The GQ Staff's Favorite Songs of 2018

Musically, 2018 started with an Ed Sheeran song topping the charts (that'd be "Perfect," which is anything but). What followed was a year dominated by Drake ("God's Plan," "Nice For What," and "In My Feelings"), Cardi B ("I Like It" and you do too), Maroon 5 ("Girls Like You," which, sure, they definitely deserve that Super Bowl slot, cool) and, mercifully, Ariana Grande (in the words of Kris Jenner, "thank you next bitch!"). In between all that, there was room for outliers (Trixie Mattel, Grimes, MNEK, boygenius, and plenty of others) to flex and show what they do best. Here, GQ's editors and staffers share their favorite tracks from a standout year.

Demi Lovato, "Sober"

It often feels cheap to immediately bring up an artist's personal life when talking about their art, but Lovato so deftly got ahead of a conversation so, so many onlookers and pundits botched with "Sober." It's at once a powerful song and a rebuke to anyone who thinks they're qualified to pass comment on someone else's struggles. It's a sparse but bone-deep glimpse at Lovato's truth, sung—would you believe it?—with excruciating feeling.—Tom Philip, GQ contributor

Zedd feat. Maren Morris, "The Middle"

Maren Morris is the singer we all needed this year and Zedd produced the hell out the song we all needed in 2018, a single that crossed Morris over from country to Top 40. All together now: "[hammer chop noise] BAY-BAYYYYYY / Why don't you just meet me in the MID-DLE?"—Brennan Carley, entertainment associate editor

Pusha T feat. Rick Ross, “Hard Piano”

King Push made plenty of noise for some other songs this summer, but “Hard Piano” may have actually been his best. The boldness of Push's delivery complements Mr. Ross’s laid-back style well, and it's all stitched together with an industrious piano loop and a soaring hook from Tony Williams. Sure, rhyming about slinging drugs is nothing new (especially for these two), but the veteran MCs are still finding innovative ways to make rapping about dope sound, well, dope.—Ben Pardee, lead web producer

Ariana Grande, "thank u, next"

Our greatest pop star put out the greatest pop song of the year with only months left to spare. Any questions?—B.C.

Grimes feat. HANA, "We Appreciate Power"

The first official single from Grimes in three years is awesomely unsettling. In celebration of a dystopia run by artificial intelligence, she sands the harder edges off of early Nine Inch Nails for an updated take on nu-metal that’s twice as catchy as it was in the '90s.

Grimes calls this song the work of “a Pro-A.I. Girl Group Propaganda machine.” Given her high-profile relationship with Elon Musk this year, it’s hard not to hear it as the new anthem of Musk’s impending techno-empire, where Grimes sits atop a metallic throne wearing a Tesla crown. Unnerving? Sure, but if Grusk’s new world order sounds like this, it might be worth checking out.—Colin Groundwater, assistant to the editor-in-chief

Tyler, the Creator and A$AP Rocky, “Potato Salad”

Somehow, until “Potato Salad,” hip-hop hadn’t figured out how to successfully sample a Monica song (in this case, 2003’s “Knock Knock”). As it turns out, the key is to combine rappers with an easy-to-appreciate friendship, and let them freestyle about PlayStation, Yao Ming, "Leo DiCaps Cole Sprouses," and confirmation that no, this ain’t a purse, it’s a satchel. “Potato Salad” is whimsical, sure, but its punchlines are (mostly) clever enough to turn frowns upside down. That, coupled with a strangely mesmerizing music video in front of the Eiffel Tower (featuring Jaden Smith) is enough to catapult “Potato Salad” into Song of the Year territory.—Alex Shultz, editorial assistant

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, "1999"

Largely speaking, pop does not perform the way it used to—this is a rapper’s world now, and has been, and will continue to be for a long time. All that is to say it’s a damn delight to see future Nobel Prize winner Charli XCX and boy-wonder Troye Sivan dig into a bag of tricks that worked in decades past—heavy synths, delightfully nostalgic and recycled references, a bridge that’ll make steam snake out of your ears—and deliver. Never before have I wanted to go back to 1999 (the closet wasn’t roomy enough for all this ego, honey), but “1999” made me actually think about turning back time.—B.C.

Ryn Weaver, “Reasons Not to Die (Demo)”

Did you have a weird year? Do you love your friends? Do you enjoy walking down the street while listening to music that makes you feel buoyed and reflective and euphoric? Perhaps this tasty morsel, a demo track from your favorite blogger’s favorite artist Ryn Weaver, is for you. Weaver’s first song in three years starts with a rickety piano and ends with synth-backed screaming, peppered with some reflection on mental health and friendship in between. It will send you into 2019 just as optimistic as you should be, and praying to whatever higher power you believe in that the “OctaHate” singer will give us more of this bulletproof goodness in the months to come.—Marian Bull, GQ contributor

Lauren Aquilina, "Psycho"

Probably the smartest lyrical turns of phrase I heard all year, with British songwriter Lauren Aquilina's impeccable vocals elevating her own words to another stratosphere, "Psycho" is all that and more. It's the best song Selena Gomez never released, and as a Selena stan, I mean that as the highest compliment. If Aquilina isn't soon on her way to superstardom, I'm ready to protest.—B.C.

Barrie, “Tal Uno”

One of the easiest songs you’ll ever listen to, “Tal Uno” is a dose of pure, aural nostalgia. The Brooklyn dream-pop band Barrie conjures memories of high school prom and summer beach-bound joyrides. The '80s are cool again and songs like this can transport you from 2018’s chaos to a simpler time with lots of synths and big hair, if only for four and a half minutes, which is probably long enough anyway.—B.P.

MNEK, "Tongue"

MNEK is a British singer/songwriter/producer who’s been steadily delivering hits—his own, and ones for others too (he's generous like that)—for years now. With “Tongue” (and much of his banging debut album, Language), he’s found a way to make saying those three little words hot as hell, with production twists and tricks to boot (the way the word “mouth” spirals out when he covers his lips is… ingenious). He’s touring America in 2019. Buy tickets and say you were there when.—B.C.

boygenius, "Me & My Dog"

Back in August, a routine trip to the vet turned into a two-day Boschian nightmare that ended with my fiancee and I losing our young dog. And so far, at least, a day hasn’t gone by where something otherwise benign—a stray hair on a coat, a sidewalk planter he barfed in, an old Instagram photo—reminds us of him, of the quiet void he’s left in our tiny apartment that suddenly felt too big and too empty for just two people. A few weeks later, this boygenius song about loss came out called “Me & My Dog.” I haven't stopped listening to it since. It has this great line that's since subtly burrowed into the deepest trenches of my limbic system: “I want to be emaciated / I want to hear one song without thinking of you / I wish I was on a spaceship / Just me and my dog and an impossible view.” Grief, in all its eccentric forms, can feel punishing and vast, but what I love about this image is the way it miniaturizes all of those enormous feelings, and frames them with a sense of perspective. From way up there all of this—the pain, the emptiness, the absurdity of existing—looks more or less the same. What's more comforting than that? — Chris Gayomali, senior editor

The Chainsmokers and Emily Warren, "Side Effects"

If we could kindly move past the “Chainsmokers are cheesy” narrative, we’d all see what a gem they, along with singer-songwriter Emily Warren, delivered us with “Side Effects.” A hall of mirrors, the song subverts every expectation. We’ve got a spoken word post-chorus (a “rap” of sorts, if you like); a final chorus that flips the song’s other choruses on their heads and adds layers and depth; and a song that, quite frankly, slaps.—B.C.

Sabrina Carpenter, "Almost Love" / "Paris" / "Bad Time"

“Almost Love” is spook-pop unlike any other. “Paris” delivers euphoria so swiftly it’s like a Listerine strip melting on your tongue. “Bad Time” is cheeky and just plain good. Sabrina Carpenter is the pop star I needed this year; while others were turning in subpar work, Carpenter was busy graduating with flying colors.—B.C.

KIDS SEE GHOSTS, "Reborn"

Earlier this year, my colleague Cam Wolf declared “Reborn” the best track on the collaborative album between Kanye West and Kid Cudi (a.k.a. KIDS SEE GHOSTS), and he's right. The album as a whole was a victim of tempered enthusiasm for West, who sorely and obviously still needs a vacation and a diary. But the real brilliance of "Reborn" is its creators reckoning with their demons, past and even-further-past. Cudi and West complement and support the ideas of rejection and redemption, all within the confines of one absolute lab-grown masterpiece of a track.—T.P.

Kim Petras, "All the Time"

I almost put “Boo! Bitch!"—a mostly-instrumental closer on Petras’s euphoric Halloween EP, TURN OFF THE LIGHT, VOL. 1—on here instead, but the sugar-spun “All the Time” is the one that’ll truly stand the test of time.—B.C.

Jessie Ware, "Overtime"

Three bulletproof albums, a delightful and award-winning food podcast with her mother, and a loosie single like “Overtime” that crept up out of nowhere and knocked me over like a gale-force wind? Honestly, it’s rude to be so talented, but with singles this heavy, happy to let it slide.—B.C.

Kacey Musgraves, "Rainbow"

This could’ve easily been any song on the resplendent—yes I said it—Golden Hour, a record I first heard on a quiet winter afternoon in the back room of a Park Slope townhouse. My notes app from that listening range from ramblings like “help, this is The Song” (“High Horse”) to “oh my god, her mind, I am dying” (“Slow Burn”), but all I have written for the beautiful, lyrically decimating “Rainbow” sums up my reaction then and now perfectly. “Oh, she did that.” Dare you not to cry.—B.C.

Rosalía, “MALAMENTE”

There’s no proper way to describe Rosalía's talent. It’s like trying to describe the splendor of a sunset to a board of wood; words don’t do it justice. But “MALAMENTE” is as monumental as pop comes nowadays, with hand claps and well-timed vocal ad-libs to boot. And to think this is only the beginning for the Spanish singer.—B.C.

Mariah Carey feat. Ty Dolla $ign, “The Distance”

“The Distance” is the kind of vibey song that only comes around once in a career, but if you’re a living legend like Mariah, those type of hits just keep coming. Ty Dolla $ign’s a blast to listen to, as usual, but it’s at-her-vocal-best Mimi and the hyper-polished production (thank Skrillex and Bieber collaborator Poo Bear) that keep me coming back.—B.C.

Robyn, “Send to Robin Immediately”

When Robyn—Sweden’s gift to the world—keeps putting out perfect albums, it gets harder to parse through what’s good, what’s great, and what’s revolutionary. “Send to Robin Immediately” isn’t Honey’s standout track at first listen, but it brilliantly encapsulates that giddy feeling you get when you act on something you know feels right, right at that very moment.—B.C.

Frank Ocean, "Moon River"

For me, the definitive Frank Ocean work isn't a song, but the 2012 open letter he wrote and released as a plain text document alongside Channel Orange, coming out to the world and thanking his first love for the irrevocable impact he had on his life. It's a piece of confessional poetry that cuts to the heart of the beauty in his work; it's a radical, dangerous vulnerability that also brings peace, even, as Ocean wrote, you hear the sky falling. This is why his cover of "Moon River" reduced me to tears the moment I heard it. You can hear the sad smile behind Ocean's mournful vocals wrapped in the song's ethereal production. It's the sound of someone who pulls closer to heartbreak, using it to build himself into a better, more loving person.—Joshua Rivera, GQ contributor

Hayley Kiyoko, "Curious"

Catch me outside screaming "IF YOU LET HIM / TOUCH YA TOUCH YA TOUCH YA TOUCH YA TOUCH YA TOUCH YA (YEAH!) / THE WAY I / USED TO USED TO USED TO USED TO USED TO (YEAH!)" until my vocal cords cease to make sound.—B.C.

Jennifer Lopez feat. DJ Khaled and Cardi B, "Dinero"

I will throw hands if you try to downplay JLo's musical career, including this bellowing hit-that-should've-been that features Cardi B's best non-Invasion of Privacy verse of the year. Truly nothing tops the Bronx rapper's closing lines: "Two bad bitches that came from the Bronx / Cardi from the pole and Jenny from the block." Can you believe?—B.C.

Astrid S, "Emotion"

If you know me, you know I live for drama. That's why "Emotion"—a song so overflowing with drama you might as well call it HBO—cuts me to my core. It's big and booming and grandiose the way pop songs used to be. It has a sense of purpose and urgency to it, both in its lyrics, its vocals (Astrid S the GOAT), and that production (done, of course, by Max Martin affiliate Ali Payami). It's like a Bond theme for millennials. On that note: can someone call Cary Fukunaga and see if he needs a song? I have the perfect one in mind.—B.C.

Bad Bunny, "Estamos Bien"

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the story goes, bagged groceries while taking classes by day and uploading music to SoundCloud by night. Under the name Bad Bunny, Martínez Ocasio spent 2018 becoming the face of the oft-ignored Latin trap scene, with a dreamy, pop-friendly slur that saw him easily slide into hit collabs with Cardi B and Drake. "Estamos Bien" was his calling card, a victory lap down the highway as Bad Bunny rapped easygoing verses in gratitude for his newfound success and, with surprising humility, being at peace with whatever might come his way. But one year out from Hurricane Maria, "Estamos Bien" also became an anthem of Puerto Rican resilience, its title and chorus a curse against the hardship brought on by an indifferent world: "We're alright."—J.R.

Trixie Mattel, "Red Side of the Moon"

The Drag Race: All Stars winner is not only one of the funniest people around; she also makes heart-wrenching folk music that's as good as it gets. "Red Side of the Moon," from Trixie's 2018 album One Stone, is lyrically walloping and gorgeously produced. It's up there with some of the year's best country songs, and—reminder—it's by an exceptional drag queen. Get used to it, America.—B.C.