My Top Ten Songs of 2024: Intro + Honorable Mentions

The start of my annual tribute to the previous year in music, including three songs that didn't quite make the cut for my top ten

Hello internet, and happy new year! I’ve made it an annual tradition for the last 19 years to compile a list of my favorite songs that were released the previous year and talk about them a little bit in hopes of sharing some new art with ears that may need to hear it or enjoy it in some way. It feels really crazy to say that I will be naming my 20th “song of the year” in a few short days… to think that 12-year-old Eric’s random idea to do handwritten lists to compare to TV channel’s year-end recaps would result in a decades-spanning project that I now share publicly and work on for weeks every year is incredible. Thank you to anyone who reads these words or listens to the songs I talk about these next few days. I hope you find some new songs or artists to add to your playlists or at least enjoy my tangents about these 13 songs that helped shape my 2024 musically.

This year I’ll spare everyone a massive wall of text explaining the lore of these lists, since I plan to recap more of my old ones over the course of the next few months to celebrate making it to the 20th list… without further ado, three songs that didn’t quite make the top 10 this year, but were deserving of a shoutout in my eyes.

Earning The Who Award for making some of your best music 50+ years into your career: Judas Priest "As God Is My Witness"

"As God is my witness, I swear there'll be hell to pay!"

It's always a nice surprise when a long-tenured band can still produce great music that gets the motor running the same way their classics did in their "prime"... but it's an even nicer surprise when 50(!) years into a band's career, they can still produce songs that would fit right in alongside the classics as if you *are* listening to the classics.

"As God Is My Witness" immediately gave me that feel from 80s/early 90s Priest with the pure energy and vigor of both the guitars and the (still very strong) vocal delivery from Rob Halford. I can absolutely see this song slotting in at a show next to Hell Bent for Leather and no one would miss a beat whatsoever. Clearly the band hasn't, even after so many years. Very major props to Rob for keeping the fire alive and still kicking ass in the 2020s.

Earning the "I Love Rock N' Roll" Award for best cover of 2024: Maren Morris "Dancing with Myself"

"Your empty eyes seem to pass me by, leave me dancing with myself."

I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical about a country singer covering what I consider a punk classic (Billy Idol's original version while with Generation X is his crowning achievement in my eyes), but I fell in love with this version from my first listen... it captures a melancholia in the lyrics that the more rock and pop-oriented versions haven't over the years, and honestly, feels more true to the words and overall message of the song to me than those versions. It completely reinvents the song in a way I have not come across before and truly makes it her own, which is what the best covers out there do.

Earning the David Bowie Award for continued excellence throughout many musical reinventions: Halsey "Ego"

"I don't like the lie I'm living, I'm way too nice and too forgiving... I wanna go back to the beginning when it all felt right."

Two things I've really appreciated about Halsey's songwriting over the years are her ability to fully embrace making honest, emotional songs about her mental health struggles and things she goes through, as well as her enduring ability to evoke many different styles of music and vibes every time she releases something new. "Ego" embraces both of these traits, as she describes her mental/physical struggles with trying to maintain a successful career, backed by 90s pop-rock influenced instrumentation. It's a relatable song as someone who frequently overstresses about my own life decisions, but I do hope that she sees that her frequent artistic reinventions have created some really cool music and albums, despite the mental hurdles to get there.

Thank you for reading, if you’ve made it this far! Tomorrow I’ll begin revealing my top ten songs of 2024, starting with a song that leaves quite an impression… five feet to be exact.