Spotify wrapped: The songs our staff played the most in 2017 and why

From Run the Jewels to Ed Sheeran

Spotify has launched their annual end-of-year ‘Wrapped’ feature, allowing subscribers to see the stats behind their listening habits.

Once again, members of The Independent have discovered their personal most-listened-to tracks of the year, the results ranging from Run the Jewels to Ed Sheeran.

Below, our (partly embarrassed) staff offer some reasoning as to why they blasted the same song over and over again. (You can find out yours through this link and see our results from last year.)

Arcade Fire, ‘Creature Comfort’

‘Creature Comfort’ — the love child of ‘Reflektor and ‘Month of May’ — is an unapologetic thrill ride comprised of humming synths and stomping bass delivered in Talking Heads-style drawl by Win Butler. Arcade Fire’s intimate show at London’s York Hall is to thank for this track’s victory, amassing at least five listens a day ever since in the hope transporting myself back to that show.

— Jacob Stolworthy

Run the Jewels, ‘Legend Has It’

Proof that I am incredibly susceptible to earworms. If you’re wondering why a track for a 2016 album is being featured here, it’s for the simple and straightforward reason that, as a movie fan, I naturally watched the Black Panther trailer about 20 times then got the track stuck in my head for about three months. It’s a killer, though.

— Clarisse Loughrey

Tom Petty, ‘Wildflowers’

I started playing this track pretty much on loop after watching Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at their Hyde Park gig in July. I hadn’t paid the Wildflowers album much attention before the gig, leaning more towards the Heartbreakers’ traditional American rock sound, over the gentle folk of Petty’s solo work on Wildflowers. But Petty played several tracks off of this album at the gig and I fell in love with them. The chorus speaks to me as a frustrated country girl who still finds it strange to be among the concrete: “You belong among the wildflowers, you belong in a boat out at sea. Sail away, kill off the hours, you belong somewhere you feel free.”

— Chloe Hubbard

Virginia to Vegas, ‘Selfish’

I was surprised by this one as it’s been months since I last listened to it, but going back to it I get why I had it on repeat so much in 2017. Canadian artist Virginia to Vegas pre-empted the “subdued banger” that would go on to dominate the charts in the later part of this year. I don’t even remember where I heard it first — I think it might have been a viral track on Spotify, but it’s annoyingly addictive — the 8m streams its racked up on Spotify definitely weren’t all by me. I’ve noticed a lot of the tracks that popped up in my Spotify end-of-year list were either old favourites or pop bangers that I’d play about a hundred times in a week before moving on.

— Roisin O’Connor

Brockhampton, ‘Sweet’

Brockhampton was the best artist I discovered in 2017. They're often favourably compared to Odd Future, which I don't really see, but this song kind of has an 'Oldie' vibe to it. Six members of the self-described 'boy band' exchange verses but it's Joba who really shines with his strange, mangled, addictive bars. "I am one with ebb and flow, that's all I know"; I think it tops my list directly as a result of that bit alone.

— Ibrahim Salha

Maleek Berry, ‘Bend It’

This track is entirely unexpectedly because I only started listening to it about three weeks ago. Still, it’s perfect as winter approaches: so fun and sunny that it can even divert the path of cold, British winds; the sheer warmth of it stopping them ripping all the way through to your bones. Those aren’t usually things I especially want from music but this has been a really useful track for stopping me being quite such a goth.

— Andrew Griffin

Ed Sheeran, ‘Nancy Mulligan’

I was rather surprised that out of the staggering 19,474 minutes I spent listening to Spotify this year most of them were spent internally jiving along to this jolly Irish-jig number. As an avid subscriber to the “I’m too cool to listen to chart music” narrative, I might like Ed Sheeran more than I care to admit. Yes, he’s one of the best-selling artists in the world and yes his music is overplayed absolutely everywhere, but there’s just something about this particular tune, which tells the charming story of how his grandparents met, that evidently kept me coming back for more.

— Olivia Petter

The Rubberbandits, ‘Horse Outside’

My most listened to tune comes from The Rubberbandits, ‘Horse Outside’ being the Limerick duo's tale of Magner's weddings, equine supremacy and car-related one-upmanship. Hilarious, catchy and a great advertisement for horses as a way of avoiding road tax, it livened up the morning commute countless times, much to the bemusement of onlooking fellow passengers as I stamped my hoof in time to the beat. Giddy up.

— Ronan O'Shea

Foy Vance, ‘Joy of Nothing’

The way 2017 has gone, I can't say I'm very surprised to find this song at the top of my Spotify playlist. In this crazy mixed up post-truth world, working in a newsroom is reason enough to want to embrace the "joy of nothing" in your own spare time. That's probably also why this song was joined by the Beach Boys’ "Don't Worry Baby" in my most-played list. Whenever I need to take a moment to tune out from the world (which seems to be increasingly often) Foy Vance's soothing tones have proven to be the perfect escape

— Chantal Da Silva

Bicep, ‘Just’

Spotify tipped me off about them last year but it was only after several listens I realised just what a beautifully constructed banger it is, sparse but melodic with a crisp breakbeat and dark, infectious bassline. Still a pleasure when it comes on even after so many listens.

— Jon di Paolo

(Sandy) Alex G, ‘Bobby’

Rocket, the latest album from Frank Ocean's Blonde collaborator Alex G, was my go-to this year for those staring-out-of-a-bus-window-feeling-down-on-your-luck moments. In particular, the track 'Bobby' set up shop in my heart, a burnt-out folk rock song based around weary harmonies and lackadaisical violin and banjo. As if pleading to his lover, the narrator reworks the wounding chorus line to address his mistakes. "I'd leave him for you," he says of his personified demons. "I'd clean it for you," he assures of the mess he's made. But is he trying to change more than he should need to? Has he been worn weak by the relationship? "I'd burn them for you" he later says of the pictures of his heart turning dark he's been painting, promising to mask his own valid sorrow just to keep her around. A completely moreish track that's at once brutal and slender.

— Christopher Hooton

Frank Ocean, ‘Chanel’

One of Frank Ocean’s many loosies, ‘Chanel’ marks one of the elusive songwriter’s best tracks: a subdued, catchy, slow-burner with lyrics that walk a careful tightrope between bravado and emotional. Before seeing Ocean play Lovebox, the track — along with ‘Biking’ and ‘Nights’ — was played on repeat. Unfortunately, the actual concert couldn’t match my expectations, but the former Odd Future member remains one of my favourite artists working today.

— Jack Shepherd