Recommendations of the Editorial team
If there is something, that defines the music of the 21st century, then it is constant change. We live in a time where your next favorite song can come from anywhere. From all styles. From all parts of the world. The entire experience of being a music fan is constantly changing. In 2000, when ‘NSync released “Bye Bye Bye,” it was the height of the CD buying era.
Until that era was over. Napster came along, as did MySpace and the iPod. Streaming arrived, vinyl made a comeback. New sounds are constantly being invented, and the air is full of eclectic and experimental songs. If you’re a music fan these days, you have the whole world of sounds at your fingertips.
This list aims to capture all the chaotic splendor of 21st century music
That’s the thinking behind our list of the 250 best songs of the 21st century. Like our list of best albums of the century it is a diverse mix of different styles, different beats and different voices. Some of these songs are well-loved hits. Others are influential cult classics. But this list aims to capture all the chaotic glory of 21st century music. One song at a time.
These melodies come from all parts of the world. In our top ten alone we travel from Stockholm to Compton. From Nashville’s Music Row to the seedy punk rock bars of New York. These songs range from Seoul to Spain to San Juan. From Vegas to Veracruz to Versailles, from Nigeria to Mexico to Colombia.
Legends, newcomers and surprises
There’s reggaeton and K-pop and drill and crunk, country and afrobeats and emo and sirrieño. However, the criteria for this list is not popularity or airplay. But exclusively musical brilliance and originality. Wherever these songs come from, they are a reminder that we live in a time of limitless possibility and ceaseless innovation. Some of the most famous megastars of our time – Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar – are also the most adventurous.
Some of these songs are from legendary artists who have managed to stay relevant across decades. David Bowie, Mary J. Blige, Madonna and Bob Dylan. Others come from teenage dirtbags. We have “Anthems for a 17-Year-Old Girl.” We also have “Drivers License,” an anthem from a 17 year old girl. We have the old country grit of Johnny Cash, who said goodbye to the year Olivia Rodrigo was born. We have one-hit wonders and entire genres that came and went overnight. (Take a bow, Christian nu metal.) There’s tortured poetry and raw confessions. There’s also the song that goes, “Baby, you’re a song.”
The spirit of an era
We had many discussions while compiling this list. And we enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a list of songs, not artists. So for the most part we avoided recording multiple songs by the same artist. But some musical geniuses just had too many classics to ignore. (If the universe wants to give Lorde both “Ribs” and “Green Light” in the same career, there’s no stopping it.)
Every fan would put together a different list – that’s the point. But this list encapsulates an era in which there are no rules to follow and no rules to play by. No one made this list by playing it safe. Read on, turn up the music, discover new things – and let yourself be carried away.
You can view the entire list here listen.