The 2023 Billboard Year End List Ranked

Billboard is not a meritocracy.

To be quite blunt, 2023 was nowhere near as exciting a year for music in the mainstream as 2022. We had no grand albums that defined pop, no hits that felt defining of new and exciting genres. Even the best tracks and albums felt like good continuations of previous great material, rather than distinctive pop culture moments.

That being said – there’s a lot of great stuff here…and the rest. So, let’s rank Billboard’s 100 biggest hits of 2023!

Starting at the top and working down.

1. Snooze – SZA

Smooth, easy R’n’B that just works on every level. SOS was a record that felt incredibly vulnerable for SZA, and Snooze manages to balance that rawness with something genuinely quite sexy. But incredibly toxic. In a year where many tried for honesty and failed, she made something undeniably human.  

2. Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift

The hit that got away until it didn’t. Despite years of propaganda, it took hearing this song near daily in my everyday life to finally grasp just how perfect a pop song it is. That bridge is undeniable.

3. Cuff It – Beyonce

A hit in 2022 and a bigger hit in 2023. There’s something undeniable about that hook, and nobody currently working behind the mic could have sold it like Beyonce. Renaissance was full of a lot of experimental masterpieces, but this lady’s ability to make crowd pleasers like this is why she’s been able to stay as big as she is for as long as she has.

4. Nobody Gets Me – SZA

For a time, this was my favourite song on SOS. SZA is not a great vocalist in the traditional sense, but she has the finely tuned ability to control her delivery in terms of emotion. There’s something almost theatrical about her performance here, allowing her to throw herself full force into the moment. It doesn’t lack control, but it lacks the restraint of much of the record.

5. fukumean – Gunna

Short, sharp and catchy. In a year full of country music that is attempting to be road trip music, there’s nothing I want to scream along to while on the highway as much as this.

6. Escapism – Raye ft. 070 Shake

The little song that could! Raye is a distinctive voice in the pop music landscape who has probably already exhausted the enthusiasm the US had towards her – Dua Lipa seems to be the only Brit the Yanks can stomach for multiple years in a row. But if this is her only stateside hit, it’s a great legacy to leave behind. The aching club banger manages to be both a great break up song and genuinely great for grinding on the dance floor. Like if that one Robyn song that everyone is trying to emulate when they do this, but with more bravado.  

7. What Was I Made For – Billie Eilish

Sometimes, you just want to sit with your head on the glass as you’re on the way home and softly weep in the car. Just me? Ok.

She’s definitely earned that second Oscar. I hope she wins!

8. Bad Habit – Steve Lacy

Still here, still great, still a hit!

9. Put it on da Floor Again – Latto ft. Cardi B

There are two things I like about this track. One is Latto, and the other is Cardi B.

In seriousness, Cardi jumped on a lot of songs this year to mixed success. Some have aged poorly, some were mediocre to begin with, and a few are probably lifetime classics. This is the best thing she did all year, helped by the fact that Latto matches her both in personality and professionalism. Both Cardi and Latto treat their music like it’s a job, and that means they don’t lean into the sloppiness of some of their peers. There was a lot of music this year that felt like the artists were dabbling in the studio as a hobby, and it’s just nice to see people able to have fun without feeling lazy.

10. Calm Down (Remix) – Rema ft. Selena Gomez

Rema is a talent that I hope gets more opportunities to make music like Calm Down. It’s radio fodder that feels breezy without being weightless. Selena Gomez is here too, on the remix that dominated the charts, and manages to use her extremely limited voice to impart a sort of easy flirtation. They actually work very well together, bouncing his quiet confidence off of her sometimes-distant delivery.

11. Kill Bill – SZA

She might dislike it, but this is easily the best hook on the radio, and I hope she continues to sell out at this quality.

12. Until I Found You – Stephen Sanchez

I love a throwback sound done right. It feels sincere and youthful without being juvenile. The newest wedding classic.

13. Seven – Jongkook ft. Latto

This is how you do the Timberlake print right. Take notes, boys-of-pop.  

3D is the better track, but I understand why this was such a hit.

14. Players – Coi Leray

Still good. A bad album can’t kill a hit.

15. Tomorrow 2 – GloRilla ft. Cardi B

A classic! Cardi B probably will never be able to beat this verse.

16. All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

The Christmas hit to end them all.

17. Shirt – SZA

We waited so long for this song. It was worth it.

18. As It Was – Harry Styles

Good in 2022, good in 2023.

19. Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga

I would despise this being a hit if it wasn’t a top 5 in Lady Gaga’s discography. But fortunately for me, it’s a smash on or off the album! Very interesting for what might be her last hit single to come from an album over a decade old. Life’s funny that way.

20. Unholy – Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras

Sam Smith has one of the most engaging voices in pop music. Their instincts towards melodrama read as authentic, which makes Unholy a whole lot of fun. It’s a shame that they paired themselves with Kim Petras, who couldn’t sell grass to a cow.

Or tickets to a tour.

21. I Remember Everything – Zach Bryan ft. Kacy Musgraves

A really great duet that feels authentically anguished. Not everyone can say they pull that off! To be serious, Zach Bryan feels like the country artist that I’m most excited to see continue to play around with his work post-breakthrough. He and Musgraves come together to produce a song that manages to use two perspectives extremely effectively, with Bryan’s performance being particularly compelling.

22. Princess Diana (Remix) – Ice Spice ft. Nicki Minaj

Ice Spice had such a monster year that it’s almost hard to remember that most of it started off as jokes and silliness. Her best hit is basically a play on people playfully mocking her immediate icon status. Paired with a verse by Nicki Minaj that managed to only up the energy, it balances quite well.

23. Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2 – PinkPantheress ft. Ice Spice

PinkPantheress is often hit-or-miss to me. Much of her work fails to land the earworms, or ends up pulling the least compelling elements of ringtone music from the 2000s. But Boy’s A Liar balances her idiosyncratic style with something genuinely catchy, with an Ice Spice verse to ground it.

24. Next Thing You Know – Jordan Davis

As it turns out, sometimes shmaltz works on me.

25. Lavender Haze – Taylor Swift

Maybe the only song on Midnights that got a push and hit with me. Taylor Swift’s breathy mode of singing is probably her most effective, and Lavender Haze uses it expertly. It was never going to be the biggest song from that monster record, but it remains significantly more appealing on multiple listens than either of the big hits it’s trailing.

26. Going, Going, Gone – Luke Combs

It’s just a pretty good country ballad. Not particularly interesting. A little corny. But solid!

27. BZRP Music Sessions No.53 – Bizarrap ft. Shakira

I love my tax evasion Colombian Queen.

28. Fast Car – Luke Combs

I think it’s a solid cover that should never have been as big as it was. But being unnecessary has never stopped a cover before.

29. Sure Thing – Miguel

Sure – why not! Truth Hurts opened the flood gates, Kate Bush tore down the dam, and now everybody gets a redemption moment! It’s deserved considering how good this track is.

30. Vampire – Olivia Rodrigo

The verses distract from the dumbness of the chorus.

31. Last Christmas – Wham!

When I was about 9 years old, I was introduced to this song for the first time and got very emotional because I wasn’t going to see my grandparents that year for Christmas. Years later I realised that was not the plot of the song.

32. Un X100TO – Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny

I heard this song once at an event and got it immediately. Then hated it. Then came around to like it again. I’m currently at a middle ground.

33. Paint The Town Red – Doja Cat

Goofy, fun, and still not enough to make the underwhelming and unfortunate Scarlet worth listening to.

34. Bebe Dame – Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera

It’s such a great, chill track. Perfect for a barbecue on a summer’s day. Which is exactly where I want to hear it next.

35. Flowers – Miley Cyrus

The further we get from Flowers-mania, the less I understand it. Endless Summer Vacation was not a particularly great record, and Miley Cyrus handled her divorce with more nuance and interest on Plastic Hearts. But I guess we just need to give the lady her flowers and go.

36. A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives

Merry Christmas, y’all!

37. Chemical – Post Malone

It’s a good song, but I cannot listen to it anymore considering how overplayed it’s been on the radio.

38. Rich Flex – Drake, 21 Savage

The meme is the best part. But I appreciate that Drake can still be accidentally funny. It’s charming.

39. Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee

2023 made me realise Brenda Lee was still alive. Props to her. I hope she enjoys her number one hit.

40. Cupid – Fifty Fifty

I appreciate it more than I like it. Adorable in a way I’m not particularly interested in. But the hook is actually very good.

41. Dance the Night – Dua Lipa

A solid soundtrack hit that definitely overstayed it’s welcome.

42. Ella Baila Sola – Eslabon Armando, Peso Pluma

I cannot stand Peso Pluma’s voice and he actively makes a really good song sound worse than it is.

43. Anti-Hero – Taylor Swift

Blank Space if it wasn’t nearly as interesting. Taylor Swift often turns to her public image for inspiration – to mixed success. Anti-Hero is the true neutral of Midnights in many ways. Not bad in any particular way, just lacking a compelling point of view. I almost wish it was more bitter, or more reflective. There’s nothing here I can grab onto.   

44. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms

A classic, but not my favourite version of the track.

45. NEED A FAVOR – Jelly Roll

It’s certainly loud.

46. All My Life – Lil Durk ft. J. Cole

I never seek this out, but I don’t turn it off when it comes on. That’s basically an endorsement!

47. Something in the Orange – Zach Bryan

Zach Bryan did the country crossover stuff the best this year, and I appreciate how earnest this is. He also has a much better voice than most of his competition. It helps that he’s not over emphasising his accent.

48. WHERE SHE GOES – Bad Bunny

It’s good! Just not for me.

49. Just Wanna Rock – Lil Uzi Vert

A victim of overplay.

50. Die for You – The Weeknd ft. Ariana Grande

I feel like The Weeknd and Ariana Grande should explore a different vibe for their collaborations. They continue to have chemistry, and the song is as good as any other track they’re released together. But I would appreciate some variety. There’s nothing here that they haven’t done nefore.

51. Creepin’ – Metro Boomin, The Weeknd ft. 21 Savage

I just don’t think it’s any better than the original.

52. Love You Anyway – Luke Combs

I hope one day I go to a wedding for an old couple in the next few years where this song is playing. It feels like a song two divorcees dance to in a barn surrounded by 200 people they mostly tolerate.

53. What It Is (Block Boy) – Doechii ft. Kodak Black

Remove that man and it would easily be a top 20 track for me.

54. PRC – Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano

Another song ruined by Peso Pluma.

55. wait in the truck – HARDY ft. Lainey Wilson

HARDY does not sell this conceit nearly well enough for the song to work. Lainey Wilson gives her best performance of the year.

56. MELTDOWN – Travis Scott ft. Drake

This feels predictable.

57. Last Night – Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen had the type of year most musicians dream of, and also dread. He had inarguably the most successful release of 2023, dominated the charts in a way that most people only dream of, and did all of that while being embroiled in a racism controversy. Last Night was the big hit of the record, and it’s…mediocre at best.

58. Eyes Closed – Ed Sheeran

In another year for Ed Sheeran, this could have been a smash hit and I would have hated it a lot more. Instead, I got to choose when I listened to it and thus liked it way more!

59. Area Codes – Kalii

I will forget this song by the end of January and not think about it again. But it served a purpose. I hope you all find your white boy with pasta and lobster.

60. La Bebe (Remix) Yng Lvcas, Peso Pluma

I didn’t like the track before Peso Pluma popped up, and I really don’t like what he adds.

61. Spin Bout U – Drake, 21 Savage

Meh.

62. Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney

There are two country songs on this list that use the orange of a sunset as the central conceit of their song. This is the bad one.

Bad is probably too strong a word for this. It’s fine. But there’s no reason I’d ever put it on.

63. Superhero (Heroes & Villains) – Metro Boomin, Future, Chris Brown

I truly just don’t like the Chris Brown section. I’m probably being too harsh on it for that reason. But I don’t like them.

64. Thank God – Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown

Cloying. That’s it.

65. TQG – KAROL G, Shakira

There’s this weird lack of chemistry I can’t get behind. The song would rank higher as a solo track by Shakira.

66. Wild as Her – Corey Kent

I appreciate what the song wants to be, but it just does not work for me.

67. Watermelon Moonshine – Lainey Wilson

This is cute. It isn’t ground-breaking or particularly memorable, but it’s sweet in a way that I can appreciate. Lainey Wilson did extremely well for herself in 2023, and this suggests she might have the ability to pull together her charm and her talent towards legitimately great music.

68. One Thing At A Time – Morgan Wallen

A mammoth year for songs nobody will remember in 6 months.

69. WAIT FOR YOU – Future ft. Drake, Tems

I just couldn’t get into this.

70. Rich Men North of Richmond – Oliver Anthony Music

Every think piece about this song is more interesting than the actual track. Because this is just not any more or less than what it is.

71. Thinkin’ Bout Me – Morgan Wallen

I won’t be.

72. Search & Rescue – Drake

Drake can do better than this.

73. Dancin’ In The Country – Tyler Hubbard

I don’t find this charming and I don’t respect people that do.

74. Dial Drunk – Noah Kahan, Post Malone

I would hang up.

75. I’m Good (Blue) – David Guetta ft. Bebe Rexha

I think people are both too harsh on this song. Not enough to rank it highly, but I don’t get why you would hate something so generic. It’s like being really against white bread.  

76. Bury Me In Georgia – Kane Brown

Kane Brown at his most interesting is still basically a Styrofoam cup. I actually have slowly come around to almost enjoying this song in certain contexts, but I just don’t think Kane Brown is able to sell me anything. He’s a non-presence to me on any song he’s on. Wish him the best, just not in my presence.

77. Handle On You – Parker McCollum

Something about this feels factory made. Like I could assemble this very same track from Ikea.

78. Under the Influencer – Chris Brown

I get why this was a hit. I don’t like it, but I can hear what other people do. Not enough to get over the presence of Chris Brown on the radio.

79. I Wrote The Book – Morgan Wallen

I wouldn’t read it.

80. What My World Spins Around – Jordan Davis

I had a visceral negative response to this every time I heard it and I cannot explain why. I just think it sucks.

81. Memory Lane – Old Dominion

I’m sure somebody’s lonely mother loves this song.

82. Peaches & Eggplants – Young Nudy ft. 21 Savage

Eh. I get it. But I’m just not feeling it.

83. Favorite Song - Toosii

It just isn’t very good. In fact, it’s downright awful.

84. Religiously – Bailey Zimmerman

Bailey Zimmerman is just not a compelling presence to me. Nor is his music to my taste. So much of it seems to be about his unlikeable past, without any interesting reflection. Telling me you suck isn’t a great selling point.

85. I Like You (A Happier Song) – Post Malone ft. Doja Cat

I don’t like you.

86. Barbie World – Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Aqua

Meh sample. That’s really it. The decade plus hype of the Harajuku Barbie translated into a pretty generic verse from Nicki Minaj, a solid one from Ice Spice in what might be the only time she ever steals a song like this, and money in the bank for Aqua.

87. You Proof – Morgan Wallen

He simply cannot pull this off. It’s not compelling. Nor is it catchy.

88. Made You Look – Meghan Trainor

To keep this brief (I wrote about her this year) Meghan Trainor is like pop music’s cockroach. I wish her the best. But I change the station every time.

89. Ain’t That Some – Morgan Wallen

Shut up!

90. Por Las Noches – Peso Pluma

You too!

91. Super Freaky Girl – Nicki Minaj

Anaconda is an undeniable classic. A hit that has lasted well past the point you could have expected for a ‘Baby Got Back’ sample from 2014 – the year of the ass. But a somewhat desperate Nicki Minaj attempting to recreate that magic through the lens of a lazy sample made Dr Luke is…pathetic.

If it’s buoyed by anything, it’s that Minaj remains the most technically proficient mainstream rapper. She’s got stronger competition now, but 15 years into her career, nobody has been able to take that away from her. Few women in rap or pop can match her in personality behind the mic, and she’s doing her all to make this come together.

It’s a failure in that regard, but nowhere near as as bad as it could have been.

92. Rock and a Hard Place – Bailey Zimmerman

I just do not like this song. It wants to hit this sweet spot of between hope and unhappiness, but just manages to create something that just…annoyed me. It’s nearly four minutes of a man complaining that he’s unhappy with his relationship, but being unwilling to end things. No details except he may have proposed. Which makes him a dick.

93. Heart Like A Truck – Lainey Wilson

I’m sorry, I just think this track is fucking stupid. You can’t fix a metaphor this fucking lame, and no amount of forced “country charm” will change that for me. Lyrics aside, it sounds fine. People probably love it. But I can’t get over the central conceit. Sorry!

94. Lift Me Up - Rihanna

My sister watched me listen to this for the first time when it came out, and watched as my face went from anticipation to disappointment. It isn’t an unfixable song – nothing on this list is actually without potential. But the key problem here is that Rihanna does not sound good. As far as pop stars go, she’s got an incredibly distinctive voice, but her ability to sell a ballad has always been hit or miss. ‘Lift Me Up’ highlights why.

To keep it simple, she’s unable to hit every note comfortably, and does not pass off the strain as emotion. Mostly because she single a lot of the track like she’s reading the lyrics for the first time. You don’t get to be distant and sloppy.

95. Thought You Should Know – Morgan Wallen

I just don’t like this man very much.

96. golden hour – JVKE

This sounds like an advertisement. A bad one. For a perfume that smells like sandalwood and manure.

97. Karma (Remix) – Taylor Swift ft. Ice Spice

Karma was not a good song from the jump. Midnights is a mixed bag of Taylor Swift’s pop tricks, but this was the song that annoyed me the most. It’s precociousness through the lens of a woman edging towards middle age. The remix manages to only age her delivery.

Swift and Ice Spice do not work together. On one hand, you have a woman who is star through sheer force of will. Not since Madonna have we had a figure in pop with this much devotion to the act of being famous. Ice Spice, on the other hand, is a sudden hip hop star who is currently walking a tight rope between her initial charm and figuring out how to translate that into long-term success.

Side by side, Swift feels inauthentic, and Spice sounds almost scared.

And again, the song sucks.

98. Daylight – David Kushner

A song for angsty middle aged men, the boys who will become them, and the girls who will marry them. It’s not that I begrudge that demographic their music by what seems to be a male equivalent of Dove Cameron in her current form, but more that I don’t want to hear it on the radio. It’s like somebody tried to write a dramatic showtune but forgot to add the wit and personality.

99. Try That in a Small Town – Jason Aldean

Reprehensible and unlistenable. I have nothing else to say. It’s just miserable to listen to.

100. Everything I Love – Morgan Wallen

He just cannot pull this off. Morgan Wallen is not untalented, even if he just does not do it for me musically. But where his talents lie is in the mopey. The sullen. The music a boring man listens to in a breakup scenario. This attempt at humour really highlights how unfortunate his voice sounds in a major key, and his bitter delivery really does not sell the silliness. Yes, part of that is clearly intentional.

But failing on purpose is rarely a good excuse to make me listen to garbage.