Our no. 1 songs: 2016

Summary

All Songs Considered: Our No. 1 Songs — 2016

Host: Robin Hilton (NPR)
Guest: Stephen Thompson
Date: November 3, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode is part of the "quarter century anniversary" series, revisiting NPR’s top songs from each year since All Songs Considered began in 2000. Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson delve into the music of 2016—sharing their top picks, reflecting on monumental albums, and discussing the emotional resonance of a year marked by both astounding releases and significant losses in the music world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Debate: The Best Song of 2016

• Robin insists on going first this time after years of letting Stephen take the lead.
• Both agree that 2016 was such a strong year for music that there are “only a few correct answers.”

Robin Hilton's Pick:

Beyoncé – "Don’t Hurt Yourself" (from Lemonade)

• Robin says, “There was nothing greater from 2016.” [00:42]

• Calls Lemonade a "once in a generation album." [02:41]

• Loves Beyoncé "stepping into the rock space and absolutely destroying.” [02:53]

• Reminisces about watching the Lemonade film and the cultural impact:

  “Everyone will remember where they were when they saw that. And then someone else said, yeah, their living room.” – Robin [03:23]

• Stephen notes the album spans many genres and was a proof of concept for everything Beyoncé would later achieve—including her Grammy win for Cowboy Carter:

  "The proof of concept has existed for album after album." – Stephen [04:15]

• Stephen’s alternative pick from Lemonade would be "Freedom." [02:47]

Stephen Thompson’s Pick:

Mitski – "Your Best American Girl"

• Stephen says, "If you just said, Stephen Thompson, what is the best song of the 2010s? ... my immediate thought would be the following." [04:45]
• Robin reacts:

  "Every time I hear this song and when that drop comes in, it is just the anthem of, of our lifetime." – Robin [06:46]

• Stephen discusses the song’s identity themes and Mitski’s unique guitar sound, describing it with vivid imagery:

  "There is an animation that my brain manufactures of Mitski standing astride like a stack of amplifiers... she is standing on a mountain made of amplifier." – Stephen [07:27] "Why doesn't every song kick ass as hard as this song kicks ass?" [08:05]

• Robin, as a musician, marvels at the perfection of the guitar fuzz/distortion:

  "Please show me your effects chain. How did you come up with that sound?" [08:53]

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The Year of Loss: Remembering 2016's Musical Deaths

• Both reflect on the staggering number of major artists lost in 2016, including:

  • David Bowie (January)
  • Prince
  • George Michael (December)
  • Leonard Cohen
  • Phife Dawg
  • Merle Haggard
  • Sharon Jones
    [12:19–12:54]

• Stephen shares his experience hearing Bowie’s Blackstar:

  “I put it on. I’m like, this is the best thing this guy’s done in years... within days, they announced that he had died. And it really, unfortunately, was a harbinger of an incredibly rough year.” – Stephen [12:54–13:32]

David Bowie – "Lazarus" (from Blackstar)

• Robin selects "Lazarus" as the standout song from Bowie’s final album [13:38], playing a haunting clip.
• Stephen discusses Bowie’s humility and creative generosity on the record, describing it as "tremendous." [14:33]

Leonard Cohen – "You Want It Darker"

• Released shortly before Cohen’s death. Stephen notes the album’s “awareness of his imminent mortality”:

  “As the kids say, it hits different.” – Stephen [15:19]

• Robin admires Cohen’s creative vitality at age 82. [16:08]

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More Standouts from 2016

Solange – A Seat at the Table

• Stephen:

  “…at the time, it was really like she was giving Lemonade a run for its money.” [16:46]

• NPR Music voted it as the No. 1 album that year:

  “We were all kind of, like, looking at each other… I guess we’re doing this." – Robin [17:55]

Key Song: "Cranes in the Sky"

Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

• Robin highlights "Daydreaming" and refers to the album as “such a gorgeous song.” [18:50]
• Notes that the band needed a break, as revealed in a Sunday Times interview, and mentions Thom Yorke's solo and Smile projects, and Johnny Greenwood's film scoring. [19:20–19:33]

Bon Iver – 22, a Million

• Stephen’s favorite record of 2016; “It is still so, so beautiful.” [20:25]
• Robin asks whether this was a turning point for Justin Vernon and Bon Iver, marking his resistance to repetition and constant reinvention. [20:30–20:57]

Wilco – Schmilco

• Robin picks “Normal American Kids” as his all-time favorite Wilco song:

  “…so perfectly captures what it’s like to be a disaffected, angry young kid in this country.” [22:04]

• Recalls begging Jeff Tweedy to play it at NPR Music’s 10th Anniversary show:

  “I was backstage screaming between every song going ‘Normal American Kids’…. He looked back and he kind of squinted like, who is that lunatic back there?” [22:33]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Beyoncé’s Genre-Bending:
  “What I loved about this one is it was Beyonce stepping into the rock space and absolutely destroying.” – Robin Hilton [02:53]

• On Mitski’s Iconic Guitar Sound:
  “There have been a handful of guitarists and albums and songs over the years where you hear it and you think they found it. They found the perfect guitar noise, guitar distortion... it couldn't be more perfect.” – Robin Hilton [08:53]

• On David Bowie’s Blackstar:
  “I put it on. I'm like, this is the best thing this guy’s done in years... within days, they announced that he had died.” – Stephen Thompson [12:54]

• On Solange’s Impact:
  “At the time, [Solange] was really giving Lemonade a run for its money.” – Stephen Thompson [16:46]
  “We were all kind of, like, looking at each other… I guess we’re doing this.” – Robin Hilton [17:59]

• On Wilco’s “Normal American Kids”:
  “I just don't think I've ever heard a song, at least for me, that so perfectly captures what it's like to be a disaffected, angry young kid in this country.” – Robin Hilton [22:04]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:18] Introduction; format for the retrospective
• [00:42] Robin’s top pick: Beyoncé – “Don’t Hurt Yourself”
• [01:08] Discussion of Lemonade and Beyoncé’s legacy
• [04:43] Stephen’s top pick: Mitski – “Your Best American Girl”
• [06:46] Robin’s reaction to Mitski; discussion of identity and guitar sound
• [12:05] Segment starts on artists lost in 2016
• [13:38] David Bowie – “Lazarus”; discussion of Blackstar
• [14:48] Leonard Cohen – “You Want It Darker”
• [16:31] Other major albums: Solange, Radiohead, Bon Iver, Wilco
• [21:13] Wilco – “Normal American Kids” and personal fan anecdotes

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Episode Flow & Tone

The episode blends deep musical knowledge with warmth and nostalgia. The hosts, longtime music lovers and collaborators, share personal recollections and musical analyses, balancing fun banter with moving reflections on the music and artists that shaped 2016.

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Essential Tracks Played

1. Beyoncé – “Don’t Hurt Yourself” [01:08]
2. Mitski – “Your Best American Girl” [05:11]
3. David Bowie – “Lazarus” [13:47]
4. Leonard Cohen – “You Want It Darker” [15:23]
5. Solange – “Cranes in the Sky” [17:13]
6. Radiohead – “Daydreaming” [18:09]
7. Bon Iver – “7 (You)” [19:58]
8. Wilco – “Normal American Kids” [21:31]

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Listen-Along Guide

Listeners looking to revisit 2016’s pivotal tracks or learn the backstory of each, alongside engaging critical insight, will find this episode a rich resource and a bittersweet retrospective on an unforgettable music year.

Transcript

[Announcer]

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[Robin Hilton]

I'm Robin Hilton. We're looking back at our number one songs from the past 25 years as part of the show's anniversary. Our quarter century anniversary doing a different year each week. Stephen Thompson here, as always.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's great to be here, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, the whole time we've been doing this series, looking back at each year, I've let you go first every single time. But I'm gonna go first this time.

[Announcer]

Wow.

[Stephen Thompson]

Okay, fine.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Because there was Nothing greater from 2016.

[Stephen Thompson]

Than basically, there's only one correct answer. So you're probably stealing my pick because there is only one correct answer.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, okay, let's just hit it. And you're gonna know it immediately, I think.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nope, not the correct answer.

[Robin Hilton]

Come on. You know what this is, though?

[Stephen Thompson]

This is Beyonce.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, Is this Don't hurt yourself with Jack White? This isn't one of my go tos from this record. I mean, this is a great record.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

Don't hurt yourself. Do I hurt yourself? Who the do you think I am? You ain't married to no average boy. You can watch my fat ass twist, boy as I bounce to the next day boy, it keep your money, I got my own Keep a bigger smile on my face Being alone bad motherfucker God complex motivated bait your ass call me Malcolm X, your operator innovator you hater. You can't recreate. I know you never recreate.

[Robin Hilton]

I know. Got to wait for the.

[Stephen Thompson]

For that.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

We just got to let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be baby, you just got to let it be, Let it be, let it be, let it be. You hurt yourself, don't hurt yourself. Will you diss me?

[Robin Hilton]

You diss yourself. Well, here's the thing. So don't hurt yourself from lemonade.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

To me, a once in a generation album.

[Stephen Thompson]

Such a great record.

[Robin Hilton]

Incredible.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'd have gone with freedom.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Okay.

[Robin Hilton]

I was gonna say there are maybe better songs on this album, and there may be more important songs on this album. There are. But what I loved about this one is it was Beyonce stepping into the rock space and absolutely destroying.

[Stephen Thompson]

Destroying it.

[Robin Hilton]

This whole album blew my mind. And then the. And then the film.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, my God.

[Robin Hilton]

Around it too. I remember watching it. Next day, came into work, everyone's talking about it, and somebody said, everyone will remember where they were when they saw that. And then someone else said, yeah, they're living room.

[Stephen Thompson]

I was gonna say watching tv.

[Robin Hilton]

You were watching television when that aired. But I thought that this was a monumental, like I said, once in a generation achievement. This whole, this whole record. Like, I don't know how anything could ever top it when I heard it.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's a superb record and it's a superb record across many genres.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

You know, when she ended up, you know, putting out Cowboy Carter and finally winning the album of the year Grammy and everything, it was like, wow, look, she showed that she can operate in this space. It's like, of course she could operate in this space.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean there is so many.

[Stephen Thompson]

The proof of concept has existed for album after album. Her self titled record is maybe my favorite of her.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, okay.

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, it's neck and neck between that and lemonade. But.

[Robin Hilton]

But I mean, you don't win album of the year for a record like this. I mean that, that was just like, that's it. I am out.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm done.

[Robin Hilton]

I, I know I've said that every year with the Grammys, literally every year with the Grammys. But this is what I think of when I think of 2016.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

For albums. I think that makes all the sense in the world. But the reason I was like, well, there is only one correct answer.

[Robin Hilton]

I bet I know. I bet I know what you're going to pick.

[Stephen Thompson]

So, so song wise to me. This is if I, if you just. If you just said, Stephen Thompson, what is the best song of the 2010s? Like, what is the best song of that decade? My immediate thought would be the following.

[Robin Hilton]

Your Best American Girl by Mits.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

If I could but be a little spoon and kiss your fingers forevermore. But big spoon, you have so much to do and I have nothing to let of me. You're the sun, you've never seen the night but you hear its song from the morning birds. Well, I'm not the moon, I'm not even a star. But awake at night I'll be singing to the birds. Don't wait for me, I can't go. You're more than a prayer how my mother raised me. But I do all I think I do. And you're an unmas trying to be your best king.

[Robin Hilton]

You might be right, man. Every time I hear this song and when that drop comes in, it is just the anthem of, of our lifetime. I mean, it's incredible.

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, not for nothing, it's also a song that speaks to identity and speaks to the the. The songwriter's place, place in the world and how she sees herself and how she feels she fits into her relationship and her identity. The song has big ideas around it, but it also has this moment where that guitar kicks in. And look, the landscape of rock and roll is strewn with killer riffs, right? That is the engine that drives the rock and roll economy is, you know, is big riffs. But like, I don't know if I don't know how your. How your brain works, I can't know the inside of your mind. For me, when that guitar kicks in, there is an animation that my brain manufactures of Mitsky standing astride like a stack of amplifiers. And when that chorus kicks in, the camera pans back to reveal that what she is standing on is a mountain made of amplifier. There is so much heft and power and just force behind the way that guitar comes in. I really sometimes have the feeling when I hear that song of like, why doesn't every song kick ass as hard as this song kicks ass? Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, let me tell you, as someone who records a lot of music and plays a lot of music, and there are so many ways to get guitar fuzz and distortion. There's any number of combination of pedals and effects and things like that. And I can't tell you how many times I and I know every other guitarist and musician out there has tried all these different combinations, trying to come up with just the perfect fuzz, the perfect distortion.

[Stephen Thompson]

What will rule just a little bit harder?

[Robin Hilton]

Can you just make it rule? And there have been a handful of guitarists and albums and songs over the years where you hear it and you think they found it. They found the perfect guitar noise, guitar distortion and fuzz. And you hear that on that, like when that chord, that power chord kicks in, it couldn't be more perfect. Like, please show me your effects chain. How did you come up with that sound?

[Guest Singer/Performer]

It is such a perfect sound. Crazy, but I do. I finally do you guess I could be the best American girl of how my mother think I do.

[Robin Hilton]

Let's take a break here and we'll talk about some of the other stuff we remember most from 2016. When we come back.

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[Robin Hilton]

Well, one thing about the year 2016, I don't think we can look back at that time without stopping to consider how many musicians we lost that year. Like, it was a weird year, and.

[Stephen Thompson]

It really was kind of unrelenting throughout the year. And it began in January with David Bowie and ended in December with George.

[Robin Hilton]

Michael, and Leonard Cohen was along the way. Leonard Cohen, Prince.

[Stephen Thompson]

Fife Dog.

[Robin Hilton]

Prince died in 2016.

[Stephen Thompson]

Did I not say Prince? You didn't say Prince in the first sentence.

[Robin Hilton]

That was not in your first breath. No, Prince, Merle Haggard, Sharon Jones. It was a staggering year of losses. And in some of those cases, it happened right after we got what ended up being the last album from some of these singers.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, in January. David Bowie. Like, first week of January, David Bowie was releasing an album called Blackstar and Advance, you know, for us. You know, advances kind of trickled out a few days before it came out, and I put it on. I'm like, this is the best thing this guy's done in years. And I not only was excited about the record, but I really had this thought of like, man, he's still got it. I can't wait to hear more music. And within days, they announced that he had died. And it really, unfortunately, was a harbinger of an incredibly rough year.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, I'm glad you brought up Black Star, because if I had to pick a Song from that one, I would say Lazarus.

[Stephen Thompson]

Lazarus. Stunning song.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

Look up here I'm in heaven I've got scars that can't be seen I've got drama can't be stolen. Everybody knows me now.

[Robin Hilton]

It really is a staggering record.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, he's working with some of the best musicians on earth, and it shows. And there's a. There's a certain humility to that, you know, where he's front and center, but he's giving space to all these other artists, and the result is just tremendous.

[Robin Hilton]

And then later in the year, in October, we got an album from Leonard Cohen called you Want It Darker. And just like a couple weeks after that came out, then we lost Leonard Cohen as well.

[Stephen Thompson]

You know, both of those records can't help but be in conversation with the circumstances surrounding their release. And so Leonard Cohen's record, when you're suddenly realizing that he is making this record with such an awareness of his imminent mortality, it. You know, as the kids say, it hits different.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

If you are the dealer, I'm out of the game. If you are the healer Means I'm broken and lame. If thine is the glory, Then mine must be the shame. You want it darker? We kill the flame magnified. Sanctified be thy holy name vilified, Crucified in the human frame. A million candles burning for the help that never came. You want it darker.

[Robin Hilton]

I remember one thing about this, and when I first heard the record and we didn't know he had so little time left, I remember thinking, 82 years old, and he makes this record that's just amazing. And I've thought of him often over the years, whenever. Because now there are so many incredible musicians who've gotten reached their 80s, and they're still recording and making incredible music. But what else from 2016?

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, one of the biggest records, just from a standpoint of the year in music, and just kind of titanic artistic achievements that we were really celebrating at the end of the year. I think we have to mention Solange.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

Oh, that's right.

[Stephen Thompson]

A seat at the table, you know, and she hasn't put out a record since 2016. But, you know, at the time, it was really like she was giving lemonade a run for its money. You know, Solange's Beyonce's sister. And, you know, they both made these very, very different, extremely ambitious, thoughtful, and searching records. You go back and listen to Cranes in the sky from that record, and that is. That is a killer song.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

I tried to drink it away I tried to put one in the air I tried to dance it away I tried to change it with my hair I wear my credit card below Thought a new dress would make it better.

[Robin Hilton]

You talk about giving Lemonade a run for its money. NPR Music had a vote. And we actually ended up picking Solange's record as the number one album that year. And I remember being in the room when we realized that we were all kind of, like, looking at each other.

[Stephen Thompson]

And we're like, well, okay, so we're doing this.

[Robin Hilton]

I guess we're doing this. But yeah. Another one I'd mentioned for 2016 is Radiohead's a Moon Shaped Pool. It had the song Daydreaming.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

Dreamers. They never learn, they never learn beyond the point of no Return. Of no.

[Stephen Thompson]

Return.

[Robin Hilton]

Such a gorgeous song. I really love this album. And, you know, it's been almost a decade now since Radioheads put anything out, but I just read this amazing interview with them Where.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

Where?

[Stephen Thompson]

With Tom York?

[Robin Hilton]

No, it was the whole band. With the whole band in the Sunday Times. And they talked about how they just really needed to take a break. I think Thom York said that the wheels had kind of fallen off. He hadn't taken any time to grieve the loss of his wife, and they just needed the time. But, you know, they're about to go on tour again.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah. And as far as taking a break for Tom York just means he's putting out records as the Smile. He's putting out records as Tom York.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, with Mark Pritchard.

[Stephen Thompson]

With Mark Pritchard, he had a record out this year.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, they've all been doing solo projects. Johnny Greenwood, all his film scoring and everything. But what else for 2016?

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, I mean, I know we have talked. We have talked about Bon Iver on this show.

[Robin Hilton]

Bon Iver Jar.

[Stephen Thompson]

Many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many times dating Back to like 2007, 2008. But my favorite record of 2016 was that Bon Iver record, 22aMillion. There's a song called Seven.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

Down along the Creek. I remember something. Heard the heron Hurried away First I breached At Last Sunday.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is so. I listened to it just the other day and it is still so, so beautif.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Would you say this was sort of a turning point for Justin Vernon and Bon Iver? Like, it was pretty clear the direction he wanted to go with his music and not just stay in the forever Go Lang.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I mean, I think in general, like, he is very resistant to making the same record twice and the fact that he has made as many great records as he has constantly pivoting to something new speaks not only to his talent but to the legacy that he has built.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, if you're gonna mention Bonaver again, then I'm gonna mention Wilco again because.

[Stephen Thompson]

We gotta be us.

[Robin Hilton]

Robin, Because Wilco had an album out in 2016, Wilco Schmilco, and it has what is my all time favorite Wilco song. And there are many contenders for that.

[Stephen Thompson]

I was gonna say that's one of your favorite bands and they have, they have some great songs.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, there's no shortage of songs I could pick. But my favorite Wilco song opens the record. It's called Normal American Kids.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

Remind myself of myself long ago Before I could drive before I could vote all the time holding a grudge Before I knew people could die Just because Shot from the sling head full of buzz I knew what I liked was not very much high at the time tied to the grid Always afraid of those normal American kids I just don't.

[Robin Hilton]

Think I've ever heard a song, at least for me, that so perfectly captures what it's like to be a disaffected, angry young kid in this country. And he's back, you know, like just the, all the little images that he and things that he brings up. And it really resonate with me. I remember we did the NPR Music 10th Anniversary show at the 9:30 Club in 2017. So this record had only been out about a year and Jeff played a solo set and I was backstage screaming between every song going normal American Kids. And I remember one time he looked back and he kind of like squinted like, who is that lunatic back there? We'll go out on this. We could keep going, but we'll go out on this. From Wilco Shmilko, Normal American Kids. And until next time when we do 2017, thanks as always, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

And for NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's all songs considered.

[Guest Singer/Performer]

High as high as I can loom under the sheets in my bedroom I was high as I can get Always afraid of those normal American kids.

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