Top 10 Essays of 2025
The most-read essays of the year are here! (Plus a few personal favs)
Greatest hits
In 2025, we published 52 new essays in our weekly series — one every single Friday, without fail.
To every reader and writer who’s been a part of this ritual: thank you, thank you, thank you!
Below you’ll find the most-read essays published on the site this past year, plus a few of my personal favs, and a handful of the most popular paid posts.
As always, it’s been a pleasure to share this corner of the internet with all of you.
Onward!
Grace Lilly
Editor-in-Chief
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Top 10 Essays of 2025 🏆
1. Cole Rush
Ben Rector’s “Love Like This” changed my life | Read→
2. Kambi Thandi
MF DOOM’s “Rhymes Like Dimes” changed my life | Read→
3. Millie De Chirico
Pixies’ “Debaser” changed my life | Read→
4. Gaby Muiño
Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” changed my life | Read→
5. Jasmin Annmary
India.Arie’s “Video” changed my life | Read→
6. Hannah Vanbiber
Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” changed my life | Read→
7. Tracy McKenna
David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” changed my life | Read→
8. Rachelle Vinberg
Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven” changed my life | Read→
9. Shawna Pochan
Modest Mouse’s “Float On” changed my life | Read→
10. Rebecca McNeil
Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky” changed my life | Read→
Grace’s Favorites of 2025 🌸
Here are some additional can’t-miss, excellent essays from 2025:
🌸 Chilufya Chileshe
PK Chishala’s “Common Man” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Jacob Rhodes
Ill Repute’s “Oxnard” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Sarah Connaro
Stevie Wonder’s “Come Back As A Flower” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Julian Williams
Talking Heads’ “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Layne Crawford
Garbage’s “Queer” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Joseph DeSimone
Nomeansno’s “Two Lips, Two Lungs And One Tongue” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Yasar Hussain
Marcel Khalife’s “Rita and the Rifle” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Charlie Johnson
Judy Collins’s “Both Sides Now” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Eric Drobny
King Sunny Adé’s “Kiti Kiti” changed my life | Read→
🌸 Emily Curran
Tori Amos’s “Cornflake Girl” changed my life | Read→
Most Popular Paid Posts of 2025 💗
Grace’s Diary is a monthly paid-only series of personal stories and deep-cut discoveries by TSCML’s Editor-in-Chief, Grace Lilly.
1. My night as Sabrina Carpenter
Lesbian bars as a pop star (with TSCML contributors) | Read→
2. Sabrina, Eartha, and the unexpected genius of comedic self-love
Before the Espresso singer, Eartha Kitt paved the way for us to embrace desire | Read→
3. ’60s garage rock, Female Species
The story of two sisters and an album that wasn’t released for nearly 60 years | Read→
4. 10 Influential women drummers
A brief and fun history of women who drum | Read→
5. Gracie Abrams • Music I didn’t think I would like
Figuring out if I’m right or wrong about Gracie Abrams | Read→
Listen to the playlist 🎧
Dive in and experience the songs from This Song Changed My Life — all 122 of them (and counting)… Listen→
P.S. If you’re in the mood to time travel, you can also revisit the top essays of 2024 and 2023.
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