From where I sit, 2024 was something of a wild year in music. Pearl Jam released my favorite album. The Black Keys, The Black Crowes, and Green Day all returned with pretty damn good “comeback” albums plus we had long-awaited records and songs released by such long-time favorites as Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem, and Dr. Dog. I just think that if you told me that some of my most-played new albums in 2024 were by any of those artists, I probably thought that you were joking, or at the very least, we had truly entered a multi-verse situation and the time continuum had been trifled with.
But alas, here we are. Although it’s not as if the year was comprised entirely of retrofits and blasts from the past. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard kept on dropping new records at a breath-taking clip and Sturgill Simpson donned a new persona in Johnny Blue Skies and then barnstormed the shit out of the country with a tour that could best be described as ‘fuck it boys, let’s have some fun.’ Phish released a new album that might be their strongest studio effort in years, Billy Strings had my curiosity, but with Highway Prayers, now has my attention and Maggie Rogers helped find common ground in our house by releasing an album both the Wife and I really, really like.
Oh, and Beyonce went country and it was fantastic.
On the album front, I lined out my 10 favorite albums of the year on the new friendly confines of BlueSky and you can find that here as well as an abundance of what the kids call good vibes. With songs, I’m going with (cue Jim Nantz voice) a tradition unlike any other. Yes, these are my favorite songs. And yes, for all intents and purposes, I’m calling them the best songs. But ultimately they are my 40 best Hey Oh! songs of 2024.
Some background…
Since 2013, I have assembled my year-end list based on the idea that some songs are Hey-Oh! songs and as such, my lists are generally comprised of songs I think best fit the mold.
What exactly is a Hey-Oh! song? I’m so happy you asked.
It’s a song that when it came on incited an unsolicited, deep from the belly & soul Ron Burgandy quality “Hey-Oh!”– as in, “Hey-oh! That’s a damn good song.” You might not have said it out loud, but you definitely thought it. You turned the volume up, you danced, you pressed repeat, and yelled to no one in particular: DJ! ONE MORE TIME!
The “hey-ohs” can be enthusiastic and full of life or they can be more restrained, complete with more stoic appreciation. Ultimately, it’s a song that stops you in your tracks one way or the other when it comes on.
It’s songs I loved that grabbed my attention in some sort of way and prompted a verbal reaction eerily reminiscent of what Ron Burgandy said.
Got it? Cool. You can find the 2023 list here and a playlist consisting of all of the Hey Oh! songs from 2013 here.
How did 2024 shake out? Pretty good actually. Here’s the full list…
Instead of writing about all 40 songs, I wanted to hand out some awards. Sure, all of these songs are winners in some way or another, but these lucky few are winners for specific reasons.
So, let’s get into it.
The Aspirational Anthem of the Year: ‘Scooter Blues’ Johnny Blue Skies/Sturgill Simpson
Without getting into it, there was a decent amount of uneasiness this year. You know, because of the election and all that stuff, very little of which was good. Among other things, it frequently created a turbulent ball of manic anxiety in my belly and sometimes the ol’ vape pen wasn’t enough to calm things down. Sometimes I wanted to run away but obviously, I couldn’t. But what I could do was listen to Sturgill’s ‘Scooter Blues’ and imagine myself living the dream the song outlined so perfectly.
“Gonna hop in a boat, throw the paddle away/Offer my heart up to the break and the sway” – Ah, yes please.
Between this song and listening to Simpson’s shows, the fall was slightly more tolerable.
The Song That Was Guaranteed to Be Stuck in Head for At Least Two Hours After Hearing It: ‘Gild the Lily’ Billy Strings
I don’t really mess around with bluegrass. The drummer in me just won’t allow it. So I appreciate the genre and respect it, but don’t indulge. And because of this, I had been aware of the young gunslinger Billy Strings but outside of listening to the blistering “Meet Me At the Creek” he played with Trey Anastasio a few years ago and his sit-in with Phish earlier this year, I had never listened to him much.
And honestly, I was fine with that. It’s like being a senior in college. I don’t need any new friends at this point. I’m good.
But I was encouraged to check out Strings’ new album by a buddy I would trust with my life and yeah, it’s not bad. Still not my jam, but there were a few tunes I could ride with, and “Gild the Lily” was the hands down, clubhouse favorite. It sounds like the Beach Boys dabbling in bluegrass and it’s a beautiful piece of music and shit, even writing about it has the song stuck in my head.
Well, I Didn’t Expect That From Them: “Take What’s Given” BADBADNOTGOOD
I got wise to BADBADNOTGOOD a few years back when I interviewed them for UPROXX and have kept tabs on them ever since. For the most part, they’ve stayed true to their penchant for dropping delightful jazz/hip-hop-inspired music.
But then, plot twist, earlier this year the Canadian crew dropped “Take What’s Given” with vocalist Reggie and my dudes, it’s the kind of neo-soul jawn I’ll always be drawn to. It’s easily the group’s most accessible music to date and also easily one of the songs I listened to the most this year.
It’s like flip-flops; perfect for any season.
Dude, We Haven’t Hung Out in Years!!!: “Talk is Cheap” Dr. Dog
Back when I lived in the wonderful city of Philadelphia, I got really into two things in particular: the Phillies and Dr. Dog. With both of them, timing was on my side. This was around 2007-08. The Phillies were incredible and won the World Series and Dr. Dog dropped their breakthrough album Fate. Life was good.
Yet in both cases, eventually there was a drifting apart. It happens and it’s part of life. Also what’s part of life is joyful reconnections and thanks to their 2024 release “Talk is Cheap,” I found myself reconnecting with Dr. Dog. It was a tune that reminded me of why I fell in love with them initially: the bounce, the harmonies, the goddamn beautiful catchiness of it all.
I was at a Dave Matthews Band show this summer and ran into an old buddy I hadn’t seen in almost a decade. Listening to “Talk is Cheap” felt the same way.
Also, go Phillies. Still love ’em.
The Effin’ Crank It Song of the Year: “K2” Liquid Mike
In 2023, it was Turnstile that scratched my constant itch to have some loud music in my life. This year it was Liquid Mike. The older I get, the more I realize there are just some things I need to get by and keep on keeping on. Good old loud ass music is one of them.
Cereal is another.
Okay, onto 2025, kid.
Giddy Up America 
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