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This year's best songs come from some of the youngest — and oldest — artists From 18-year-old Olivia Rodrigo to 83-year-old Peter Stampfel, critic Ken Tucker says the music he most enjoyed in 2021 was recorded by artists who were either very young or quite old.

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This year's best songs come from some of the youngest — and oldest — artists

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Fresh Air

This year's best songs come from some of the youngest — and oldest — artists

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Olivia Rodrigo performs at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sept. 18, 2021. Mat Hayward/Getty Images for iHeartMedia hide caption

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Mat Hayward/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Olivia Rodrigo performs at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sept. 18, 2021.

Mat Hayward/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

From 18-year-old Olivia Rodrigo to 83-year-old Peter Stampfel, critic Ken Tucker says the music he most enjoyed in 2021 was recorded by artists who were either very young or quite old.