The Top 50 Songs of 2023: 50 - 41

2023 was a strange year for me to rank my top songs. Additionally into being out of practice (I swear I'll eventually get to the 2022 ranking!), almost all my favorite songs this year were either from the second half or were discovered by me in the second half. Predicting how these songs would age was the biggest challenge, but the other half was combing through all the sounds. How does one compare Beabadoobee and Ninety One? It was difficult, but I think my ranking does provide a look at some of my favorite songs this year, with a top song that stands heads and shoulders over the rest. With that said, let us look at the rules.

• This ranking is my opinion.
• I will only rank my top 50 due to time constraints.
• Any song released between January 1 and December 31, 2023 is qualified.
• Instrumentals also count for this list.
• Full-fledged remakes are qualified, but remixes are excluded.
• Finally, I will not split the top 10 this year due to time constraints.

50. Beabadoobee - The Way Things Go

Acceptance at the end of a messy, angry, and cold break-up is often treated with the same level of angst, but Beabadoobee truly proved mature, by accepting what happens, and simply moving forward. Of course, it helps the band and orchestra backing the song is fantastic.

49. Everything Everything - Cold Reactor

Cold Reactor is an above-average example of what Everything Everything do so well. The song, in less than four minutes, tackles topics on religion, nuclear war, loneliness, human connection, the internet, the endless toil of existence, while all being packaged in some of the best pop hooks of the year.

48. B.I - Die For Love Ft. Jessi

B.I may not have released a Keep Me Up or BTBT this year, but Die For Love is close to capturing the emotive drama of the two songs. At first the house beat might fool you into thinking this is a simple summer song, but between the shockingly dark lyrics and twists and turns in productions, Die For Love becomes something special.

47. Golden Child - Feel Me

A shout-it-out emo-rock song requires a chorus that will get stuck in your head for weeks on end, and that is what Golden Child brought with Feel Me, a classic sing-along chorus that is both the just right amount of emotive and rebellious for the intended tone.

46. Ali Sethi & Nicolás Jaar - Intiha

As far as album openers this year went, few were better at mood setting than Intiha. The minimalist production by Jaar is impactful, but it is Sethi's slow-burn magnetism that makes Intiha so memorable, especially as he stretches each note.

45. Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui - Colegra Battle

Perhaps the most beloved track from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, The Colegra Battle is perhaps one of the grandest battle tracks for video games in a long while. The more orchestral and cinematic elements in the second half make it an instant highlight.

44. NewJeans - Super Shy

NewJeans may not have released a Ditto or Hype Boy this year, but that still left a lot of room for classy and catchy earworms, which Super Shy has in droves. The drums & bass chorus is fantastic, but it is with how the melody uses repetition to its advantage that Super Shy becomes quite... super.

43. The Last Rockstars - Psycho Love

Featuring arguably the greatest J-Rock and Visual Kei talent ever in a single room, The Last Rockstars powered through only two songs this year, and they only hit their stride with Psycho Love. Nonetheless, it provides a glimpse into the unlimited potential of this supergroup.

42. Jungle - Back On 74

For those seeking a new dose of funky old soul, the '70s sounds of Jungle's Back On 74 would certainly do the trick. Apparently, it works for everyone, as the song was a major TikTok hit this year. It is with the little moments the song thrives, such as the backing strings in the second verse.

41. Shankar Mahadevan, KS Chithra, Harini - Veera Raja Veera (Comp. A.R. Rahman)

The best song of the Carnatic revival this year, Veera Raja Veera brings together a cross-generational menagerie of vocal talents, led by the compositional skills of A.R. Rahman to capture the magnificence of on-screen Cholas. If the classical ragas weren't enough for you, the climax certainly will provide that push.