Miley Cyrus Flowers

Best Songs Of 2023 (Singles/Covers)


If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that I do an annual albums of the year post. Well, this year I decided that I need to make two posts- one for full length albums/EPs & one for singles/covers. So many bands/artists are no longer releasing albums & it feels unfair to exclude them when sometimes they make some of my favorite songs. Do I miss the days of CDs & actually going to a store to buy a physical album? Absolutely. But I also realize that we have two choices in life- evolve or die. I still refuse to use Spotify other than for podcasts because it pays artists so little for their music, but I have started downloading albums on Amazon music & only buying physical CDs for smaller bands that I know really need the monetary support, especially since I have a newer car now that doesn’t have a CD player. (Gosh, I miss having a CD player!!) I’m not sure if musicians get better returns off of Amazon Music (or YouTube, which I also use a lot) but since I do pay a monthly subscription (vs there are free options for Spotify), I’m hoping it pays them a little better. If not, at least I buy concert tickets & merch as often as I can.

Anyway, on with the show- I mean post. Please remember, I am not a professional music reviewer. I am a nurse who just happens to love music. I don’t owe anyone anything, so I feel no obligation to choose certain bands/artists, even if I know they are being universally praised this year. So, without further ado, here is my list for my favorite songs of 2023. These are in particular order, other than the first two.

  • Dark Thoughts by The Funeral Portrait: A few months ago I heard this song on Octane & was immediately entranced. I swiftly looked up the band, who are based out of Atlanta, on Instagram only to realize I’d already been following them- but hadn’t actually listened to their music. Crazy! Anyway, Lee has one of those powerful, soulful voices that you absolutely cannot forget. Think Brent Smith of Shinedown, Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, or Jared Weeks of Saving Abel (incidentally all of these singers are Southerners except for Patrick- hmmm….). In fact, the band have often been said to have a Shinedown type sound but with a My Chemical Romance image/aesthetic. I think that’s a pretty accurate description. In any case, this song has an infectious chorus with insanely fun guitar riffs & is one of those that will quickly find its way into your head. Moreover, the lyrics are so dear to my heart. Lee wrote this about his struggles with OCD & boy, can I relate. The song may be called DARK thoughts but it definitely leaves me feeling pumped up & ready to fight those dark thoughts. No question about it- this is my song of the year, & I know it will be one that I’ll cherish for many, many years to come. If you don’t check out anything else on this list, I beg you to check out this one, even if rock isn’t normally your thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8DP5vhiDTk
  • Watch the World Burn by Falling in Reverse: You never know what you’re going to get with Ronnie Radke & this song is the epitome of that. It starts off with some crazy rapping- arguably the fastest he’s ever done- but then builds into a giant breakdown with full on screaming. As always, the music video that accompanies the song is basically a miniature movie. I’ll be honest- my first listen of this song left my head spinning. I wasn’t sure what to think because the song structure is so bizarre. It literally has no chorus! But I quickly found that I couldn’t stop listening to it. My favorite lines are at the end: “One day you’re gonna figure out that/Everything they taught you was a lie/Watch the world burn/The fear is what keeps you alive/Break the fucking chains, take back your life/The fear is what keeps you insane/Break the fucking chains, take away the pain.” If that doesn’t fire you up, what will? P.S. Yes, the band can & does perform this live. I’ve seen it done twice. Bassist Tyler Burgess helps with the vocals, including the rapping, & the synergy between him & Ronnie & the rest of the band is phenomenal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMXESlny4-I
  • Artificial by Daughtry: Chilling & heavy, both lyrically & musically, Daughtry leaves no doubt about the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence with this banger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSmySDrz9ko
  • Drive You Out of My Mind by Kassi Ashton: Yes, I do love some country music too. And this right here is one of the most cleverly written country songs I’ve ever heard. The rhyming she uses is brilliant & her slightly husky voice is perfect for the raw emotions of the song. I confess a lot of female country singers sound whiny & almost childish to me- but not Kassi. This is a woman whose voice I could listen to all day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ipRfLf79WU/s
  • Your Place by Ashley Cooke: Since we’re on the subject of country music, let me go ahead & throw this one out for consideration. While clearly written about a break-up (“you made your bed & I ain’t sleeping in it”), I think the song can apply to anyone who’s tried to stick their nose where it doesn’t belong. Sometimes it simply “ain’t your place!” . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l21ubH2_Z70
  • Viking by Slaughter to Prevail: Now let’s switch gears entirely to what is undoubtedly the heaviest song on this list. Alex once again proves he is at least part beast with his impressive growls & screams. I can confirm that he does make these same crazy animal-like noises live. There is also a fantastic guitar riff that sounds very reminiscent of Slipknot- but without being an outright copy of course. Basically, I’m here to tell you that you do in fact need some Russian death metal in your life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fdqJhNbnSY
  • Spirits & Demons by Michael Ray (with Meghan Patrick): Ok, back to country one more time. I’d never heard of Michael (or Meghan) but I came across this song on satellite radio & fell in love. Once I realized Michael wrote it about his own divorce from fellow country singer Carly Pearce, it became even more powerful. The message of the song is that no matter what society tells you, you won’t find healing in alcohol. “Getting over you drunk is the only thing about us lasting forever, & ever, & ever/Spirits & demons won’t bring no healing/Ain’t no miracle at the bottom of the bottle I’m drinking/It’s just a buzz on a broken heart barely beating.” In a culture that often glorifies alcohol & encourages people to drink their cares away, that’s a powerful & timely message.
  • Flowers by Miley Cyrus: I have a whole blog post about this song. I’ve never followed Miley closely but this song is brilliantly written & performed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7KNmW9a75Y
  • Devil You Know by Tim Montana: Here’s another artist I discovered thanks to Octane this year. This song is the perfect blend of rock & country- so naturally I love it. The emotion in Tim’s voice is undeniable here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwEaKJrxDEY
  • Dead to Me by Palaye Royale: Anything these brothers touch is gold. I wasn’t expecting any new music from the guys this year since they released a stellar album last year AND their mother is struggling with advanced stage cancer. But out of nowhere they dropped an EP just last week which includes this catchy song that is lyrically one of the most overtly personal songs Remington has ever written. The rage in his voice goes perfectly with the almost rap-like verses & contrasts nicely with the softer chorus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t2yMEizfa4
  • Jaded by Spiritbox: This band has massively grown on me this year, especially this song. It is gorgeous, haunting, & super catchy all at once. Courtney is a goddess, end of story. I’m sure her husband (guitarist for the band) agrees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjnZVpVvJ-k
  • Bite Your Tongue by Atilla: Atilla Frontman Chris Fronzak has never been known for keeping his mouth shut- which is largely the gist of this song. While I don’t support his career as an Only Fans star, I do admire him as an entrepreneur in general (he has several businesses outside of Atilla & Only Fans). This is a man who is not afraid to work. I recently listened to a podcast where he talked about selling golf balls & mowing lawns in his neighborhood before he was even a teenager! I may not agree with every facet of his life, but I do respect him, & there’s no doubt that this is a fun song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAwlewK-Xbo
  • Lost by Bring Me the Horizon: Infectious, upbeat, & beyond catchy, this is a song that is lyrically very dark & yet still somehow manages to be uplifting. I think we’ve all felt lost at some point or other & can relate to the angst here.
  • Dance Song by Austin John Winkler: Damn, it’s good to hear Austin’s voice again (the original singer for Hinder)! Having finally recovered from years of alcoholism that almost killed him (literally), he’s back & better than ever. This is a funky, groovy piece that will leave you wanting to dance & just have fun. I also love the honesty of the lyrics: “I’m not shy about the mess I’m in because we’re kind of all doing the same dance.” So true! In the age of perfectly curated social media accounts, it’s important to be reminded that none of us really has our shit together. We’re all just bumbling our way through this crazy world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwTJJ8XRr6M

Now for the covers:

  • Every Time We Touch by Electric Callboy: I’m convinced these Germans can’t possibly make a bad song so it’s no surprise that this cover is brilliant. As usual for this band, the video is hilarious. If you need to smile, check out the bromance between Kevin & Nico to get a laugh. (In case you watch the video & wonder, no they are not actually a couple. Both are heterosexual, married to women, & fathers. But they do have a great bromance.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuBXeF5acqE
  • What’s Love Got to Do by Black Stone Cherry: This was released as an homage to the great Tina Turner after her death earlier this year. Covering a song this massive isn’t easy but BSC proved they were up to the task (no surprise with their talent). Chris’s soulful voice is perfect for this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTi5XSaRLag
  • Lips of an Angel, Part 2 by Shaylen & Austin John Winkler: I’m not sure if this counts as a true cover but I don’t know where else to put it, so I’m putting it here. If you loved the original, like I did, you have to hear this. Austin’s sexy, husky voice is as brilliant as ever & combining it with country singer Shaylen makes for a powerful combination. I also hadn’t realized this but Austin wrote the original song in just one night based on his own real-life experience. He was only 23 at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU1qcb5steI
  • Closer by Palaye Royale: The original is plenty sexy but Remington’s raspy voice makes it even sexier. I don’t think I need say anything else. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjl_L2aXsQ
  • Separate Ways by Daughtry & Lzzy Hale: This is my favorite Journey song, an absolute classic. Daughtry & Lzzy Hale together are a phenomenal combination, so naturally this is a stellar cover. Of note, it was released exactly 40 years to the day of the original song.
  • Last Resort: Reimagined by Falling in Reverse: The stakes were definitely high covering a song as massive as this. Naturally Ronnie nailed it. If he’d done a standard cover that sounded roughly similar to the original- well, that just wouldn’t work. You can’t beat Papa Roach at their own game. So what did Ronnie do? He turned it into a slowed down piano ballad (a la his own reimagined songs) that serves to really highlight the gut-wrenching lyrics of this classic piece. It got the seal of approval by Jacoby Shaddix himself- that, my friends, is how you know you’ve made it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESOjt2_yJrU

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The Unexpected Genius of Miley Cyrus


Ahh, Flowers by Miley Cyrus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7KNmW9a75Y). It’s all the rage these days, filling up my social media timeline & sparking new memes galore. And for once I’m actually in the know about a pop song! Shocking, I know. Usually I am either blissfully unaware of pop music or I intentionally ignore it like the plague. In fact I told my therapist the other week that I almost pathologically ignore anything that is overly popular in society, whether that’s movies, music, TV shows, or books. It’s something that may or may not be healthy. Anyway, THIS time my curiosity got the better of me & I’m glad it did. Last week the song showed up on my YouTube recommendations- which is a bit odd because I still only know a grand total of three Miley Cyrus songs, the other two being five to ten years old at this point. And I certainly don’t listen to enough other pop music to trigger the pop algorithm. But in any case, it showed up & I was intrigued- but not enough to truly check it out. HOWEVER, after seeing so much about the song on social media, I couldn’t help doing a quick Google search on it to try to better understand the popularity of the song. That was enough to get me curious again & THEN I noticed that one of my favorite YouTube channels did a reaction video to the song. Considering I have a lot in common with the musical tastes of the guys who run the channel, I decided to watch their reaction video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6fkvQEEGds) & thus check out the song that way. As it turns out, I was just as enthralled by the genius of the song as they were. But I’m not sure that I love it for the same reasons everyone else does (or seems to).

I see a lot of people comparing this song to Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks (yeah, yeah, I know they go by simply The Chicks now but they’ll always be the Dixie Chicks to me), & while I can certainly see why that’s a tempting comparison, I’m not sure it’s actually as fitting as a lot of folks think. Now there are internet rumors that Miley filmed the Flowers video at a house where her ex-husband (Liam Hemsworth- I couldn’t have told you who her ex-husband was before last week) cheated on her with some 14 other women. While I haven’t done a deep dive, a cursory Google search tells me that Miley has explicitly stated that infidelity was NOT the reason for her & Liam’s divorce, so I’m inclined to say there’s nothing much to substantiate such rumors. Plus, if you really look at the lyrics, this to me is not actually a revenge song- & that’s why it’s so brilliant.

You see, the reason I love this song is that it encourages people (especially women) to have a healthy, fulfilling relationship with themselves first. As trite as it may sound, I truly believe that’s the only foundation for a stable, mature, fulfilling relationship with anyone else anyway. So if you don’t have that, all of your other relationships will suffer & perhaps fail altogether. I’ve never been a fan of Miley- in fact I struggle to think of her as anything other than the scantily clad girl who twerked with Robin Thicke a decade ago- but this song has made me read up on her a bit more & give her a lot more respect. For example, I think it was very insightful how she talked about her & Liam clinging to each other & jumping into marriage in the aftermath of the fire that burned down their house & realizing later that, while that may have seemed logical at the time, it didn’t actually erase all their prior issues or magically make their relationship healthy. Furthermore, I love that she acknowledges that even though their relationship wasn’t perfect, she still misses it at times. Now, isn’t that true for all of us? Whether it’s an ex-partner, a town where we used to live, or even a job, there are so many things & people in our lives that are ultimately toxic or hurtful, yet we still find ourselves missing them at times. That’s just human nature. And I think acknowledging that is incredibly important. Furthermore, Miley never tears down her ex in the song- in fact she says she forgives him for everything. Thus, I see this as a very mature way to heal from a relationship that was clearly imperfect but also very important in her life.

Now is it possible- as internet rumors tell us- that she chose the suit she wears towards the end of the video because it was Liam’s & he wore it at a movie premier where he rather cheekily told her to “behave for once”? Yes, that’s possible, & I can’t say I blame her (though, having watched the brief clip from that movie premier, I can’t totally blame him for what he said either). Is it also possible that she shows off her incredibly well toned body in the video in a sort of “Ha! See what you’re missing!” manner? Yes, that’s entirely possible also, & again, I can’t say I blame her.

While Flowers was clearly based on a romantic relationship, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the other reason I love it so much. The beauty of art- especially music- is that it can be interpreted in multiple ways, even ways that might not have been intended by the artist. So, while I cannot relate to this song in the sense of a failed marriage, I can relate to it in other ways. When I listen to it (& inevitably sing along), I’m not thinking about an ex-husband or partner who did me wrong. Instead I’m thinking about society in general (as well as certain people in particular) who have rejected me, ignored me, or generally told me I’m not good enough, disappointing, or otherwise not up to par. As much as I sometimes long for greater acceptance by certain groups or people or society in general, at the end of the day I have to remind myself that it’s MY conscience I have to sleep with at night. And if that means that in some areas of life I will always be a bit of an outsider, well- that’s ok.

After all, “I can buy myself flowers/Write my name in the sand/Talk to myself for hours/Say things you don’t understand/I can take myself dancing/And I can hold my own hand/Yeah, I can love me better than you can.“

Now, don’t y’all worry- I haven’t gone totally soft. I’m still listening to plenty of the heavy stuff. In fact, just last night I discovered a new (to me) German metal band that I’m geeking out about. AND I’m counting down the days till I get to see Papa Roach & Falling in Reverse in a few weeks.

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