For this episode of InTune, I have a special guest, Tommy Ford! We will be talking about our Spotify wrapped for 2023 and how much we despise the wrapped this year, and how inaccurate it truly was. Each year, Spotify users anticipate their yearly wrapped, and not many were pleased with their results. Especially with how some curate their wrapped to be perfect, using their time to make it genuinely accurate, just to be disappointed with inaccurate results.

Did you like your Spotify wrapped this year?

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This year, I spent 26,989 minutes (~19 days) wasting my life away on Spotify, that I also just so happen to be wasting $10.99 on every month. This year, I think my spotify wrapped was stupid.

To preface, the artists I generally agree with but I don’t agree with the songs.

My top songs in order were:

1. Pink Matter – Frank Ocean (ft. Andre 3000)
   I know for a fact that I’ve mentioned “Pink Matter” before in InTune, so I’m not shocked it’s number one in my wrapped. This year as a whole, I don’t know what my music taste was and I wasn’t 100 percent sure as to what any of my wrapped songs would’ve been, but it makes sense with this song. I’m a big fan of “Pink Matter” and it’s by far one of the best songs made by Frank that is released. There’s just something ever so ambiguous about “Pink Matter” where, with each listen opens a new layer and a new way to view the song. This song is about Frank’s adoration for women and his respect for women. Did I expect this song? No. Am I happy that this is on my wrapped? Absolutely.
   2. The Color Violet – Tory Lanez
   I like a good Tory Lanez song, but not nearly enough to have one of his songs on my spotify wrapped. I listened to this song consistently for maybe a month in July or August. I’ve listened to other songs for way longer. Tory Lanez is alright as an artist, but I was definitely not expecting this song to be on my wrapped. This song specifically is his most famous song, and I absolutely can see why. The song talks about a deceiving woman who led Tory on, and broke his heart. Tory Lanez has a gorgeous voice and this song is absolutely a true banger, but I didn’t think I listened to this song that much. Did I expect this song? Definitely not. Am I happy this made it to my wrapped? Sure.
   3. Pink + White – Frank Ocean
   I love this song. I have listened to this song a million and ten times. I’m not shocked at all that this is in my wrapped. My friends and I joke about certain things serenading us, and if this song was a man, it would be serenading my ears every time I listen to it. This song being about reminiscing and memories, makes it that much better. Frank is amazing with writing lyrics, and “Pink + White” is no exception. I’m sure we all know the end (2:34) where it was a trend to say “‘so-and-so sounds like the end of ‘Pink + White.’” Honestly, with how good this song is, it’s an absolute complement and I’d be enthralled. Did I expect this song? Yes. Am I happy it’s in my wrapped? Yes.
   4. Jacob’s Prayer – Emile Mosseri
   Okay, this song is completely random. I don’t know what movie this song is from, but basing it off of this album, it must be dejected. I’m not a huge fan of instrumentals, but this song is something else. It’s extremely short but ever-so beautiful and definitely worth a listen to. It does sound sad yet happy, which is a downfall, but it’s honestly one of the prettiest pieces of music I’ve ever heard. Did I expect this song? No. Am I happy it made its way onto my wrapped? I guess?
   5. Bad Religion – Frank Ocean
   Yet another Frank song. I just started listening to this song late July, early August, so I’m a little shocked that this even made it to my wrapped. This song is ethereal yet powerful with his vocals. With Frank he sings about soul-crushing heartbreak, mortality and existentialism, a triple threat in a song. “Bad Religion” truly has you listening to it sitting down focused on it itself. I don’t even understand how a song can be so graceful but be backed with Frank’s assertive voice. The backing track and Frank’s voice compliment each other so well, it’s borderline uncanny.

What should’ve been my top songs.

1. Pray For Me – The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar
   If there is an artist I am genuinely interested in and what they do or create, it’s The Weeknd. I’m not a psycho obsessive fan, but I definitely like more songs than a normal fan would’ve. This song is pretty “basic” compared to some of his other songs, but by far one of the best songs. I recently remembered this song because of watching the Black Panther movie from Keystones, and I’m extremely glad I did. Both artists on this song are amazing at their craft and know how to produce an amazing song. I wish this song was on my wrapped, purely because it’d be one of the biggest flexes a person could have. I’m honestly shocked I didn’t have a weeknd song in my wrapped.
   2. cardigan – Taylor Swift
   I am, or rather was, an avid Taylor Swift hater, until a random day over break I gave up and let my friend add songs from every single album into my playlist. I’ve listened to “cardigan” before that even happened, and I think this is by far one of my favorite songs from Taylor, but I’m just a huge fan of “folklore” as a whole. “cardigan” is truly poetic and a masterpiece worth everyone’s time. The song as a whole, is one of the best pieces of music made from the 2010’s on.
   3. How Do I Make You Love Me? – The Weeknd
   This song is honestly one of my favorites from “DAWN FM.” It’s the funniest story too, just begging for someone to love him. I’m not a huge fan of synth-pop every day, but this is a good example of turning something “weird” into an absolute banger. The Weeknd truly knows how to throw a good song out, and this is no exception. I actually listened to this song a lot, so I’m shocked it wasn’t on my wrapped to begin with.
   4. I Feel Fantastic – Riovaz
   One way to reel me through a song is those weird talking intros, and this song has the funniest intro ever. It’s about a toxic relationship or friendship where one person feels used and manipulated by the other, saying “You’re like literally such a narcissist” in the intro alone. I found this song through a friend, and I’m more than glad he gave me it. I’ve listened to this song for two(ish) years now, and I know it’s consistent in my day-to-day listening, and I’m absolutely shocked it wasn’t in my wrapped, seeing as it was last year and I haven’t listened to it less.
   5. the perfect pair – beabadoobee
   I barely ever listen to beabadoobee, but I listened to “the perfect pair” consistently every day for three months straight this year, and usually that’s enough for Spotify to go off the rails and make it your number one. Beabadoobee is one of the prettiest, physically and lyrically, artists of all time. This song is truly one of a kind, going from gentle to instrumental and being one of the most intriguing instrumentals to a song ever. The story behind this song, two lovers avoiding the end of their dying relationship. I’m kind of sad this didn’t make my wrapped, seeing as this was one of my favorite songs of the 2023 season.

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Top 5 Songs:

1. Deep Space Nine – Kill Bill: The Rapper 

Kill Bill: The Rapper, who specializes in depressing lo-fi hip hop, takes the top spot in my Spotify Wrapped this year. His music did not stay with me over the course of the year, but he dominated the first few months. This song makes sense as my top song despite me falling out of love with it later on because of how captivated I was by it in the beginning of the year. 

1. Lungs – Potsu, Ben Beal

A bossa-nova inspired instrumental complete with both singing and rapping from the talented Ben Beal, ‘Lungs’ was big during the summer for me. It landed on many playlists throughout the year, so its constant presence explains why it was in the top five, but I don’t find myself coming back to it anymore. 

1. Black Coffee – Kill Bill: The Rapper

The second entry from Kill Bill: The Rapper on this list is ‘Black Coffee,’ another lo-fi hip hop song that samples Peggy Lee’s jazz classic of the same name. In similar fashion to the first song on this list, it was prominent in the beginning of the year but really fell off for me as time went on. I don’t think this one deserved to sit in my top five this year, but I still enjoy it. 

1. 80’s High School – Castlebeat

This song being on my top five made absolutely no sense to me. I could not even remember what this song was when I first looked at my Wrapped. I remembered this synth-heavy indie pop song after re-listening, but I have no idea when I listened to this song enough for it to make it into my top five.

1. Small Worlds – Mac Miller

In complete opposition to ‘80’s High School’, ‘Small Worlds’ by Mac Miller makes perfect sense in my top five. I have been a fan of Mac Miller for years, and this classic remains one of my favorite songs by him. I have nothing bad to say about it. The beautiful instrumentation complimented by the late artist’s signature blend of rapping and singing speaks for itself as to why it deserves to be on this list. 

What my top 5 songs should have been: 

1. Air – Men I Trust 

I actually have no idea how there was not a single Men I Trust song in my top five. After falling in love with their music in 2022, you would be hard pressed to find a playlist I made that did not include a song by this infectious jazz-inspired dream pop trio. “Air” is probably my favorite of their songs, and is absolutely in my top five favorites over the course of the year. 

1. rises the moon – Liana Flores

A beautiful acoustic song that blew up on TikTok, “rises the moon” was an important song to me. Every song off of “recently,” Liana Flores’s debut EP, is undeniably gorgeous to me, this one especially. 

1. the perfect pair – beabadoobee 

Beabadoobee became one of my favorite artists this year. I listened to her more the later we got into the year, which explains her complete absence in my top five. While ‘The Perfect Pair’ is not my favorite song of hers, it is the one that enticed me to get into her music, and the one that stuck with me the most over the course of the year. 

1. 90 Proof (with J. Cole) – Smino and J. Cole 

A complete departure from the first three of my chosen top five, “90 Proof” is an addicting rap venture from Smino and J. Cole. Smino’s “Luv 4 Rent,” the album that this song is from, was one of my favorite projects from 2022, and this song stuck with me ever since its release in September of that year. Combining Smino’s completely unique style with the consistently fantastic ability of J. Cole creates a great song that is worthy of a listen if you haven’t yet. 

1. Diablo – Mac Miller 

The final song on my chosen top five is probably my favorite Mac Miller song to date. This song samples a jazz classic titled “In a Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, using the solemn piano and Coltrane’s beautiful saxophone to create a modern rap hit. From my favorite Mac Miller project, “Faces,” this song encapsulates everything I love about the artist and has been one of my favorites ever since I first heard it years ago.