There were a lot of songs released in 2022. Plenty of good songs, an unhealthy helping of bad songs, a fair few forgettable songs and a hearty glut of songs that you'd happily never listen to again.
What were the songs that best sum up the past 12 months, though? We’ve chosen five tracks that we’ll remember 2022 for best.
HARRY STYLES - As It Was
2022 was the year that Harry Styles officially cemented his status as 'former teenybopper who has officially been welcomed into the indie fold', or 'the pop star that it's okay for musos to like’, if you prefer. It helped that he had a banger of an album in Harry’s House and enough of a bohemian spirit to take the edge off his clean-cut image. As It Was proved to be the former One Direction man’s biggest solo song to date, but who can resist that dinky little trickle of synths, the swarthy vocals and the dreamy, propulsive tick of the chorus? No matter how you look at it, it’s a great song. 1.7 billion Spotify streams (and rising) can’t be wrong…
FONTAINES DC - Jackie Down the Line
Fontaines DC released their third album Skinty Fia in 2022 and if nothing else, the record was emblematic of a) what a potent force the Dublin band are and b) how incredible the Irish indie and rock scene is right now. Grian Chatten and his bandmates are at the vanguard of the latest renaissance of Irish guitar bands thanks to stellar songs like this one: a track that harnesses gloomy post-punk, '80s indie and a sprinkling of murky romance courtesy of Chatten's lyrics and his brazenly aloof delivery.
KENDRICK LAMAR - Savior
It's funny to think how just 14 years ago, Jay-Z caused an outbreak of wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst middle-aged white dudes when he was announced as a Glastonbury headliner. How things have changed. If you caught Kendrick Lamar’s gobsmacking Sunday night set (either in person or on the telly) this summer, you’ll be aware of just how boundary-pushing the Compton rapper is. Savior may not even be the best track on his 2022 album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, but seeing it performed with such ferocious anger and passion in the wake of the overturning of the Roe v. Wade ruling - and with Lamar chanting "They judged you, they judged Christ / Godspeed for women’s rights" as a crown of thorns dripped blood down his face - was a powerful moment.
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BEYONCE - Break My Soul
One of the greatest pop stars of her generation made a thrilling comeback in 2022 with Renaissance. Although can Beyonce really be called a ‘pop star’ these days? With songs like Break My Soul in her canon, which sampled both Robin S.’s 1990s house hit Show Me Love and NOLA bounce artist Big Freedia’s Explode, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to classify her. One thing was for sure, though: Break My Soul was a glorious, uplifting, empowering wedge of musical joy, no matter what the genre is.
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We know, we know. How can a song that was released 37 years ago possibly represent a modern era? Through the power of TV syncing, that's how. Kate Bush’s 1985 classic was given a new lease of life and introduced to a new generation of fans, thanks to its prominent placement in the new series of Stranger Things. It was streamed so many times that it topped the charts in eight different countries (including Ireland for seven consecutive weeks), leading Bush herself to say: "It’s so exciting. But it’s quite shocking really, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world’s gone mad." That may be so, but the song’s second wind is also proof that you can’t keep a good tune down.
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