9, 1973, saw the Carpenters atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Top of the World.’ This country pop song spent two week at #1 as part of a ten-week stint on the chart.
This was the second of three career #1s for the duo, though they had five #2 hits between this song and their first chart-topper, ‘(They Long to Be) Close to You.’
Throwing back to the week of December 7, 1963, we find The Singing Nun (Soeur Sourire) at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Dominique.’
I wrote about ‘Dominique’ recently when covering the nine songs not in the English language to top this chart.
That brings us to the #2 song that week, which is ‘I’m Leaving It Up To You’ by the duo Dale & Grace.
Meet Me In Montauk 