Country songs are typically pretty straightforward and easily understandable, but that is not the case for these three ...

“Smooth Operator” was a breakout hit from “Diamond Life,” Sade’s debut album. Telling the story of a jet-setting, ...

In 2017, hip-hop became the most consumed genre in the US, and it hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Now that we're just over the halfway mark into the 2020s, hip-hop continues to dominate with ...

Looking back at the year in music, it was very much a “Golden” age. But, demon hunting aside, did it also count as golden with a small G? As we dived through our favorite music of 2025 to consider ...

Year-end season is normally all about positivity—publications pick their favorite albums and songs from the previous 12 months, and then we all argue over placements and omissions. “Where’s __?” is an ...

EDITOR’S NOTE: We wrote this back in 2021, but with Christmas upon us again we felt like it was the perfect time to update it. There's nothing that brings the world together more than sharing opinions ...

So there was no official song of summer. So let’s move beyond the biggest hits and check out the 10 songs we kept coming back to this year. The singer-songwriter who has worked with Miley Cyrus, ...

Every year we share hundreds of new songs with you on the radio. Music discovery from breakout artists and indie legends to singles that blew up online, crossed genres, and hit us in the feels so much ...

NPR Music's list of the best 25 songs represent the upper echelon of our staff and stations' favorite discoveries from the past 12 months. For those who want to dive deeper, please check out our ...

With Mariah Carey and Wham! saturating airwaves with their holiday tunes, it’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas. But if all you want for Christmas is a reprieve from stereotypical Christmas ...

This was one wild year for music — as the late, great Ozzy would say, it was a crazy train. In 2025, you never knew where your next favorite song was coming from. Some of the year’s best songs were ...