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In this article, we will share the top music hits from 2024 based on Central student opinions and how long they were in the top hit charts. Many of these songs have different genres and talk about different stories. This shows a glimpse at how diverse the music preferences in America were this year. And though plenty more songs could have been added, these were the top 10 based on the opinions of Central students.
Pink Skies
Zach Bryan
Pink Skies is a song written and sung by country singer, Zach Bryan, that dives into the grief and remembrance of losing someone. It starts off at the funeral of a family member with the line “the kids are in town for a funeral.” Over the course of the song, the character is portrayed as singing the lyrics remembering the times that they had with the person who has died as they clean out their old home; the lyrics get more emotional and somber as the song goes on. They also realize that that person will not get to see the kids grow, compared to how they raised the person singing. The song has been able to relate to many families and friends who have at some point in their lives lost a loved one and the grieving process that follows; it continues to stay around the top of most charts even today.
Hot To Go
Chappell Roan
Regardless of what you listen to and where, you most likely have heard at least the chorus of Hot To Go by Chappell Roan. The song came out in 2023 but did not gain popularity until the middle of 2024. Hot To Go has been dubbed by many as the “ultimate horny hot girl anthem,” and the classic H-O-T-T-T-O-G-O chant has become a staple of the 2024 music world. Roan herself was jealous of the Y.M.C.A. chant and wanted to make one of her own. Through this envy, the famous line H.O.T.T.O.G.O. was born. The entirety of the song is meant to be about a woman desiring to be physically touched by another; with the extra mentions of fast food and consumerism.
Espresso
Sabrina Carpenter
In 2024, Sabrina Carpenter rose to fame in the music industry at an astonishing rate. Even before Espresso, Carpenter already had a glimpse of the spotlight. This came with her hits Nonsense and Feather along with her collaborations in Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. With those stacked on top of each other, once Espresso was released she skyrocketed through the charts. The song Espresso itself is about a woman being so gorgeous that men are addicted to her like the caffeinated drink, espresso. This also inspired the song’s title; a lyric that shows this is the line “Now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night.”
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish
BIRDS OF A FEATHER is arguably Billie Eilish’s most love and romance-driven song yet. The name BIRDS OF A FEATHER comes from a popular saying, “birds of a feather flock together.” This acts as a metaphor for falling so deeply in love with someone that you just want to stick together with them. And this is not about some random girl, it is about Billie. Throughout the song, she brings herself to tears that can be heard through the words of the lyrics. The lines “And I don’t know what I’m cryin’ for / I don’t think I could love you more / It might not be long, but baby, I / I’ll love you ’til the day that I die / ‘Til the day that I die” are proof of this. Billie continues to sing that even when she is on her deathbed and in her own grave, the love and compassion she feels for her lover will last an eternity.
Beautiful Things
Benson Boone
Benson Boone’s song Beautiful Things, released in January of this year, captured the hearts of many across America and even the world. The song stayed at the top of the charts for months on end, and even now people can still hear the vocals of Boone screaming as he sings playing in their heads. On the surface, Beautiful Things might seem like a normal love song, but that isn’t even half of it. The song is about a lover who instead of enjoying love in the moment, actually fears the future. They believe their partner is going to see flaws in either the relationship or the singer, and in response will leave. The song plays from this fear, and if you listen closely, you can hear the singer slowly getting louder as he gets more nervous about the situation. This continues with the melody until the singer full-on starts screaming at the top of their lungs, pleading for their lover to not leave.
APT.
ROSE & Bruno Mars
The hype around the song APT by ROSE & Bruno Mars is that people do TikTok trends comes from people doing Tik Tok trends with the song and from its catchy lyrics. It’s a catchy song and very upbeat. It’s also mixed with American music and K-pop type of music so it’s different. One of the popular choruses in the song says “Kissy face, kissy face. Sent to your phone but, I’m tryna kiss your lips for real.” Those lyrics are meant for Mars. They are attracted to each other so they made a song together.
A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Shaboozey
Shaboozey released his hit single A Bar Song (Tipsy) earlier this year. The artist gained inspiration from the 2004 rap song Tipsy by J-Kwon, and with the help of musicians turned it into a “classic country drinking soundtrack.” There is energy felt throughout the song and it can make nearly anyone want to get up and dance in a bar. The song is about a man working a 9-5 job and making little money, just for everyday items to increase prices, and his girlfriend continues to ask for expensive items (specifically a Birkin). He ends up ignoring these worries for now; thinking that none of this will matter when you die, so why stress? He goes to a bar, asking the bartender for more drinks as he starts to do the two-step on a dance floor. He enjoys the night, choosing to ignore the stress of life for that moment, and just has fun.
Sailor Song
Gigi Perez
Sailor Song is written and sung by Gigi Perez. She talks about the characteristics of her lover. The protagonist in the song then recounts how her partner pleads to take things further and displays her passionate feelings towards her, as she hints at the start of a romantic encounter. “Oh, won’t you kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor? And when you get a taste can you tell me what’s my flavor? I don’t believe in God, but I believe that you’re my savior.” The narrator begs for her to love her with the fervor and vigor of a sailor. This lyric has been interpreted by various listeners as the way certain religions chastise homosexuality. On another hand, this is a colorful way for the protagonist to describe how she is putting her lover on a pedestal. This song will always have an impact on people, but check it out on our Spotify Wrapped.
WILDFLOWER
Billie Eilish
WILDFLOWER was written by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS. The song is about her opening up about her past relationship. Her last boyfriend was The Neighborhood’s Jesse Rutherford. Billie is also connected to influencer and Wildflower case owner Devon Carlson, who is Rutherford’s ex. Naturally, they layered connection and it caused Billie some strife. She made the song Wildflower to apologize to Carlson. “Things fall apart and time breaks your heart. I wasn’t there, but I know. She was your girl, you showed her the world. You fell out of love and both let go.” She realizes that their relationship ended on its own terms, but in the next verse, she assumes some fault in muddying the situation. “She was cryin’ on my shoulder, all I could do was hold her. Only made us closer until July. Now I know that you love me, you don’t need to remind me. I should put it all behind me, shouldn’t I?” She tells her partner that though she loves him she couldn’t get her ex out of her head. This song proves how honest Eilish is as a songwriter; she’s not afraid to highlight her rough edges. This song is still one of the best songs from 2024.
Not Like Us
Kendrick Lamar
Inappropriate! This is a really popular song from the Drake and Kendrick drama back in August, but they have been beefing since the 2010s. This became a huge hit because it encouraged other small artists to get out of their comfort zone. It also pushed the boundaries of hip-hop. This song is about the allegations about Drake the singer. Drake is known as an alcoholic, pedophile, and gambler, so Kendrick made a diss track about him. Like Kendrick said, “Certified lover boy, certified pedophile.” This beef between them is still going on but you can listen to it on our Spotify Wrapped if you want to listen.
