My Favorite Songs from Fall 2023

I haven’t done one of these posts in three years, but suddenly, I had the urge to do this after finding a song I’ve been searching for over a year, which we’ll get to later on! It’s pretty self-explanatory; I’ll talk about my favorite songs from Fall 2023. These aren’t just rock songs, though. They’re basically songs I was in the mood for. If you want to check out My Favorite Songs – Fall 2020, feel free to check it out right here! With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

10. “Bird in the Hand” by Rival Sons, from Darkfighter (2023)

First of all, I’m still living on the hype of seeing them live this past August. Second of all, listening to Rival Sons is a religious experience for me because their songs are so powerful. Whether it’s through Jay Buchanan’s lead vocals, Scott Holiday’s crushing riffs, their catchy melodies, or their lyrics, Rival Sons take me to a place that’s very comforting. “Bird in the Hand” is a chill song with a great melody, but it was the lyrics that made me love it even more. “Let’s go down to the river / Where the water runs still and deep / Scatter the ashes of the mess I used to be.” It’s so good and it sounds better in front of an audience!

9. “Where Does Love Go When It Dies” by Def Leppard, from Slang (1996)

It’s been a hot minute since I listened to the Slang album, but whenever this song shows up on my Def Leppard Spotify playlist, I’m happy! I think it’s a better ballad than “Love Bites;” it’s dark, the lyrics are well-written, and the melody is so pretty. I’m still waiting for the band to add “Where Does Love Go When It Dies” back into their setlist because they should give their typical ballads a break. Slang was a drastic change from Adrenalize (1992) because it was raw, more mature, darker, and very grunge-like. But, the harmonies were still there, as shown through this song.

8. “Jealous” by Nick Jonas, from Nick Jonas (2014)

I haven’t heard “Jealous” in years, but I’ve been obsessed with it for the past couple of weeks after watching a compilation video of Shinwoo (Kang Yoo Seok) and Taekyung (Lee Sae On) from Light on Me (2021). The song fits Shinwoo really well because of how jealous he was of Taekyung’s friendship with Daon (Choe Chan Yi). Shinwoo tried to play it cool around Taekyung by acting like he didn’t care, but he was hurting inside. Also, the song is insanely catchy. The chorus, especially, has the power to get stuck in one’s brain for all of eternity. 

7. “Ignorance and Innocence” by Overkill, from I Hear Black (1993)

Not going to lie, my Disney College Program wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. It was hard work and I made a lot of mistakes that I’m still recovering from. That’s why the lyrics for “Ignorance and Innocence” really speak to me. I didn’t have much life experience when I did the Disney College Program; I didn’t know what I was doing. I see myself in this song and the greatest songs are the ones that people can connect with on a personal level. Overkill aren’t just for angry headbangers with killer bass lines; they’re much more than that. 

6. “Who I Am” by Bratz, from Rock Angelz (2005)

I previously mentioned that “So Good” is the closest thing Bratz ever got to rock ‘n’ roll, but in actuality, “Who I Am” is the closest thing Bratz ever got to rock ‘n’ roll. The guitar riff is fantastic and the lead vocals are amazing. For a kid’s group, the lyrics are lowkey genius, especially for today’s society. “They can’t tame us, so they blame us for everything.” It’s simply a song for women that are misunderstood and treated badly. When my Disney College Program ended in January, I felt lost and needed some good pop rock music to cheer me up, and Bratz delivered!

5. “Welcome to the Goodtimes” by The Black Crowes, from By Your Side (1999)

The Robinson brothers are nuts, but they’re also talented songwriters. Despite their chaotic relationship back then, they somehow created a song that was totally the opposite of what they were going through. The Black Crowes themselves were going through hell, too. They changed record labels, they lost guitarist Marc Ford and bassist Johnny Colt, and they had to record an entirely new album after their Band (1997) album was scrapped. Still, “Welcome to the Goodtimes” is a beautiful song with a great melody and a saxophone part, holy cow!

4. “Movin’ Out” by Aerosmith, from Aerosmith (1973)

Aerosmith has been on my mind since the Disney College Program because of “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But, there’s also the Peace Out farewell tour that got postponed to 2024 because of Steven Tyler’s vocal problems. For a debut album, Aerosmith knew what the heck they were doing. They were young, hungry, and they kicked butt. “Movin’ Out” is my favorite song from the debut album because it’s got a killer groove and a tasteful guitar riff. I also like Tyler’s gruff vocals he had at the time, before he discovered his signature sound. 

3. “Gonna Get This” (featuring Iyaz) performed by Hannah Montana, from Hannah Montana Forever (2010)

I fell in love with “Gonna Get This” as a kid because it’s so different from Hannah Montana’s previous songs. It has pop and hip hop flavors going on. In the season four episode titled, “Hannah’s Gonna Get This,” the record label and her fans aren’t pleased with the song and don’t want Hannah (Miley Cyrus) to change her sound. But, she follows her heart and decides to release it on her new album anyways because she doesn’t want the label or other people’s opinions to control her career. That specific episode made me love “Gonna Get This” even more because it represents being open to try new things and take risks in life. 

2. “Unsaid Emily” performed by Charlie Gillespie, from Julie and the Phantoms: Music from the Netflix Original Series (2020)

In February 2022, I was scrolling through YouTube and found a compilation video for the Korean drama, 18 Again (2020), which was based on the movie, 17 Again (2009). The video did a good job at convincing me to give 18 Again a chance and a lot of it had to do with the song that was included in the video. The only problem was that I couldn’t figure out what it was called. The melody was stuck in my head for over a year, until finally, I looked up the video again, found a clip from a Netflix show called Julie and the Phantoms (2020), and that’s how I discovered the song title. Luke (Charlie Gillespie) writes “Unsaid Emily” for his mother, Emily, about how he’s sorry for running away from home, leaving on bad terms. It’s the best pop-oriented song I’ve heard in years because the lyrics tell a story, the melody is beautiful, and it’s a song that people can relate to (romantic and unromantic).

1. “On the Hunt” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, from Nuthin’ Fancy (1975)

After buying Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 in late June of this year, I looked up YouTube clips of the band to check out their other songs. Then, I came across a video of Lynyrd Skynyrd performing “On the Hunt” live at the Winterland in San Francisco, California, in 1975. The guitar riff immediately caught my attention and I thought it was one of the coolest things I ever heard. Ronnie Van Zant’s growls gave me chills, the song had a killer groove, and Gary Rossington’s solos were blowing my mind. That dude could play! I can’t even count how many times I’ve gone back to “On the Hunt” since then; it’s also incredibly underrated in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s catalog.

There you have, people! Those are my 10 favorite songs from Fall 2023. The songs in this post have more meaning to me, in comparison to previous My Favorite Songs posts. 2023 has been a rough year, but for brief moments, these songs made me forget my troubles and they allowed me to get lost in the music. “Unsaid Emily” is a crucial one because it was driving me crazy not knowing the song title for over a year. I hardly ever cry, but “Unsaid Emily” almost made me cry. That’s the power of music, people!

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Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana