The 25 Best Songs of 2012

My completely subjective, utterly mainstream and shamefully limited take on the best singles of the past year. All apologies to any great songs that were ignored or forgotten.

1. "Call Me Maybe" Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen's bubblegum ode to a sudden crush took 2012 by storm, spending nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and sending all of America into a lovestruck frenzy of sing-alongs, covers and parodies. But beneath the zeitgeist was a truly great song driving this cultural sensation. Jepsen's euphoric flurry of sweet synth strings and delightfully dorky come-ons once again demonstrated teen-pop's brilliant potential to capture the intensity of life's extremes, as refracted through young love. Ain't that crazy?

2. "Climax" Usher
Amidst an extended foray into lifeless dance-pop, this slinky, muted electro-R&B ballad was a welcome return to form for Usher. Playing on the title's double-entendre, he laments a dying relationship in a sexy pillow-talk tone that served as a potent reminder of what a powerful, expressive tool his voice can be. It's a triple-entendre if you consider that "Climax" might just be the best song of his 18-year career.

3. "Some Nights" fun.
"We Are Young" may be the Grammy-nominated #1 hit, but breakthrough trio fun. proved their mettle with follow-up "Some Nights," a pop symphony of grand scope and even grander ambition. Its series of moving parts—a sonic wall of a cappella harmonies breaks into pounding drums, a tinkling piano and then Auto-Tuned warbling—plus searching (and somewhat obtuse) lyrics made for a deeper, more rewarding experience with each subsequent listen. That's a risky, and immensely gratifying, recipe for avoiding one-hit wonder status.

4. "What Makes You Beautiful" One Direction
A decade after the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync disappeared into the annals of pop history, boy bands experienced a mini-comeback, highlighted by the cheeky British lads of One Direction and their undeniable "What Makes You Beautiful." It may be a fluffball of sunny guitars and puppy-dog platitudes, but there's nothing wrong with cheerfully innocent declarations of love done right. Don't roll your eyes; resistance is futile.

5. "Somebody That I Used To Know" Gotye ft. Kimbra
Is there a more unexpected monster smash in recent memory than Gotye's seething kiss-off to a former lover? Almost defiantly quiet and contemplative, it was the polar opposite of the flashy Eurodance anthems dominating pop radio early in the year, making its two-month reign at the top of the charts a remarkable triumph of emotional earnestness. Never underestimate the power of a xylophone hook and a chorus so aching you can't help but be moved to wail along.

6. "Push and Shove" No Doubt ft. Busy Signal and Major Lazer
Guitarist Tony Kanal called it "our 'Bohemian Rhapsody,'" but "Push and Shove" was the most No Doubt-y song on No Doubt's first new album in 11 years. Not that it doesn't take some valuable cues from Queen's famously wacky and beloved rock opera. Shooting from bouncing dancehall verses to a power-pop chorus towering with heavy passion, all of which dovetails by track's end, it's a wild (and wildly satisfying) ride.

7. "Thinkin Bout You" Frank Ocean
This year's buzziest artist deserved the heapings of acclaim for brilliant songs like "Thinkin Bout You," a raw confession of unrequited love. Though simpler and more straightforward than most of channel ORANGE, Frank Ocean makes this one sting with the power of his vivid vocal performance, which perfectly encapsulates his pain with its practiced casualness and moments of piercing falsetto. It's as though he opened his heart and poured all the hurt directly onto record, breaking yours in the process.

8. "Free" Haley Reinhart
Many an American Idol alum has been swallowed by the popstar machine, but season ten's growly, soulful third-place finisher, Haley Reinhart, remained refreshingly true to her old-school spirit on an accomplished debut album. Melding jazzy stylings with radio-friendly songwriting, lead single "Free" was its magnificent peak, especially the blissful, soaring chorus. What a shame it was completely ignored by mainstream audiences.

9. "Little Talks" Of Monsters and Men
In the latter half of the year, indie-rock stylings made a strong resurgence, suggesting pop music's next big trend. The best of the bunch was Icelandic band Of Monster and Men's whimsical, propulsive "Little Talks," which dazzled with its tender coed harmonies and blasting trumpet. Juxtaposing melancholy storytelling—that of a woman talking to her recently deceased husband—against energetic, six-piece revelry, it's a gorgeously cathartic swirl of pain and joy.

10. "Mercy" Kanye West ft. Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz
It didn't make a knockout first impression, but this chilling, thrilling bit of crew rap was a grower. Its dingy, laid-back vibe offered a striking soundscape and splendid summer counterprogramming: Kanye West and friends casually spitting boastful punchlines over a tense, unnerving beat and hauntingly distorted dancehall hook. Big Sean's opening verse is crackerjack stuff for anyone who loves a good ass pun.

11. "The A Team" Ed Sheeran
Coffeehouse jam session gone dark and gritty, delving into drug addiction and prostitution. As a tragic reality slowly unfurls from the lilting beauty of Ed Sheeran's acoustic melody, it's like a sucker punch to the gut, in the greatest possible way.

12. "Gold on the Ceiling" The Black Keys
Good old-fashioned rock and roll: grubby, stomping, manic, awesome.

13. "Want U Back" Cher Lloyd
With mountains of charisma, Cher Lloyd makes her bratty demands for an ex's affections seem utterly charming. Uh!

14. "Beez in the Trap" Nicki Minaj ft. 2 Chainz
Over a beat so sparse it's almost nonexistent, Nicki Minaj lays down swaggering boasts. In a year defined by her failures (flop singles, lackluster pop-friendly efforts, a truly terrible Grammy performance), this was one moment worth remembering.

15. "Ho Hey" The Lumineers
A gentle slice of folksy rock that lifts the spirits with its understated joy, punctuated by celebratory cheers of ho and hey.

16. "Madness" Muse
This stuttering, burbling brooder stuns with its slow build toward a heavenly climax. The five-minute prog-rock trip will leave you feeling not just moved, but entirely shifted.

17. "Adorn" Miguel
So gleefully retro it sounds like Miguel stepped right out of the Temptations singing this relaxed, groovy celebration of his woman.

18. "Too Close" Alex Clare
In which dubstep grew up, combining with Alex Clare's blue-eyed soul to deepen the emotional portrait of his ultra-hip break-up track.

19. "Feel So Close" Calvin Harris
An airily ascendant house confection that feels bigger than the dance floor—electro spiritual uplift boiled down to one simple verse.

20. "Wide Awake" Katy Perry
Lush and surprisingly mature—both sonically and emotionally—"Wide Awake" provided the perfect conclusion to Katy Perry's never-ending Teenage Dream era and one of the best, most honest moments of her career.

21. "Springsteen" Eric Church
Warm orchestration and bittersweet reminiscences create a nostalgic ballad that indeed "sounds like a memory" you never knew you had.

22. "Locked Out of Heaven" Bruno Mars
His alluringly urgent Sting impression—howling in tortured ecstasy over a dubby reggae-pop jam—gave Bruno Mars his best single yet.

23. "Feel Again" OneRepublic
Ryan Tedder let loose and found some soul in this white-boy gospel revival love song.

24. "Sweet Nothing" Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch
Florence Welch is such an incredible performer of music that her throaty howl can make any song come alive with pain and heartbreak, but she gets a great assist here from a deeply emotional EDM track by über-producer Calvin Harris.

25. "Thrift Shop" Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz
Melded humor and hip-hop in impressively legitimate fashion, sustaining a witty concept (and wildly danceable staccato saxophone beat) without ever resorting to ironic winks at the listener.

Honorable mentions: "This Kiss" Carly Rae Jepsen; "I Knew You Were Trouble" Taylor Swift; "Bad Girls" M.I.A.; "Call My Name" Cheryl Cole; "It All Belongs To Me" Monica and Brandy

Best album track: "Turn Me Up" Carly Rae Jepsen
I didn't get to listen to nearly enough new albums in 2012, but my favorite by far was Carly Rae Jepsen's Kiss, a veritable garden of '80s-tastic pop delights. This fizzy tune about ending a relationship over the phone was the standout—and a hit just waiting to happen—with its fantastic chorus of cheesy-genius wordplay ("I'm breaking up with you/You're breaking up on me").

"Bring Out the Bottles" Redfoo

Redfoo rings in the new year with his first single sans fellow LMFAO-er Sky Blu (the duo announced a hiatus in September), but it feels like nothing has changed: The 37-year-old eternal frat boy is still popping champagne, scoping out fly girls and and giving it up for "party rock" at every opportunity. That's about all there is to the self-produced "Bring Out the Bottles," which is just as flagrantly irksome as anything Redfoo did as a member of his former group. But this ugly mishmash of techno synths, dubstep bass and Auto-Tune has the easily regurgitated chorus it needs—just shout "Bring out the bottles!" a couple more times—to become pop radio and college parties' favorite douche anthem of 2013. Bring on the torture. C-

Throwback Thursday: "Hey Ya!" OutKast

OutKast's time-bending, genre-hopping masterpiece "Hey Ya!" is one of the best songs of the year—not just 2003, when it began an impressive nine-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100, but any year. André 3000 was operating on another level of genius when he conceived this danceable, retro ode to modern relationships, which jumps from hook ("1, 2, 3, uh!") to hook (an unexpected acoustic guitar line) to hook (the hand claps) so gleefully catchy that it doesn't even matter there's no real chorus. His acrobatic vocal performance adds a splash of irresistible charm, demanding emulation with each repeated listen. And it all culminates perfectly in a cheeky call-and-response section—who doesn't love feeling like part of an awesome song's awesomeness?—featuring the command to "Shake it like a Polaroid picture," quite possibly the greatest moment in modern pop music. A+

Nine years ago this week, "Hey Ya!" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Wanted" Hunter Hayes

Is Hunter Hayes country music's answer to Justin Bieber? That question has dogged the 21-year-old singer-songwriter in the press ever since his rise to prominence earlier this year, and it's not hard to see why: Like the Biebs, Hayes is a boyishly cute blond who makes young girls swoon with sweet love songs, including his #1 country hit "Wanted." The similarities, however, end there. "Wanted," which is currently climbing pop radio, is a tenderly affectionate ballad featuring Hayes on double-duty as impassioned vocalist and equally impassioned pianist. It's a far cry from the swaggy dubstep creations of Bieber's recent efforts, which don't find even a fraction of Hayes' bare intimacy—though at least none of his singles have been this sleep-inducingly bland. B-

"Radioactive" Imagine Dragons

It's been a great year for indie-rock crossovers, including Las Vegas quartet Imagine Dragons, whose stomping ballad "It's Time" was a favorite on the charts and in advertisements. Trading lilting mandolins for grimy dubstep, their follow-up, "Radioactive," feels like the haunted underbelly of that debut hit. Rather than finding comfort in a cheery sense of self, the pounding bass drum and forceful cries of Dan Reynolds turn the lyric "Welcome to the new age...I'm radioactive" into an evocatively pained statement of a man changed by the world around him. B+

"Ready or Not" Bridgit Mendler

The bubblegum pop revival foretold by One Direction and Carly Rae Jepsen sadly never materialized. In the second half of 2012, the only disciple of note was 19-year-old Disney starlet Bridgit Mendler, whose debut single "Ready or Not" has been hanging around the top 40 of pop radio and iTunes for months without fully breaking out. Playing off the Fugees classic of the same name, the song follows the perky Mendler in pursuit of a romantic interest. And taking further cues from that unexpected source, there are hip-hop undertones in the heavy drum beat and even the cadence of Mendler's sing-talk delivery that give some edge to the fluffy ear-candy production. (It's very reminiscent of Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words.") While not as undeniable as 1D or Carly's career-launching hits, "Ready" is a solid, if straightforward, first effort that merits further consideration for Mendler. B

Throwback Thursday: "Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

Is there a better geographic ode in pop music than "Empire State of Mind," Jay-Z's bouncy love letter to New York? Maybe for the most cynical of the hometown crowd, who have criticized it for failing to reflect their city's gritty urban reality and cool detachment. But for the rest of us, the fantasies of the American Dream are alive and well in the song's intimate tour of the five boroughs (with all the wide-eyed, touristy wonder it inspires) and especially Alicia Key's soaring hook, catchy enough to make anyone want to be a New Yorker. It's no wonder "Empire" finally gave Jay his first #1 hit as a lead artist, more than a decade into his prolific career. A

Four years ago this week, "Empire State of Mind" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

"How You Love Me Now" Hey Monday

The third season of NBC's hit singing competition The Voice ended tonight with minor controversy as Cassadee Pope was crowned the show's first female winner despite a former major-label deal as the frontwoman of punk-pop outfit Hey Monday. It seems a rather silly fuss, given that the group never saw much success; they are perhaps best known for once having a song covered on Glee. But in the interest of fairness, their 2009 single "How You Love Me Now" did briefly reach the top forty on pop radio—a slight achievement better left forgotten. Powered by peppy guitars and drums, as well as Pope's Avril-lite vocals, "Love" is the type of pseudo-headbanging migraine that regularly cropped up in the wake of Fall Out Boy. (See also: Paramore, Panic! at the Disco, et al.) Judging by Pope's victory song—a faithful, if slightly shouty, cover of Faith Hill's 2002 adult-contemporary smash "Cry"—she's trying something different for her solo career, and that's a wise decision for all involved. C-

"United State of Pop 2012 (Shine Brighter)" DJ Earworm

Over the past five years, DJ Earworm's annual mash-up of the 25 biggest Hot 100 hits has become an event for pop music fans. Offering an opportunity for reflection on the trends that were, each new United State of Pop mix earns millions of online streams and even some radio spins following its late-December debut. The 2012 edition, subtitled "Shine Brighter," dropped today with much fanfare, and it's (quite literally) a change of pace for the series. Picking up on pop's split identity over the past twelve months—as dance sounds were slowly replaced by natural instruments, ballads and folk influences—it is more subdued than its predecessors, despite pulling most heavily from Ke$ha's frivolous anthem "Die Young." Even as it eventually kicks into club-ready overdrive, "Shine" remains relatively grounded: darkly melodious rather than pleasingly heart-pounding, with something more on its mind that just the usual Frankensteined lyrics about partying all night long. It's not the raucous good time of Earworm's 2009 peak, but "Shine" provides a refreshing reboot to an aging franchise. B+

"Don't Stop the Party" Pitbull ft. TJR

Possessing borderline skill as an emcee and a catalog of mostly pop-friendly dance tunes, Pitbull has always been more hype man than rapper. (Tellingly, he has never scored a hit on hip-hop radio.) But the transformation seems complete on his latest single, "Don't Stop the Party," a clunky club track that plays like a series of catchphrases rather than a song. Over a dull EDM beat from Los Angeles DJ TJR, the self-proclaimed Mr. Worldwide grunts his way through repetitive hooks and bare sketches of global exploits that sound so tossed-off they barely command attention. It'd be more accurate to say this lifeless party never really gets started. C-

Throwback Thursday: "We Didn't Start the Fire" Billy Joel

Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" is often regarded as one of rock and roll's worst songs, resembling "a term paper scribbled the night before it's due," as Blender once put it. But in the grand scheme of novelty hits, its gimmick has held up better than most. Two decades on, Joel's rapid-fire, rhyming recollection of 20th-century culture since his birth, from Harry Truman to 1980s soda wars, is still quite fun. Beneath the irreverence (and maybe the teensiest bit of egotism), there's a simple wit to such an undertaking. The famous chorus is, of course, total nonsense, but why deny its rousing appeal? B

23 years ago this week, "We Didn't Start the Fire" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Daylight" Maroon 5

There's no worse sin in popular culture than being boring—except, perhaps, for trying to pass off mediocrity as a work of genius. Maroon 5 has done both with their latest single, "Daylight," releasing earlier today a nearly ten-minute "It Gets Better"-style video for the song featuring contributions from fans around the world. It is, at best, an act of ludicrous self-aggrandizement. "Daylight" offers the vague soft-rock musings of a lover who must leave in the morning—a far cry from the raw, often tragic, and rather moving confessions of the video. That's not to say the Daylight Project, as the band has dubbed it, is entirely without merit. But in this context, it mostly comes across as exploitative, attempting to elevate bland album filler into the status of an empowerment anthem. C+

"C'Mon" Ke$ha

Despite scoring a #1 pop hit this fall with "Die Young"—a middling retread of previous artistic territory that has since grown on me—Ke$ha's latest album, Warrior, landed with a thud upon its release last week, outsold by Taylor Swift, One Direction and even Rod Stewart. Is this just a brief career misstep or a sign that her days on the charts are numbered? I have my theories (a pop star's contributions can only get so thin before there's nothing left for audiences to hold onto), but we'll get a better sense of Ke$ha's prospects with the performance of her next single, "C'Mon," which she debuted on last Thursday's X Factor results show. It's her live-fast-and-loose version of a love song, but with Auto-Tuned tales of mildly deviant behavior over the burble of a Dr. Luke synthscape, it's also nothing that audiences haven't heard from her before. That should make it the perfect litmus test for whether music's biggest party animal is officially all pooped out. B

"Thinkin Bout You" Frank Ocean

On Wednesday night, this year's Grammy nominations were announced, and leading the pack was 2012's buzziest new artist, Frank Ocean. The songwriter-turned-R&B sensation was recognized in six categories, including Album of the Year, for his much-lauded debut, channel ORANGE, and Record of the Year, for its gorgeous lead single, "Thinkin Bout You." Though facing some stiff competition—look for a likely win by "We Are Young," the #1 hit from 2012's other big Grammy-certified breakout, fun.—"Thinkin" would make a fine choice. Its soulful minimalism is a striking, unique presence among this batch of Record of the Year contenders and the current dance-heavy music scene. But what shines brightest is Ocean's vivid vocal performance—a perfect encapsulation of the pain of unrequited love, with its practiced casualness and moments of passionate falsetto when the feelings simply can't be contained. It's as though he has opened his heart and poured all the hurt directly into song, breaking yours in the process. A

Throwback Thursday: "One Sweet Day" Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men

Take a look at a list of the longest-running #1's of all time and you'll find two Boyz II Men singles, one from Mariah Carey and, at the top, a signature duet between the two acts. Their collaboration, "One Sweet Day," debuted at #1 this week 17 years ago, the start of a truly remarkable 16-week reign on the Billboard Hot 100. It seems enough time has passed, though, to acknowledge that "Day" isn't all that great of a song. Written as a tribute to lost loved ones, including Carey's HIV-infected sister, the artists deserve credit for their tastefully understated approach to a sentimental topic. "Day" is certainly sweet and sincere, but it's never all that profoundly moving. Blame the languid pace and driveling adult-contemporary arrangement, which are unfortunately at their most interesting during the final minute of overwrought emotional melisma. C+

17 years ago this week, "One Sweet Day" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Love and War" Tamar Braxton

And now for the most surprising insta-smash of the year: "Love and War," the comeback single from Tamar (sister of Toni) Braxton, whose attempts to launch a singing career in the '90s never took off. "Love" soared to #1 on iTunes upon its release yesterday, surprising many chart watchers who had never even heard of Braxton. Never underestimate the power of a WE tv reality show, I suppose—or Lady Gaga, who tweeted support for the wife of her manager, Vincent Herbert. As for the song itself, it's a fairly standard R&B power ballad: a suave drum-machine slow jam punctuated by can't-hold-back bursts of emotion and vocal showmanship. This "Love" is nothing special—it feels straight out of the decade that initially rejected Braxton, especially the heavy-handed battle metaphors—but it's more than enough in a music scene starved for the genre's displays of raw soul. B

"Cruise" Florida Georgia Line

Nashville's latest breakthrough act is Florida Georgia Line, a guitar-strumming vocal duo from the aforementioned states whose debut single, "Cruise," recently hit #1 on country radio. It's as straightforward a twangy jam as you could ever imagine, touching on numerous standbys of the genre, including Southern babes, pickup trucks and comparing situations to a song—all of which is a probably a relief for country fans who have felt besieged by the record-breaking chart reign of Taylor Swift's utterly poppy "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." For the rest of us, it offers a nice escape from the winter blues. B