I have been a proud Spotify user since 2017, when I was freshly 13 years old and in the 7th grade, which means I also have a Spotify Wrapped that spans the last six years of my life. With the 2022 Spotify Wrapped currently out, I wanted to analyze and rank my top songs of each year through the lens of my current taste.
2017
Dealing with teenage angst and puberty at 13, I expect nothing less than sad pop music taking over my Spotify Wrapped. Out of the 10 songs, I still listen to #1, #3, & #8 (sparingly). Overall, I rank this year 4/10.
2018
Ouch, who hurt you 14-year-old me? I wish I could go back and tell a 14-year-old me that anything she’s going through right now truly isn’t that deep, at least not deep enough to have “Chasing Cars” in my top 10. Out of the 10 songs, I would listen to only #4 right now. Overall, I give this year a 2/10 — way too much middle school angst going on here.
2019
This is the year I discovered Alec Benjamin, and I only wish my ears were blessed with his music sooner. 2019 was also the year I started to explore more of the other genres and what I believe to be the start of the big change in music taste. As of today, I’d listen to 6/10 of these bops, giving this year an overall rating of 7/10.
2020
Ah yes, 2020, otherwise known as the year Covid-19 hit and turned everything upside down. For me personally, the best thing that came out of this year was my evolution in music taste. I listen to all of these songs in alternating playlists, even to this day. Overall, 9/10.
2021
17-year-old me went back to exploring different genres of music, such as Hip Hop, Emo Rap, and a random song that is in German (I don’t speak or understand German). I still listen to most of these; hence them being in my liked songs. However, I give this year an 8/10.
2022
Upon first glance, a stranger might look at my top 10 songs of 2022 and come to the conclusion that I was in the trenches fighting for my life for most of the year. Unfortunately, they would be correct, but on the bright side, my favorite artists are becoming more and more apparent to me. Overall, I rank this year a 10/10 (maybe I’m biased since this is what I’ve been listening to all year).
Every year since 2017, I have eagerly waited for my Spotify Wrapped to come out, only for me to look at my top songs and wonder, “How did these songs make my top 10? I swear I didn’t listen to them that much,” but here we are once again, aren’t we?