AP's top songs of 2024: 'Texas Hold 'Em,' 'Not Like Us,' 'Igual Que Un Ángel' and more

NEW YORK (AP) — Ten of the best songs of the year, as determined by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman, in no particular order.

It is not only the biggest song of the year, but one of the longest-reigning No. 1s of all time, as far as the Billboard Hot 100 is concerned — Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tied Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” with an impressive 19 weeks atop the charts. It makes sense that these two songs resonated in similar ways: Both are cross-genre, monolithic musical moments, classically country and an amalgamation of styles forming something completely modern. Shaboozey’s earworm interpolates J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” and places it squarely on the faded bar stool of a hard-working weekend warrior. Like a few too many whiskey shooters, it'll inspire a singalong of “Oh my, good lord” from anyone.

There was a time where describing “Not Like Us” required a taxonomy of the freshly reignited beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, a period of diss tracks begetting diss tracks with dizzying alacrity — and a clear victor. The truth is, of course, the song stands on its own: a triumphant declaration of West Coast hip-hop, funny and bombastic.

Future and Metro Boomin have long made ideal collaborators, but this year's joint album, “We Don’t Trust You,” felt like a long time coming. It was an event. Immediately upon its release, “Like That" stood out, not only for its fiery guest verse from Lamar, or its hyper-speed sample of Rodney O and Joe Cooley’s “Everlasting Bass” and Eazy-E’s “Eazy-Duz-It,” but for its ferocity. It's the big ... three?

Face it: 2024 belonged to Chappell Roan. A veteran of the music industry now experiencing what feels like an unparalleled rocket launch into fame, Roan has long wielded her theatricality and sexual candor like a wand (and a rabbit) in her songs. But it’s “Good Luck, Babe!” that thrust her into the mainstream, a pop megahit that tackles lust, frustration and compulsory heterosexuality atop strings, ’80s synths, and a soaring vocal performance. How could you not fall in love with her?

For the caffeinated — or those in dire need of an energy boost — Sabrina Carpenter's “Espresso" emerged like all great pop hits should: Almost from nowhere, as addictive as its namesake and confounding in its lyrics, directly recalling the Y2K period of off-kilter pop songs with nonsensical lyrics atop sunny productions. ("That’s that me espresso" is up there with the Backstreet Boys' declaration of “I never wanna hear you say / I want it that way.”) But this one isn't simply fueled by nostalgia. It's disco-pop when the genre was dead and buried, revitalized and made clever through Carpenter's ever-present sense of humor. Cheeky!

For career-long fans of Beyoncé, the memory of the once-teenaged singer who spoke with a soft, pronounced Texas twang is all but distant. For them, a hybridist country album from the superstar performer was simply a prophecy fulfilled. When “Cowboy Carter” arrived, it became immediately clear that B was dedicated to reclaiming country music as a Black woman. But it was the introduction of this new era with “Texas Hold 'Em” that solidified it — a honky-tonk stomper with a lot of western soul.

Give her No. 1 for the best lyric of the year — “Is somebody gonna match my freak?” Tinashe’s “Nasty” is the hit fans of her smooth R&B-pop have been waiting for years; an exemplar of her particular talents. It’s a sultry, goodtime hit — a kick, a snare, bare production and a scare beat — melodic and stacked with backing vocals. No wonder TikTok immediately embraced it. “Nasty” is for dancing, a song that evokes a quote regularly attributed to Oscar Wilde: a vertical expression of a horizontal urge.

Of any contemporary pop performer, Post Malone has benefitted the most from his ability to shapeshift. In an alternative universe, it might be hard to think of the “White Iverson” rapper launching a successful country career. In this one, it makes too much sense — the Texas musician has been dropping “ma’ams” and “sirs” in his speech since day one, and his signature autotuned vibrato works across the genre spectrum. (It's that same idiosyncrasy that had both Beyoncé and Taylor Swift calling him for features this year.) But it is his red solo cup collaboration with controversial hitmaker Morgan Wallen that undoubtedly made waves, an immediate anthem for hanging out in the bed of a pickup truck or at a backyard barbecue.

One of the biggest music stories of the last few years has been the increasing popularity of regional Mexican music — a thrilling reflection of Latin music's continued global growth. But the artists at the center of the movement, including Peso Pluma, know that their music succeeds because it both celebrates tradition and transcends it, like in his gruff rapping over corridos. In Kali Uchis' “Igual Que Un Ángel,” Pluma experiments with new genres entirely, and she welcomes him into her world. Here, Uchis' glossy, shimmery disco dream-pop is the foundation, and Pluma's stony vocal tone a smooth accent. It's an addictive song, and a reminder of the power at the heart of inventive collaborations.

A vocal harmony between Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield and MJ Lenderman is a marvel from the jump — two kindred spirits, schooled in folky Americana and raised in DIY punk — but that’s only one fraction of the magic of “Right Back to It.” The song considers long-term relationships, the kind of love that can be tested, steady, reliable and, at times, restive. “I let my mind run wild / Don’t know why I do it,” she sings, “But you just settle in like a song with no end.”

FILE - Chappell Roan performs "Good Luck, Babe" during the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs during the Festival d'ete de Quebec in Quebec City, Canada on July 7, 2017. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Beyonce appears at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

FILE - Future, left, performs with Metro Boomin at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival on April 14, 2023, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Shaboozey performs at Outside Lands Music Festival on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in San Francisco, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

DALLAS (AP) — Some flights were delayed or canceled in Texas on Thursday after a line of thunderstorms started moving across parts of the state in a system the National Weather Service predicted could bring high winds, hail and possible tornadoes.

More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more canceled at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday. Delays and thunderstorm-related cancellations also were reported at Dallas' Love Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, according to FlightAware, an aviation company that tracks flights across the world.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning late Thursday afternoon for parts of Texas northeast of Houston, meaning weather radar indicated there was a tornado in the area. There were no immediate reports of damage.

A tornado watch remained in effect through Thursday night for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources because of the increased severe weather threat.

“As Texans and out-of-state visitors begin traveling after the Christmas holiday, it's crucial that everyone regularly monitor road conditions, make an emergency plan and heed the guidance of state and local officials,” Abbott said in a statement.

The greatest weather risk was forecast for a stretch of Texas east of Dallas, between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.

“There does look like the possibility of one or a few tornadoes with this risk, but the main risk will be with high winds and hail,” Hurley said, adding that he expected wind gusts generally between 60 and 80 mph (96 to 128 kph), and hail one inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter or greater.

Hurley said the storms will likely push into southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana after nightfall, posing a potentially dangerous situation for holiday travelers.

“People can't see a whole lot and may not be as weather aware,” he said.

A pedistrian walks across a rain soaked street in Dallas, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Vehicles make their way on a rain soaked highway in Dallas, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)