With a bit more perspective on the year that was, I still maintain this was the song of 2017:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not because it’s the best (whatever the hell that word means when it comes to art), nor because it’s my favorite (more on that in a bit), but because it speaks directly to what’s defined this generation, which 2017 only crystallized.

It’s like a modern-day version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” replacing the 20th century’s focus on narrativized history with celebrity pop culture references connected through largely meaningless — and thus superficial — word associations. Do I need to explain the many ways that represents the 21st century?

As for my favorite songs, it would be a cage-match between everything below. They’re the ones I could remember off the top of my head; I unfortunately didn’t keep a list as I was listening (a mistake I’m rectifying in 2018). So this might not be the most comprehensive — I’m sure I’ll be appalled at a later date when I remember one (but probably a lot more) that I left off — but at the very least these constitute the most memorable right now. In no particular order (oh, and some of these songs were technically released before 2017, but since a lot of them didn’t officially appear on an album until now, they count in my book!):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Note: this isn’t the original version — that’s not even Drake singing! — but I can’t find the real one on YouTube, thus it’ll have to do.