My Favorite Songs from September 2026

September 16, 2026 was the final episode of MasterChef: Global Gauntlet and while I was disappointed that the contestant I initially wanted to win didn’t win, he made it to the finale and I’m not disappointed about who won. Name That Tune started up again and in my opinion, it’s just as hard as Beat Shazam. One of the songs they played was The Black Crowes’ cover of “Hard to Handle” and I couldn’t even get that because the instrumental came and went so fast! I got a couple of songs correct, but you won’t catch me on Name That Tune anytime soon, that’s for sure. As I’m typing this, I’m looking forward to 2027 with Dirty Honey releasing their third studio album on January 15, Thundermother releasing their seventh studio album on February 5, and Def Leppard announcing in a recent tour vlog that they plan to release a new studio album sometime next year. I tried to make time for my CDs this past month and somewhat succeeded, so thankfully, this list was much easier to put together compared to my list for August 2026. With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

10. “Rock the Blues Away” by AC/DC from Rock or Bust (2014)

Because of how twisted my brain works, sometimes I’ll have a song stuck in my head despite not having listened to it in a while. That’s what happened with AC/DC’s “Rock the Blues Away”! Coincidentally, the song suits where the band’s headspace was at the time with them adjusting to Malcolm Young’s retirement from the group and Phil Rudd’s legal issues. That whole Rock or Bust era was insane or what I call, “cursed.” But the song itself is a lot of fun with its sing-along chorus and upbeat melodies. “Rock the Blues Away” was one of my saving graces during the COVID-19 pandemic because I really thought that concerts were doomed forever. Thankfully, that was not the case!

9. “One Little Coyote” (Riders in the Sky cover) performed by The Wiggles from It’s a Wiggly Wiggly World! (2000)

I’ve been a lifelong fan of The OG Wiggles since I was a kid. Yet, this whole time I never knew that “One Little Coyote” from It’s a Wiggly Wiggly World!, one of the best videos they ever did, was a Riders in the Sky cover! Ironically enough, I first became aware of Riders in the Sky through another kid’s show: Barney & Friends. No, “One Little Coyote” was not stuck in my head randomly this past month. Instead, I was watching a classic Wiggles special ranking video two weeks ago and the song came on my radar again. It’s one of my favorites from It’s a Wiggly Wiggly World! and no offense to Riders in the Sky, but The Wiggles did the song better, mostly because Greg Page is a better singer than Ranger Doug. But also, the instrumentation is more fun and cheerful.

8. “The Emptiness Machine” by Linkin Park from From Zero (2024)

This song was a last minute addition because season 21 of America’s Got Talent ended on September 23, 2026 and my favorite contestant from that season, rocker Nene Royal, won! She did a duet with Linkin Park on the results show and the song they performed together was “The Emptiness Machine,” the lead single from the band’s eighth studio album, From Zero. I love the lyrics because of how they can be interpreted; I look at the lyrics as being about anxiety, but I can also see them being about a toxic relationship. It’s more alternative rock than classic rock, which I don’t listen to often, but despite that, it’s a great song! The problem is, the first time I heard “The Emptiness Machine” was with Royal and Emily Armstrong sharing vocal duties. But in the studio version, Armstrong is duetting with Mike Shinoda, which I was a bit disappointed about because I wouldn’t have minded if Armstrong sang the entire song by herself. That girl can sing her butt off!

7. “Free Ourselves” by Thundermother from Heat Wave (2020)

“Free Ourselves” is probably my favorite song from Thundermother’s Heat Wave album because I love the song’s uplifting spirit, Guernica Mancini’s vocals are amazing, it’s got a rock ‘n’ roll beat, and Filippa Nässil’s guitar playing is chef’s kiss! She was cooking up big time on that track; that opening riff she does is ridiculous! “Free Ourselves” lowkey makes me miss the Guernica Mancini era of the band, but I’m grateful for the albums she sang on. Plus, I’m a fan of the band’s current vocalist Linnéa Vikström Egg, so I’m excited for their new album that they’re working on. I’m not even sure if Thundermother played “Free Ourselves” live with Mancini on vocals, which to me is insane. If possible, I would love to see Vikström Egg tackle the song because I think her grittiness would give it an extra edge in concert.

6. “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” performed by David Tomlinson and Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins (1964)

Forgive me, but I’ve never seen Mary Poppins in its entirety. I’ve only seen bits of it on TV and YouTube. However, I did watch Saving Mr. Banks (2013), which was about Walt Disney pursuing the movie rights to Mary Poppins, a book series by P. L. Travers. After seeing the movie a few times, I gained an appreciation for the song, “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” which is Mr. Banks’ redemption. I love its whimsical atmosphere and the happy ending it provides for him and his children as he learns that his family is more important than his job. In Saving Mr. Banks, the movie explains that Mr. Banks was based on P. L. Travers’ own father, who died when she was a child. He worked as a bank manager, but his alcoholism resulted in his demotion to a bank clerk. I’m not entirely sure how accurate the Mary Poppins movie is compared to the books, but I think it’s beautiful that Mr. Banks was given the proper ending that Travers’ father deserved.

5. “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande from Dangerous Woman (2016)

“Dangerous Woman” popped up on my radar again after watching Travis Garland perform his version of it during the quarterfinals of America’s Got Talent on September 8, 2026. He really went all out with that performance from the stage production to the song’s arrangement; it was like watching an award show performance! Garland didn’t make it to the finals, unfortunately, but I hope he continues to pursue a solo singing career because his voice is too good to ignore. I’ll never forget when I first saw the music video for “Dangerous Woman” during my junior year of high school and the first thing I thought was, “Wow, Ariana Grande actually let her hair down!” Ponytails became her thing around 2012, so if she didn’t have a ponytail, it was a big deal! Grande delivers effortless vocals, the instrumentation is very sultry and seductive, it’s got an R&B-inspired guitar solo, and the chorus is insanely catchy.

4. “Loser” by Motörhead from Iron Fist (1982)

I only bought Motörhead’s Iron Fist album because I was planning to do a blog post about strange album covers, but unfortunately, that post never came to fruition. Maybe it’s because I’m trying really hard to get into the band, but I’m growing to appreciate the album because of the musicality and bold lyrical themes. “Loser” is very tongue-in-cheek, the guitar riff is a lot of fun, and I love the galloping hi-hat. Besides “Loser,” my other favorite tracks on the album are “Go to Hell,” “Speedfreak,” “(Don’t Let ‘Em) Grind Ya Down,” and “(Don’t Need) Religion.” If we’re just talking about Lemmy Kilmister as a person, I really admire his confidence and wisdom. He was a man who lived life with no regrets. Though he admitted his faults, he didn’t dwell on them; he just learned from them and moved on.

3. “Here She Comes” by Airbourne from Airbourne (2026)

I read that Mutt Lange co-wrote two songs for Airbourne’s self-titled sixth studio album, so when I first heard “Here She Comes,” I knew that it was one of the tracks Lange worked on because the song sounds very commercial and there’s a line that goes, “Leaving me high and dry.” The latter is an assumed callback to Def Leppard’s High ‘n’ Dry (1981) album, which Lange produced. The melodies are infectious, the chorus is catchy, Joel O’Keeffe’s raspy vocals perfectly suit the song, the backing vocals are great, and someone commented on YouTube that it’s reminiscent of AC/DC’s “Moneytalks,” which is not a bad thing! Now that I think about it, “Moneytalks” is the most commercial song that AC/DC ever wrote; I know “You Shook Me All Night Long” is more popular, but the melodies for “Moneytalks” have more ear candy qualities compared to “You Shook Me All Night Long.” I’ve only listened to the new Airbourne album once, so I can’t confidently say it’s a banger, but “Here She Comes” is chef’s kiss! That one is going to sound amazing at their live shows!

2. “Rise Up!” by Tygers of Pan Tang from Electrifyed (2026)

I’m not familiar with the early incarnations of Tygers of Pan Tang, but their current lineup with Jack Meille on vocals freaking rules! He has this commercial, clean voice, but at the same time, he can sing up a storm! “Rise Up!” is a perfect example of that because he sings with so much power that it’s impossible not to stop and listen to what he has to say. I love the thunderous drums at the 0:34 second mark alongside an electrifying guitar riff from Robb Weir and the song has an uplifting spirit that makes you want to raise your fist in the air. Did I mention that “Rise Up!” is the opening track for the Electrifyed album? Talk about a banging way to kick off an album!

1. “Remember the Time” by Michael Jackson from Dangerous (1991)

Given my never-ending journey on the Michael Jackson train, is anyone surprised that a Michael Jackson song took the number one spot on my list? I briefly talked about the “Remember the Time” short film in a post called, “My Top 10 Michael Jackson Short Films,” but I first saw it not long after his passing in 2009 when music channels were playing his short films on a constant loop. I thought it was so cool seeing Jackson pop up from shimmers of gold and that memory always stuck with me even after I turned away from his music for 17 years. “Remember the Time” is a new jack swing banger with an insanely catchy chorus, great storytelling, Jackson’s soulful vocals, and the ad-libs at the song’s finale are so much fun to sing along with! Technically, Jackson performed the song at least twice: one time was during rehearsals for the Dangerous tour and another time was at the 1993 Soul Train Music Awards, where he was seated in a gold chair because he sprained his ankle the day before. “Remember the Time” is the best song on the Dangerous (1991) album, so I’m bummed we never got more live performances of it, but at the same time, I’m thankful for the footage we have to refer back to!

There you have it, people! Those are my favorite songs from September 2026. More rock tracks this time, which I’m happy about because not going to lie, rock music lowkey took a back seat because of my Michael Jackson train ride. As a side note, Thundermother released the first single, “Bimbo Boost,” from their upcoming seventh studio album on September 25, 2026 and it was so good that I played it on YouTube four times in a row! Rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well, people!

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Lana