Top Ten Songs of 2024: Number 5

My Number 5 song of 2024 is…

Flowers – Real Estate

No, this isn’t a cover of the huge Miley Cyrus hit that made quite a few Top Ten lists last year. Rather, this one probably relates more to my year than any other song in during the past twelve months. Thanks to my good friend Christine’s suggestion, I started publishing my Top Ten memoir on Substack early in the year. I had no idea how much it would become the center of my life for so many months. I covered every year of my life and every Top Ten list I had made for each of those years. I publicly revealed a LOT and had no idea how emotional getting back into the headspace of several of those years would be AND how many people would connect with my story.

Real Estate’s Flowers includes some key lines related to this:

“I'm gathering material and holding it to the light

Flowers inside my head
Everywhere all of the time
My eyes are turning red
Always with you on my mind”

The material I held up to the light included hours and hours of home video footage as well as photos that captured myself and the many people who have entered my life over the years. As I’d go through each year I’d think about the many that have left my life either by choice or death. These include names like Stevie, Dave, John, Mauro, Mike, Lee, Sharman, and of course my mom who all make my eyes turn red when I think about the flowers they brought into my life and how they’re still always on my mind.

Number 5 songs of 2024 from other contributors:

Kevin Alexander - On Repeat Records:

“The Fauns- Mixtape Days: A blue flame dance track that'll take you right back to all those nights on the club floor where you felt the music as much as you heard it.”

Steve Goldberg - Earworms and Song Loops:

“The Allergies - One Time”

Matt Madurski - Chart Chat:

“Offspring - Make It All Right: As a huge Offspring fan, I'll always be biased toward these guys, and while I appreciate their heavy punk the most, I do love their sunny California summer goofball vibes as well. This is a far cry from the angsty raw emotion of tracks like "Self Esteem" and "Bad Habit," but it's endearing and fun, and it's great to see rock legends like Dexter Holland and Noodles enjoying their craft like this. “

Angela Yokoe: This Way – Lizz Wright (beautiful self-reflection)

Christopher Bradley - Daydreamin' 'Bout the Way Things Sometimes Are:

Rats in the Sky by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: “This is one of two songs on this list. It’s also my second favorite song on Flightb741. Now, I love the entire album, but this one really has me boogieing when it comes on.”

Matt Fish - Best Music of All Time:

"Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter—sure, I know, overplayed and overparodied to death at this point, but, of all the chart-toppers we heard this year, it'll potentially be the one with the longest legs in years to come.”

Mark Edward Randall - Musings of a Broken Record:

Hearts On Deck- Ella Mai "Sounds like some lost 90s R&B that was left in a vault for 30 years. There's some great song structure and production here. It's not some two minute rush job like so much modern pop music"

What is your Number 5 song of 2024?!