Continuing with his tradition of making annual end-of-the-year lists, Barack Obama has shared his top songs of 2021. This year’s list spans 27 songs and per usual, dabbles in a variety of genres.

A pair of rappers pulling off the best Tom Tom Club sample since Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” (G Perico & Rucci), an iconic New Wave band trafficking in tongue-in-cheek nostalgia (Duran Duran), a ...

Silk Sonic, the late DMX and Olivia Rodrigo rocked some of the best songs of 2021. Whether it was the retro-soul romance of Silk Sonic, the thrashing teen spirit of Olivia Rodrigo or the grand divorce ...

It’s brutal out there, and that’s why, more than ever, we needed the consoling and prodding pleasures of popular music to help everything make sense in here. [Stage direction: taps chest, knowingly.] ...

Songs are miraculous things. These little slices of music, usually just a few minutes long, can completely overtake us—changing our mood, realigning our outlook, or even triggering some emotional ...

Before Taemin left for his military service, one of music’s most dynamic performers left us with an absolute smash. “Advice” builds on the success of 2020 singles “Criminal” and “Idea,” further ...

As normal came back into view in 2021 — then seemed to slip away again — great songs arrived from places we could predict and places we never thought to look. Here are The Times music staff’s picks ...