Spotify: 2019 Wrapped

Do you Spotify? I do and have been on the platform since 2015. This year Spotify has brought back their annual personalized “Spotify Wrapped” to let users know what their most listened to songs, artists, playlists, genres, and podcasts not only during 2019, but also throughout the last decade.

What was my most listened to tracks in 2019? Drum roll please…

My top artists:

1. Arctic Monkeys
2. David Usher
3. Interpol
4. Tommy Page (I was going through a nostalgia thing)
5. Justin Horowitz (I love soundtracks)

I spent 39,816 minutes on Spotify this year, listening to artists from 37 countries. I loved listening to rock, pop, new wave pop, folk pop, and brill building pop, which is music from 1958-1964. (eg. The Shirelles, The Crystals, Ronettes, The Association, The Vogues etc). I can thank my parents for that.

I was clearly on a space theme this year, because besides listening to Justin Horowitz’s First Man score, I also dug on composer Matt Morton’s work on Apollo 11.

Surprising but not at all surprising, my artist of the decade, according to Spotify, was David Usher. Although I’ve been a fan of Moist since they came on the scene in the early 90s, I really love David Usher’s solo stuff. Really different than Moist’s rock sound. I definitely recommend going down that rabbit hole. Make sure to check out his English take on French-Canadian songs on his 9th studio album, Let It Play.

Here’s my top 10 songs from 2016-2019.

2016

1. Ástin á sér stað – Albatross, Friðrik Dór, and Sverrir Bergmann
2. Doing it to Death – The Kills
3. Hymn for the Weekend – Coldplay
4. Augnablik – Alda Dis
5. Life on Mars? – David Bowie
6. Off to Sleep – Couer de Pirate
7. Under Pressure – Queen + David Bowie
8. We Run – Strange Advance
9. All of This and Nothing – David Gahan
10. All My Loving – Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe soundtrack)

2017

1. The Last Time – Taylor Swift + Gary Lightbody
2. Let it Play – Dumas + David Usher
3. Nothing to Lose – Baden Baden + David Usher
4. War Again – Karm Ouellet + David Usher
5. All Too Well – Taylor Swift
6. Starman – David Bowie
7. Nothing to Fear – Dexter Britain
8. Little Lamb Dragonfly – Wings
9. Wham Bam Shang-a-Lang – Silver
10. Sign of the Times – Harry Styles

2018

1. Yellow – Katherine Ho (Crazy Rich Asians soundtrack)
2. Back to You – Selena Gomez
3. Nobody Can Save Me – Linkin Park
4. When You’re Gone – The Cranberries
5. Can’t Help Falling in Love – Kina Grannis (Crazy Rich Asians soundtrack)
6. A Strange Education – The Cinematics
7. Evergreen Cassette – Goldspot
8. Everybody Knows – Sigrid
9. Fyrir fáeinum sumrum – Friðrik Dór
10. One More Light – Linkin Park

2019

1. The Ultracheese – Arctic Monkeys
2. Love is a Laserquest – Arctic Monkeys
3. Piledriver Waltz – Arctic Monkeys
4. Baby I’m Yours – Arctic Monkeys
5. The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala – Arctic Monkeys
6. Reckless Serenade – Arctic Monkeys
7. Suck It and See – Arctic Monkeys
8. That’s Where You’re Wrong – Arctic Monkeys
9. She’s Thunderstorms – Arctic Monkeys
10. Kiss You When It’s Dangerous – Eight Seconds

LOL, clearly something was going on this year.

It’s probably obvious that my tastes run the eclectic gamut – from Icelandic folk/pop singers, Britpop, pop, 80s, rock and movie scores. But I dig on house music, electronica, and classical too – which is not reflected on any of my top 10 here.

The songs that are listed are ones that I listen to, usually while working (professionally or on personal projects) – which is when the bulk of my Spotify time happens. Not too distracting from tasks at hand, while at the same time, able to make me get transported away in all the lyrics and melodies.

Would these songs be a surprise to people who know me? Does it paint a picture of me for those who don’t?

At 39,816 minutes on Spotify alone this year, it’s obvious that I love music + can’t imagine life without it.

Photo credit: Spotify