Matt's Books and Music

The other day I shared my top 10 albums from 2024. Today I want to look at my favourite individual songs released this year.

Favourite Songs

10. “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” by Gracie Abrams

The emergence of Gracie Abrams as a force in the world of pop-oriented singer-songwriters has been a great story this year. Few songs exemplify her use of simple (often repetitive) melodies, stripped down production, and confessional lyrics better than “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” a song about the toxic aftermath of a failed relationship.

Favourite line: “You mean well, but aim low.”

9. “The Alchemy,” by Taylor Swift

Ms. Taylor Alison Swift will appear a few times on this list. Her vast and unwieldy The Tortured Poets Department may not have worked super well as a cohesive album, but it was full of wonderful songs, including this one, which has flown a bit under the radar. Its hook is simple but infectious and effective, and its lyrics, speaking of the often unpredictable magic between two people as they fall in love, are a bit more universal than her normal confessional fare.

Favourite line: “Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby I’m the one to beat”

8. “The Kill,” by Maggie Rogers

I’m a big fan of singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers. While her 2024 album Don’t Forget Me was a bit hit-or-miss for me, “The Kill” emerged as easily one of my favourite tracks of the year. I love the easy, driving production and the simple, but effective, use of harmony, and the playful lyrics about the push-and-pull between two people who can’t stop trying to get the upper hand in their relationship.

Favourite line: “You kept my secrets and stole my weaknesses”

7. “Close to You,” by Gracie Abrams

“Close to You” is a song that has apparently been known to Abrams’ fans for a while now, but was never released until this year. If it’s from an earlier batch of songs this would make sense as it’s certainly a departure from the lyrical intimacy of her emerging style. But, generic as it may be — being about catching the eye of someone across the dance floor — there’s a place for fun, generic pop music that just makes you want to dance. And this does just that.

Favourite line: ”I was so cool, but then, all of a sudden / You saw me look at you”

6. “The Black Dog,” by Taylor Swift

One of Taylor Swift’s great skills is the ability to find new and emerging symbols or images. “The Black Dog” is a great example of this, starting with a realization that her ex hasn’t turned off the “share my location” feature on his phone and imagining what he might be doing at the bar he’s at. It’s a great song about the crazy-making tendencies of our connected world.

Favourite line: “You said I needed a brave man / Then proceeded to play him / Until I believed it too”

5. “Scared of My Guitar,” by Olivia Rodrigo

(Note: This was originally released on vinyl only at the end of 2023, but I’m including it here as it wasn’t made more widely available until 2024.)

We’re at the point in this list where any of the songs could make a case for being number one for me this year. I really couldn’t be more impressed by this song, from the deluxe edition of Rodrigo’s Guts album. The lyrics are simultaneously clever and devastating, detailing the power of music to force an artist into honesty. And I love the stripped-down production, which only heightens the song’s feeling of vulnerability.

Favourite line: “I’m so scared of my guitar / ‘cause it cuts right through to the heart / Yeah, it knows me too well, so I got no excuse / I can’t lie to it the same way that I lie to you.”

4. “loml,” by Taylor Swift

It’s fair to say that The Tortured Poets Department was not the album folks were expecting it to be. It’s far less about the break up of Swift’s six-year long relationship than it is about the short but intense and psychologically devastating rebound relationship with an old crush that followed it. “loml” details the aftermath of the end of this ‘situationship’ that had once been her beacon of hope. It’s a powerful song about loss and the confusion that so often follows the end of relationships.

Favourite line: “Who’s gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames / If we knew the steps anyway?”

3. “Guilty as Sin?” by Taylor Swift

If there’s been one chink in Taylor Swift’s armour as a businesswoman it’s been her often strange selection of singles for her albums. And while The Tortured Poets Department isn’t full of likely radio hits, “Guilty as Sin?” is sitting right there and has top-40 hit written all over it. It’s pretty, catchy, with impeccable pop production, and has enough peaks and valleys to keep it from ever getting boring. Its subject matter is certainly adult, but its pondering the question whether it’s really infidelity if it’s all in one’s imagination is tame compared to a lot of top-40 fare these days! At any rate, this is absolutely one of my favourite songs of 2024, and a canonical Taylor Swift song for me.

Favourite line: “If it’s make believe / Why does it feel like a vow / We’ll both uphold somehow?”

2. “Knock Yourself Out XD,” by Porter Robinson

This choice is a big departure from the rest of this list, and may age badly in hindsight. But I’ve had this song on repeat since I first heard it in October. With its infectious dance beats, effective use of nostalgic 8-bit video game sounds, and confection-like pop production values, this is a pure dopamine hit. And hidden behind all this fun is a pretty serious message about the disenchantment of fame.

Favourite line: “But baby I’m a short-lived joke ; / as soulless as I seem”

1. “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan was the year’s break out sensation, but this was the only track she released this year, with her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess having been released in Fall 2023 (and therefore ineligible for my list). It’s a good thing for my rankings then, that this absolute banger of an anthem is my favourite song of hers so far. It perfectly pairs Roan’s soaring vocals with a biting sarcasm, and the emotional impact of the final chorus coming in after the bridge’s scream of “I told you so!” never misses. This is an all-time classic.

Favourite line: “It’s fine, it’s cool / You can say that we are nothin’, / But you know the truth.”