Our Top 10 Songs of 2012

2012 has been an incredible year for popular music. It doesn’t matter which genre you prefer, there has been something for everyone in the charts this year.

Some songs have hit the charts so hard, they’ve ended up staying there for weeks, with some sticking around in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart for so long, they seemed set to become permanent residents.

Check out the ten songs we’ve loved the most this year…

10. Ke$ha – Die Young

Die Young is the first song to be released from Ke$ha’s second album, Warrior. Despite being released towards the end of the year, the “cock rock” inspired track has already amassed an impressive 25,000,000+ hits on YouTube and is currently sitting pretty at number 18 in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart. Whether you love or hate Ke$ha as a person – or her funky brand of party girl music – there is no denying that her tunes are catchy and Die Young is no exception. We can’t get this one out of our heads.

9. Robbie Williams – Candy

Robbie Williams was at the top of his game, releasing solo hit after hit and Take That were nothing but a distant memory from the 90s… but then something changed. We’ve always been head-over-heels for Mr Williams, and we love his music, but through our love-struck awe we failed to realise that one day he stopped blowing the world away. Despite a comeback between then and now, did you know that Robbie hadn’t had a number one single since Radio in 2004? That was until he released Candy this year, bagging himself a much deserved number one. The awesome track has had 25,000,000+ hits on YouTube, and is still at number 14 in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart after eight weeks in the charts.

8. fun. – We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe

When fun. released We Are Young they were not a new band, but it was this single that bagged them a UK number one and huge mainstream success. Undoubtedly one of the biggest hits of the year, We Are Young seemed to stay in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart for months. The track spent an impressive 14 weeks in the top 10 alone, has amassed a whopping 159,000,000+ hits on YouTube and, most notably, ended Carly Rae Jepsen’ reign of terror (or joy if, like us, you were unable to get the infectious pop hit out of your head) at the top spot with Call Me Maybe.

7. Jedward – Waterline

When it comes to Jedward, a lot of people only remember them for their time on the X Factor as the contestants who “couldn’t sing” – but it’s important to remember that the pair were only in the bottom two twice during the competition, finally getting knocked out (in sixth place) in a sing-off with Olly Murs, who is absolutely huge now, so there’s no shame in that. What a lot of people don’t realise about Jedward is that they are two very talented young men, who have twice been selected to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest. People also don’t know about the beautiful acoustic covers they put up on YouTube, which truly showcase what talented fellas John Grimes and Edward Grimes really are. We love their catchy pop tunes, and their Eurovision 2012 entry, Waterline, thoroughly infected us earlier this year. The boys bagged 19th place in the contest – the UK’s Engelbert Humperdinck only came 25th… out of 26.

6. McFly – Love Is Easy

McFly’s latest single, Love Is Easy, is a real treat for fans and people with ears alike. The video is a real nostalgia trip for any McFly fan who has been there since day one, because it chronicles their impressive career to date, and please forgive the pun, but loving the song is easy – it’s just so catchy. The track also features a quote from one of Flecking’s favourite Christmas films, It’s A Wonderful Life, so it gives us a double warm and fuzzy feeling when we hear it. The track entered the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart at number ten, and has over 2,500,000 hits on YouTube so far.

5. Psy – Gangnam Style

Oppan Gangnam style! The video for Psy’s catchy track Gangnam Style is not just one of the most popular this year, the video is now the most popular video on YouTube after amassing over an astounding 1,000,000,000 hits – yep, that’s one billion. The track came out of nowhere, but thanks to its catchy nature and hilarious video it won almost everyone over and we can’t get enough of it. The single hit the number one spot in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart, and has been in the top ten for 18 weeks so far – it’s still at number 6. We love the song, the video and most of all the dance routine, which has overtaken the Macarena, 5,6,7,8 and Thriller on our list of the best dance routines ever.

4. Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know ft. Kimbra

Somebody That I Used To Know was in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart for so long that we thought it was never going to leave. The track actually spent five weeks at number one in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart, and eighteen weeks in the top 10. The hit track, in which two former lovers exchange accusations, has become a bit of an anthem for the broken hearted, with those fresh out of relationships finding it almost therapeutic to belt out at the top of their lungs. With beautiful lyrics, hypnotic music and Gotye and Kimbra’s beautiful voices, we can’t help but wish the crazy kids would just work things out and get back together – oh, it’s just a song? The video has currently had over 359,000,000 hits on YouTube.

3. Never Close Our Eyes – Adam Lambert

Never Close Our Eyes is the second track from Adam Lambert’s second album, Trespassing. The single charted at number 17 in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart, which is good, but not what it deserved. This are getting better, but Adam is still hugely unappreciated in the UK and it breaks our hearts. It’s not that he doesn’t have the talent – he has one of the most uniquely talented voices you will ever hear – but for some reason his work just doesn’t reach the ears of the masses, and how can they love it if they haven’t heard it? Adam found fame as the runner-up on American Idol, and unlike the hordes of disposable X Factor stars we get in the UK, AI are known for putting real stars out there. Never Close Our Eyes is a catchy track with an awesome video, depicting a dystopian future that only Adam can fix – what is it they say about life imitating art?

2. 50 Ways To Say Goodbye – Train

Train is one of those bands that seem to have been around for ages, but are fully capable of moving with the times and keeping their music current. 50 Ways To Say Goodbye is not only one of our favourite tracks of the year, it’s easily one of our favourite Train songs ever. The song, and awesome accompanying video, is something we can all relate to – when you break up with someone, and people ask where they are. So when you’re strolling around the supermarket and you bump into David Hasselhoff, and he asks where your girlfriend is (awkwaaaard!) you have two choices, you can admit that you broke up, or you can tell him that she died a horrible death. The track is catchy, the video is hilarious and Pat Monahan is oh-so handsome.

1. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen

Call Me Maybe is definitely one of the biggest tracks of the year. Carly Rae Jepsen burst into our lives with the super-catchy track and it was subsequently played on every radio station and every TV channel, covered by every musician out there and spoofed in a million different ways. With funky music, catchy lyrics and a hot boy in the music video, this was bound to be a winner. The track has currently had over 370,000,000 hits on YouTube, it spent four weeks at number 1 in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart, and 12 weeks in the top 10. People either love it or love to hate it… or hate to love it, I think that’s more accurate.