We asked listeners to tell us about a song they ugly cried to, or just couldn't stop playing in 2023. As the submissions poured in — thousands of them from across the globe — it was clear pretty quickly that music was a trusted companion this year, helping people through unimaginably tough times, lifting them up or pointing the way as they navigated periods of personal upheaval.
We couldn't possibly share everything (as much as we'd love to), but on this episode of All Songs Considered we've got just a small sample of some of our listeners' song picks and the stories behind them. A massive thank you to everyone who wrote in, shared voice memos and opened up about the profound ways music moved them this year.