5 Songs of the Week in America That Had Us Talking: November 13, 2023

Music is entrenched in our everyday lives. Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn, a song is present and can hit you at any moment. We tend to take everyday situations and ascribe a song to that particular moment. So what better way to close out the week than to look at 5 songs that pretty much sum up what was going on this week in music?

Here is the music that had us talking the week of November 13:

5. “Now and Then” by the Beatles

The week started off with a bang for a band that hadn’t been together since 1974. The Beatles released a brand new single, “Now and Then,” which contained all four of the members singing on the track. The highly-anticipated song put the Fab Four back on top. The track made such an impact on pop culture that it shot to the No. 1 spot in the U.K., making it the first time they reached the top of the chart since 1969.

Paul McCartney had this to say about the reaction to their song, “It’s mind-boggling. It’s blown my socks off,” McCartney said in a statement to the Official Charts Company. “It’s also a very emotional moment for me. I love it!”

4. “Better Place” – NSYNC

While NSYNC’s “Better Place” was released in September, the boy band is seeing a resurgence this week with the release of the Trolls movie, Trolls Band Together, on Friday, November 17, in which the song is featured. Co-produced by Justin Timberlake and Mike Elizondo, “Better Place” features two additional versions that contain vocals from Troye Sivan, Camila Cabello, and Kid Cudi. 

“So proud to celebrate the new @trolls movie and album with the crew,” Timberlake shared on Instagram with a photo from the movie premiere. “Gotta say this is my favorite so far 🙏🏻 Has been good to be back with my boys.” The new film is the third installment of the Trolls franchise, following Trolls (2016) and Trolls World Tour (2020). The boy band certainly got tongues wagging by reuniting on the song for the first time in 23 years, and they continue be a topic of conversations as the movie hits theaters.

3. “My Name is Barbra” – Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand made a whirlwind of a return to the spotlight this week as she released her new memoir, My Name is Barbra. How could the song with the same title (different spelling) not be on the tips of our tongues? Making the rounds on The Howard Stern Show, Sunday Morning, Stephen Colbert, and other talk show staples, you couldn’t turn on the TV (or YouTube) without learning a new thing or two about Babs.

My mother said that babies come in bottles
But last week she said they grew on special baby bushes
I don’t believe in the storks either,
they are all in the zoo busy with their own babies
And what’s a baby bush anyway.

Ok, so more of the chatter was about the book rather than the song, but the book brings up the album of the same name which featured the song of the same name (different spelling) by Leonard Bernstein… so there’s that. Listen below.

2. “Fairytale of Philadelphia” – Jason and Travis Kelce

How could a song by two football-playing brothers be on the top of our social conscience, you ask? Well, when one of those football players just happens to be dating the biggest, most iconic pop star in the world, attention is paid. We’re of course talking about Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. A week can’t go by without talking about the couple, so why not transition that talk to music? Jason Kelce (Travis’ brother), of the Philadelphia Eagles fame, enlisted the help of his baby brother to release the Christmas song “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” and wouldn’t you know it, the song broke into the Top 10 on the iTunes chart. Here we are naming “Fairytale of Philadelphia” as one of the songs that had us talking this week. The song also had many wondering if a duet could be in the future for Travis and his significant other (Swift). Let the chatter continue!

1. “What Has Rock and Roll Ever Done For You” Dolly Parton feat. Stevie Nicks

Let’s be honest, Rockstar and the featured songs have been at the forefront of our frontal lobes since Dolly Parton was nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and shared that she was thinking of making a rock album. The Queen of Country Music had people talking for well over a year. But no more so than this week with the actual release!

On the eve of the release (actually midnight) the legendary singer shared a number of her collaborations, featuring some of the biggest rock stars in the business. We could have picked any one of the songs on the album as a buzzed-about song but we thought “What Has Rock and Roll Ever Done For You” pretty much sums up the week!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by American Songwriter (@americansongwriter)

Dolly Parton Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for American Greetings; Justin Timberlake Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images; Jason Kelce Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Prime Video;