The 100 Best Songs of 2018
Music made giant leaps forward in 2018—from subject matter celebrating individuality and challenging culture to experimental production being thrust into the mainstream. It’s also worth noting that women dominated the Big 4 categories in last week’s Grammy nominations announcement. That was no accident—many of the best tracks of the year, from breakout debuts like King Princess’ “1950,” to Janelle Monáe and Grimes’ celebratory color-pop, “Pynk,” were made by women. 2018 saw great tracks emerge from all corners of the spectrum, making for a final collection as varied as the rollercoaster year they came from. Here are some of the year’s best songs.
This list is in a generalized order as it nears 100, with attention also focused on making the final playlist mesh. All songs on this list were released in 2018, either as a single or part of an album.
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1. MALAMENTE - ROSALÍA
Like a sleek spaceship organ cascading over a canyon waterfall, Spanish sensation Rosalía’s “Malamente” glides. Accompanied by rhythmic clapping and mechanical synths, her voice enters with a smooth, commanding airiness. It sounds wildly different from today’s Top 40, but easily fits into any playlist, strengthening party beats or balancing chill aesthetics. That’s a big part of what makes Rosalía’s gorgeous act of slinging modern flamenco into the mainstream so intriguing. Even more impressive within the context of its album, El Mal Querer, “Malamente” signals a beacon to where the future of music can go, and how bright it can shine when aware of its past.
2. Girls on the TV – Laura Jean
“Girls on the TV” progresses like a coastline, bright and sunny shores being slowly taken over by cool waves that hide depths underneath. It’s airy and simple, creating complex relationships between melody and lyric in the vein of the classic story song. Minimal alt-pop at its absolute finest, Laura Jean’s ethereal voice glides around the nonchalant sadness in the lyrics. Lighthearted instrumentals give the track plenty of room to breathe, letting focus fall on the duality of its message—somber acknowledgement trying to give way to hopeful future. By the time the chorus opens up, shimmers of hope start to reflect on the rippling waves of guitar and overshadow the sadness of the verses.
3. 1999 – Charli XCX & Troye Sivan
Criminally overlooked and immaculately produced, Charli XCX proves yet again she’s the leader in the future of pop. She teams up with Aussie pop star Troye Sivan for an upbeat earworm that feels nostalgic, celebratory and futuristic all at once. The video is a visual feast, campy and cool as the duo glides through all the best 90s-era hallmarks. It’s the perfect party song, with slick synth bass lines backing the genius xylophonic piano jumps once the song finally explodes in the runaway energy of its chorus.
4. Pynk – Janelle Monáe
The year’s catchiest self-love anthem, Janelle Monáe and Grimes’ powerful pop standout shines a light on the color we all have in common—and successfully drives the idea home with a simple and light hook. It leans sonically Grimes and lyrically Monae, making for an end-product of electric peaks and valleys complete with equal parts pondering synths and celebratory electric guitar. The video celebrates everything from sex and gender to race and relationship, packing scene after scene of incredible imagery that calls for re-watch after re-watch.
5. If You’re Over Me – Years & Years
Perhaps the definition of an acrobatic synth. The ecstatic and playful jump of its major identifier and hook instrumental, Years & Years’ sophomore album hit, “If You’re Over Me” sees lead singer Olly Alexander standing up for himself towards the end of an up-and-down relationship. The trio hasn’t produced a cleaner, catchier synth standout since breakout “King,” and it’s only one of many on Palo Santo.
6. High Horse – Kacey Musgraves
The funk is tangible in the muted bass beats that open Musgraves’ hit, “High Horse.” It’s a profound interpolation of country and disco, recorded in space on horseback and gleefully riding on the waves of incredible guitar work. The lyrics are every bit Musgraves, but the final product in production and instrumentation is something new altogether. It takes the bones and soul of country music, particularly in songwriting and structure, and joyfully plays with it in sonics and voice-instrument bending. It’s like singing country lyrics in space with a galactic banjo in the vein of disco-funk. Musgraves has said one of her favorite things is to hear people say, “I hate country but I love your songs,” and with songs like “High Horse,” it’s easy to see why.
7. 1950 – King Princess
King Princess may only be 19, but she already knows the kind of music she wants to make, and how to make it well. Her breakout mega-hit, “1950,” opens with her unique voice against piano before opening the curtains to the sun-drenched guitar strums. The mad love is tangible, immediately. “I love it when we play 1950 / It's so cold that your stare's 'bout to kill me / I'm surprised when you kiss me,” she sings in a style that sounds as retro as it does future-forward. It could be due to the easy, vintage instrumentals pairing with the progressive lyrics. It’s a breakout tribute to 1952’s The Price of Salt, Patricia Highsmith’s revolutionary gay romance (later represented in film with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara’s Carol), and a wildly successful one at that.
8. P0WDER - Now, Now
“P0WDER” is the emotional and sonical synthesis of Saved, a closing manifesto song detailing the dualities of a complicated love. A bouncy drum kit emerges from dreamy guitar layers, the light vocals dancing joyously around the sharpened strums like beams of light. This subtle elasticity on the first half of the track do good in distracting from the tiny, pulsing cracks in the glass. Just as the song reaches peak radiance, a final-stretch deconstruction blares its way in with dramatic fashion, and a second side of the relationship is revealed. Synths roar alongside piercing vocals, the deep, blaring bass serving as the eye of a storm only Now, Now can manage to create.
9. Fallingwater – Maggie Rogers
The opening percussion bumps of “Fallingwater” sound like an open field at moonlight, and the entrance of Rogers’ croon jolts out into the open like a darting woodland creature. The gentle piano contrasts the deep pulsing drums, the song adding new layers with each passing verse. Energy builds and claps are added, before breaking down in piano to a beating trance of electro-dance music that somehow sounds natural—like the discovery of a river beneath the brush. It’s a blend of genre, cascading between soothing and energizing.
10. Tyrant (feat. Jorja Smith) – Kali Uchis
“Tyrant” is populated with inventive lyrics bumping over tropic beats. Uchis sing-raps with tongue-in-cheek simile (“all we ever do is french like Brigitte Bardot”) and Spanish double-meanings (“Well Mira, mira, míralo… / Papi está rico, papi está guapo”). The video progresses like a kaleidoscopic trance, dazed in love and drenched in reggae energy. It makes for a convincing, exciting track with new texture and flavor.
11. PIENSO EN TU MIRÁ - ROSALÍA
It’s the second song from El Mal Querer in the top 15 of this list, defining a new kind of layered synth. Transfixing hand claps build to fierce choral flourishes that oscillate between bass lines built like city streets. It’s the air of a motorcycle racing down cobblestone; the vibrance of a blooming flower or the rushing of a cool river. The song has many sides and secrets, slyly revealing themselves alongside Rosalía’s versatile voice.
12. Make Me Feel – Janelle Monáe
13. Missing U – Robyn
14. Sway – Tove Styrke
Incredibly affecting and seriously sharp pop from Swedish singer Tove Styrke. “Sway” brings lush instrumentals and playful lyricism to the table, Styrke’s airy voice finding its way into your brain and happily lodging itself there alongside its genius hooks. Sway might be the best pop album of the year.
15. Slow Burn – Kacey Musgraves
16. Honey – Robyn
“Honey” smoothly reveals itself in layers, the verses dripping onto choruses as melodies and lyrics swim together in perfect harmony. If honey had a heartbeat, this would be it. You’ve done it again, Robyn.
17. Holy Water - Now, Now
Aquatic atmospheres mix lovingly with layered synths, religiously-charged lyrics dancing around Cacie Dalager’s emotional whirlpool. It’s a smooth slow-burn, a meditative walk along calm waters before breaking away into a final chorus with all the rumblings of roaring rapids.
18. Heaven – Charly Bliss
Hard-hitting high octane sugar rock. Please stop sleeping on Charly Bliss.
19. Trust My Lonely – Alessia Cara
20. On the Low – Tove Styrke
21. Oh, What A World – Kacey Musgraves
The closest thing we have to what the northern lights might sound like if it were music.
22. BAGDAD - ROSALÍA
For when you want to literally drown in your own tears. Rosalía somehow makes a spanish sampling of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River” work as a stroke of genius, the broodingly magnetic vocals slowly distorting before unleashing a dam in waves of arresting operatics.
23. HEAT WAVE - Snail Mail
Sunshine never sounded so nonchalant (and exciting).
24. Mariners Apartment Complex – Lana Del Rey
25. i wanna be your girlfriend – girl in red
26. The Joke – Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile just shocked the music world with six (6) Grammy nominations, from album of the year for By the Way, I Forgive You and a handful of nominations, including record and song of the year, for album standout “The Joke.” It’s a rousing mountain of folk-Americana and hair-raising vocals, capable of lighting a fire beneath the downtrodden and “other” on harder days. “Let ‘em live while they can / Let ‘em spin, let ‘em scatter in the wind / I have been to the movies, I’ve seen how it ends / and the joke’s on them,” Carlile croons, at first with gentle reassurance before building with the power of a hurricane, culminating in a vocally impressive and emotionally affecting finale.
27. Beyond - Leon Bridges
The perfect song to cook to, Leon Bridges’ soulful “Beyond” is as sweet as it is sincere.
28. Comme Si - Christine and the Queens
29. Sucker Punch - Sigrid
30. 5 in the Morning – Charli XCX
Probably the most slept-on party jam of the year. “5 in the Morning” is the kind of authoritative, brooding, new age trap-pop that only Charli XCX can pull off. It sounds like the video looks—wet metal warehouse, smoke and fire lighting up each bass drop and slick snap.
31. DI MI NOMBRE- ROSALÍA
32. TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME - The 1975
33. Good Vibes – ALMA & Tove Styrke
34. Sanctify – Years & Years
“Sanctify” is one of those rare songs that sounds like a first listen each time. The dramatic vocal distortions cartwheeling over the ancient deep bass rumblings are instantly iconic, the perfect encapsulating lead single for Years & Years’ sophomore album, Palo Santo. It’s fierce, fiery and fast-paced pop that would make the perfect soundtrack for digital aliens invading an ancient rainforest temple.
35. Better Not – Louis the Child & Wafia
The best beat drop of 2018 disguised in a party pop offering. Louis the Child is no stranger to incredibly inventive beats and high-profile features, but “Better Not” is them hitting their sweet spot to produce an undeniable banger.
36. What I Need (feat Kehlani) – Hayley Kiyoko
37. One Kiss – Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa
38. Hold Out Your Hand – Brandi Carlile
39. Version of Me (Remix) – Kimbra & Dawn Richard
When the beat finally kicks in after all that brooding temptation, there’s nothing quite like it. The remix of “Version of Me” is more electric, thanks to the eerie synth production and incredible vocal blend of Kimbra and Dawn. They tango around the synths in dramatic fashion, making for an alluring 4 minutes.
40. Toda (Remix) – Alex Rose, Rauw Alejandro, Cazzu, Lanny Talvarez, Lyanno
41. Give Yourself A Try - The 1975
42. deep end – Lykke Li
43. I Like That – Janelle Monáe
44. Close to Me – Ellie Goulding & Diplo (feat. Swae Lee)
Ellie Goulding is back! After a bit of a hiatus, she returns in style with “Close to Me,” an inventive earworm that comes with a visually stunning video. Her vocals bend and soar in the hook, lighting a fire under expectations of a new album.
45. Sweet But Psycho - Ava Max
46. Heart to Break – Kim Petras
Perfected sugar pop with a deadly hook. Newcomer Kim Petras really had no business crafting such an airtight pop masterpiece, but she’s been on a hot streak since “I Don’t Want It At All,” an equally sweet but more tongue-in-cheek-materialistic and hook-heavy track. She’s one to watch.
47. Here I Am – Dolly Parton & Sia
48. Every Time I Hear That Song – Brandi Carlile
49. X – Nicky Jam, J Balvin
50. Body Language – Kali Uchis
51. Dirty Computer (feat. Brian Wilson) – Janelle Monáe
52. Get Out – CHVRCHES
53. Everybody Knows – Kimbra
54. Talia – King Princess
55. After the Storm – Kali Uchis (feat. Tyler, the Creator & Bootsy Collins)
56. You Say – Lauren Daigle
57. Peach– Broods
The most psychedelic video on this list, Broods’ fast-paced “Peach” is a vintage electro-pop work of genius. The persistent drum beats pair up with playful vocals for a memorable upbeat anthem by the New Zealand duo.
58. I Don’t Want U Back – BØRNS
59. Thru These Tears – LANY
60. My My My! – Troye Sivan
61. God is a woman – Ariana Grande
62. Blur – MØ
63. Electricity – Silk City & Dua Lipa
64. I Like It – Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
65. Miracle – CHVRCHES
66. Sure – Hatchie
67. Heart Attack – Phoebe Ryan & Tove Lo
68. Holly – Sleigh Bells
69. thank u, next – Ariana Grande
70. All I Am – Jess Glynne (mention I’ll be There)
71. Thunderclouds – LSD (Labrinth, Sia, Diplo)
72. Not Today – Alessia Cara
73. Shallow - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
74. Let it Be – Hayley Kiyoko
75. Lucky Escape – Years & Years
76. Top of the World – Kimbra
77. Blow That Smoke – Major Lazer & Tove Lo
78. no tears left to cry – Ariana Grande
79. sex money feelings die – Lykke Li
80. Call If You Need Me – Vance Joy
81. There’s A Reason – Wet
82. All The Stars – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
83. Bitches – Tove Lo (Remix feat. Charli XCX, Icona Pop, Elliphant, ALMA)
84. Stay – The Aces
85. Genius – LSD (Labrinth, Sia, Diplo)
86. Eastside – Benny Blanco (with Halsey & Khalid)
87. Hand It Over – MGMT
88. In the Dark – Camila Cabello
89. Immaterial – SOPHIE
90. MOOO! – Doja Cat
91. Without Me – Halsey
92. Hungry Hippo – Tierra Whack
93. Sleep – Hatchie
94. Medicine – Robinson
95. Superposition – Young the Giant
96. Sin Pijama – Becky G, Natti Natasha
97. Bud - Fenne Lily
98. El Clavo – Prince Royce
99. My Blood – twenty one pilots
100. Woman – Mumford & Sons
Photos: Olly Alexander (Ian Gavan, DigitalSpy/Getty); Janelle Monáe (Colette Aboussouan, TimeOut); Rosalía (Rogers & Cowan, Remezcla); Charli XCX (Katherine Anne Rose, the Observer); Kacey Musgraves (Andrew Lipovsky, NBC/Billboard).