December is always a bit of a dead zone for big pop albums, unless it’s 2013 and your name is Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. So for this month’s column…

Some notes:

• The boundaries of “pop” grow wider and more fluid every year. We won’t draw lines around where it begins or ends. But as per tradition, the list skews toward Top 40 from the actual Top 40, with some personal picks thrown in to break the consensus and keep things interesting.
• The actual Top 40 was frequently pretty grim in 2023! It’s been a particularly rancid year for No. 1 songs, whether because the artist was a known shithead, or because their chart-topping run came courtesy of culture-war trolling. Those aren’t on the list. Sorry Oliver Anthony fans.
• One song per artist, although one especially prolific producer gets two in there.
• This list could be expanded to 400 and there would still be great pop songs left off it. I’d love to hear them.