Spotify’s annual “Spotify Wrapped,” a tradition in which Spotify analyzes each listener’s individual music habits and gives them their data, came out just last week. Listeners were delighted to see their most listened to artists and songs from the year, but we at The Messenger had a question: what would the MCHS, as a whole, spotify wrapped look like? We sent out a survey to every student and staff member asking them for their stats, did all the math, and we are happy to present: McHenry Community High School’s Spotify Wrapped.
The part of Spotify Wrapped we all look forward to the most is our top five most listened to artists. What stood out while analyzing the results of our survey was the contrasting top artists. Very few of our 264 submissions were the same, with 76.1% being entirely unique, however, a couple artists stood out.
MCHS fifth most listened to artist of 2023 was Deftones, a nu-metal/alternative metal staple, and the only artist of its kind to make it into the top five. Songs like “Change (In The House Of Flies)” and “My Own Summer (Shove It)” feature on the wrapped playlist, and show that even if overwhelmed by pop and rap, rock continues to thrive in our school.
At number four we have a surprising entrant in Tyler, The Creator, who actually tied with our number three spot Morgan Wallen. These two artists are on very drastically different sides of the musical spectrum, so it is interesting to see them on the same level.
The runner up for most listened to artist in MCHS is Drake, and with three album releases in the past two years, it is not hard to see why. The artist, while receiving plenty of hate for his records as of late, is still one of the most recognizable artists in the world.
Our top spot– to nobody’s surprise whatsoever– is Taylor Swift. Her eras tour, and two album releases this year alone made her a shoe in for top spot. She was also the top artist in the country. Her song “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” was the most listened to song across MCHS, mainly begging the question: are MCHS students in need of therapy?
Keeping in the same vein of Taylor Swift, the genre our students and staff listened to the most was pop, with rap in a close second, only losing out by one vote. The controversial “pov: indie” genre which many were confused to see on their wrapped this year also got its chance to shine, as did rock and country. 15% of voters’ top genre did not fall into this top five, ranging from “urbano latino” and “classical.” Even songs like “Für Elise” made it onto our wrapped playlist, which is certainly a testament to our school’s exquisite taste.
Students spend a lot of their time with headphones in their ears. Whether it be studying or walking between classes, on average, MCHS listened to 44,630 minutes in 2023, with the lowest being 453, and the highest being a whopping 379,031 minutes– 263 full days. Was it a typo? Probably, but if not, extremely impressive.
A highly debated part of the Spotify Wrapped tradition is its accuracy. The data used in Spotify Wrapped is only gathered up until Halloween, meaning any music listened to in November and December is not counted. Listeners often say “this is not accurate at all! I only listened to that artist in January!” However, the majority in our survey said they felt their wrapped was accurate.
All of this is to say that of the 264 students and staff that were part of our school-wide study, not one of them has the exact same music taste. We at The Messenger can not wait to see you next year, and see the music you listened to in 2024.
