In no particular order, here are my favorite songs, or the ones I listened to the most, in 2021. The complete playlist is shared on Apple Music, or scroll to end of this post.
Brandi, Phil, Tim, (and Josh) are back! Not much to say, just listen.
You can try to carve a faith out of your own
But a broken spirit may dry out the bone
And the edges of the night may cause you sorrow
You know I may not be around this time tomorrow
But I’ll always be with you
I’ll always be with you
One of my all time favorite songs. Brittany’s cover gives me goosebumps. For more goosebumps, check out her performance of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now at the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors. Lordy!
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
Jennifer Nettles (featuring Brandi Carlile)
The duet and cover I didn’t think I needed until I heard it and listened to it over and over again. Written by Jason Robert Brown for “The Bridges of Madison County” musical, I first heard Steven Pasquale sing this years ago. Just love this song.
I have sailed across the oceans,
Passed the cities and the farms
On a never-ending quest for something new
And the only thing that mattered
Was the four days in your arms
And it all fades away but you
Fun, catchy song that was in my head all year. When I posted it to “fridge lyrics,” my Instagram story series, Charlie responded with “This is AWESOME.” And that’s how you make a fan for life. Look forward to seeing her perform live someday.
He left me in a lonestar state
He left me on a sunny day
He left me with the desert sand
He left me at the Rio Grande
He left me for a man
Get your tissues ready. Your Life is a Record is one of the best albums of 2021.
Remember me beautiful
Remember me young
Remember me smiling
My face towards the sun
I wasn’t expecting to like ABBA’s new album Voyage but it’s wonderful, and worth the 40-year wait. When all is said and done, who doesn’t like a good comeback?
We do have it in us
New spirit has arrived
The joy and the sorrow
We have a story and it survived
Just another Ed Sheeran “ballad” that has made me cry. Emotional. Excuse any typos, I had cloudy vision while adding this song to the post.
Can we just talk a while until my worries disappear?
I’d tell you that I’m scared of turnin’ out a failure
You’d say, “Remember that the answer’s in the love that we create”
So much has changed since you’ve been away
It’s getting to the point where I can’t carry on
I never held my breath for quite this long
You can’t slow down, you can’t turn it around, nobody’s gonna get a rerun
Make it count on the next ride around the sun
I may cheat and I may lie
I may not make it home tonight
With you gone the cracks all show
You taught me everything I know
John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band
Well, you met her there on a New York City stair
You were throwing up on your shoes
Tryin’ to write the great book well it really had you shook
With a bad case of wintertime blues
Yeah, we could take a trip
We could rock down in Texas (yeehaw)
Or we could trip on your couch
Put something fun in our mouths and watch the day melt
Nothin’ good lasts forever
Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try
They say it’s better late than never
Hell can wait until tomorrow
He’s got one more bull to ride
The Killers (featuring Bruce Springsteen)
And the decades disappear like sinking ships
But we persevere, God gives us hope
But we still fear
What we don’t know
The mind is poison
And can you help mе remember who it is that I usеd to be?
And can you tell me the story of my family, my hopes and my dreams?
Did I try to stand for something, would I always fold?
Did I do things when I was young to be proud of when I was old?
But it heard the first bad word that my firstborn ever said
Running late when I hit the brakes at a yellow turning red
There’s still Kool-Aid on the console that reminds me of that day
So I’m a little sad to see it roll away, roll away
Autumn carnival on the edge of town
We walk down the midway arm-in-arm
One minute you’re here
Next minute you’re gone
Have you ever been driving down a highway looking at the sunset
It’ll make you forget all the troubles every day can bring
Southbound Seattle Slew
It don’t matter what you do
You want a whole lot
And that’s okay, too
But if you want nothing at all
Well then good for you, hallelujah
More power to ya
When you kissed me first under the bleachers
When you pulled me close, said, “Don’t tell the teachers”
Like a mixtape love, we blew out the speakers
But you said you weren’t, so I wasn’t either
I would’ve stayed at home
‘Cause I was doin’ better alone
But when you said, “Hello”
I know that was the end of it all
In memorium
Some of the artists who touched my ears, heart, and soul that passed in 2021.
