Another year, another top songs post. As I’ve been doing each year since 2013, I kept a playlist of stuff I listened to this year, whenever it was released, and I’ve distilled it down to my favorites (12 this year) and the ones that define the sound of the year for me. One strong theme for the year was particularly cheezy 80s music, of either the high-NRG or synths in space variety, though it turns out that some of that stuff was actually retro faux 80s cheeze. Another theme was that I had to do physical therapy every morning for more than half the year, and I desperately needed some good 120 BPM-ish music to help me wake up and count off my stretches; I had definite favorites.

Here are my 12 best songs of 2019:
– Janet Jackson – What Have You Done for Me Lately
– Janelle Monáe – Tightrope
– The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
– of Montreal – Gronlandic Edit
– Chromatics – Time Rider
– The Specials – Ghost Town
– The True Loves – Mary Pop Poppins
– Gary Numan – My Dying Machine (Instrumental)
– Patrice Bäumel – Roar (Adana Twins Remix)
– Paul Parker – Baby You Can Have My Lovin’ Anytime
– Magazine 60 – Don Quichotte – No Estan Aqui
– Grover Washington Jr. & Bill Withers – Just the Two of Us