MUSIC
The Top 40 Pop Singles of 2012
Conor Behan takes us through his favourite 40 songs of the year
Following up on yesterday's album countdown here's my list of my favourite singles this year. This is enormously tricky to run down and I used the official release of a song as a single to denote what did and didn't make the cut (including why Azealia's 212 figures so highly despite it being around in 2012). Below the list is a Grooveshark playlist of this year's to let you listen along as you read. Please feel free to suggest your fave tunes in the comments too! The Friday Four will be back in January so enjoy this list and have a terrific Christmas!
TOP 40 POP SINGLES OF 2012
40: Try – Pink: Brilliantly melodramatic pop rock stormer
39: Forget Me Knots –Heathers: Emotional folk-pop with a killer chorus
38: Power & Control – Marina and the Diamonds: Sharp-tongued dance pop fun
37: Elephant – Alexandra Burke: Unusually structured club banger
36: Get Out My Head – Redlight: Undeniably brilliant crossover dance tune
35: Home Run – Misha B: brilliantly bonkers R&B cut
34: Scream and Shout – Will. I.am feat. Britney Spears : Addictive/trashy club pop joy
33: How To Be A Heartbreaker – Marina and the Diamonds : Pop perfection
32: Got Me Good – Ciara: underrated/brilliant dance-friendly R&B jam
31: Wildest Dreams – Brandy: slow burning R&B magic
30: Play The Game Boy – A*M*E: sparkling, 80s twinged fun
29: Headphones – Little Boots: supremely slinky disco bubblegum
28: Move In The Right Direction – Gossip: their catchiest single ever?
27: Good Time – Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen: exuberant & hard to dislike
26: Let’s Go – Calvin Harris: pummeling stadium sized dance tune w/huge hook
25: Where Have You Been – Rihanna: Another in her arsenal of anthems
24: Part of Me – Katy Perry : One of her strongest singles ever
23: Settle Down – No Doubt : Quirky, likeable romp
22: You Know You Like It – Alunageorge: swirling R&B meets electronica gem
21: Diamonds – Rihanna: Beautifully realized and uplifting midtempo cut
20: Girl Gone Wild – Madonna: brash, thumping club pop
19: Disparate Youth – Santigold: anthemic hook, juddering beat, brilliant single
18: Wildest Moments – Jessie Ware: beautiful, hook-y and utterly moving
17: Starships – Nicki Minaj: loud, obnoxious dance-pop at it’s best
16: Spectrum (Calvin Harris Remix) – Florence and the Machine: Unstoppable remix genius
15: Losing You – Solange: Hipster queen delivers melancholic gem
14: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift: tongue-in-cheek fun
13: Mainline – Tensnake: 90s referencing dance tune that begs for repeat plays
12: Your Body – Christina Aguilera: a return to pop form for this big voice.
11: Let’s Have A Kiki – Scissor Sisters: the gayest pop single of 2012. Brilliant
10: Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson: Power-pop at it’s finest
9: Primadonna – Marina and the Diamonds: catchy, clever, charming.
8: Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen: The song everybody sang along to in 2012
7: Latch – Disclosure: Lush, engrossing production and soulful vocals. Killer.
6: I Love You – 2NE1: Fuses electronic thumps and melancholy brilliantly
5: Euphoria – Loreen: Skyscarper vocals and a chorus that won’t quit
4: 212 – Azealia Banks: officially released mid 2012 n still fresh a year or so on
3: Timebomb – Kylie Minogue: Exhilarating and underrated Kylie magic
2: Call My Name – Cheryl Cole: Sunny, infectious, addictive club-pop
1: Something New – Girls Aloud – Exuberant, unsually structured and totally joyful, the year’s shiniest example of the sheer rush a good pop single can provide.
Written by Conor Behan