{"id":1254155,"date":"2018-12-27T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1254155"},"modified":"2018-12-27T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T03:00:00","slug":"the-lyrics-that-defined-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1254155","title":{"rendered":"The Lyrics That Defined 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article main-content\" lang=\"en-US\">\n<div class=\"AIContentWrapper-gOOlQO fHyaAp\">\n<div class=\"ArticlePageLedeBackground-JMVDp bIwRjk\">\n<header class=\"ContentHeaderWrapper-cqMZiN ekVjjn content-header article__content-header fullbleed\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderContainer\" class=\"ContentHeaderContainer-cMdHiZ fxttZl\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderHedAccreditationWrapper-WaWBW fTkfBu\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderTitleBlockWrapper\" class=\"ContentHeaderTitleBlockWrapper-cyIGwg dMceKV\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderRubric\" class=\"ContentHeaderRubricBlock-aIcNK jMWrMO\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderRubricDateBlock\" class=\"ContentHeaderRubricDateBlock-kvxmSu jVyBWg\">\n<div class=\"RubricWrapper-dZIqzO lULYX ContentHeaderRubricContainer-fiPRfk fRUoUz\"><span class=\"RubricName-gkORYq fCauaT rubric__name\">Lists &amp; Guides<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 data-testid=\"ContentHeaderHed\" class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE ContentHeaderHed-SVoJX deqABF fUKuKJ dyRzMH\">The Lyrics That Defined 2018<\/h1>\n<hr class=\"ContentHeaderContentDivider-ldpHoK ddpvNv\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderAccreditation-fcyiw bhgqZY content-header__accreditation\" data-testid=\"ContentHeaderAccreditation\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderDek-bCXPyE fuFZml\">A snapshot of the year through the lens of artists\u2019 pens<\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderByline-jXtKQj jgXynP\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderBylineContent-dkwwFS fRKSvg\">\n<div data-testid=\"BylinesWrapper\" class=\"BylinesWrapper-vmGrt cZzmZD bylines ContentHeaderBylines-cTXqro ljGzhW\"><span class=\"BylineWrapper-jRoBEm jYubaV byline bylines__byline\" data-testid=\"BylineWrapper\"><span class=\"BylineNamesWrapper-jrdaOa fXeqQN\"><span data-testid=\"BylineName\" class=\"BylineName-kqTBDS dDLLkB byline__name\"><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE BylinePreamble-itSxDZ deqABF kRwXQa jcgMlx byline__preamble\">By <\/span>Pitchfork<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><time data-testid=\"ContentHeaderPublishDate\" datetime=\"2018-12-27T01:00:00-05:00\" class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE ContentHeaderPublishDate-eNTYkb deqABF kSRRkI eFanim\">December 27, 2018<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderLeadAsset-hVxhYG cUtuGz lead-asset ContentHeaderLeadAssetWrapper-gQBTSl fxZXZn lead-asset--width-fullbleed\" data-testid=\"ContentHeaderLeadAsset\">\n<figure class=\"ContentHeaderLeadAssetContent-kyKlgP eGZaQl\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderLeadAssetContentMedia-bwiUDr keSRCn lead-asset__content__photo\"><span class=\"SpanWrapper-zEXFr koTknX responsive-asset ContentHeaderResponsiveAsset-cgZUtS coCHna\"><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"aspect-ratio-container\" class=\"AspectRatioContainer-bEozCe cwMgJu\">\n<div class=\"aspect-ratio--overlay-container\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/5c1d2e330673b61d5786d9e9\/2:1\/w_120,c_limit\/Lyrics_2018_Header.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/5c1d2e330673b61d5786d9e9\/2:1\/w_240,c_limit\/Lyrics_2018_Header.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/5c1d2e330673b61d5786d9e9\/2:1\/w_320,c_limit\/Lyrics_2018_Header.jpg 320w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/5c1d2e330673b61d5786d9e9\/2:1\/w_640,c_limit\/Lyrics_2018_Header.jpg 640w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/5c1d2e330673b61d5786d9e9\/2:1\/w_960,c_limit\/Lyrics_2018_Header.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"CaptionWrapper-jYrTxZ lffKHz caption ContentHeaderLeadAssetCaption-ifsaEE haBAOv\" data-testid=\"caption-wrapper\"><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE CaptionCredit-eowWKH deqABF kSRRkI gxwcqg caption__credit\">Beyonc\u00e9 photo by Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment, Stephen Malkmus photo by Andrew Toth\/FilmMagic, Ariana Grande photo by Jim Spellman\/WireImage, Miranda Lambert photo by John Shearer\/Getty Images for the Country Music Association, Pusha-T photo by Jun Sato\/WireImage, Noname photo by Tim Mosenfelder\/WireImage<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-attribute-verso-pattern=\"article-body\" class=\"ArticlePageContentBackGround-dcEtzE kUtTlG article-body__content\">\n<div class=\"ArticlePageChunksContent-enJWmu ilcJfn\">\n<div data-testid=\"ArticlePageChunks\" class=\"ArticlePageChunks-fwcPjP cOribe\">\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf fubVbh grid grid-margins grid-items-0 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP fKzBeN\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV bRelOV grid--item\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<p>Pusha-T cosplayed Jerry Springer. Ariana took the high ground. And pretty much everyone, from Stephen Malkmus to Cardi B, took men to task. In a dramatic year, musicians held nothing back. These were some of their most memorable lines.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cThank you, Kanye, very cool\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The 1975, \u201cLove It If We Made It\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Of all the exceptionally hellish things that happened this year, one of the worst was Kanye West and Donald Trump becoming legitimate homies. The 1975 figured out the best way to distill this dystopia: by wholesale lifting a tweet from the president himself. As an exasperated Matty Healy yells \u201cThank you, Kanye, very cool\u201d at the song\u2019s climax, it stands as a tiny rebellion against the bullshit of 2018. \u2013Michelle Kim<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cYou are hiding a child\/Let that boy come home\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Pusha-T, \u201cThe Story of Adidon\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Midway through \u201cThe Story of Adidon,\u201d Pusha-T\u2019s thorough annihilation of Drake, he drops the bomb. \u201cYou are hiding a child,\u201d he says, dragging out each word to make sure everyone hears him clearly. Pusha could\u2019ve just stopped there and made rap blog headlines, but instead he goes on to imply that Drake is incapable of stepping up as a father: \u201cLet that boy come come.\u201d With his nonchalant tone, Pusha sounds like he could be offering a no-brainer piece of parenting advice; the line seems extremely petty because he acts like Drake is incapable of following it. \u2013MK<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cMen are scum, I won\u2019t deny\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Stephen Malkmus, \u201cMiddle America\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Stephen Malkmus\u2019 most gentle track in years could be a lightly jangling Pavement outtake, its slick rhyme of \u201cblushin\u2019\u201d and \u201cRobitussin\u201d burning eternal. But \u201cMiddle America\u201d slotted perfectly into this chaotic year, too, offering a glint of self-awareness in an area that thoroughly lacked it. That this line proved a prognosticator for 2018\u2014\u201cMiddle America\u201d was released in February, before the full brunt of steamrolling boors\u2014was less pleasant, but at least we knew Malkmus was on our side. \u2013Stacey Anderson<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cOne taught me love, one taught me patience, and one taught me pain\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Ariana Grande, \u201cthank u, next\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In a year devoid of all graciousness, Ariana Grande was a bright spot. She lost one of her exes and was somehow blamed for it by trolls. She went through 2018\u2019s most public breakup. And <em>then<\/em> she thanked her past loves for making her the strong woman she is today. It all hinges on this delicately sung line, which <em>Us Weekly<\/em> devotees are still trying to parse. Only Ari knows the truth, and she\u2019s too wise to tell. \u2013SA<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cMy pussy wrote a thesis on colonialism\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Noname, \u201cSelf\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Noname opens her album <em>Room 25<\/em> with a freeing stream of consciousness that\u2019s too deft to be freestyled. She cracks self-reflective jokes and questions those who think she really can\u2019t rap, landing somewhere between the two with her instantly iconic \u201ccolonialism\u201d line. After bragging about her own sexually transmitted genius (\u201cFucked your rapper homie, now his ass is making better music\/My pussy teachin\u2019 ninth-grade English\u201d), the artist born Fatimah Warner drops this flex worthy of its own doctorate. \u2013SA<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cWithout my legs or my hair\/Without my genes or my blood\/With no name and with no type of story\/Where do I live?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>SOPHIE, \u201cImmaterial\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cImmaterial\u201d is the centerpiece of SOPHIE\u2019s <em>OIL OF EVERY PEARL\u2019s UN-INSIDES<\/em>, a transhumanism-inspired declaration of independence from bodily constraints. Lifted by Cecile Believe\u2019s helium vocals, the song\u2019s lyrics home in on a slippery notion of the self: How does one exist without identifying features or backstory? There\u2019s no tidy explanation for a question this heady, but the track\u2019s effervescence suggests that what you feel matters most. \u2013Eric Torres<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cI\u2019ve been big and small and big and small and big and small again, and still nobody wants me\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Mitski, \u201cNobody\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In 2018, no one captured the desperation of romantic loneliness quite like Mitski, and never better than in this line from \u201cNobody.\u201d It\u2019s a seeming counterpoint to self-help tomes and practical advice that suggest these matters are within our control. Accomplishments and open-heartedness be damned, a fully realized life might not be enough to bring you what you truly want: someone else. \u2013SA<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cLeave his texts on read, leave his balls on blue\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Cardi B, \u201cI Do\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Behind every great woman is a man celebrated for half as much. So tip your hat to Cardi B and SZA for leveling the playing field, if only for a few minutes, on the glorious closing track of <em>Invasion of Privacy<\/em>. \u201cI Do\u201d is a spree of smirking rejoinders to dudes who think they have the power. As this dynamic duo preens and sneers with the camaraderie of great friends, they set a standard for themselves and their listeners, too: If you\u2019re lucky enough to get my attention, do not waste it. \u2013SA<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cIf I gave two fucks about streaming numbers\/Would have put<\/em> Lemonade <em>up on Spotify\/Fuck you, fuck you, you\u2019re cool, fuck you\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Beyonc\u00e9, \u201cNice\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Breaking the fourth wall, Beyonc\u00e9 uses this quick aside from her album with JAY-Z, <em>Everything Is Love<\/em>, to dunk on the streaming service most likely playing this song (post-embargo, of course). Cultural ubiquity means being powerful enough to scoff at one of your main vessels for it, while at the same time pushing a competitor. This line alone was worth registering for another free trial of Tidal. \u2013SA<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cMy black is beautiful but I\u2019ll still shoot at you\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Vince Staples, \u201cFUN!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Vince Staples\u2019 <em>FM!<\/em> feels like it was beamed in from a mid-\u201990s pirate radio station playing exclusively California G-funk; his bars are what jolt the songs back to the here-and-now. On \u201cFUN!\u201d he volunteers, in a slinky deadpan, a stark contrast between the jubilant \u201cblack is beautiful\u201d movement and the harsh practicality of the gang life he grew up around. Staples can take the conscious route <em>and<\/em> fuck you up if necessary. \u2013ET<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cYou\u2019re classic in the wrong way\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Kacey Musgraves, \u201cHigh Horse\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><em>Golden Hour<\/em>\u2019s second single was a real \u201970s boogie, but its best burn would devastate in any decade. To be a classic man doesn&#8217;t translate to Windsor knots and Old Fashioneds here; it means being such a tedious know-it-all that getting knocked unconscious by a disco ball would provide blessed relief for everyone else. When did Musgraves find the time to meet <em>all<\/em> our ex-boyfriends? \u2013SA<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cNo, you\u2019re not gonna get what you need\/But baby, I have what you want\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Robyn, \u201cHoney\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The lusty title track from Robyn\u2019s latest is steeped in its own lore as an unreleased demo, to the point that these lyrics could take on a double meaning: No, Robyn will not abide by your boring release schedule, thank you very much. Arriving far later than expected, she assures us in a few succinct lines that though our thirst may feel infinite\u2014whether for a lover or, you know, more new music\u2014she knows how to satisfy. \u2013ET<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cLa di da di da, slob on me knob!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Future \/ Jay Rock, \u201cKing\u2019s Dead\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>No, Future did not write these lines. They\u2019re a combination of two heavily interpolated rap classics: \u201cLa Di Da Di\u201d by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh, and \u201cSlob on My Knob\u201d by Juicy J. But the Atlanta mainstay gave the lyrics new energy by delivering them in an inexplicably breathless, high-pitched squeak, causing some to hypothesize that he got punched in the nuts halfway through recording the verse. It\u2019s a hilarious, extremely meme-able moment in a year somewhat devoid of rap humor. \u2013MK<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cWhy do you look so good in those jeans?\/Why\u2019d you come around me with an ass like that?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Lady Gaga, \u201cWhy Did You Do That?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Lady Gaga has played coy about whether her <em>A Star Is Born<\/em> character\u2019s selling-out hit is intentionally bad. But keep in mind, \u201cWhy Did You Do That?\u201d drove Jackson Maine back to the bottle. Gaga\u2019s theater-kid delivery pushed the song\u2019s most inane lines to pure comedy. Like an android kid-sis to Taylor Swift\u2019s \u201cGorgeous,\u201d \u201cWhy Did You Do That?\u201d is wooden lust via backhanded compliments, like if someone put a blonde wig on the WALL-E and directed him to Tinder. \u2013SA<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PullQuoteEmbedWrapper-sc-TKIUW ijVdcB\" data-testid=\"pullquote-embed\">\n<div class=\"PullQuoteEmbedContent-sc-lixSTo gAzaZf\">\n<p><em>\u201cI picked a good day for a recreational Percocet\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Pistol Annies, \u201cBest Years of My Life\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Was there a <em>bad<\/em> day for one this year? \u2013SA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p> Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/features\/lists-and-guides\/the-lyrics-that-defined-2018\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lists &amp; Guides The Lyrics That Defined 2018 A snapshot of the year through the lens of artists\u2019 pens By Pitchfork December 27, 2018 Beyonc\u00e9 photo by Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment, Stephen Malkmus photo by Andrew Toth\/FilmMagic, Ariana Grande photo by Jim Spellman\/WireImage, Miranda Lambert photo by John Shearer\/Getty Images for the Country [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1254155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1254155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1254155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1254155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1254155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}