Playlists can be like a time capsule, capturing the energy of a specific time period. Anxiety, money, greed, politics, criminal justice, television, and social media were common themes. Of course songs of heartbreak, nostalgia, hope, and navigating your way through tough times are always present- and they are here too. This year there were songs that stood out musically, and others that were just fun.

We also lost a lot of great artists in 2019. Two of them with songs that came out this year, Nipsey Hussle and David Berman, are included in this playlist.

One note- There were several famous artists with great songs this year who were not included on this playlist to make room for artists whose work is less well known, but not less great.