“Over” by Chvrches + Top 23 Songs of 2023 (23-21), January 1, 2024

Rather than reposting U2’s “New Year’s Day” for the fourth year, I started the year with my Top 23 Songs 2023. I stuck to one song per artist, and the order is in flux. I’ve blogged about some of these songs, and some of them not yet. I’ll briefly describe the song and link to the original post if I wrote about it before. This isn't a list like Paste or Billboard; it's purely subjective. These songs I found myself listening to a lot this year.


23. “DJ Play a Christmas Song”  by Cher. I'm not sure if this is going to be a novelty song or a perennial classic, but one thing is sure--it's going to sound dated. Maybe it was the anthem we needed after several socially-distanced holidays.
22. “Over”  by Chvrches. Last year, I started listening to the Scottish synth-pop band. Their 2021 album Screen Violence was an excellent concept album. "Over" feels like an extension to the already extended album.
21. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Lana Del Rey. In recent years, Lizzy Grant has become a critical darling. And while her recent albums have made the critical lists, I haven't adjusted to her post-Norman Fucking Rockwell! wound. I did write about her Ultraviolence outtake, "Say Yes to Heaven" last year, but I think the best I've heard Lana was with her cover of John Denver's classic. Maybe I'll change my mind on the Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?

I'll be back with the Top 20 later. Happy New Year!




























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