A-Town Playlist: Top Spotify Songs of 2018

It's now a tradition - the year-end A-Town Playlist! 2018 marks the first year in which I seriously used the Spotify app to listen to music (and many, many podcasts) akt work, so I thought it would be fitting to compile 50 of my top songs from the past 12 months.

Although the playlist does contain some new songs that were released this year, it is largely comprised of my most frequently played Spotify tracks, including a few of my favorite bands, some classic hits and some tunes that I discovered along the way.

My 2018 playlist can be found here:

(https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0zgYlur0pgazS7laoYmchj)

While you're listening, check out a few highlights:

• I started the list with five songs that I constantly had on repeat, like the outrageous "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meat Loaf (who I met at FanX this fall), "Africa" by Weezer (which I decided I like more than the original by Toto) and Panic! at the Disco's catchy "Say Amen (Saturday Night)."

• Two of the first songs I listened to on Spotify this year, believe it or not, were "Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, and "Havana" by Camila Cabello. I don't know.

• Summer 2018 was full of concerts for me; I saw REO Speedwagon/Chicago, the Pixies/Weezer and Dierks Bentley (my first country concert!) - and my playlist has been organized accordingly. One section is dedicated to great songs by each of those bands!

• It was also fun to see that I have spent more than 24 hours listening to my favorite band, Weezer, this year. Thanks for the fun fact, Spotify!

• Of course, what would this summer have been without adding a number from the "LOST" soundtrack? As you may recall, I spent weeks and weeks binge-watching my favorite TV show, taking extensive notes and writing a bunch of blogs, only to find out that the Comic Con panel I was scheduled to be a part of had been cancelled without my knowledge. Disappointing, to say the least.

• Alice Merton, Welshly Arms, Bishop Briggs and The Interrupters headlined the group of new artists I discovered in 2018. I've included a few of their singles for your listening enjoyment.

• I went through a phase where I was listening to a bunch of cover songs. I've got that stint represented by The Struts' take on "Ballroom Blitz" and Bad Wolves' cover of "Zombie."

• There was a point in time this year when I realized that I didn't have Billy Joel's classic "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" in my iTunes. I quickly added it and listened to it a dozen or more times on Spotify. #NeverForget

• Speaking of Billy Joel, my first concert of my entire life was Billy Joel and Elton John. I'm not sure I appreciated the magnitude of that show as much as I should have, so I went to see Billy last November. When I heard that Elton John is embarking on his final tour in 2019, I had to buckle down and get tickets. I've commemorated that occasion with a song by the Rocket Man, himself. I'll be seeing him live for the last time next September.

• I was reminded how great The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" is as I played the much-maligned video game "Fallout 76," which features that song on its in-game radio.

• Without a doubt, my most iconic fashion statement of 2018 was the glorious two or three weeks in which I sported a mustache. This I did in homage to Queen's legendary front man, Freddie Mercury, in anticipation of the film "Bohemian Rhapsody," which I highly recommend. While listening to the movie's soundtrack, I came across a song I had never previously heard - "Keep Yourself Alive," which quickly became one of my favorite tracks of the year.

• I had to throw in "Take Me Home, Country Roads"  - a song that has become somewhat of an annual thing in my home on Thanksgiving night. My mom plays the song on the piano while my siblings and I belt out a rousing rendition of John Denver's redneck anthem.

• As the year drew to a close, I finally got a promotion at work (to do the job I've essentially been doing since April). The job comes with a slight pay raise, so I decided to celebrate by getting myself concert tickets to see a band I've loved for more than a decade - The Goo Goo Dolls. "Black Balloon" and "Slide" were just two of the songs I started listening to again in preparation for the show at USANA Amphitheater next June.

That's it for this year! Hope you enjoyed the music, friends. If you feel so inclined, let me know what your top songs of 2018 were in the comments section below.

And finally, for your information, if you use Spotify and would like to see some interesting statistics about your listening habits from 2018, head over to https://spotifywrapped.com/.