Hello and welcome back to….”Running Up That Hill” isn’t qualifying for my best list this year.
I’m sorry, I thought about it long and hard and it just would not be fair to this year. It’s like the Christmas music all over again in terms of they are good to great songs that should not qualify for a year end list but somehow do. Granted, Kate Bush at least had the biggest pop culture moment of the year, so at least “Running Up That Hill” is way more of a 2022 song than just an 80s classic.
But at the same time, that song probably topped most people’s best lists and is the safe and predictable choice for being the all time pop music classic that it is. I want to challenge myself. Because you know what? 2022 did have some great music that deserves to be highlighted as well. So you know what? Apologies to Kate Bush, but she’s not going to sniff this best list. But if you take the time to read this list, you’ll notice that 2022 is way more than just Kate Bush, 2021 holdovers, and Christmas music on Billboard’s year end list for 2022. And I’m going to show you how. So come on baby, oh come on darling, let me steal this moment from you now. We’re counting down!
THE TOP TWELVE BEST HIT SONGS OF 2022
I know what I said about Kate Bush and Christmas, but it would be damn near impossible to not count all the 2021 songs to make a best list.
I still can’t get over how many repeat entries and 2021 songs made the 2022 year end list again. Nearly all of them soured on me over the course of a year, hell even the Christmas music soured on me to the point that I might stop streaming the big ones this next holiday season. That sure makes me a real grinch, huh?
So sorry to all those expecting Levitating, Good 4 U, Need to Know and others on my best list again. Ain’t happening. Only two songs really got better a year later and one of them didn’t even make my best list for 2021.
12. “Save Your Tears” - The Weeknd & Ariana Grande
…sigh, I know what I just said about The Weeknd on the worst list. I’m getting as sick of him as I am of Drake. And boy, do we need YET another collaboration with Ariana Grande. Why not make it a trifecta and add Doja Cat for retro sounding R&B/pop hit number 1028382.
I was ready to write the original “Save Your Tears” off last year since everyone, including myself at first, was writing it as another huge smash from The Weeknd. When in reality, it was one of his douche-iest songs he has ever written. Like I just wanted to punch him in his faux Handsome Squidward face he had for that music video and tell him to go fuck himself.
…then the Ariana Grande remix happened as I moaned because I was getting very tired of Ariana Grande too at the time for not taking a break (your break is over sweetie, please come back). It was only done to get this song to number one because that’s how the remix game works. And that is still absolutely the case as to why this got there. However, something amazing happened. It made me fall in love with the song again.
This song works so much better as a duet because instead of The Weeknd sounding like an insufferable ass to his ex, we get Ariana Grande putting this douchebag in his place by saying the feeling is mutual. This is what a remix should be. Improving the original.
Is it just me or are the 2020’s a really good decade for Future?!
11. “Wait For U” - Future (featuring Drake and Tems)
I mean who would have thought it, right? After years of being told he’s the future of rap music and that his influence is what developed the mainstream sound of today, I finally am starting to get him more as an artist; and just beyond making bops. All it took was a fucking break of flooding the charts with interchangeable albums and actually making good music.
Okay so it's not a total revelation. Future can still make a few clunkers or give out clunker features (hi Way 2 Sexy). But the song that really made me understand him better was “Life is Good”, which was indeed a good song. And you know what, I’ll say it. His last album was one of my favorite albums last year due to how much I jammed to it working out. What can I say? It got me pumped. And I know I said I’m doing no honorable mentions this year, but “Puffin on Zootiez” nearly made the best list as well. One of the last cuts I had to make for being the best version of basically every other Future trap song from 2015-2018.
As for this song, I’ll be honest. Future is the weak link here, but admittedly not to his own detriment. Tems absolutely 100% is the best part of this song. Her chorus is just so hypnotic and the chemistry between her back and forth with Future is just mesmerizing. Tems should absolutely become a bigger star here stateside and I think she’s on the path to that with her worldwide hits crossing over. And I’m so fucking sick of Drake, but even here, his guest verse is easily the best thing he did in this year where he dropped another hundred interchangeable songs. Like even in his advancing age, Drake is still capable of showing why he got famous in the first place. And if he is still making music in the 2030s, it is going to be some of the saddest shit literally and metaphorically; that’s a discussion we aren’t ready to have yet.
Please let it be known that this was written before the recent news about Lizzo’s sexual harassment allegations came up. This is a good recent example of separating the art from the artist. Anyway….
10. “About Damn Time” - Lizzo
Honestly, it was fascinating to hear that this song had to take the long way to the top of the charts as a sleeper hit. Really? One of the big new stars not performing out of the gate in this day and age? Didn’t Lizzo just become a superstar in 2019? Doesn’t she have quite the social media following? I don’t think she did anything to get herself canceled or in hot water, unless she did and I totally missed something? How did one of the biggest new names in music not debut at number one, or at least top ten? Is the Lizzo moment truly not as big as we were expecting?!?
Well this song proved that any signs of Lizzo being done were truly exaggerated as this song became a huge smash. Mostly the same way that her other songs became huge. Tik Tok, memes, and just Lizzo being an awesome all around performer. And to add onto that, Lizzo also finally hit number one with a current single and not a previous older single. To that I say about damn time!
What this also is is the most quotable single of the year. So many amazing moments from anyway…to the second verse that got Tik Tok’d to death, that justified BITCH. But you know what my favorite moment is? That flute solo. Remember how I said Lizzo is an awesome all around performer? She’s also a talented as hell musician. That flute solo fucking kills every time I hear it.
But back to that initial question, is the Lizzo moment truly not that big? Well those two follow up singles didn’t take off and they even got remixes. I don’t think her moment is necessarily over as pop as a whole just struggling. But hey, maybe Lizzo will make her way back to the top yet again in the next year or two.
Okay now that that’s over, go ahead and count how much of these statements you can tell are clearly dated. Next.
Fine you all got me. This is amazing and I won’t be told otherwise. All hail Queen B.
9. “Break My Soul” - Beyoncé
You know what’s amazing to me. How little promotion Beyoncé did for this album cycle. Like I get that this is part one of what feels like a multi-part album series and there might be more to this than meets the eye. Beyoncé is just as good as Taylor when it comes to hidden layers behind their future album teases. But still…nothing? No late night talk show circuit. No music videos. Not a damn thing. Which in itself is amazing because this song and this album were both still very successful because it was made by Beyoncé.
This feels like Beyoncé’s first true single in at least twelve years. Which yeah I know that she had “singles” from like three more albums that she made in the 2010s. But if you really think about it, nothing got a true singles push compared to the 2000s prior and now with “Break My Soul” and “Cuff It”. And this is also my favorite Beyoncé song in quite some time because of how refreshing it was to hear Beyoncé sound less queen like and more like an ordinary person that works a 9-5 and looking to relieve some stress from her work and personal life.
And what better way to do that than to just dance. Which I’m not sure if that house music revival we got teased last summer between her and Drake is really going to take off or not. If anything, it looks like that got replaced by a new version of club music that I see publications call “Jersey club”…which I’m from Jersey and while I don’t necessarily go to the clubs anymore, I don’t know what’s so Jersey about it.
Either way, this song is a basic reminder that whether she’s a working girl or a queen, Beyoncé will always be better than us and we don’t deserve her queen-ness.
I really hate to sound like every other critic out there, but my favorite country artist is Chris Stapleton.
8. “You Should Probably Leave” - Chris Stapleton
I know, what a shocker right? Especially since he topped my best list last year. And here he is again with a deep cut from 2014 becoming a hit in 2022, the year where time doesn’t exist anymore.
But you know what, who cares how old this song is. Because this song fucking slaps no matter what time frame this came out in. People a lot better at analyzing music than me have said that this sounds like an early 90s blues song from Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton, and you know what? I absolutely 100% see that with how much Bonnie Raitt I grew up listening to from my father’s cd and cassette tapes.
And I’ve said my piece on jealousy and cheating songs like this in the past, but here’s the real difference between why this one is good and not bad. This one is written well and doesn’t make the guy come off like an asshole. It sounds like two people who know that what they are doing is wrong and that they shouldn’t do it, but temptation is a mighty mistress that even they can’t control. As the old saying goes, cheating is a two way street.
At the end of the day, this is only as good as it is because of Chris Stapleton as an overall talent, performer, storyteller, etc. Give this to someone like Russell Dickerson and it adds zero value.
This made the best list again.
7. “Industry Baby” - Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
And to the surprise of no one, it’s only gotten better. I don’t have anything new to really say about it. Lil Nas X’s next project will surely be a fascinating one whenever it drops because I have no idea how he will top or even match that last album. Jack Harlow’s stock dropped drastically since that last album and even though he had a good 2022, I don’t see that goodwill lasting. And it was nice of Kanye to co-produce this masterpiece before he got canceled.
…that’s it. I’m so fucking sick of so many holdovers repeating these lists. Next.
2022. The year of the cat.
2022 was a big year for Doja Cat as she had seven total hits from her smash album make the year end list. And while I can fill this list with multiple bops from this album, I am just going to restrain myself to just one. And boy what a hit it was.
6. “Get Into It (Yuh!)” - Doja Cat
I would like to correct an entry from my best list last year. As much as I like…or at least used to like “Need to Know” and said that this was the best example of getting the appeal of Doja Cat, I was as always wrong. THIS is and I used to think that too expecting this not to be a hit. I already said I am always wrong, what more do you need?
Thank god this got a late album single push. Honestly, Doja’s album cycle for Planet Her was just fascinating to watch. The lead single not taking off right away, the big radio single with The Weeknd getting out streamed by like eight other tracks (hello payola), the other big radio single getting out of nowhere controversy about reverse feminism (LOLreally?), just to name a few. I’ll be honest, it will absolutely be fascinating to see if Doja is able to follow this up, especially now with her going against her label with that new lead off single and Doja clashing with her fans recently.
But even if she doesn’t and her fifteen minutes are up, Doja will at least have this single. Where it highlights how good of a performer she is. Switching up flows, all her quirky adlibs, the speed she raps, her inner pop music nerd with that stupidly amazing “Shape of You” reference.
And not to mention, that music video is hypnotic to watch and easy on the eyes…so much show that I am going to keep it clean for once and just show a lyric video. What can I say, I got into it yuh…seriously man, do better, see yourself out again.
I don’t think this has been stated enough, but it is amazing to me to see country music as the most popular genre in this current wasteland of popular music.
So much so, that I think for the first time ever (check my past lists for confirmation), but this is the first time I think I’ve had TWO country music songs on my best list. I mean I came close last year with that Eric Church song being one of my last cuts. But what can I say? I think this genre is on the upswing for a reason. So what’s going to be my favorite hit country song of this year? That “Something in the Orange” song everyone is goggling over? Morgan Wallen…I couldn’t say that with a straight face. Luke Combs…snore.
…how about a song that relies heavily on past nostalgia.
5. “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” - Cole Swindell
It’s almost unfair that this got as huge as it did for basically being a reminder that Jo Dee Messina’s classic, “Heads Carolina, Tails California” is forever and eternally a classic. It feels like cheating in a sense the same way Luke Combs is covering “Fast Car” and it's out charting the original.
No, this is different. It is about one of my favorite past times and probably some of yours, karaoke. I don’t know if I’ve told that many of you this, but karaoke night is one of my old favorite past times. Getting buzzed enough to go onstage and step out of your comfort zone by singing terribly or maybe even killing it with a cover. Fun times. And this song is about those fun times and meeting someone that you want to get to know better based off of the way they sung a country classic “Heads Carolina, Tails California”.
It is almost poetically romantic how much it honors its source material. Compare that to the worst list dishonorable mention and last minute cut, “Like I Love Country Music” by Kane Brown. Which is basically the wrestling equivalent of saying the town you’re performing in tonight to get the crowd to give you a cheap pop. I’m so sick of country music and their lists, and saying all these better and more iconic songs, is more or less another list. Not in “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” which is used as the groundwork for a love story.
And hey is that Jo Dee Messina in the video as the bartender? She had me all over again and this song does too. Next.
I don’t care what Billboard says. This was definitely not a 2022 hit more than any other.
4. “Meet Me at Our Spot” - The Anxiety
Not complaining, but this song especially feels like a relic of the pandemic. Like wasn’t it a TikTok hit in the summer of 2021? Once again, the radio is eternally late to the party…and thank goodness for this one time because this song is way too good to be “caught between years” as chart watchers say.
But yeah, listening to this just takes me back to the nearly two years of self isolation and trying to remain positive in an ever growing world of uncertainty and doubt. That there was this one place where I can escape to to get through it all….and by that I clearly mean my blog, where I did a shit ton of writing and reviewing to cope with any sort of anxiety that I had.
For real though, this song is about being young and in love, which I can say this as a 30 something year old married dad, that young love looking back on it all is a great feeling. Even if the girl you loved didn’t always feel the same, that sort of optimism and longing is quite a euphoric feeling that at times I am nostalgic for.
And who would have thought that my favorite vibes of “the year” came from the Whip My Hair girl ….nah she’s not that anymore. Willow Smith is actually one of my favorite mainstream musicians working right now. She’s leading the charge of bringing pop punk back into the mainstream and while this is definitely not punk in any sort of way, I adore this sort of laid back acoustic alternative song. Also props to Tyler Cole. I know next to nothing about him, but when him and Willow vocally harmonize, its heaven.
Maybe this song is right, I need to catch a vibe. Next.
2022. The year of the bunny.
2022 was a big year for Bad Bunny as he had seven total hits from his smash album make the year end list. And while I can fill this list with multiple bops from this album, I am just going to restrain myself to one. And boy what a hit it was.
3. “Ojitos Lindos” - Bad Bunny & Bomba Estero
Retreading preamble aside, this was genuinely my favorite from this album tied with “Otro Atardecer” aka his song with The Marias. I get that Bad Bunny’s big hits are usually all songs about horn dogging and flexing, but I really dig when he gets experimental with his sounds and our expectations from him. That’s why we have yet another painful last minute cut from this list in “Titi Me Pregunto”, which was one of the best vibe hits of the year for me.
No, the song that makes this list is a simple love song, where Bad Bunny shows his more mature side where he tells this girl that his feelings for her are more than just using her as a sex object…unless I’m missing something in translation here. But when Bad Bunny talks about just looking into her eyes longingly, that is absolutely a line I would use since I’m an eye guy myself.
And I admittedly know next to nothing about Bomba Estero except she has a song with the Fresh Prince, Will Smith, of all people. What a weird YouTube find that was. But when she and Bad Bunny vocally bounce off each other with their sweet pillow talking, I transcend even higher than “Meet Me in Our Spot” takes me.
That last album made me all in on Bad Bunny. May he continue to defy my expectations…and continue to guest spot in WWE. Seriously between him and Logan Paul, those two are the best celebrity wrestlers ever.
The race for number one was so far from the rest of this list, it’s not even close. So keep that in mind that either of these could have been my number one. IF I got this list out on time around the end of 2022/beginning of 2023 like I was supposed to, this was going to be number one for sure.
2. “As It Was” - Harry Styles
Seriously, this is a slice of perfection and easily my favorite Harry Styles song he’s ever done. For as much as I liked Harry’s House, a lot of it did feel plastic and just Harry flexing about how cool he is. I mean I’m still a big fan, but I can also see myself looking back at this album in five years with some deep embarrassment that I ever stuck up for it like I did with Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience…Part Two…Part One still holds up at least?
But if that were ever the case, I can see myself still sticking up for this big single that was at number one for fifteen weeks and it absolutely felt justified each of those weeks. Not only does it sound excellent, but it felt big too because 2022 started off at a snail’s pace with a lot of singles flopping and new albums underperforming on the charts. But when this dropped, it felt like the year finally started for music with everyone talking about it and streaming it.
A lot of it probably due to the empty void of nothing new, but mostly due to Harry himself who wrote and performed this with the depth of a late 40/early 50 year old man. And I don’t mean that as an insult. From the sound of his goddaughter telling Harry that she wants him to say good night to her, to asking what kind of pills he is on, to this underlying feeling of the worst is over, but it’s never going back to what it used to be. And he’s only 28, dear god did the pandemic age us all by twenty years or what!?
This is the song of the post-pandemic, simply put. No song accurately represents that feeling of glad things are in the process of going back to normal, but that deep seeded feeling of insecurity and uncertainty is better than this song.
I said some pretty negative things about streaming on my worst list and how it applies to what makes a hit and why so many of these songs now stick around longer making the charts the plague they are today. BUT that’s not necessarily a bad thing completely. If anything, it gives a more accurate representation of what has staying power and what’s really popular right now.
My number one I saw climbing up the streaming charts all year long until it finally took off thanks to the youths of today in what other format…but TikTok.
1.“Bad Habit” - Steve Lacy
For every song that TikTok gets horribly and ungodly wrong, it gets at least one out of every five right. And boy, how right this song was. A lot of the songs this year, simply put, sounded middle of the road, safe, and generic. Honestly, you can say that for this decade. Maybe that’s why I stopped chart watching and following the charts as close as I used to? I’ve been longing for this decade to have some sort of identity because most of the hits so far have either been mid or retro sounding. What is the sound of the 2020’s!?
I don’t know if it’s this, but dear god I hope it turns out to be because what Steve Lacy does on this song is blend like ten to fifteen genres and it literally sounds like every genre it tries to be. It’s alternative, it’s pop, it’s R&B, it’s funk, it’s soul. It is everything and then some. So many of the big hits of today like “Heat Waves” and “Mood” try to blend multiple genres and sound like audible nothing. This on the other hand, you can tell was written by someone who loves music. And based off of Steve Lacy’s past history of working with Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, and the Vampire Weekend, to name a few; you can tell that this man is a huge music nerd and proud of it.
But here’s a more sentimental reason this is my true number one on this list and what took it over the edge. This song was number one the day my son was born. Call it sentimental, I wouldn’t blame ya. But one day my son will hopefully take up my love of pop culture and media and ask me what was number one on his birth date. And I’ll tell him some weird, yet hilarious horror movie called Smile was number one at the movies (and no nerds, that’s not my number one film of 2022, despite being better than I ever expected it to be) and “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy was the top song on the charts.
I really hope this isn’t another Gotye where Steve Lacy falls off to irrelevancy. We need more music made by people who love making music. Or at the very least, I hope this spawns off dozens of imitators that successfully gets what this song does right. And guess what? Good chance this makes the best list for 2023 as well so might as well call this the best hit of 2023 too. My job here is done!
And there you have it. My top twelve best hit songs of 2022. See you next year.
…….
Eh why the hell not.
0. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” - Kate Bush
It’s as much a 2022 song as some of these 2023 “hits” are. Which, for the record, I’m counting the older music that charts from here on out because 2023 is chalk full of those hits. But when I think of the pop music moment of this year, it’s hands down going to be this song saving Max from the grasps of Vecna in Stranger Things.
This song is a pop classic for a reason and I can’t justify its excellence enough. Like the memes said regarding the Kate Bush revival of 2022:
