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Every year at the end of November, Americans gather around tables short and long with family and friends to enjoy a meal with those for which they are most thankful. We take note of our blessings and privileges — and make more happy memories to be grateful for in the future.
Of course, that spirit of thankfulness shouldn’t come only once a year. We should always take stock of all we have to appreciate every morning and every night, and if you need some musical motivation to get you in the grateful mood, we have some suggestions.
There are so many people you can be thankful for. You can be grateful to a romantic partner who saw the best in you even when you didn’t believe in yourself; a long-time friend who’s always had your back; a family member who deserves a bit of praise and a reminder that they made you who you are; or even an ex-lover or enemy whose tough words helped you become all the stronger for having survived them.
Whoever you have in mind, there’s something on this list to dedicate to the people who shaped you that’s worth singing out loud in the shower, in the car and all over town.
From Ariana Grande to Alanis Morissette, Celine Dion to Ozuna, FKA Twigs, Backstreet Boys and DJ Khaled, these 20 songs will have you singing “thank you, thank you, thank you.” (And yes, that last bit is a hint about a certain song by Natalie Merchant.)
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Never underestimate the power of a singalong song. Rock quartet Alter Bridge’s concerts are full of the heavy riffs, power chords and intricate musicianship you would expect from one of America’s premiere hard rock quartets. But the band has come to appreciate the power of a song it can sing with the audience.
Alter Bridge’s Nov. 9 show in Luxembourg started with a pummeling, four-song introduction: “Silver Tongue” from the band’s new album, Pawns & Kings, “Addicted to Pain” from 2013’s Fortress, “Before Tomorrow Comes” from 2007’s Blackbird and another new track, “This is War.”
“You hit them hard for four songs,” guitarist Mark Tremonti tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “And then, if they need to take a breath, you’ve got to have some dynamics.” In Luxembourg, and at other stops on the band’s European tour, that moment was the song “Broken Wings,” from the band’s 2004 debut One Day Remains.
“Fans always sing along to ‘Broken Wings’,” says Tremonti, who co-founded Alter Bridge in 2004 after the breakup of band that first took him to stardom, Creed. “I think [a sing-along is] the most powerful thing in a set. You could play heavy, complex songs, but if a fan doesn’t sing along to it or get into it, it’s not going to have as much impact. ‘Broken Wings’ is an easy song to play but as a huge impact because people are so familiar with it [that] they sing along to.”
Bandmate and Alter Bridge co-founder Myles Kennedy agrees. “There’s something to be said about hearing those choruses sang back to you,” says Kennedy, also known for his work with Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. “And it’s powerful. It really feels like there’s a connection.”
The end of a concert is a good time for a singalong, too. Says Tremonto Recently, the band’s encores have featured “Slip to the Void,” the lead-off track from 2010 and “Open Your Eyes” from One Day Remains. “Sometimes when you play heavier songs, there’s kind of a border between you and your fans,” says Tremonti. “There’s you doing the songs and there’s the fans listening. But when you play these singalong songs, you’re all kind of one in the room. I think that’s the way you want to leave the concert: you want to get that that personal touch back. And when we play ‘Open Your Eyes,’ there’s the bridge section that really breaks down. Myles would pause as long as he wants to get the crowd to anticipate what’s coming, and then they all sing along and it’s a ‘we’re all one now’ kind of a thing before the concert is over. I think that’s important.”
Alter Bridge’s European tour wraps up at London’s O2 Arena on Dec. 12. A U.S. tour begins on Jan. 25 in Orlando, Fla., and continues to Upland, Calif., on April 1.
Listen to the entire interview with Tremonti and Kennedy at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeart, Amazon Music, Audible, Google Podcasts or the embedded player below.
Adele made her long-awaited Las Vegas residency debut over the weekend, and Katie & Keith — the co-hosts of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast — were lucky enough to be in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for Friday’s night 1 of Weekends With Adele.
On the latest episode of the podcast (listen below), Katie & Keith talk all about our experience inside the intimate concert and discuss the purposeful production choices and sweeping vocal performances that made the residency more than worth the wait.
But wait, there’s more! The Pop Shop duo then flew back to Los Angeles to attend Elton John’s second-to-last U.S. tour stop at Dodger Stadium, and the new podcast takes listeners inside that monumental concert as well.
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Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Taylor Swift reigns supreme on both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 yet again with Midnights and “Anti-Hero,” respectively, how David Guetta and Bebe Rexha hit the top 10 on the Hot 100 with “I’m Good (Blue),” how Louis Tomlinson scores his highest-charting album yet on the Billboard 200 with the top five debut of Faith in the Future, and how Bruce Springsteen and Nas rack up new top 10 albums on the chart.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard‘s senior director of charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
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Billboard News stepped into Diddy’s home and sat down with the legendary artist to discuss his single “Gotta Move On” with Bryson Tiller reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. Plus, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” tops the Hot 100 once again.
The Pitch Perfect spin-off series Bumper in Berlin is just days away from its Peacock premiere on Wednesday (Nov. 23), and to celebrate, the cast of the comedy musical show joined Billboard for an exclusive photo shoot.
Adam Devine (Bumper himself) along with co-stars Sarah Hyland, Jameela Jamil and Lera Abova and executive producer Elizabeth Banks all posed for sleek individual photos and sweet group snaps.
In the upcoming series, which will be unveiled on NBC’s streaming service just in time to binge-watch on Thanksgiving, Devine reprises his role as Bumper Allen, the former leader of the Treblemakers. He gets a call from Pieter from Pitch Perfect 2‘s Das Sound Machine (played again by Flula Borg) inviting him to come to Germany to launch his music career after a video of his went viral on the Internet. Devine then reunites with his Modern Family co-star Hyland, who plays his assistant. Abova plays Pieter’s sister, a DJ named Lina, while Jamil is the extravagant German pop star Giselle.
“We wanted to honor The Barden Bellas and the Pitch Perfect world, while expanding into a fresh and brilliantly weird character journey,” Banks previously shared of the series in a press statement. “This story is about second chances, friendship, and the idea that your dreams can come true in unexpected ways – anywhere in the world, at any point in your life.”
Check out our full gallery of Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin exclusive cast photos below, and stay tuned for our full Billboard News interview with the group going live on Billboard.com and Billboard‘s YouTube channel soon.