The songs of 2016 have found their way into our lives through concerts, memes, and commercials. There have been videos of David Bowie on his deathbed and Beyoncé going full HBO for her presentation of Lemonade. There’s still room in our hearts for the indie rock of Car Seat Headrest and Mitski, even as we fall hard for ubiquitous fare from Drake, Rihanna, and Sia. Whether streaming on Tidal, Apple, or Spotify, the songs that mattered managed to find their way into our everyday lives.

(See: Top 50 Albums of 2016)

There are so many ways to experience music now, but that hasn’t detracted from the power of songs. They still manage to rise above the noise and impact our lives in ways both old and new. For these songs to find their audience, the journey hasn’t been easy. And we love them all the more because of it. These are some of the songs that we’ll take with us into 2017.



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