1. This is NOT a pure Top 100 songs of all time list. Management decided that was far too simple, so this is my personal Top 100 songs that inspire joy, the songs I’m not changing the radio dial when they come on, the songs that I’m taking with me in my go-bag when the first responders come knocking.

2. 100 songs from 100 separate artists. There are going to be some one-hit wonders on this list! Also, don’t forget that a solo artist who breaks from the band counts separately: solo artists are people too! And guys, look: these are pop songs. I think every genre is going to be represented here but we’re not getting into the weeds of some obscure indie track that nobody’s ever heard of or cares about and as much as I’d love to we’re also not breaking down which movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is the best (the first, obviously) or how it matches up with some rando etude from Chopin. We’ll leave the Classical Top 100 for another day (or lifetime).

3. Song must be an official release. No “I love this live version on YouTube” or “you’ve never heard this because I heard it at a concert in 1998 and they havent played it since" nonsense.

4. As far as the ranking itself is concerned, this is how I would rank the songs on a straightforward basis, not on a scale of how much they inspire joy or whatever.

5. Patience in the early weeks! I feel pretty confident about my top 60 picks, very confident about my top 40, but these songs on the back end….I don’t know, guys. But I know you will keep me honest and I can’t wait to hear about how much of an idiot I am for leaving THIS song off the list or how THAT song should’ve been ranked higher.

6. Finally, hopefully there are at least a few gems in here that you discover, or reacquaint yourself with. And then from my perspective, this will be an opportunity for you to tell me how insanely white my music is. Although, don’t pretend that you’re so hip that you don’t love these songs yourself, let’s be real.