My Top 30 Songs for April 19-25, 2026

Photo of The Neighbourhood from their Facebook account

It’s a fairly quiet week for my latest chart, as The Neighbourhood remain on top with their charming “Hula Girl” and there are no new entries (though 16 “new” songs entered my chart over the previous five weeks). MISSIO move into second place with their exhilarating “I Remember When”, Twenty One Pilots‘ “Drag Path” jumps four spots to #6 and “The Old Law” by Father John Misty moves up a spot to enter the top 10 at #10. The song is the highest-charting for him, as well as his first to appear on my chart. And because there are no new debuts, nor did I want to drop any songs from my chart, the songs at numbers 25-30 remain stuck in place. That’s certainly no reflection on their quality, as they’ll all be rising in the coming weeks.

  1. HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (1)
  2. I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (3)
  3. THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (2)
  4. DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (4)
  5. YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (5)
  6. DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (10)
  7. WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (7)
  8. SWEET LOVE – Stephen Sanchez (8)
  9. SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (9)
  10. THE OLD LAW – Father John Misty (11)
  11. LOST YOUR GHOST – Two Feet (6)
  12. BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (15)
  13. LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (16)
  14. DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (17)
  15. YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (18)
  16. HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (21)
  17. STARLIGHT – Cannons (19)
  18. BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (20)
  19. FOOL’S GOLD – Buffalo Traffic Jam (22)
  20. SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (23)
  21. SONG OF THE FUTURE – U2 (24)
  22. THE WRECKAGE – Silversun Pickups (12)
  23. WHO’S YOUR BOYFRIEND – Royel Otis (13)
  24. HEATHER – Secret Postal Society (14)
  25. YOU AND FOREVER – Bleachers (25)
  26. BE WITH YOU – Muse (26)
  27. RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (27)
  28. HEADLIGHTS – In Color (28)
  29. DYING TO LOVE – Bad Omens (29)
  30. HOMEWRECKER – sombr (30)

My Top 30 Songs for April 12-18, 2026

Photo of The Neighbourhood from their Facebook account

The Neighbourhood take over the top spot on this week’s chart with their captivating “Hula Girl”. The song is from their fifth studio album (((((ultraSOUND))))), released last November. I’ve been a big fan of this Los Angeles-based alt-rock group since first hearing their song “Sweater Weather” back in the summer of 2013 (it became my favorite song of 2013 and 4th favorite song of the 2010s). Formed in 2011, the band still consists of all five original members: heavily-tattooed vocalist Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, bassist Mikey Margott and drummer Brandon Fried, and I’m happy they’re still putting out exceptional music. In March they embarked on a worldwide tour which will conclude in their hometown of Los Angeles in December. “Hula Girl” is their third song to top my chart, after the aforementioned “Sweater Weather” and “Stargazing” in 2021.

I’m not wild about the official video so am sharing the lyric video instead:

In other chart developments of note, “I Remember When” by Austin, Texas-based duo MISSIO advances two spots to #3, while “Slumber Party” by Chicago-based alt-rock band Brigitte Calls Me Baby enters the top 10 at #9, and “Drag Path” by Columbus, Ohio duo Twenty One Pilots rises three spots to #10.

Three songs make their debut this week, starting with “Headlights” by Nashville-based alternative pop band In Color, entering at #28. Formed in 2024, the band is comprised of Holden Clontz, Matthew Hastings, Val Hoyt and Miles Laderman. Inspired by an eclectic array of acts ranging from The Beatles, U2 and Coldplay to Michael Jackson, Kings of Leon and Switchfoot, they released their debut single “Headlights” on Valentine’s Day 2025. They followed with several more singles as well as an EP Snow Day, that October. They’ve continued releasing more singles, but as so often happens these days, “Headlights” went viral on social media and has now amassed nearly 13 million streams on Spotify alone.

The second new entry is the darkly beautiful “Dying To Love” by American alternative metalcore band Bad Omens. Formed in Richmond, Virginia in 2015, the band presently consists of vocalist and producer Noah Sebastian, guitarist Nicholas Ruffilo, guitarist and producer Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson and drummer Nick Folio. The song is their third to appear on my chart, following “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” in 2023 and “Specter” in late 2025/early 2026, both reaching the top 10.

The third debut is “Homewrecker”, the latest single by New York-based artist sombr, who over the past year has already scored three #1 songs on my chart: “back to friends” (my #1 song of 2025), “undressed” and “12 to 12”, which recently spent five weeks at #1. He put on a great show at Coachella yesterday, which I livestreamed on YouTube.

  1. HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (2)
  2. THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (1)
  3. I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (5)
  4. DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (4)
  5. YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (6)
  6. LOST YOUR GHOST – Two Feet (3)
  7. WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (9)
  8. SWEET LOVE – Stephen Sanchez (10)
  9. SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (11)
  10. DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (13)
  11. THE OLD LAW – Father John Misty (12)
  12. THE WRECKAGE – Silversun Pickups (7)
  13. WHO’S YOUR BOYFRIEND – Royel Otis (8)
  14. HEATHER – Secret Postal Society (14)
  15. BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (15)
  16. LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (16)
  17. DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (17)
  18. YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (19)
  19. STARLIGHT – Cannons (21)
  20. BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (22)
  21. HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (24)
  22. FOOL’S GOLD – Buffalo Traffic Jam (23)
  23. SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (25)
  24. SONG OF THE FUTURE – U2 (28)
  25. YOU AND FOREVER – Bleachers (27)
  26. BE WITH YOU – Muse (29)
  27. RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (30)
  28. HEADLIGHTS – In Color (N)
  29. DYING TO LOVE – Bad Omens (N)
  30. HOMEWRECKER – sombr (N)

My Top 30 Songs for April 5-11, 2026

Photo of Noah Kahan from his Facebook account

Noah Kahan holds the top spot for a third week with his beautiful inspirational song “The Great Divide”, while The Neighbourhood hold at #2 for a second week with their winsome “Hula Girl”. Rounding out the top five are “Lost Your Ghost” by Two Feet, “Doubletake” by Edgehill and “I Remember When” by MISSIO. Singer-songwriter Stephen Sanchez enters the top ten with his throwback doo wop-inspired “Sweet Love”.

Four new songs by music heavy hitters enter my chart this week, starting with “you and forever” by American pop-rock band Bleachers, coming in at #27. Formed in 2013 by singer-songwriter, musician and producer extraordinaire Jack Antonoff, the group has included his longtime touring musicians Mikey Freedom Hart, Sean Hutchinson, Evan Smith, Michael Riddleberger, and Zem Audu since 2023. The song is the lead single from their fifth studio album Everyone for Ten Minutes, scheduled for release on May 22nd.

Next up is “Song of the Future” by legendary Irish rock band U2, who since forming in 1976 has consisted of Bono (Hewson) on lead vocals, the Edge on lead guitar, keys and backing vocals, Adam Clayton on bass and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums and percussion. They’ve been putting out music since 1979, including 15 studio albums, 12 EPs and 85 singles. Their first new music in two years, “Song of the Future” is from their Days of Ash EP, released February 18h, which they’ve since followed with Easter Lily EP this past Friday, April 3rd.

Entering at #29 is “Be With You” by English alt-rock band Muse, which since their formation more than 30 years ago has consisted of Matt Bellamy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Chris Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals), and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion). The song is the second single (following last year’s “Unravelling”) from their forthcoming tenth studio album The Wow! Signal, to be released June 26th.

Last, but certainly not least, is “Riptides”, the latest single by American indie pop-rock band Death Cab for Cutie. Formed in 1997, the band has undergone a few changes in lineup over the years and now consists of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboards, guitar), and Jason McGerr (drums). “Riptides” is the lead single from their forthcoming 11th studio album I Built You a Tower, due for release on June 5th.

  1. THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (1)
  2. HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (2)
  3. LOST YOUR GHOST – Two Feet (4)
  4. DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (5)
  5. I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (6)
  6. YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (7)
  7. THE WRECKAGE – Silversun Pickups (8)
  8. WHO’S YOUR BOYFRIEND – Royel Otis (3)
  9. WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (10)
  10. SWEET LOVE – Stephen Sanchez (11)
  11. SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (12)
  12. THE OLD LAW – Father John Misty (14)
  13. DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (19)
  14. HEATHER – Secret Postal Society (15)
  15. BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (16)
  16. LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (17)
  17. DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (18)
  18. ZOMBIE – YUNGBLUD (9) 21st week on chart
  19. YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (29)
  20. TO SPACE – Kings of Leon (13)
  21. STARLIGHT – Cannons (24)
  22. BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (25)
  23. FOOL’S GOLD – Buffalo Traffic Jam (26)
  24. HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (27)
  25. SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (30)
  26. HUMAN – Brandi Carlile (20)
  27. YOU AND FOREVER – Bleachers (N)
  28. SONG OF THE FUTURE – U2 (N)
  29. BE WITH YOU – Muse (N)
  30. RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 21-27, 2024

Photo by Ryan Fleisher/imageSPACE

Brittany Howard remains at #1 for a second week with “What Now”, while Green Day‘s “The American Dream Is Killing Me” and Teddy Swims‘ “Lose Control” hold at #2 and #3 for a second week as well. boygenius move up two spots to #4 with “Cool About It”, and Mitski holds at #5 again with “My Love Mine All Mine”. Otherwise, there’s quite a bit of movement on the rest of the chart as several long-running hit songs move downward, making way for several that have been stuck in the lower reaches for weeks.

“Nothing Matters” by English all-female band The Last Dinner Party leaps 10 spots to enter the top 10 at #10. It took me a while to warm up to this song for some reason I can’t explain, but now I love it! “How Did You Get Here?” by English singer-songwriter Antony Szmierek moves up five spots to #12, “Blame Brett” by The Beaches, another all-female indie rock band, jumps six spots to #13, “Northern Attitude” by Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan and Irish singer-songwriter Hozier leaps nine spots to #14, “Pretty Vicious” by English rock band The Struts moves up six spots to #15, and “Winter Cowboy” by English crooner Frank Joseph also moves up six notches to #16. Jumping eight spots each are Future Islands‘ “The Tower”, to #17, English singer-songwriter Bakar‘s “Alive!”, to #18, and American rapper Jack Harlow‘s “Lovin On Me”, to #21. “Mother Nature” by American psychedelic pop-rock duo MGMT, moves up seven spots to #20. The sole debut this week is “Normal People Things” by yet another English act, indie rock band Lovejoy, entering at #30. It’s their second song to appear on my chart, the first being “Call Me What You Like” last year.

  1. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (1)
  2. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (2)
  3. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (3)
  4. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (6)
  5. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (5)
  6. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (4)
  7. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (9)
  8. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (10)
  9. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (7)
  10. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (20)
  11. DARLING – Western Jaguar (8)
  12. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (17)
  13. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (19)
  14. NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (23)
  15. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (21)
  16. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (22)
  17. THE TOWER – Future Islands (25)
  18. ALIVE! - Bakar (26)
  19. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (18)
  20. MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (27)
  21. LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (29)
  22. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (11)
  23. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (12)
  24. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (14)
  25. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (13)
  26. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (15)
  27. LOVING YOU – Cannons (16) 23rd week on chart
  28. NICE TO KNOW YOU – lovelytheband (28)
  29. YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster (30)
  30. NORMAL PEOPLE THINGS – Lovejoy (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 14-20, 2024

Photo by Ryan Fleisher/imageSPACE

Alabama-born and now Nashville-based singer-songwriter Brittany Howard takes over the top spot this week with her soulful and funky kiss-off single “What Now”, displacing Green Day‘s “The American Dream Is Killing Me” after it’s three week run at #1. The astonishingly talented artist with a powerhouse voice was front woman of rock band Alabama Shakes, but went solo in 2018 when the band went on hiatus. She released her debut album Jaime in 2019 to widespread acclaim, and was nominated for numerous music awards, winning a Grammy in 2021 for Best Rock Song for her single “Stay High”. “What Now” is the lead and title single from her forthcoming second album of the same name, scheduled for release on February 2. About the single, Howard explains “It was written during the pandemic when the question “What now” was on all of our minds.  I think it is a feeling that has continued to the present moment in the world we live in. It is also the title of the new album and I think when you hear it you will understand why I landed on that title…but more on that later.” The dark video was directed by Danilo Parra, produced by Adam Braun and filmed by Benjamin Whatley. In addition to Howard, the video features Mohnsta Simmons, Anaelle Rabotoson, Laquane Barnes and Andre Lambert.

In other notable chart developments, Georgia singer-songwriter Teddy Swims is the biggest upward mover for the third consecutive week, as his bluesy and blistering “Lose Control” leaps nine spots to #3. Moving into fourth place is “Attraction”, the sweet song of budding love by talented young British trio Wild Horse, followed by “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski at #5. Entering the top 10 after a long slow climb are the ethereal “All I Die For” by Canadian indie rock band SWiiMS and “Modern Girl” by pop-rock band Bleachers.

Making their debut this week are two songs that couldn’t be more different from each other: Entering at #29 is “Lovin On Me” by the enormously popular rapper Jack Harlow, who’s racked up a stream of hits over the past five years, some of them collaborations with other artists. The song is already a massive hit, currently returning to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 after all the Christmas songs that dominated the chart in December dropped off. I’m not generally a fan of his type of music, but with its infectious groove, “Lovin On You” has finally grown on me. Entering at #30 is the lovely “Your World Now” by fellow blogger, musician and all-around Renaissance man Marc Schuster. About the song, he explains: “On the surface, it sounds like it could be a wistful breakup song in the style of Jens Lekman or Belle & Sebastian, but it isn’t really influenced by any personal experiences beyond the broad strokes of realizing that the world is changing and that I’m okay with handing the reins over to people who will do things differently than I would.” I think it’s one of Schuster’s best songs yet, and his vocals have never sounded better.

  1. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (2)
  2. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (1)
  3. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (12)
  4. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (5)
  5. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (6)
  6. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (8)
  7. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (7)
  8. DARLING – Western Jaguar (3)
  9. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (13)
  10. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (14)
  11. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (4)
  12. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (9)
  13. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (10)
  14. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (11)
  15. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (15)
  16. LOVING YOU – Cannons (17) 22nd week on chart
  17. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (19)
  18. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (20)
  19. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (21)
  20. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (23)
  21. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (22)
  22. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (24)
  23. NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (25)
  24. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (16)
  25. THE TOWER – Future Islands (27)
  26. ALIVE! – Bakar (28)
  27. MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (29)
  28. NICE TO KNOW YOU – lovelytheband (30)
  29. LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (N)
  30. YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster (N)

My Favorite Song for Every Year, Part 2, 1980-1999

Here’s Part 2 of my favorite songs for each year from 1980 through 1999. I’ve written in some detail about several of these songs in previous posts over my eight-plus years of blogging, so won’t write lengthy narratives about any of them here. Just the year, the song and the artist, and the best video I could find for each one.

1980 CALL ME – Blondie

1981 BETTE DAVIS EYES – Kim Carnes

1982 MANEATER – Daryl Hall & John Oates

1983 EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – The Police (my #1 song of the 1980s)

1984 WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT – Tina Turner

1985 EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – Tears for Fears

1986 WEST END GIRLS – Pet Shop Boys

1987 WITH OR WITHOUT YOU – U2

1988 WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS? – Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield

1989 GOOD THING – Fine Young Cannibals

1990 NOTHING COMPARES 2 U – Sinéad O’Connor

1991 LOSING MY RELIGION – R.E.M. (my #1 song of the 1990s)

1992 CONSTANT CRAVING – k.d. lang

1993 THE CRYING GAME – Boy George

1994 STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA – Bruce Springsteen

1995 TAKE A BOW – Madonna

1996 ONE SWEET DAY – Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men

1997 ONE HEADLIGHT – The Wallflowers

1998 BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY – The Verve

1999 SMOOTH – Santana featuring Rob Thomas

Top 30 Songs for January 7-13, 2024

Not a lot of changes to this week’s Top 30, with the songs in the top six spots remaining in place for a second week. Green Day‘s “The American Dream Is Killing Me” is #1 for a third week, while Brittany Howard‘s “What Now” holds on the #2 spot for a second week. The lovely “Cool About It” by boygenius climbs three spots to enter the top 10 at #8. The biggest upward mover again this week is “Lose Control” by Georgia singer-songwriter Teddy Swims, jumping seven spots to #12. The sole debut this week is “nice to know you” by L.A. pop-rock trio lovelytheband, who I had the pleasure of seeing in concert last June. In fact, in addition to lovelytheband, I’ve also seen two other acts on this list – Cold War Kids and Cannons.

  1. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (1)
  2. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (2)
  3. DARLING – Western Jaguar (3)
  4. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (4)
  5. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (5)
  6. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (6)
  7. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (10)
  8. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (11)
  9. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (7)
  10. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (8)
  11. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (9)
  12. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (19)
  13. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (14)
  14. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (15)
  15. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (12)
  16. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (13)
  17. LOVING YOU – Cannons (16) 21st week on chart
  18. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (18)
  19. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (20)
  20. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (21)
  21. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (22)
  22. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (23)
  23. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (24)
  24. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (26)
  25. NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (27)
  26. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (17)
  27. THE TOWER – Future Islands (28)
  28. ALIVE! – Bakar (29)
  29. MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (30)
  30. NICE TO KNOW YOU – lovelytheband (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 31, 2023 – January 6, 2024

Happy New Year! As we transition from 2023 to 2024, Green Day remain on top for a second week with their protest anthem “The American Dream Is Killing Me”. They’ve been a long-time favorite of mine, and I’m glad they’re still making music nearly 34 years after the release of their first album 39/Smooth. They’ll be dropping their 14th studio album Savior on January 19th. Brittany Howard‘s gloriously defiant “What Now” climbs five spots into second position, while Cold War Kids (who I saw open for Tears for Fears last August) enter the top 10 with “Run Away With Me”. British pop-rock band Wild Horse move up three spots to #5 with their breezy love song “Attraction”, followed at #6 by Mitski‘s contemplative “My Love Mine All Mine”. The biggest upward mover this week is the bluesy “Lose Control” by Georgia singer-songwriter Teddy Swims, leaping 10 spots to #19.

Four songs debut this week: Entering at #27 is “Northern Attitude”, a terrific duet by Vermont-based singer-songwriter Noah Kahan and Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. The song is a newly-recorded version of the track from Kahan’s critically-acclaimed album Stick Season, which also features his hit single “Dial Drunk”. He’s also recorded collaborative versions of a number of the album’s tracks, including “Dial Drunk” with Post Malone. Hozier also scored a successful and acclaimed album in 2023, Unreal Unearth, which features his hit songs “Eat Your Young” and “Francesca”. Next up is “The Tower” by always wonderful Baltimore-based synth pop band Future Islands. The song is from their forthcoming seventh studio album People Who Aren’t There Anymore, slated for release on January 26. Coming in at #29 is “Alive!” by British singer-songwriter Bakar, marking his third appearance on my chart. The song is the lead single from his second album Halo, which was released in September. Last but certainly not least is the lovely “Mother Nature” by American neo-psychedelic rock band MGMT. The song is the lead single from their upcoming fifth studio album Loss of Life, due for release on February 23, their first new music in six years.

  1. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (1)
  2. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (7)
  3. DARLING – Western Jaguar (2)
  4. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (3)
  5. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (8)
  6. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (9)
  7. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (4)
  8. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (5)
  9. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (6)
  10. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (12)
  11. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (16)
  12. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (10)
  13. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (14)
  14. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (15)
  15. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (17)
  16. LOVING YOU – Cannons (13) 20th week on chart
  17. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (11)
  18. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (18)
  19. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (29)
  20. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (23)
  21. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (25)
  22. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (26)
  23. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (27)
  24. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (28)
  25. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (20)
  26. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (30)
  27. NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (N)
  28. THE TOWER – Future Islands (N)
  29. ALIVE! – Bakar (N)
  30. MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 24-30, 2023

Photo by Emmie America

We’ve arrived at the final week of 2023, and though it would be nice to have a sweet song at the top of my chart to bring us a bit of Christmas cheer, alas, that’s not to be. Instead, Green Day‘s boisterous protest anthem “The American Dream Is Killing Me” ascends to the #1 spot. The black and white video they made for the song is pretty violent and dark, with Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool made up as zombies, performing the song amidst hordes of zombies rioting in the streets and attacking people. Some scary stuff indeed!

In other chart developments, Brittany Howard‘s “What Now” is once again the biggest climber of the week, jumping eight spots to #7. The song is now #1 on the Billboard AAA chart. After spending three weeks at #4 in November, “Loving You” by Cannons reverses its downward course and moves back up five spots to #13, followed by “Wild” by Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster, “All I Die For” by SWiiMS, and “Cool About It” by boygenius, all of which advance five spots. Bleachers‘ “Modern Girl” moves up six spots to #17. Making their debut are the bluesy “Lose Control” by the gruff-voiced Georgia singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (born Jaten Collin Dimsdale), at #29, and “Winter Cowboy” by silky-voiced British artist Frank Joshua, at #30. It’s Frank’s second song to appear on my chart, the first being his beautiful “Bluebell Wood”, which peaked at #6 this past Spring.

  1. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (2)
  2. DARLING – Western Jaguar (1)
  3. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (3)
  4. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (4)
  5. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (5)
  6. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (6)
  7. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (15)
  8. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (9)
  9. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (11)
  10. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (8)
  11. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
  12. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (15)
  13. LOVING YOU – Cannons (18)
  14. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (19)
  15. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (20)
  16. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (21)
  17. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (23)
  18. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (17)
  19. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (10)
  20. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (22)
  21. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (12)
  22. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (14)
  23. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (25)
  24. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (16)
  25. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (27)
  26. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (28)
  27. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (29)
  28. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (30)
  29. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (N)
  30. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 17-23, 2023

We’re now into the home stretch of 2023 with just two weeks left in the year, and though the Billboard Hot 100 is dominated by vintage Christmas songs, my chart says ‘no’ to that! Accordingly, the delightful love song “Darling” by Canadian artist Western Jaguar holds onto the top spot for a second week. Green Day moves into second place with their rousing protest anthem “The American Dream is Killing Me”, while The Beatles‘ nostalgic “Now and Then” climbs three spots to #3. (The song is #1 for a second week on the Billboard AAA chart.) “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” by American hard rock band Bad Omens spends a fourth week at #7.

British pop-rock band Wild Horse enter the top 10 with their sweet song “Attraction”, moving up four spots to #9, and Brittany Howard‘s wonderful “What Now” is this week’s biggest climber, leaping 10 spots to #15. The lone debut this week, entering at #30, is “Nothing Matters” by British all-female indie rock band The Last Dinner Party. Although the song’s been a sizable hit on the Alternative charts, and seems to be almost everyone’s favorite, it’s taken a while to grow on me.

  1. DARLING – Western Jaguar (1)
  2. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (3)
  3. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (6)
  4. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (2)
  5. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (4)
  6. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (5)
  7. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
  8. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (9)
  9. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (13)
  10. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (10)
  11. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (16)
  12. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (8)
  13. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (15)
  14. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (12)
  15. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (25)
  16. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (11)
  17. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (18)
  18. LOVING YOU – Cannons (19)
  19. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (20)
  20. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (21)
  21. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (22)
  22. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (23)
  23. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (24)
  24. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (14)
  25. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (26)
  26. EVICTED – Wilco (17)
  27. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (28)
  28. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (29)
  29. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (30)
  30. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (N)