The 27 Best Music Moments of 2018
Editor’s Note: Find all of The Atlantic’s “Best of 2018” coverage here.
It’s harder than ever to hear music in a vacuum. In this info-swamped era, the sound coming out of the speakers will be processed in the context of broad stories (uh oh, is this song about Robert Mueller?) and personal ones (uh oh, is this song about my ex?). The list below includes many of our favorite tunes of 2018, but more than that, it includes the ones we found to be the most memorable when all the factors—musical and meta-musical—were considered. Think of the overly specific honorifics we came up with not as awards per se, but as ways to define what made each recipient stand out. (You can listen to this playlist on Spotify.)
Most Versatile Response to Terrorism, Sexism, the Opioid Crisis, Heartbreak, and Any Other Horrible Thing, Really: “No Tears Left to Cry,” Ariana Grande
It’s hard to fathom after the pop star’s engagement, breakup, genital memes, rom-com parodies, grieving of an ex’s fatal overdose, and experience of being groped at Aretha Franklin’s funeral, but 2018 began with Ariana Grande out of the spotlight. She finally emerged after the terrorist attack on her Manchester concert with this billowing sun-shower of a song, a comedown and rave-up in one—the best pure-pop single in years. As Grande’s other troubles arrived, the tune gained new resonance as its title’s declaration of blissful recovery proved fleeting. Of course, that fleetingness is exactly what the chorus—“Right now I’m in a state of mind I want to be in, like, all the time”—hinted at. —Spencer Kornhaber
Best Courtroom Drama: “I’ll Take Your Man,” City Girls
Move over, and Watch out, all 572 versions! There’s a new legal drama on the (very) small screen, and it packs more intrigue into its 2:57 run time than most procedurals do in their 43 minutes. The music video for “I’ll Take Your Man,” one of the singles from the City Girls’ May debut, , is a deliciously watchable mash-up of , , and twerking montages. The court wigs alone are award-worthy. —Hannah Giorgis
