Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2024

Yeah, with this song currently being the #1 song on the list of best songs from the year, it's hard to avoid putting it properly on this list. I mostly agree with the hype surrounding it. Chappell Roan was another artist that took me some time to connect with, and it's kind of notable how she can be an artist that a lot of people might not immediately click with. Even her rise to fame has been challenging for her to navigate.

Part of what makes her such a welcome presence in the current music scene is how much emotion she pours into her work. Good Luck, Babe is her most effective song yet. It's easy to be drawn in by the nostalgic feeling the song musically conveys, with its '80s production and style, and Chappell's vocal performance, which might remind you of many alternative pop acts from that era (mostly Kate Bush, whom she is often compared to).

What makes this song so hyped, as seen on most best of lists, is simple: its relatability. Chappell sings about her ex-lover ending things and pretending they never had anything in common, only to highlight the chemistry they previously shared. It's legitimately one of the most heartbreaking songs of the year. Mix this emotional depth with great instrumentation and the raw feeling in Chappell's voice, and you have one of the greatest breakup anthems of the last decade.

This one might be a personal pick. Tyler, the Creator's rise in recent years has been more noticeable, but at the same time, it has been hard for him to find that perfect crossover hit that could elevate him to superstar status. Don't get me wrong. He has been close for quite some time now. From Earfquake to Wusyaname to the viral See You Again (from 2017), Tyler has maintained a strong presence in the spotlight. Yet it feels like he hasn't had a proper crossover hit to solidify his status as a household name.

Noid might be the closest he's come, and while I wouldn't call it his best song, it has quickly become one of his most notable and essential tracks. The song focuses on a universal theme among superstars: fame breeds paranoia. Part of Tyler's widespread appeal is how effectively he weaves personal experiences into his music, and Noid is no exception.

Chromakopia is already one of Tyler's most personal albums since Flower Boy, and it delivers on every level. I hope it serves as the perfect window for Tyler to finally become a household name in modern music.

Even though I have always had positive opinions about Billie Eilish's body of work, it took me a while to fully appreciate her artistry. I was one of the few people who didn't have any strong opinions about her debut. While I agreed with critics that her follow-up, Happier Than Ever, was better, it seemed like the general public moved on from that album relatively quickly.

Then Billie jumped back into superstar territory with this album, and Birds of a Feather became the biggest song from this cycle. Even with its short runtime, it has already been hailed as one of her absolute best songs. The production is arguably the strongest on any of her hits, and the contrast between Billie's vocal performance and the production highlights how well it fits the overall vibe of the song.

With Hit Me Hard and Soft centering on Billie's feelings about love and her struggle to express them, Birds of a Feather feels like the centerpiece of the whole album. While it may not be my favorite Billie Eilish song overall (it's hard to top the title track of Happier Than Ever) or even my favorite from this album, it clearly showcases the evolution of Billie's artistic career since her debut.

This song is fine. It's easy to have doubts about Sabrina Carpenter for not creating the most varied or groundbreaking pop music of the year, but after an extremely stale couple of years in the pop market - where even the biggest hits were moodier and harder to explain in terms of their overall success - having a song with this energy and feeling as the anthem of the summer feels like a return to form for pop music.

Will Sabrina be the leader of a new pop renaissance? It's hard to say, given how many artists are in the space right now. Still, I missed pop music sounding like this.

I was never the biggest fan of Take Me to Church. I understand that its main intention was never to be a pop hit but rather a deeply personal song about struggles, presented from a sentimental and religious perspective. Why do I mention it? Because for Hozier to not only have a #1 hit this year but also become a star again after such a long time feels almost like a fateful moment - one that even those who liked or disliked Take Me to Church might have called for.

The guy who created one of the most dramatic songs of the 2010s now has another hit, and it's a groovy, '70s-inspired song? Even I was surprised by it, but Hozier definitely delivers. Just like my SZA pick, this isn't the most complex song, but sometimes you just need a song to be catchy and good to enjoy it.

Sometimes, there are specific reasons for why I include a song, whether it's about the artist or the overall mood of music in a given year. For this one? Yeah, I love it simply because of how good it sounds.

SZA becoming a certified hit machine over the last couple of years has been one of the best developments in pop music. This isn't just because of her ability to mix varied musical styles but also because of the attention to detail you can feel in her music. While this isn't a super complex song, SZA has every right to completely own music as a "vibe" art form.

Yeah, putting Tyler over Kendrick might already seem controversial, but not even including a song from the Kendrick/Drake feud would be even more confusing. Part of what made me love Squabble Up so much is just how insanely fun it is.

2024 was a defining year for many artists (Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift), but it was undeniably Kendrick Lamar's year. This was the year when he finally reclaimed the throne and seemingly ended Drake's reign (hopefully). If Euphoria was the initial spark, Meet the Grahams was the full-blown explosion, and Not Like Us was the aftermath. Squabble Up is the culmination of it all, signifying that everything has come full circle. Kendrick capped off the incredible year he had with a massive victory lap, and that's why I dared to rank it above any single from the feud.

After Yes, And?, the public perception of Ariana Grande was mixed, to say the least. It was a #1 hit, but Ariana looked bad in the wake of the cheating scandal surrounding her current relationship. Not gonna lie, that didn't look good to me either.

However, following it up with a song as emotional and honest as this one about her relationship was the best decision she could have made to maintain the momentum from this album cycle. Not only did it end up being more popular than Yes, And?, but it cemented her return to pop stardom after some time away from the spotlight.

It was between this and Beyoncé's Texas Hold Em. While I really liked Texas Hold Em, it's mostly just a country song written by Beyoncé. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not exactly groundbreaking. On the other hand, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars teaming up for a collaboration in 2024 would have been a complete shock back in the early 2010s.

Yes, some people argue that this song is nothing special and just a '70s revival track similar to Bruno's Silk Sonic work. However, the combination of Gaga's powerhouse vocals and Bruno's performance truly makes this track stand out on its own. It's a full-on powerhouse anthem that will likely grow even more popular during the first half of 2025.