SongZ Wrapped 2023
As with previous years, I know Spotify Wrapped happens at the beginning of December (and stops collecting data earlier), but I wanted to continue doing top songs for the whole year. Once again, there were newly acquired songs and newly revived hyperfixations only at the end of the year.
Because several songs near the end had equal play counts, I decided to let them tie for #100.
This year's miscellaneous observations include:
- I certainly wasn't surprised to see Tears Of The Kingdom at the top or Spider-Verse and my favorite song from So Much (For) Stardust right behind it. Those were easily some of my favorite media/events of the year. Speaking of which...
- I also wasn't surprised to see my favorite song from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, one of my other favorite works of the year. Absolute bop.
- And on that note, one of my favorite Mario Kart songs of all time right behind it since the Booster Course Pass got me solidly back on Mario Kart music in general.
- I wasn't surprised the brief return of my Portal hyperfixation brought Portal music to my top 100, but I was surprised “You Wouldn't Know” was the only one to make it, and so high!
-
Most of the Doctor Who music on the list got there in December—some after the 60th anniversary specials, but actually a lot only after the Christmas special! The 1996 movie theme made it all the way to #4 (and “The Shepherd's Boy to the top 20) in just the last 5 days of the year!
After Six and Hadestown not doing so well at the end of their years, this might be the most surprising in the top 10—or even top 20! - I wasn't surprised some Sarah & The Safe Word made the list (though I kind of expected more), but I was surprised “Ruby Off The Rails” wasn't the highest since it was the one that stuck in my head most from the new album.
- With all the other Mario Kart music, I was surprised the Tour version of “Berlin Byways” didn't make the list since that was another I listened to a lot.
- I was surprised “Planet Of The Bass” ended up so low with how much I listened to it when it came out, but I suppose the joke didn't last very long in hindsight.
- I wouldn't have expected the Utena theme to break into the top 100 at all, let alone as high as it did. And if anything from Utena were going to, I would expect “Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku”.
- I was surprised “The Wolf” by Siamés and “Coloris” by She didn't make the list—they were a couple songs I got from a friend this year that I particularly enjoyed.
- I was also surprised by the lack of Porter Robinson because I recall listening to a fair bit.
- I was also surprised there wasn't any Taylor Swift (not counting mashups) because I listened to quite a bit around Spotify Wrapped time, and obviously Doctor Who proved a sufficiently determined late-year hyperfixation can break into the top 100.
- I don't know how noteworthy it is which soundtracks and hyperfixations didn't last. Part of me is a little sad how little Six is on the list.
- After two years of saying I expected more mashups to rank higher, this year, the mashup spread feels about what I should have expected.
- There continues to be no good way to fully automate generating alt text for these screenshots, but a script I wrote did a little more of the work for me than last year.
Also posted to Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Tumblr, and Twitter.