Podcast Summary: All Songs Considered – "Our No. 1 Songs: 2019" (Nov 24, 2025)

Overview

In this reflective episode of NPR’s All Songs Considered, host Robin Hilton and guest Stephen Thompson revisit their favorite songs from 2019 as part of the show’s ongoing retrospective covering the past 25 years. The discussion focuses on the tracks that stood out personally and culturally, from massive pop breakthroughs to intimate indie gems, alongside a few surprising deep cuts. Throughout the conversation, Robin and Stephen celebrate the diversity and significance of 2019’s music, touching on memorable production, evocative storytelling, and the ever-evolving landscape of popular and alternative sounds.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Unstoppable Rise of Billie Eilish

Featured Song: "bury a friend" – Billie Eilish

• [01:18] Robin Hilton: Recalls premiering the track when it released and highlights its immediate impact and unique soundscape.

  "I actually played this on All Songs Considered when it came out, so I should have thought of this, but 'bury a friend' is the song from Billie Eilish. When we all fall asleep where do we go?"

• [01:31] Stephen Thompson: Emphasizes the production genius of Finneas, Billie’s brother, and celebrates his Grammy win as Producer of the Year for this album.

  "Phineas produced 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go' by Billie Eilish and won. And when he won, it was like, of course he won... for the one album that he produced."

• [02:33] Robin Hilton:

  "It is immaculately produced. Yeah. I remember being so struck by the whole world of sound and just the clarity in the mix and just how perfectly placed everything was."

• [03:04] Stephen Thompson: Notes the album’s unique ability to be both a massive pop phenomenon and a “headphone record.”

  "It's not necessarily often that a gigantic pop juggernaut record is also a Headphone record."

Indie Delicacy: Tiny Ruins

Featured Song: "School of Design" – Tiny Ruins

• [04:25] Robin Hilton: Presents this atmospheric and transportive track, underlining its understated beauty.

  "The song is School of Design by a band called Tiny Ruins... This one is from... Olympic Girls, and it was on my top 10 list of that year, but just so beautiful, so transporting. Love the imagery."

• [05:10] Stephen Thompson:

  "They have a song called 'Me at the Museum, You in the Winter Gardens.' That is one of my favorite songs of the decade."

• [05:25] Robin Hilton: Praises the band's ability to evoke place and emotion.

  "They're transporting... they really put you in a very specific place and time."

Country Craft: Ashley McBryde

Featured Song: "One Night Standards" – Ashley McBryde

• [09:32] Robin Hilton: Correctly identifies artist before recalling the track name.

• [10:25] Stephen Thompson:

  "My partner had a great line. She first heard this song where she's like, like a thousand professional songwriters in Nashville heard this song and simultaneously slapped their foreheads so angry that they hadn't thought of that play on words."

• Praises the songwriting:

  "But like every line of this record is so smartly crafted. To me, this should have been the biggest country hit of the 21st century. It is a perfect three minute country song."

Expansive Singer-Songwriting

• Wise Blood – "Andromeda" [11:18]:

  • Robin Hilton notes, "Andromeda by Wise Blood came out that year," highlighting the song's cosmic, dreamy qualities.

• Sharon Van Etten – "Remind Me Tomorrow" [12:24]:

  • Referenced as a standout album; they discuss Sharon's emotional range.

• Lana Del Rey – "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have" [12:41]:

  • Robin:

    "An epic album from her. Absolutely epic, sprawling, ambitious, really big swing, I think showcasing her range and kind of the direction that she was headed in..."

Indie, Emo, and the Undercurrents

• Microwave – "Leather Daddy" [14:23]:

  • Robin mentions it as a song that defined the year for him, even if less well-known.

• Big Thief – "Not" [14:42]:

  • Stephen:

    "It closed with like a 3 minute guitar solo that everyone on the music team was obsessed with."

Country Supergroups and Community

The Highwomen – "Crowded Table" [15:41]

• Stephen Thompson:

  "With supergroups you get all these... stars together and they kind of... They're not necessarily bringing their A material... And yet this was all A material."

• Robin Hilton calls it a standout:

  "That's their only album so far, self titled. And I think the song that maybe stands out the most, at least for me, is 'Crowded Table.'"

Blockbuster Pop Clarity

Ariana Grande – "thank u, next" [17:03]

• Stephen Thompson:

  "Her best song in my opinion."

Reflections on the Passage of Time

[18:04] Robin Hilton:

"I have to say this was only six years ago and everything that you're bringing up just feels like a century ago to me. I don't know what happened these last few years."

[18:15] Stephen Thompson:

"Yeah, exactly. 2019, just on a steady upward climb that would continue unabated. Don't show me it's like you're watching the stock ticker, it's like, I don't know, September 1928's looking pretty good."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Billie Eilish’s Breakout:

  "Of course he won producer of the year for the one album that he produced." – Stephen Thompson [01:31]

• On musical escapism:

  "I could just. I could live in that void." – Stephen Thompson (on Tiny Ruins) [05:54]

• On hit songwriting in Nashville:

  "Like a thousand professional songwriters in Nashville heard this song and simultaneously slapped their foreheads so angry that they hadn't thought of that play on words." – Stephen Thompson (about Ashley McBryde's "One Night Standards") [10:25]

• On 2019 feeling oddly distant:

  "I have to say this was only six years ago and everything that you're bringing up just feels like a century ago to me." – Robin Hilton [18:04]

Selected Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:27: Episode introduction and Robin sets up 2019 retrospectives
• 01:18: Discussion of Billie Eilish's "bury a friend" and album significance
• 04:25: Introduction and analysis of Tiny Ruins, "School of Design"
• 09:32: Ashley McBryde's "One Night Standards" as a perfect country track
• 12:24: Sharon Van Etten and Lana Del Rey reminisces
• 14:42: Recognition of Big Thief and their artistic leveling-up with "Not"
• 15:41: Highwomen’s supergroup success and "Crowded Table"
• 17:03: Ariana Grande "thank u, next" gets named as a 2019 anthem
• 18:04: Reflections on how quickly the music landscape (and the world) has shifted since 2019

Conclusion

This episode of All Songs Considered beautifully blends nostalgia and critical insight, celebrating the breadth of 2019’s musical output. Through personal anecdotes and sharp cultural observations, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson make the past come alive, while also mourning how swiftly time — and music itself — moves forward.