The 50 best pieces of the ghost train year. The ultimate and commented hit list, handpicked by Linus Volkmann.
Before we get started, a few comments in advance: I’ve probably forgotten various hits here or didn’t even notice them. Please forgive me – and if an omission seems too big to you, send me a note about the missing song. Even at night, I’ve come up with gaps that are scalding hot. Charts are just pure stress, but who am I telling?
You can also find my hand-picked hit list as a public playlist on Spotify. Feel free to follow her, I’ll definitely have to update her #misses. But New Year’s Eve can come, I say. Katharina Schmidt contributed to this selection, I have to admit, because you can see it in the playlist itself. So thank you for everything!
And hold on, in the current annual review of the Musikexpress they “forgot” to include my records in the employee charts?! If that’s not the most perfidious form of bullying in a music magazine, I don’t know what is.
So I’ll send you my album charts by post upon request, but here are what I consider to be the 50 most beautiful songs of 2023. A few words were written for each of the pieces, which is what’s so fascinating about them. The AI and the opposing pop journalists should imitate me first!
Well then… movie off.
These are the 50 best songs of 2023
50. Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampires”
Since I want to roll up from back to front (#dramaturgy), of course it has to start from position 50. Olivia Rodrigo, ex-Disney child star, comes in at the point where the song is already at its peak with the wonderful word “Famefucker”. Perfect piece of chart pop.
49. Albrecht Schrader – “For you I remain a man”
It was a good year for Schrader ultras, the thoughtful superstar with the tax office swagger made extremely entertaining reels on the piano for the ESC, for example. He is one of the few acts who can even put words like “mowing the lawn” profitably into a song lyric.
48. Torres – “Collect”
We’re early here: the record won’t be released until the end of January, but annual charts can still look ahead. Torres does singer-songwriterdom with future vibes anyway. Electro and hymn adrenaline – instead of standing alone in the broom closet with your guitar.
47. Futurebae – “Blah*_*”
“I don’t sleep anymore”… just one of countless quotes that I get stuck on from this pleasantly flashy artist. Keep on trucking, Lina!
46. Indigo De Souza – “Younger And Dumber”
My privilege as a precarious pop journalist: I always come into contact with music that I would have missed as, for example, the head of Deutsche Bahn or a blacksmith. Wonderful song, mixture of hit and tear-jerker. Give yourself.
45. Frittenbude – “Sandradome”
“But nothing can be saved anymore / only schnapps and cigarettes remain” – this piece should be the official anthem for 2023. Goethe Institute, please get in touch!
44. Pascow feat. Apocalypse Vega – “Kingdoms in Winter”
A duet born in the magma-heavy caves of Mordor – just in a good way. (Apocalypse Vega is the singer of Eight Buckets of Chicken Hearts, but who am I telling!)
43. nand – “Your skin”
The guy once had a lot of hype with a weird YouTube clip that you didn’t know whether it was irony or crazy. Or am I confusing that? Super nerd pop anyway.
42. Erobique – “Acquamarina”
I was even able to interview Carsten Meyer this year. For me, his second record after 25 years is the answer to all unanswered questions. Therefore it fits at number 42. #DouglasAdams
41. Grim104 – “Cracks”
Also spoke to Grim104 this year. By the way, it was the lowest point of the year when the cheeky dark rap musician called me in conversation. Okay, the awesome underworld reference in this song is a bit of a consolation. A little!
40. Fatoni – “Everyone pulls”
And someone else I interviewed this year. Great cinema, as we older people say. Furthermore: Anyone who doesn’t celebrate Fatoni is a bad person. My opinion.