It’s brutal out there, and that’s why, more than ever, we needed the consoling and prodding pleasures of popular music to help everything make sense in here. [Stage direction: taps chest, knowingly.] ...

Silk Sonic, the late DMX and Olivia Rodrigo rocked some of the best songs of 2021. Whether it was the retro-soul romance of Silk Sonic, the thrashing teen spirit of Olivia Rodrigo or the grand divorce ...

"Only here to sin." That admission from NPR Music's song of the year lies at the heart of many of the stories told across these 100 tracks. Perhaps the crowning of Cardi and Megan's "WAP" last year ...

Sia, ABBA and Florida Georgia Line and Nelly hit some wrong notes in 2021. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Top: Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images, bottom: Baillie Walsh/Capitol Records From Kanye West to ...

Sixty-six tracks that tell the story of the year: a posthumous political statement, a hyperpop star finding his footing, an emerging force’s debut smash and a superstar’s 10-minute redo. By Jon ...

When we remember 2021, few things will be more evocative than the music that provided the soundtrack to the world as we re-entered it after a long year filled with uncertainty and social distancing.