Top Songs of 2024: United Kingdom

Apple Music’s end-of-year charts are based on plays between November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2024. The rise of Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” in 2023 was remarkable; in 2024, it felt unstoppable. The US singer-songwriter’s 2022 single—which first gained traction in 2023 following covers from Maisie Peters and Olivia Rodrigo—dominated 2024, ending the year as the most listened-to song in the UK on Apple Music. That’s why it takes the top spot in this playlist, which rounds up the songs the nation couldn’t get enough of over the past 12 months. Elsewhere, there are impassioned anthems by singer-songwriters (see Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control”), tracks cementing country music’s mainstream takeover (think Beyoncé’s “TEXAS HOLD ’EM,” Shaboozey’s irrepressible “A Bar Song [Tipsy],” Dasha’s “Austin [Boots Stop Workin’],” or Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything” with Kacey Musgraves), and a raft of moment-meeting rising stars who each found new ways to take pop music forward. They include the summer’s certified breakout name Sabrina Carpenter, folk-pop singer-songwriter Myles Smith, and Chappell Roan, whose “Good Luck, Babe!” propelled her from word-of-mouth talent to everyone’s favourite new pop star. And, as Taylor Swift finally brought The Eras Tour to the UK—and released her scorching 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department—we cued up hits from across her catalogue, including “Cruel Summer,” “Anti-Hero,” and “Love Story.” As for this year’s biggest comeback? That came courtesy of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose shimmering 2001 track “Murder on the Dancefloor” found new life—and a new audience—after it was featured in one of 2024’s most talked-about films, Saltburn (and one its most talked-about scenes). Catch up on the top 100 songs that defined the year here.