The Top 50 Songs of 2022
The Top 50 Songs of 2022
The definitive list. Ranked.
Every year, I rank the top 50 songs, and it’s now time to give 2022 its shine. (I would’ve had this out days ago if it wasn’t for picking up the most aggressive flu strain I’ve ever experienced. Sheesh!) This was a very good year for music—pop music in particular. The final list turned out to be quite strong.
My selection framework is too complicated to set out here, but all I can say is I prioritize melody (specifically, pop melody) above every other musical factor. And throughout the years, the artistic quality we might call pop songcraft has only increased in importance in my mind when I think about what makes music so joy-inducing. Every single song on here is an absolute banger.
On to the list!
The 25 That Didn’t Make The Cut
75. Oneida — “I Wanna Hold Your Electric Hand”
74. Cole Pulice — “City in a City”
73. Guerilla Toss — “Mermaid Airplane”
72. Bladee & Ecco2k — “Faust”
71. Bonobo — “Rosewood”
70. Metro Boomin (feat. Future and Chris Brown) — “Superhero”
69. Open Mike Eagle — “For DOOM”
68. Kenny Beats — “Parenthesis”
67. Dehd — “Bad Love”
66. Let’s Eat Grandma — “Happy New Year”
65. Florence + The Machine — “Free”
64. Hudson Mohawke — “Behold”
63. SZA — “Smoking on My Ex Pack”
62. Pusha T — “Diet Coke”
61. Whitney — “Twirl”
60. HAIM — “Lost Track”
59. Courtney Marie Andrews — “Loose Future”
58. Lucius — “Heartbursts”
57. Bad Bunny (feat. Bomba Estereo) — “Ojitos Lindos”
56. Confidence Man — “Woman”
55. A.R. Wilson — “Amber”
54. Tony Price — “Supra”
53. Young Jesus — “Rose Eater”
52. Jenny Hval — “Freedom”
51. Mallrat — “Your Love”
The Top 50
50. Lykke Li — “Highway to Your Heart”
49. Lo Moon — “Expectations”
48. Yung Kayo (feat. Yeat) — “Yeet”
47. Danger Mouse & Black Thought (feat. MF DOOM) — “Belize”
46. Alex G — “Mission”
45. Big Thief — “Spud Infinity”
44. Mallrat — “Heart Guitar”
43. Launder — “Intake”
42. Skullcrusher — “Outside, Playing”
41. Empath — “Diamond Eyelids”
40. Miya Folick — “2007”
39. FKA Twigs — “Meta Angel”
38. Yung Lean (feat. Skrillex and Bladee & Ecco2k) — “Summertime Blood”
37. Swamp Dogg — “Soul to Blessed Soul”
36. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom — “Whirlpool”
35. Taylor Swift — “Lavender Haze”
34. Syd — “Getting Late”
33. BROCKHAMPTON — “All That”
32. Hudson Mohawke — “Is It Supposed”
31. Homeboy Sandman — “Something Fly”
30. Tomberlin — “Happy Accident”
29. Maggie Rogers — “Overdrive”
28. Grace Ives — “Lullaby”
27. Beabadoobee — “10:36”
26. Mitski — “Heat Lightning”
25. Harry Styles — “Daylight”
24. Drake — “BackOutsizeBoyz”
23. Hurray for the Riff Raff — “Rosemary Tears”
22. Day Wave (feat. Hazel English) — “Apartment Complex”
21. Kikagaku Moyo — “Effe”
20. Hovvdy — “Ruby”
19. Taylor Swift — “Sweet Nothing”
18. Big Thief — “Little Things”
17. Barrie — “Bully”
16. Vitesse X — “Rash Devices (FM Skyline Remix)”
15. Gang of Youths — “The Angel of 8th Ave.”
14. Carly Rae Jepsen — “Bad Thing Twice”
13. Alex G — “Runner”
12. Phoenix (feat. Ezra Koenig) — “Tonight”
11. Arcade Fire — “Age of Anxiety I”
10. Wild Pink — “See You Better Now”
9. Grace Ives — “Shelly”
8. The 1975 — “Looking For Somebody To Love”
7. Arcade Fire (feat. Peter Gabriel) — “Unconditional II (Race and Religion)”
6. Gang of Youths — “In the Wake of Your Leave”
5. The 1975 — “Happiness”
4. Taylor Swift—“Anti-Hero”
3. Braxe + Falcon (feat. Panda Bear) — “Step By Step”
2. Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”
1. The 1975 — “I’m In Love With You”
There it is. The perfect list. Enjoy!