Did I listen to D’Angelo so much in the wake of his death that he’s now on my Apple Replay thrice? Maybe it’s a glitch, but I don’t doubt it. His voice was a warm blanket of reminiscing on first loves, late nights, and poetry. And on Jay-Z’s birthday, I proudly say Apple noted “Streets Is Watching” as one of my faves. 1998 was a good year to relive via music. There wasn’t a VIP list I couldn’t get on. We were influencers before influencing was a thing. No social media, just real life.
It wasn’t all the classics of the past. I pledged allegiance to queen Olivia Dean and simultaneously emptied the clip with Clipse. I did so with big, defiant delight. According to Spotify Wrapped, I’m a fan of trip hop and alternative R&B. My listening age is 41. What does that even mean? I don’t know. I don’t care. I kind of love it.
And Tidal, where I spend most of my listening time, says I listened to 1,208 unique artists this year, none more than Brent Faiyaz, NxWorries, Sault, Clipse, SZA, and a few others.
Another truth – my absolute favorite album this year comes from Tyler, the Creator. In the span of 10 months, he released two albums. First, “CHROMAKOPIA,” and then, while on tour, he recorded and released “Don’t Tap the Glass.” Two entirely different sounds, concepts, and deeply nuanced personalities. Both are represented in the Grammy nods. But “Don’t Tap the Glass” is both past and future. It’s a call to unplug and dance. A reminder to be free in the music. To dance some more. To be soft in your joy and loved in your existence. To take off your cool and surrender to that sonic feel-good.
Don’t run from the music that moves you. These are the songs tied to memory. For most of my adulthood, I shared music with my friend Corey. We argued endlessly about beats, bars, and the best ofs. He unexpectedly died before he saw the age of 45. When I put on “Don’t Tap the Glass” and glide around my kitchen baking cakes, I think of him and how we would have laughed and debated and loved this album. This is why nothing on these end-of-year lists will ever shame me.
I don’t want to forget singing Olivia Dean’s “A Couple Minutes” with my niece this year and how far we’ve come from when she made me dance to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” I replay the thought of me and my friends at a Clipse concert going bar for bar on every Pusha T verse and how much pride I hold as a Virginian. Remembering the look on my bestie’s face when I told her we were going to Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour is a treasure. And the reason why “Green Eyes” by Erykah Badu is on my list this year isn’t a 25-year-old reminder of heartbreak. Or maybe it is.
Remember what you really loved this year. Revisit the song that got you through your hardest days and the music that tickled your joy and caused you to sing with overconfidence. In the future, these are the songs that will make you come alive when motivation is hard and the people you made those memories with — or maybe who you were then – might no longer be here.
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Jeneé Osterheldt can be reached at jenee.osterheldt@globe.com. Follow her @sincerelyjenee and on Instagram @abeautifulresistance.