My 10 Most Popular Posts of 2024: Here’s What You Read This Year
Counting down the biggest newsletter entries from the past 12 months.
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I’ve been writing for publication for nearly 20 years and getting paid for it for most of that span. At this point in my career, I’m thousands of articles and millions of words in. Here’s the truth about creating content: You can never truly know what will be popular and what will fall flat.
This newsletter is a shining example of that. I asked for and received reader feedback, tweaked my publication schedule, and even redid the format of this newsletter entirely. During my content planning sprints, I would see some topics come up and think, “Yep, this is going to do well.”
Sometimes that was the case. More often, it wasn’t. Nearly every month, a post I didn’t think would receive substantial views or influence new subscriptions flexed its muscle. Besides being an absolute pleasure to write for, the growing music-lover community on Substack never ceases to surprise and subvert my expectations.
With another calendar year almost in the books, I thought it was a good time to zoom out and reshare the 10 most popular posts from 2024 in one convenient list. It’s a great excuse to return to essays you loved or catch up on those you missed.
If you enjoyed one or several of these posts, I’d love it if you subscribed to the newsletter and joined this terrific supportive community we’re building together.
Here are the 10 most popular posts I published in 2024, listed in descending order:
10. “Rust Never Sleeps” by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
9. “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen
8. Every U2 Album, Ranked From Worst to Best (Part 3)
7. “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order
6. “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra
5. "Rhythm Nation" Proves Janet Jackson is a Pop Music Icon
4. “Cars” by Gary Numan
3. Why "Paul's Boutique" Stands Out as the Best Beastie Boys Album
2. “Diamond Life” by Sade
1. “Fear of Music” by the Talking Head
Of all the records covered here, do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments.
I’m a little partial to #7, but of all the full length records mentioned here, Fear of Music takes it for me.