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Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, we are nearing the end of 2023! The following songs have been my soundtrack this year, and as usual, most of them are encouraging, upbeat, or both!
20. “Ghost of You” by Mimi Webb. This is my current favorite REFIT song to work out to!
19. “Vitamin Sea” by Owl City. So catchy! I’ve missed this Owl City sound. (This one is only 99 cents on Amazon as of this writing!)
18. “Waiting” by Lauren Daigle. I laughed out loud when I heard the lyrics, “The right one’s gonna come along someday,’ ‘You’re probably just getting in your own way.’ These are the things people try to say when they don’t want you to wait.” Any single person who’s determined not to settle can relate to those words! (Also just 99 cents on Amazon today if you’re old-school like me and actually purchase music!)
17. “Lead On Good Shepherd” by Patrick Mayberry & Zahriya Zachary. I have so felt God on this style of music these past few years, and this is my favorite version of this song.
16. “Jesus Changed My Life” by Katy Nichole. Something about the power behind this song just resonates with me.
15. “Come Forth” by CAIN. This old favorite reappeared on my list this year after I heard it on the show Chasing Cains (Yes, somehow I have become my grandma and I now watch TBN) and was reminded how much I like it!
14. “Better Place” by *NSYNC & Justin Timberlake. I’m a millennial girl, so of course this *NSYNC comeback song got a few plays this year! Now are they gonna go on tour, or what?
13. “Victory” by Hunter Hayes. Sometimes all you need is a victory, am I right?
12. “Jesus, Thank You” by Katy Nichole, CAIN & David Leonard. What a great song to remember God’s goodness and all he’s done!
11. “Praise Opens Prison Doors” by CAIN. When I’m feeling powerless and I don’t know what else to do, I play this song. I’ve logged a lot of hours playing CAIN’s entire catalog this year (and last year, and the year before that…), and I finally got to see them in concert this fall! They put on a great show!
10. “Something Better” by Blanca. When you’re disappointed but you’re trying to trust that God has something better…this is your song.
9. “Hallelujah Anyway” by Rend Collective. I knew when I saw the title that I was going to like this song. This is one of those sacrificial praise songs that we all need in our arsenal for when life is hard.
8. “Waffle House” by Jonas Brothers. This one is so darn catchy. I’m embarrassed to admit how many times the newest JoBros album got played through my AirPods this year. Also, the REFIT choreo to this song makes my workouts fun!
7. “Take It All Back” by Tauren Wells, We The Kingdom & Davies. I loved this song from the moment I first heard it. This is a battle cry! My favorite line is, “You can’t speak the lies over my family, no; you can’t break the promises that are standing, no.” The enemy may have been busy, but he’s going to pay back everything he’s stolen!
6. “Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor. Guilty pleasure but I’ll own up to it!
5. “Faithful God” by I AM THEY. Do you ever come across a song that feels like it was written just for you, or like you could’ve written it yourself? This is one of those songs for me. I love the message of faith amidst the honesty in these lyrics.
4. “The Cave” by NEEDTOBREATHE. “BUT YOU STILL SEE ME, CRAWLING, HANDS AND KNEES, COMING OUT THROUGH THE MOUTH OF THE CAVE!” 🔥
3. “Any More” by CAIN. I played this song for my students on their last day of school in June, and it took months before I could listen to it without crying. These lyrics perfectly represent the way I feel about those kids – and the way God feels about each one of us.
2. “Summer Baby” by Jonas Brothers. I was an elementary teacher this year. Need I say more? Ha.
1. “Cornerstone (feat. Zach Williams)” by TobyMac. Seasons come; seasons go. I wouldn’t have expected this song to top my list, but it’s been a year of changing seasons, and no song suits 2023 more. Throughout the year, I’ve listened to these words with tears, with relief, with resolve, and with a whole lot of contemplation through all the shifting.
Honorable mentions go to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” “For the First Time in Forever,” and “Baby Shark,” as I spent the 2022-2023 school year as a third-grade teacher and the subsequent months as a sub.*
*More realistically, “Swag in Ohio,” my students’ actual favorite song that I didn’t allow them to listen to. 🤦🏼
Here’s last year’s top 20 if you want to compare notes! 😊
Next, I’ll be back with the top books I’ve read this year. Stay tuned!
Hey! I'm Brianna and I'm a millennial. I'm also a reader, writer, God-lover, introvert, and recovering perfectionist. ☺️ I want to inspire millennials to retain their morality, hope, and faith as they transition into adulthood and full-fledged "adult."
