All Songs Considered: Our No. 1 Songs – 2015

Episode Date: October 27, 2025
Hosts: Robin Hilton, Stephen Thompson (NPR Music)

Overview

In this episode, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson continue their retrospective journey through 21st-century music, spotlighting their most defining songs of 2015—not by charts, but songs that captured the spirit of All Songs Considered and resonated personally. The hosts play a friendly game of “Name That Tune,” share their picks, and reflect on the musical landscape of 2015, ranging from Courtney Barnett’s guitar-driven rock to the emotional depths of Sufjan Stevens, the cultural weight of Kendrick Lamar, and the phenomenon of Hamilton.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Criteria for Song Selection

• (00:22) The hosts clarify these aren’t Billboard or mainstream picks. “These are songs that define the show,” Robin notes.
• (00:45) Stephen: “There’s absolutely no way to be definitive in summing up any year.”
  The selection is subjective, focused on songs significant to the hosts and the show’s audience.

2. Courtney Barnett — “Pedestrian at Best”

• (01:13-03:37)
  • Stephen’s first choice. He describes being struck instantly:
    "This opening rift is the first thing that goes immediately to mind." (01:19)
  • The album: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.
  • Robin celebrates Barnett’s breakout: “Oh, she just... burst out with this album, and it just rips.” (02:33)
  • Stephen likens the song to a generational anthem:
    "The immediate thought is like, this is her Smells Like Teen Spirit." (03:05)
  • They hail Barnett’s storytelling and the song’s energy, calling the title “the most inaccurately named song of 2015.” (02:26)

3. Sufjan Stevens — “John My Beloved” (from Carrie & Lowell)

• (04:29-07:17)
  • Robin’s pick, described as “an album full of songs that I like. Any one of them I could have picked and played and loved.” (04:07)
  • Stephen speaks about the emotional gravity:
    "This record knocked me flat... The intimacy of this record, how deep he’s willing to go in this album.” (05:27)
  • They discuss Sufjan’s own conflicted feelings about the project. Robin clarifies the nuance behind headlines calling Sufjan “embarrassed” by the album:
    “It’s so much more complicated than that...” (06:37)
  • Themes of loss, memory, and Sufjan’s attempt to process his mother’s death are central.

4. Honorable Mention Highlights from 2015

• After the break, the hosts run through standout tracks and trends:

Kendrick Lamar — “Alright”

• (09:31-11:03)
  • Stephen: “That was an extremely eye-opening record.” (10:42)
  • Robin: “The song ‘Alright’ has become a bigger one, and a more important song, and a more impactful song from the album.” (11:03)
  • The hosts acknowledge Kendrick’s expanding vision and cultural influence.

Torres — “Strange Hellos” (from Sprinter)

• (11:14-12:00)
  • Robin: “Talk about guitar rock... this song and the album, it’s from Sprinter. Rock so hard.” (11:58)
  • Stephen reflects on initial hopes that Torres would become “the next big guitar rock God.” (12:00)

Joan Shelley — “Over and Even”

• (12:14-13:32)
  • Stephen highlights this as his “anxiety medicine.” (13:18)
  • He chooses music that soothes and heals, not only what is critically acclaimed:
    “When I do my year end best lists, I just pick my favorites... Joan Shelley’s Over and Even is my anxiety medicine.” (12:54)

Adele — “Hello”

• (13:32-16:32)
  • Acknowledgement of Adele’s 25 as a landmark release.
  • Robin: “I think this is an undeniably great song." (15:35)
  • Stephen provides a critical view of the album:
    "I found the record as a whole very monochromatic and glum—not glum in the way that I love so much glum music." (15:46)

Hamilton (Original Cast Recording)

• (16:32-18:44)
  • Robin discusses the multi-genre, cross-audience phenomenon of Hamilton:
    “Such a weird mix of things that were happening with this musical and all these different worlds coming together.” (17:13)
  • Stephen shares how even NPR colleagues found themselves newly loving musicals through Hamilton (17:37).

Iconic Returns and Other Highlights

• Missy Elliott: Single “WTF (Where They From)”—her first release in several years.
• Sleater-Kinney: Returned after a decade with No Cities to Love.
• Joanna Newsom: Released Divers.
• The hosts declare 2015 “a great year” for comebacks and surprises.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “It’s so fun every once in a while when you hear a song and you’re like, oh, it’s my song of the year. There it is. You don’t have to even live with it for more than three minutes to know.”
  – Stephen Thompson (03:23)

• “Guitar rock is back.”
  – Robin Hilton, reflecting on Courtney Barnett’s impact and contemporaries (03:37)

• “Songs can’t speak for her, she’s not there to speak for herself... These thoughts are incomplete because they have to be... but it doesn’t detract from how beautiful they are.”
  – Stephen Thompson on Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell (05:45)

• “Joan Shelley’s Over and Even is my anxiety medicine.”
  – Stephen Thompson (12:54)

• “Hamilton…such a weird mix of things happening with this musical and all these different worlds coming together…”
  – Robin Hilton (17:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment/Event | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------|-------------| | Start & episode premise | 00:16 | | Courtney Barnett – “Pedestrian…” | 01:13–04:07 | | Sufjan Stevens – “John My Beloved” | 04:29–07:17 | | Kendrick Lamar – “Alright” | 09:31–11:03 | | Torres – “Strange Hellos” | 11:14–12:00 | | Joan Shelley – “Over and Even” | 12:14–13:32 | | Adele – “Hello” | 13:43–16:32 | | Hamilton Soundtrack discussion | 16:32–18:45 | | Reflections & roundup | 18:45–end |

Tone and Flow

The episode balances playful “Name That Tune” banter (“You’re gonna hit it, and then I’m gonna try to guess what it is” – Robin Hilton, 01:10) with personal reflection and cultural critique. Robin and Stephen’s rapport is warm and insightful, giving space to both their own connections to the music and larger cultural shifts of 2015.

This episode stands as a loving, opinionated snapshot of 2015’s music—full of surprises, returns, and songs that linger in personal and collective memory.