Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2012

Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2012

Now that the crap has been cleared, it’s time to talk about the best that 2012 had to offer, and boy did this year deliver. There were 25 songs that debuted on the Year-End list that scored a 5/5, the most of any modern year that I’ve looked at thus far. Not only were there a lot of great songs, but they came from a whole slew of different genres, from Pop to Hip-Hop to Rock, Country, R&B, Indie and more. There’s a reason that this year is so fondly remembered by so many, myself included (2012 was one of the best years of my life, along with 2007 and 2009). This year showed that modern pop music can stand toe to toe with the classics of old, and I would not be surprised if I eventually cover a retro year that scores below the 67.8% that this year scored. I figure it’s time to get this going, starting of course with the Honorable Mentions.

Honorable Mention: Ass Back Home by Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch (Peak: #12, Year-End: #51)

Starting off the Honorable Mentions is Ass Back Home by Pop-Rap group Gym Class Heroes, featuring British singer Neon Hitch (and no, that’s not just a stage name). It’s about the narrator’s girlfriend missing the narrator while he’s out touring, and imploring him to “get his ass back home”. The instrumental on the hook is a typical Pop-Rock backing track, while the verses are heavily influenced by Reggae (much like Travie McCoy’s solo hit Billionaire, an Honorable Mention on my Best of 2010 list). Sure, it’s not anything that pushes any boundaries, but being standard isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when it’s done this good.

Honorable Mention: Young, Wild & Free by Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa ft. Bruno Mars (Peak: #7, Year-End: #32)

On the subject of Pop-Rap, this is one of the best stoner songs that I (a guy that has never smoked pot) have ever heard. Bruno’s hook is pure bliss, and Wiz and Snoop rap effortlessly about smoking the devil’s lettuce and having a good time. While I may be more into Coca Cola than Mary Jane, that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate a good pot anthem.

Honorable Mention: Ho Hey by The Lumineers (Peak: #3, Year-End: #68)

One thing that this year is remembered for is the absolute explosion of Indie music, and this was one of the prime examples of that short-lived trend that unfortunately flamed out for the most part by the end of 2013. Getting its title from the chanting of “HO” and “HEY” by the backing vocals, the song brings up quite a bit of nostalgia for me. Sure, it’s far from the best written song (particularly the “I don’t think you’re right for him” line), but the fun, stomping sound and aforementioned nostalgia is enough to push it over the hump and onto the Honorable Mentions.

Honorable Mentions: Wild Ones by Flo Rida ft. Sia (Peak: #5, Year-End: #11)

Flo Rida had a big 2012, scoring three hits on the Year-End list. While I did quite enjoy Good Feeling at the time, it’s faded on me, and Whistle is just too dang stupid to put on the list, as much of a guilty pleasure as it may be. Wild Ones, however, stood out to me. While it likely wasn’t intended this way, both the instrumental and Sia’s guest vocals on the hook sound like it’s made specifically for nostalgia, and while I don’t really remember hearing it at the time, this song does make me feel nostalgic for my final days of childhood innocence. Sure, the lyrics aren’t anything special, just your typical club banger, but while this song might not mean anything to you (or maybe it does, who am I to assume), it sure Does To Me (spoilers for my Best of 2020 list at the end of the year).

Honorable Mentions: Springsteen by Eric Church (Peak: #19, Year-End: #58)

Hey, speaking of both nostalgia and of Eric Church, his biggest solo hit is pretty dang good. A mid-tempo ballad that sounds more than a bit U2-y (OK, I’ll just go ahead and say it, I’m a U2 fan), Eric reflects upon his high school love when he hears an old Bruce Springsteen song (he references several of them in the song) and wonders if she ever feels the same way about him. While I’m not the biggest fan of Eric Church’s voice, everything else about this song is fantastic. 

Honorable Mention: Domino by Jessie J (Peak: #6, Year-End: #46)

I swear, this song has THE catchiest melody that I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Even when it had been years since I’d heard the song, I still had that chorus stuck in my head. Sure, the lyrics make zero sense and Jessie J is clearly imitating Katy Perry, but that doesn’t really matter when you find possibly the catchiest hook of all time. This is basically the Early 2010s in a nutshell, and I for one could not be happier about it.

Honorable Mention: Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw (Peak: #18, Year-End: #60)

In Love With A Girl narrowly missed the Honorable Mentions on my last best list, but this Gavin DeGraw song is more than worthy of making the Honorable Mentions here. The Pop Rock instrumental has held up incredibly well, Gavin DeGraw sounds great behind the mic, and the lyrics about struggling to get over a breakup and deceiving yourself that you’ve moved on are fantastic, especially on the chorus. While Gavin’s career may have dried up from here on out, this ain’t at all a bad way to go out.

Honorable Mention: Some Nights by Fun (Peak: #3, Year-End: #14)

While We Are Young may have been Fun’s bigger hit, this is the one that seems to have stuck around, and for dang good reason. Obviously inspired heavily by Queen, the song is about a man facing an existential crisis, possibly due to his newfound fame, a breakup or some combination thereof. The vocal layering is immaculate, the percussion is thundering, and while Nate Ruess is no Freddie Mercury, he still gets the job done. While some of the autotune is pretty dated, that’s nowhere near enough to take away from this all around wonderful song. If this ends up becoming a classic of the 2010s, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Honorable Mention: Lights by Ellie Goulding (Peak: #2, Year-End: #5)

The breakout hit from Ellie Goulding (who’d go on to have on-and-off success throughout the rest of the decade), Lights is a truly great pop song that only missed the list proper because of the sheer volume of great music in 2012. The production is masterful, a mix of twinkling synths, percussion, strings and bass, and the lyrics about fear of the dark are relatable for anyone who was once (or possibly still is) afraid of the dark. I once worked at a grocery store for nearly a year, and while most of the music on their playlist was AC cheese, this was on there too, and I never tired of hearing it.

Honorable Mention: 50 Ways To Say Goodbye by Train (Peak: #20, Year-End: #81)

Ooh, this could ruffle some feathers. While Train’s comeback in the Early 2010s is largely seen as a mistake in these circles, I’m going to differ and say that, while Hey Soul Sister and Drive By may be ridiculous, the third and final hit of their comeback, 50 Ways To Say Goodbye, is actually a hidden gem. Inspired by a similarly titled Paul Simon song from the 70s, the song goes over the numerous ways the narrator lies to others about how his ex-girlfriend died, rather than swallowing his pride and admitting that he was dumped. The instrumental actually rocks pretty hard, and the Mariachi band was a great addition, although he probably couldn’t put it in today. It’s a ridiculous song, sure, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t also a ton of fun.

Honorable Mention: So Good by B.o.B (Peak: #11, Year-End: #80)

The title isn’t lying, folks, it is indeed So Good. In this song, B.o.B takes his girl on a trip around the world over one of the most joyous instrumentals of the whole year, if not the entire decade. This topped Spectrum Pulse’s Best of 2012 list, and it only missed mine because of how much great music there was this year. Also, the line “Spin the globe, wherever it lands that’s where we’ll go” hasn’t aged well coming from B.o.B, if you know what I mean.

Honorable Mention: Too Close by Alex Clare (Peak: #7, Year-End: #30)

When Todd In The Shadows eventually gets to the 2010s on One-Hit Wonderland, I would not be surprised if Alex Clare is one of the first artists he talks about. It also helps that his one hit is really good. Sure, the dubstep bass on the chorus is pretty dated, but it’s more than made up for by the dramatic swell of the instrumental and Alex’s soulful vocals, with lyrics detailing the narrator’s need for space and unreadiness to enter into a committed relationship. If you’re going to have only one hit, this is far from the worst one to have.

Honorable Mention: Everybody Talks by Neon Trees (Peak: #6, Year-End: #22)

This was the final cut from the list, and good Lord was it painful. Inspired by 1950s and 60s Rock N’ Roll, Everybody Talks is about a girl playing hard to get and the narrator’s desire to get with her, if you know what I mean. The instrumental is perfect Old Time Rock N’ Roll, inspired by artists such as Roy Orbison, and the vocals courtesy of frontman Tyler Glenn perfectly capture the throwback atmosphere. If even my Hippie friend who mainly listens to 60s and 70s rock likes this song, then you know you’re doing something right. So, what song beat it out to make the list proper? Well, let’s find out!

#10: Come Over by Kenny Chesney (Peak: #23, Year-End: #76)

We begin this list with the best Country hit of the year, Come Over by Kenny Chesney. Kenny is usually a more chilled-out, beach party type of artist from what I know, but this is a more somber mid-tempo ballad about Kenny calling up his ex-girlfriend to Come Over, if you catch my drift. It’s basically the solo version of Need You Now by Lady Antebellum, the final cut from my Best of 2010 list, and I’d say the two songs are on about the same level of quality. It also reminds me of Just A Dream by Nelly, another hit by a goofier artist that attempted for a more somber power ballad sound (Just A Dream still can’t fully click with me), and also because the music videos are both shot on the beach in black and white.

Anyways, back to the song itself. As previously mentioned, the lyrical content is similar to Need You Now, with Kenny calling his ex. He’s not asking for any sort of long term commitment, he just wants some company, and while it’ll probably end badly, to quote the aforementioned Need You Now, he’d rather hurt than feel nothing at all. Both the instrumental and Kenny’s vocals capture the mood of desperation for any sort of emotion, good or bad perfectly, and the With Or Without You-esque whoas at the end really hammer it home, the second time I’ve mentioned U2 in this list that they didn’t even appear on. Regardless of how many comparisons I’ve made to other songs, it’s still a great song in its own right, and as mentioned previously, it’s the best that Country had to offer this year.

#9: Scream/Climax by Usher (Peak: #9/#17, Year-End: #44/#72)

Yup, we’ve got a tie here. Usher was still big in the Early 2010s, and his two solo hits this year, Scream and Climax, were both great.

First up is Scream, his biggest hit of 2012. If you saw my Best of 2010, you should know exactly why this made my list: it’s basically a total retread of DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love. They’ve both got the same fantastic Electro-Pop beat, fantastic performances from Usher and the hooks are both gigantic. Despite that, I probably prefer DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love, because as great as all of the other elements are, the lyrics do drag it down a bit, because GOOD LORD ARE THEY SLEAZY. Now, I’ve put quite a few songs with more risque lyrics on my best lists (cough cough I Feel It Coming cough cough), but even I have limits, and Scream might have just crossed them. With that said, I wouldn’t have put it on the list if I didn’t like it, as all the other elements do lead me to give it the seal of approval, although it’s only on the list proper because of Usher’s other hit this year…

Yeah, if I didn’t do ties, Climax is the one that would’ve made the list. It’s only so low on the list because A: 2012 was great, and B: I have a few nitpicks with the production, but other than that, Climax is a masterpiece of Modern R&B. Nitpicks aside, Diplo’s production is amazing, as are both Usher’s pristine vocal performance (especially that incredible falsetto) and the lyrical content about a relationship that has passed the honeymoon phase and is going downhill. I’ll just give you a sample.

“Going nowhere fast

We've reached the climax

We're together, now we're undone

Won't commit so we choose to

Run away

Do we separate? Oh

Don't wanna give in so we both gave up

Can't take it back, it's too late, we've reached the climax”

Just fantastic, and those are far from the only lyrics I could’ve used. It’s a shame that Usher’s success declined so dramatically throughout the remainder of the decade, because we really could’ve used more stuff like this in the Pop world from there on out.

#8: Home by Phillip Phillips (Peak: #6, Year-End: #49)

Speaking of stuff that we could’ve used throughout the remainder of the 2010s, it’s a dang shame that the Indie Boom that took off in 2012 flamed out by the end of the following year, because it produced tons of great music. Granted, Phillip Phillips didn’t exactly come from nowhere, he won the 11th Season of American Idol, but this song does share a lot of commonalities with the types of music that was unexpectedly becoming mainstream for that brief blip of time in 2012 and the first half of 2013.

First off, the song incorporates elements of Rock, Folk, Country and freakin’ Bluegrass in the production and composition, built around a stomping drumbeat, simple acoustic guitar and chimes. This is also reflected in the simple and yet hopeful lyrics about helping a loved one through a difficult situation:

“Hold on, to me as we go

As we roll down this unfamiliar road

And although this wave is stringing us along

Just know you're not alone

'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home”

However, I’m gonna be honest here: the main reason this song is on the list is because of nostalgia. The “ooo-oo-ooo” and “aaa-aa-aaa” hook brings me back to the last few months of 2012, one of (if not the) happiest times of my life, and I can’t help but feel nostalgic for the waning days of my childhood. I can also imagine going on a road trip, just me, a car and a girl who I’ve yet to meet, driving across the country, and even if we don’t have a lot of money, we’d still be as free as we’d ever be. I’d better cut this off before it turns into a mix of nostalgia and daydreaming, so let’s move on to the best hit by a band that has become a punchline as of late.

#7: It’s Time by Imagine Dragons (Peak: #15, Year-End: #91)

So, the common perception of Imagine Dragons nowadays is that they make soulless mush that’s primarily made to be used in advertisements, and while I definitely understand that perception, I can’t say that I agree. Sure, while their later material has been mediocre and watered-down, their early work is actually pretty dang good, and It’s Time is the prime example of that promise this band held in their early days.

Full disclosure, Imagine Dragons were my favorite band for quite a while, from the end of 2012 up until about 2017, when I lost all interest in listening to them, and this was the very song that got me hooked for the next few years. Frontman Dan Reynolds wrote this during a low point in his life after he’d just dropped out of college, and the lyrics state that no matter what life throws at him, he’s going to stay true to himself.

“It's time to begin, isn't it?

I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit

I'm just the same as I was

Now don't you understand

I'm never changing who I am”

Oh, and the instrumental isn’t too shabby, either? Yeah, that footstomp and mandolin line are iconic, and this is probably the most Rock that Imagine Dragons has ever been on one of their hits, with the possible exception of Whatever It Takes (spoilers for 2018). Dan Reynolds has always been better at raw passion than he has at trying to do some sort of falsetto, and this is without a doubt one of his best performances behind the mic. Imagine Dragons, you had so much potential coming off those EP’s and your first album, why’d you have to waste it?

#6: Set Fire To The Rain by Adele (Peak: #1, Year-End: #12)

Oh, Gabe’s putting Adele on his best list? What a shocker! Yeah, this is one of the most obvious picks for the list, and for good reason. Adele is one of the best artists of our generation, and Set Fire To The Rain is no exception.

To start, the instrumentation is absolutely gorgeous. Granted, I am using the live version, but the live version has become the more well-known version, as her performance at the Royal Albert Hall effectively served as the song’s music video (and the live version is actually a fair deal better than the studio version). It’s a symphony of a pop song, filled with elegant strings of all different sorts, and that’s not to mention the pounding percussion and simple yet powerful piano line. The lyrics are about Adele falling for a guy who seems like her saving grace at first, but turns out to be a liar who breaks her heart, leading her to call it off. As for Adele’s vocals, well, do I really have to say anything? IT’S FREAKING ADELE! 

For most artists, this would be their magnum opus, but it’s just one of many for Adele. It feels like a disgrace to put such a powerful and objectively amazing song as this outside of the Top 5, but alas, that’s just how great this year’s good stuff was.

#5: Wide Awake by Katy Perry (Peak: #2, Year-End: #15)

Yeah, Set Fire To The Rain was far from the only great breakup ballad by a pop superstar this year, as Katy Perry delivered quite possibly the best hit of her entire career with Wide Awake. 

To start, the production is absolutely fantastic. A pop ballad, the production has a dreamy, ethereal sound that’s always made me feel like I was flying. Then again, it might have been falling, because as Chris Stapleton once said, “falling feels like flying ‘till you hit the ground” (go check out Parachute, it’s a great song).

Speaking of that, the lyrics are one of the best sets of lyrics of the entire year, and that’s saying something. Written in large part about her divorce from Russell Brand, the song deals with accepting and moving on from a break up, as hard as it may be. I made the flying/falling analogy earlier because of the lyrics in the chorus that reference “falling from Cloud 9”, which even though I haven’t been through a breakup, I can imagine that’s how it feels. While I may have made fun of Katy Perry’s bad live performances on multiple occasions on this blog, she sounds fantastic on this song. If even my Dad likes this song, then you know that you’re dealing with something special.

#4: It Will Rain by Bruno Mars (Peak: #3, Year-End: #26)

A common perception among music reviewers (at least on YouTube) is that Bruno Mars’ early, pre-Unorthodox Jukebox work was not nearly as good as his more recent retro stuff, and while I understand that perception, I cannot say that I agree. Maybe this is just because I happen to be a big, BIG Bruno Mars fan, but I’ve liked almost everything he’s put out regardless of era, and It Will Rain isn’t one of those exceptions.

Bruno’s contribution to the Twilight: Breaking Dawn soundtrack (which also contained A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, a song that narrowly missed my Honorable Mentions), It Will Rain is quite similar to Stay With Me by Sam Smith in terms of it’s lyrical content, but unlike Stay With Me, where Sam remains generally quiet and soulful, Bruno lets it all out. Sure, it’s melodramatic and over-the-top, but hey, I’m a fan of even the cheesiest Hair Metal ballads, so it should come as no surprise that I’m a sucker for a song where Bruno says that there will be no sunlight or clear skies if she leaves him. I don’t think Bruno wrote it to gaslight or manipulate the subject of his affection, but more as a desperate plea. He recognizes his faults, and will do the best to fix them and rebuild their relationship.

As I mentioned previously, Bruno’s performance is bombastic and dramatic in the best way possible, and that is reflected in the production, a mix of strings, percussion, quietly haunting synths and guitar flurries on the post-chorus. While I wouldn’t call this Bruno’s best song by any means (or even his best hit), it’s still a dang great pop song that has unfortunately become a bit of a relic, but while it might not have stuck around for most people, it sure has for me.

#3: Paradise by Coldplay (Peak: #15, Year-End: #69)

Ooh, now we’re getting to the REAL good stuff here. The top three songs on this list are among my favorite hits of the entire decade, starting off with a band that I just got done praising the crap out of in my last best list. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not the 11/10, generation-defining masterpiece that was Viva La Vida, but it’s still absolutely incredible. 

The second single to Coldplay’s 2011 album Mylo Xyloto, a concept album that I have not listened to, Paradise is about a girl who escapes the harsh reality of the real world through her dreams and fantasies, and considering how awful this year has been (check the date of this post if you’re reading from the future), that’s something that really resonated with me.

“When she was just a girl she expected the world

But it flew away from her reach and the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on, it gets so heavy

The wheel breaks the butterfly, every tear a waterfall

In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes

In the night the stormy night away she'd fly”

The other main factor that played into me loving this song such much was just how it sounds. You know how I said that Wide Awake made me feel like I was flying? Well, that’s even more true of this song, with its dreamy synths, orchestral backings and guitar solo to close out the song. It’s one of the best sounding hits of the entire decade, especially once you get to that anthemic sing-along chorus. I remember playing Wii Sports Resort and flying around the island with this song in the background, and I remember how perfectly the two fit together. So yeah, nostalgia does play into this pick a fair deal, but it’s more than deserving of making the podium of this list.

#2: Burn It Down by Linkin Park (Peak: #30, Year-End: #100)

This is the second best list in a row where Linkin Park has gotten the #2 spot, and well, this is quite an unfortunate time to talk about this song. As of the time I’m writing this, the United States has been gripped by its worst civil unrest in decades after the brutal killing of George Floyd. Let me make this abundantly clear: this ranking has absolutely NOTHING to do with said unrest. For one, I listened to all the songs on the 2012 Year-End list before the killing (R.I.P.), so I formed my opinion on this song before any of this ever happened. Two, I have to be completely honest about my opinions, even when it may be uncomfortable in the current context. Most importantly, however, is that this song is not about that subject, but rather something entirely different.

According to Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda, the song is about how people have a tendency to build up a certain person (usually a celebrity) as a hero, only for them to viciously turn on them and attack them. Does that at all sound familiar to us living here in 2020? Well, it should, because that basically describes the Stan and Cancel Culture that is all too common on the internet, especially social media. Now, I’m not going to go into my full thoughts on the subject (this isn’t a political or social blog, and I try to keep those things separate from this blog to the best of my ability), but I’ll just say that my opinions on those trends are… not the most positive to say the least. In other words, the lyrical content was ahead of its time, as both of these trends were in their early stages in the Early 2010s, before becoming more and more prevalent over the remainder of the decade.

Oh, and the song just sounds awesome. The Electronic-Rock sound is quite similar IMO to Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf, a song that would’ve been a lot better if it’s narrative wasn’t so muddled. Chester Bennington’s vocals are a mix of restrained verses and shouting on the hook, and Mike Shinoda’s rapping fits perfectly into the song. This was one of the last legit Hard Rock songs to become a hit on the Hot 100, as well as Linkin Park’s last Year-End appearance, and honestly, this ain’t a bad way to go out.

The 2012 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 contained 92 songs that debuted on the list. Dozens of artists and a wide variety of genres and sounds were featured on this Year-End list, and yet, both my Best and Worst lists this year had the same result. I wasn’t sure if there would ever be an artist that would top both of my lists, much less in the same year, but alas, that is exactly what happened this year. It only makes sense that this feat would come from an artist who I consider to be one of, if not the, most inconsistent artists in the history of Popular Music. What I’m trying to say is: Congrats, Rihanna, you’ve topped both of my lists.

#1: Diamonds by Rihanna (Peak: #1, Year-End: #94)

If you had told me a few months ago that this would top my Best of 2012 list, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I never thought it was bad, and I knew that it had a ton of growing potential, but… growing on me this much in such a short amount of time? I wouldn’t have believed you for one second, and yet here I am, calling it the Best Hit Song of 2012. So, why is this #1?

First, the composition. I’m gonna be honest here, this is one of the most superbly produced pop songs I’ve ever heard in my life. Starting off with an 80s-style keyboard straight out of Versace On The Floor (although that wouldn’t come out for another four years), the song adds a simple drum beat for the verses before adding a whole string backing for the slow-motion explosion of the chorus. While modern pop production can be gut-wrenchingly atrocious (like Birthday Cake), the opposite can be true as well, as it can also produce incredible sounds and sensations that would’ve been impossible at any other time. TL;DR: It’s one of the best mixes of Retro and Modern R&B that I’ve ever heard.

A common pattern that I’ve noticed with Rihanna is that when she tries to be raunchy or badass, it usually backfires, but when she’s doing something more down to Earth, that’s where she really shines (pun intended). I’d much rather hear her invite me to stand under her Umbrella than hear about how b*tch better have her money, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels that way. Needless to say, Diamonds is 100% the latter, simply being about so completely and totally in love with someone, feeling as though this is the one, you’re made for each other. It’s basically the honeymoon phase in song form.

“Find light in the beautiful sea, I choose to be happy

You and I, you and I, we're like diamonds in the sky

You're a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy

When you hold me, I'm alive

We're like diamonds in the sky”

Then again, maybe this song works for me so much because of Rihanna’s vocal performance. You may remember me saying that Love The Way You Lie was her best vocal performance, right? Well, I’ve gotta eat my words, because this takes that crown easily. Rihanna’s not trying to stretch her range or reinvent the wheel, she sounds right at home in her lower-middle register for most of the song (except on the backing vocals near the end). The Sia comparison is obvious here, as this song was not only written by her, but she even mistook Rihanna’s vocals for her own, but honestly, it might be for the best that she didn’t perform it, because as incredible of a singer as Sia is (see my Best of 2014 list for more info), I couldn’t see anyone else performing it. Rihanna, more of this and less of… those other songs. Diamonds by Rihanna, The Best Hit Song of 2012. 

Up next: 1983, one of the most legendary years in the history of popular music. I look forward to one nonstop musical sugar rush over the next few days, but until then, take care, I’ll see you later.