The 34 Best Songs of 2019

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Photo: Courtesy of Concord, Interscope Records, Columbia Records and Sony Music

It’s been yet another banner year in music. From the meteoric rise of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” to the Billie Eilish effect, seemingly endless hits earned best-song status. With so much happening out there, it’s hard to recall all of the year’s greatest singles, which is why Vogue editors have compiled their favorites of 2019 into one handy list (which can easily double as an eclectic Spotify playlist for your next party). Here are the best songs of 2019.

“Suge,” DaBaby

2019 was truly the year of DaBaby, and I can report with scientific accuracy that this song is guaranteed to make you run faster. Okay, I can’t promise that, but its rhythmic beat and rhymes have definitely upped my workout game. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Thousand Eyes,” FKA Twigs

This song nails the feeling that everyone’s looking at you—a feeling that many women can relate to, but one that must be all the more acute when you’re a celebrity. Even if you skip the deeper meaning, it’s catchy as hell. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Cheap Queen,” King Princess

The queen of queer melancholy King Princess—aka Michaela Straus—dropped another oh-so-emotional pop banger, this time about the joys of “smoking and movies and homies who bring me wine.” —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Bags,” Clairo

“Every second counts/I don’t wanna talk to you anymore.” Drifting between a sweet shyness and the clarity of knowing the right thing when you see it, folk-pop singer Clairo cops to a pleasurable lovesickness. —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor

“La Canción,” J. Balvin and Bad Bunny

The year’s saddest and most sensuality-drenched dance song came from reggaeton kings J. Balvin and Bad Bunny. Sway along as the duo recalls drunken kisses—and quite a bit more besides, not quite safe for work—from an erstwhile lover. —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor

“Ghosteen,” Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

At the heart of Cave’s elegiac album of the same name, the artist’s first since his son Arthur died in 2015, lies this serene and gently pulsing paean to life as well as its ghosts: “This world is beautiful/Held within its stars/I keep it in my heart.” —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor

“Supermoon,” Charly Bliss

This song is as addictively poppy and head nod–inducing as anything on Bliss’s previous album, Young Enough, and it has the added benefit of being relatable as hell. “I didn’t even see the supermoon” is a real 2019 FOMO mood. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Every Woman,” Vagabon

Musician Laetitia Tamko’s sophomore effort is even more layered and listenable than her first, and “Every Woman” is a particular standout (don’t miss Angel Olsen singing it with her live in Oakland either). —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Crown,” Jay Som

Som’s third studio album is full of hits, but something about this song—maybe its I’m-okay-you’re-okay refrain of “Don’t wanna slow down/Don’t wanna forget/The company’s fine/The feeling’s all right”—sets it apart. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Beautiful Ghosts,” Taylor Swift, from the Cats soundtrack

You thought we were going to round up the best songs of 2019 and just leave Cats out in the cold? The movie itself might be bonkers, but Swift’s performance of “Beautiful Ghosts” is sure to bring a tear to your eye. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Don’t Leave Me Lonely,” Mark Ronson ft. Yebba

You know the kind of song you replay so often you get entirely sick of it? That was this synth-y dance anthem for me—except I never got sick of it! I have a strong suspicion Yebba and her soulful voice is going to really explode in the coming months, though she’s already had some big-name collabs, such as this one with Ronson as well as with Ed Sheeran. —Christian Allaire, fashion and style writer

“Torn,” Ava Max

It’s hard to stand out in the saturated pop-music scene. But I dig Max’s weird asymmetrical haircut—and the fact that she’s bringing dance-pop back, too. These days, pop is all about mellow beats and meaningful lyrics; Max’s pop is just fun and featherbrained, in the best way possible. “Torn” earworms its way into my head at least once a day. —Christian Allaire, fashion and style writer

“Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish

Eilish is 2019’s breakout artist, and “Bad Guy” is far from her swan song—though it is her best single so far. With its airy delivery and trap-pop synth bass, the hit is far from what you’d expect a number-one song to sound like—and that’s why it remained number one for a record-breaking 19-week run. Need we say more? —Christian Allaire, fashion and style writer

“Heavyweight Champion of the Year,” Nilüfer Yanya

This slow-burn, indie-pop anthem from 23-year-old London singer-songwriter Yanya has such a 2019 mood—downbeat, wounded, full of barely sublimated rage. I heard it early in the year and haven’t stopped listening since: It’s bummed-out bliss. —Taylor Antrim, executive editor

“SugarHouse, Live,” (Sandy) Alex G

The last song on (Sandy) Alex G’s ninth album, House of Sugar, is the only live recording on there—the rest are glossed over with as much major studio sheen as artist Alexander Giannascoli was willing to add, which in the end doesn’t sound too far removed from his early days recording strangely beautiful songs in his bedroom. As a saxophone wails in the background, Giannascoli’s voice cracks alive like nowhere else on the album, and the last few lyrics are as satisfying a conclusion to an album as you’ll get: “I won’t be forgotten / Let ‘em bury me in the sand,” Giannascoli sings. “When our children go digging for answers / I hope they can put me together again.” —Rachel Hahn, fashion news writer

“Nights That Won’t Happen,” Purple Mountains

David Berman’s last studio album didn’t come via a new Silver Jews album, but rather under a new moniker, Purple Mountains. “Nights That Won’t Happen” cuts to the bone even without context—it would be impossible not to, with the line “The dead know what they’re doing when they leave this world behind”—but given that Berman died by suicide just a short time after its release, its gut punch hits even harder. Berman was always a master lyricist, though, and “Nights That Won’t Happen” proves yet again that even his dark moments were magnetic. —Rachel Hahn, fashion news writer

“Jenni,” Big Thief

“Jenni,” is a song as cold and upsettingly lovely as a dead star. A spectacular cut from Big Thief’s third record, U.F.O.F., the track is a slow burner of sludge and eerie calm. That is, until the end, when a one-note guitar solo enters the mix and decimates everything in sight. Jenni is the name of the song’s protagonist, who resides on the other side of a portal—if you go through it, you can submerge yourself in the unknown. The song is enshrouded in mystery, both in terms of its strange figures, and in terms of tone and sonics. —Sophie Kemp, fashion assistant

“Money Machine,” 100 Gecs

“Hey li'l piss baby / You think you’re so fucking cool?” might just be the greatest—at least, the most provocative—come-hither on a record in 2019. “Money Machine,” the opening track of Chicago and Los Angeles duo 100 Gecs’s debut record, 1000 Gecs, is an amorphous blend of bloghouse, pop-punk, and Soundcloud rap. In other words, it’s a snarl of influences meant for both mosh pits and Gen-Z high school ragers. —Sophie Kemp, fashion assistant

“He,” Jai Paul

One of the most tragic stories of music in the past decade was the disappearance of Paul, an elusive British electronic artist, from the scene. As the story goes, over a dozen demos from his long-awaited debut record were leaked by an unmasked hacker, and Paul wasn’t heard from again. But this year, Paul decided to finally release the demos, and also dropped a two-song EP. “He” is the second track. Featuring a propulsive bass line and chintzy ‘80s synth aesthetics, the song is first and foremost a dance track. It’s also about finding love and acceptance, and feeling like you finally belong. —Sophie Kemp, fashion assistant

“Drunk II,” Mannequin Pussy

“Drunk II,” the lead single from Philly punk band Mannequin Pussy’s third record, Patience, centers around the dissolution of love: specifically, all of the messiness involved in ending things with someone you still have feelings for and brushing it off by drinking and dancing and pretending everything is totally fine. “I still love you, you stupid fuck!” frontwoman Marisa Dabice scream-cries over disorienting guitars and crashing cymbals. “Drunk II” is the kind of song you’re meant to ugly-cry to while sitting in your car or the subway way too late at night. We’ve all been there. —Sophie Kemp, fashion assistant

“Chance,” Angel Olsen

“The thing is, nothing is ever resolved completely. Nothing is ever healed completely,” Olsen has said of the closing track to her fourth album, All Mirrors. “Chance” is a lilting and romantic walk through the late stages of a relationship. The song moves like a ship bobbing up and down in the water right after a storm breaks: We hear resonant keys drift in and out of consciousness, and a blooming string section shuffles about slowly and tenderly. “It’s hard to say forever, love / Forever’s just so far,” Olsen sings in her deeply expressive alto. Then, we are left with strings that feel plucked from the saddest yé-yé tracks and Maria Callas arias. If forever is intangible, isn’t it important to enjoy what we have while we can? —Sophie Kemp, fashion assistant

“Norman Fucking Rockwell,” Lana Del Rey

Since Del Rey’s floaty and transcendental “Venice Bitch”—more score than song, as it clocks in at just under 10 perfectly used minutes—is disqualified (it was released a year before the singer‘s 2019 album came out), I’m going with the title track on Norman Fucking Rockwell. With Del Rey's gossamer croon hovering over instruments the ear can actually recognize, it’s a song that plays like the most elegant of eye rolls directed at the men who deserve it most. —Lilah Ramzi, features editor

“So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings,” Caroline Polachek

Every song on Polachek’s new album is worth a listen, but this single is, perhaps obviously, its most seductive: a catchy long-distance love song for our digital times, when everyone feels kind of far away. (“Don’t send me photos, you’re making it worse.”) —Ella Riley-Adams, senior beauty and living editor

“Truly,” Twin Shadow

It’s hard to choose between this song and “Only for the Broken-Hearted” (two of the three singles Twin Shadow has released in 2019)—they were a perfect pairing for my January breakup and March meeting of someone new. Truly wins out for its swirling sounds and sense of possibility. —Ella Riley-Adams, senior beauty and living editor

“Keep On,” Courtney Barnett

It’s always hard for a cover to measure up to the original, but Barnett’s take on Loose Tooth’s “Keep On” does just that. The Australian musician is no slouch when it comes to covers (her Wilco homage is particularly masterful), but hearing her distinctive drawl on the lyrics to “Keep On” is a particular pleasure. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“7 Rings,” Ariana Grande

If “7 Rings” by Grande isn’t in your top 10 of 2019, you might be lying just a little bit. The distinctive, hot pink video for “7 Rings” was a much-needed dose of fun last winter, but the lyrics, which mirror The Sound of Music’s “My Favorite Things,” are what really keeps this song on repeat. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Flirting With Her,” Sir Babygirl

Every song on Sir Babygirl, aka Kelsie Hogue’s, debut album “Crush on Me” is a certified, dance-floor-filling banger. Nonetheless, “Flirting With Her”—an infectious, maniacal ode to the joys and anxieties of queer courtship, pop-punky in a way that calls to mind Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson—stands out as perhaps the album’s best. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Beach2k20 (Yaeji Remix),” Robyn

Swedish pop princess Robyn is much-adored all on her own (remember when that spontaneous subway dance party broke out after her concert?), but adding Brooklyn-based house-pop singer Yaeji only makes her better. The collaboration starts with a breathy, adorable conversation between the two musicians, and the beat is guaranteed to get you moving. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Basquiat,” Jamila Woods

Woods’s whole album is a hit (don't miss her breaking it down, song by song), but the frenetic pace and clever lyrics—“You can’t police my joy / My smile is not employed”—make this song my favorite. —Emma Specter, culture writer

“Aute Cuture,” Rosalía

It’s hard to pick from the many songs Spanish singer Rosalía dropped this year, but this melodic dance floor bait might just have the edge. It’s all in the tempting beat, playful exclamations (“Madre mia, Rosalía!”), and high-life posturing. —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor

“Old Town Road (Remix),” Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus

It feels ridiculous to say anything about this viral hit, which broke records for longest-reigning Billboard number one, because you probably already know its story. Become indispensable in social media memes, make the country chart, controversially get removed from the country chart, earn a Cyrus remix, and boom: You’ve got the song of the year. —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor

“Motivation,” Normani

The music video, with its nods to noughties R&B and a now infamous booty basketball bounce, was enough to catapult this song to immediate favorite. But the truth was that we’d all been thirsting for a big summer hit, and the former Fifth Harmony member delivered with this sweet, teasing earworm. —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor

“Seventeen,” Sharon Van Etten

What would you say to the teenage version of yourself? This tender rock track encapsulates one ideal possibility; the song, from Van Etten’s Remind Me Tomorrow, is full of knowing ministrations directed to an achingly alive and impatient young avatar: “You think you know something you don’t.” —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor

“Sucker,” Jonas Brothers

The Jonii are back, with adulthood in tow, and their pop chops still intact. Anyone fearing their childhood idols had lost their way in the years of silence since the brothers called it quits were instantly appeased by this irrepressible love ditty. —Estelle Tang, senior culture editor