As we prepare to welcome 2024, the Paroles & Musique and Words & Music teams have taken a moment to look back at 2023 and bring you these Top 10s of SOCAN member songs prepared by some of our regular contributors. Happy Holidays!
Howard Druckman
Howard Druckman is the Editor of SOCAN’s Words & Music online magazine.
1. Danny Michel – “Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself”
2. TOBi – “Someone I Knew”
3. Donovan Woods – “I’m Around”
4. Terra Lightfoot – “Someone Else’s Feelings”
5. King Cruff, Stonebwoy feat. Jag. Huligin – “Shedoeneed”
6. LU KALA – “Hotter Now”
7. Julian Taylor – “Long Time Ago”
8. Dan Mangan – “Fire Escape”
9. Bruce Cockburn – “To Keep the World We Know”
10. Joni Mitchell – “Help Me (Demo)”
Eric Parazelli
Eric Parazelli is the Editor of SOCAN’s online magazine Paroles & Musique and Manager of Francophone Communications for SOCAN.
1. Robert Robert – “Télé”
2. Thierry Larose – “Portrait d’une Marianne”
3. Lydia Képinski / Les Louanges – “J’aime quand on danse (tes mains sur mes hanches)”
4. Charlotte Cardin – “Jim Carrey”
5. Gabrielle Shonk – “People Pleaser”
6. comment debord – “Blood pareil”
7. Les Louanges – “Central “Park La Fontaine”
8. Viviane Audet – “Les nuits avancent comme des camions blindés sur les filles”
9. Antoine Corriveau – “La panique est une fleur”
10. Mayfly – “Ma peau brûle”
Olivier Boisvert-Magnen
Contributor to Paroles & Musique Olivier Boisvert-Magnen is a journalist, researcher, columnist, host, curator of music lists, and on-air director for ICI Musique/Première, QUB Musique, Stingray, and CISM.
1. Lost – “Malsain et sauf”
2. Blesse et Sophia Bel – “creusercreusercreuser”
3. Mike Shabb & SeinsSucrer – “GMM”
4. Thierry Larose – “Plein prix”
5. Jimmy Hunt – “Les étoiles”
6. Philippe B – “Je t’attends”
7. Les frères Goyette et Karl Tremblay – “Ponton de mer”
8. Safia Nolin – “Et si, de”
9. Malko – “Lettre à maman”
10. Lary Kidd – “Speak White”
Chaka V. Grier
Words & Music regular contributor Chaka V. Grier is an interviewer and writer whose work has included bylines in National Public Radio (NPR) in the U.S., O Magazine, Flare, and Elle Canada.
1. Begonia – “Heaven”
2. Witch Prophet – “Memory”
3. U.S. Girls – “Only Daedalus”
4. Daniel Caesar – “Do You Like Me?”
5. Debbie Friday – “So Hard to Tell”
6. Feist – “In Lightning”
7. Debbie Friday – “I Got It”
8. OKAN – “Guerrero”
9. Nico Paulo — “Amor, Amor, Amor”
10. Hilario Duran — “Night In Tunisia
Philippe Renaud
Paroles & Musique contributor Philippe Renaud has been a music journalist, columnist, and critic for some 20 years, during which time he has been read, seen, and heard at La Presse, Radio-Canada (ICI Première, ICI Télé), L’Actualité, and Le Devoir.
1. Laurence-Anne – “Polymorphe”
2. La Sécurité – “Dis-moi”
3. Gayance (feat. Janette King) – “Dead End”
4. Mike Shabb et SeinsSucrer – “GMM”
5. Crabe (feat. N Nao et Belle Grande Fille) – “Je ne peux pas te dire je t’aime”
6. NOBRO – “I Don’t Feel Like It”
7. comment debord – “Blood pareil”
8. Eman (feat. Jai Nitai Lotus) – “Safari trap”
9. Ouri – “Blueprints of Us”
10. Priori – “Hazard”
Nancy Dutra
Words & Music contributor Nancy Dutra is a writer and editor who loves to read, write, and sing about the human condition.
1. Allison Russell – “Stay Right Here”
2. Allison Russell – “The Returner”
3. William Prince – “When You Miss Someone”
4. Leith Ross – “We’ll Never Have Sex”
5. Begonia – “Chasing Every Sunset”
6. Feist – “Forever Before”
7. Sultans of String feat. Crystal Shawanda – “The Rez”
8. TOBi – “Flowers”
9. Nico Paulo – “Now or Never”
10. Jenn Grant & Amy Millan – “How I Loved You”
Élise Jetté
A contributor to Paroles & Musique for the past five years, Élise Jetté heads the musical web magazine Feu à volonté, and has hosted the show Les Charlottes on CISM for the past 12 years. She also writes articles for many print magazines such as Cool! and Clin d’oeil.
1. Dany Nicolas et François Bourassa – “Les miroirs”
2. Arielle Soucy – “Pardonne-moi”
3. Charlotte Cornfield – “In From The Rain”
4. Fanny Bloom – “Le ciel te ressemble”
5. Philippe B – “Marianne s’ennuie”
6. Ingrid St-Pierre – “Le Paquebot”
7. comment debord – “Manquer le bateau”
8. Kanen (avec Safia Nolin) – “Dead Shopping Mall”
9. Philippe Brach – “Last Call”
10. Après l’asphalte – “10 000 lu
Errol Nazareth
Words & Music contributor Errol Nazareth is the host of Frequencies, a global music show that airs every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. ET on CBC Music.
1. OKAN – “La Reina Del Norte”
2. Debby Friday – “Hot Love”
3. Hilario Duran and his Latin Jazz Big Band – “For Mingus”
4. Elisapie – “Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)”
5. Elizabeth Shepherd – “Right Nowm”
6. Louwop – “No soy de aquí, No soy de allá”
7. Yanchan – “Tradition”
8. Omega Mighty – “Poblano”
9. Tarek Ghriri – “Dreams From Home”
10. Andrea Ramolo – “Pizzica di Aradeo”
Claude Côté
Paroles & Musique contributor Claude Côté is a columnist, host, and freelance writer for La Presse, ICI RDI, ICI Première, and Ted Magazine, in addition to working on several industry juries, including that of ADISQ. A journalist for Voir from 1993 to 2003, host and programming director at CIBL in 1994, he’s been active in the field for 40 years.
1. Vendôme – “Vampire”
2. Maude Audet – “Je danse”
3. Population II – “Rapaillé”
4. Philippe Brach – “Les oiseaux migrateurs”
5. The Sugar Darlings – “Funky Darling”
6. Bobby Bazini – “Turn Blue”
7. Jimmy Hunt – “Bébé”
8. Nobro – “Set That Pussy Free”
9. Hauterive – “Mille feux”
10. Maten – “Utenat”
Nick Krewen
Words & Music regular contributor Nick Krewen is the former rock critic for the Hamilton Spectator, and currently a frequent contributor to the Toronto Star, CARAS’s annual JUNO souvenir music program, and occasionally, the Globe and Mail.
1. Whitehorse – “Division 5”
2. Jessie Reyez – “Mutual Friend”
3. Gord Downie & Bob Rock – “Greyboy Says”
4. Sylvia Tyson – “Sweet Agony”
5. Aysanabee – “War Cry”
6. Daniel Caesar – “Ocho Rios”
7. Begonia – “Married By Elvis”
8. Sloan – “Scratch the Surface”
9. Tami Neilson – “Baby, You’re A Gun”
10. Logan Staats – “Six Miles”