Songbook Gift Guide: Pop Hits of ’24 & More

Looking for that perfect stocking stuffer to match a new keyboard, guitar or band-and-orchestra instrument? Check out these best-selling songbooks from hitmakers including Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish.

Sure, you’re reading this on a screen, but we at Music & Arts continue to believe in the power of printed music. A great songbook can stay within a family for generations, carrying meaningful handwritten annotations that, as the research argues, vastly improve a musician’s ability to learn. Too much screen time also means eye fatigue and even headaches, whereas printed music enables the longer, focused practice sessions that music students need to master their craft.

This holiday season, discover what print can do for your favorite pop-star-in-the-making. In this gift guide, we’ve rounded up the hottest books from trusted publisher Hal Leonard, covering some of the chart-topping albums and singles that defined 2024. But this is only the beginning: Music & Arts’ online store carries thousands of titles, including resources for classical students and classic-rock fans alike.

Songbooks for Swifties

In 2024, Taylor Swift continued her reign as the number-one star on Planet Earth. As her blockbuster Eras Tour dominated headlines, the singer-songwriter released the year’s biggest-selling album with The Tortured Poets Department—which she doubled in length the same day by dropping The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.

Hal Leonard comes through for Swiftie musicians with three songbook editions featuring all 31 tunes from The Anthology. Easy Piano features simple, straightforward melody lines and chords, while Piano/Vocal/Guitar includes full piano notation and guitar chord charts. The Guitar Chords/Lyrics version is perfect for young singer-songwriters looking to hit their local open-mic night, with easy-to-follow chords and words as well as chord charts.

In the fall of 2023, Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version), her rerecording of her nine-times-platinum album from 2014. The remake, which shot to the top of the Billboard 200, allowed Swift to regain control of her master recordings while introducing brand-new hits. Those songs—including the smash “Is It Over Now?” and “Now That We Don’t Talk”—fill out Hal Leonard’s Piano/Vocal/Guitar songbook. That edition features accurate standard notation, chord charts and (most important) Swift’s complete lyrics.

Who said band-and-orchestra kids can’t play Taylor songs too? Hal Leonard has published career-spanning collections for Clarinet, Cello, Violin, Flute and other instruments, comprising clean, accurate melody lines for 33 of Swift’s most beloved songs. The list is guaranteed to make Swiftie student musicians want to hit the practice room, with favorites like “Love Story,” “Shake It Off,” “You Belong With Me,” “Fearless,” “Our Song,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and many more.

Billie Eilish’s Big Return

With her unique fashion sense and original sound, Billie Eilish has earned a wide-ranging audience that includes tweens, teens, adult listeners and music critics. Along the way, Eilish—who is still only 22 years old—has inspired countless young people to take up music and produce their own songs. One of the things that makes Eilish’s music so special is her gift for melody: No matter how wild and imaginative her songs may seem, they often have an easy-to-remember tune at their core. That makes them fantastic material for young musicians, who will experience a breakthrough when they’re able to recreate her vocal lines on their instrument.

In May, Eilish released Hit Me Hard and Soft, which earned rave reviews and was certified platinum by the fall. Hal Leonard offers two songbook editions for the 10-track album, including the singles “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather.” Easy Piano consists of streamlined transcriptions that beginning students will love, while Piano/Vocal/Guitar is the ideal format for solo performance and singalongs.

Explore the Music & Arts Holiday Spotlight catalog today! Instruments, accessories, books and other holiday treats for your favorite musician

Play the Hit Parade

As any music teacher will tell you, nothing motivates a child to practice more than being able to play the music they love. Hal Leonard, which always keeps on top of the latest chart-topping pop, offers books that gather the most memorable songs of the year. In the Piano/Vocal/Guitar format, Chart Hits of 2023-2024 includes Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” both from Barbie, Olivia Rodrigo’s Hunger Games jam “Can’t Catch Me Now” and “logical,” Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” and songs from films like Wonka and Wish.

Other songs in the collection will please parents too: “Now and Then,” the beautiful “last Beatles song,” with a rediscovered vocal by John Lennon; Billy Joel’s re-emergence as a recording artist, “Turn the Lights Back On”; and “Look for the Light,” as sung by Meryl Streep and Ashley Park in the mystery-comedy Only Murders in the Building.

12 Hit Songs for Easy Piano includes several of those same tunes, as well as Ryan Gosling’s Barbie smash “I’m Just Ken,” Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” and others.

Disney’s Musical History in One Book

The brilliance of Hal Leonard’s 101 Disney Songs series lies in how comprehensive it is. These volumes for band-and-orchestra instruments aren’t just a great gift idea for your favorite Disney fan; with nearly a century of Disney hits, these books are perfect for an entire Disney family. Every era of Disney classics is accounted for, filling your home with iconic melodies that span generations. Here you’ll find golden-age standards (“Whistle While You Work,” “When You Wish Upon a Star”) and ’90s hits (“A Whole New World,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”) as well as themes from recent blockbusters (“Let It Go”). 101 Disney Songs is also an excellent music-reading tool for a range of instruments, including Violin, Flute, Alto Sax, Clarinet and Cello.

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