My 20 Favorite Hit Songs of 2022 - Part 2 10-1

I bet all of you are shocked this next song is as low as it is, and I mean, I get why, given how much I love the artist and this being the new version of one of her most beloved songs. But let me explain..

10. All Too Well (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift (Peak: #1, Billboard Year End: #76, Jan-Dec Year End: N/A)

For the record the one I am counting for this is the 5 minute long rerecording of the song as it was originally recorded for the original Red album, not the 10 minute version, as that's the version I prefer personally, and this is my list. While the 10 minute version is still really good, I feel like a lot of the lines she cut from it aren't really necessary, there's a reason they were cut out, and also I have a really small attention span for long songs. I think the song works better as a condensed 5 minute experience. However, the reason it isn't higher is that, I prefer the original version of the song from 2012. By a lot. If the original version of All Too Well had somehow been a hit in 2022 instead of this, it would have probably topped this list, as it's one of my favorite ever Taylor Swift songs. This version, while still great, doesn't have the same power for me. One I think the production here sounds worse, more watery in a way that doesn't compliment it well. A problem I had with a lot of Red (Taylor's Version) (for the most part that album is worse than the original in my opinion). But two, I think the version of the song from when the breakup she sings about when it was still fresh is more powerful, and her performance also shows this for me. Instead of looking back on it years later, the original reflecting on the breakup right after it happened. However, even with this being inferior to the original in my eyes, and me having no reason to listen to this song when I could just listen to the original, this is still a fantastic song with fantastic writing, still good sounding even if it's worse in that department than the original, and seeing Taylor release one of her most beloved songs as a single this time around, it become a #1 hit, and hearing All Too Well on the radio several times made me so happy. 

Remember Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol? Big hit between 2006 and 2007? And one of my favorite hit songs of the 2000s. A song about escaping the pressures of the world by just relaxing with a friend or loved one? Well, in 2022 we had the 2020's version of that...

9. Meet Me At Our Spot - Willow, Tyler Cole (Peak #21, Billboard Year End: #74, Jan-Dec Year End: N/A)

Okay for context, this is Meet Me At Our Spot, by The Anxiety, a duo of Willow Smith and her boyfriend Tyler Cole. It was released in 2020 as part of their self titled album. But in late 2021, it went viral on TikTok and was released to radio as a single, And it's a fantastic song if you ask me. As I said in the intro, it's a song about escaping the pressures of the world by having a spot with your friend or in this case loved one, where you can just relax and not think of your job or the worries of getting CoVID-19 or global warming or anything else stressing you. As I said in part 1, 2022 was the year where I transitioned from high school to college and adulthood, and adult life has a lot of stress involved, so this song comforted me this year. In general it's also just a fantastic duet, with a great if simple guitar and drum line, both singer's fantastic vocals, and they have lots of chemistry. I especially love how they switch providing background vocals for each other. 

Round two of my annual unpopular opinions in this community. 

8. I'm Good (Blue) - David Guetta, Bebe Rexha (Peak #4, Billboard Year End: N/A, Jan-Dec Year End: #51)

This has been one of the most widely hated songs on the charts right now, cause of a sample of Eiffel 65's hit song from 2000, Blue (Da Ba Dee), the usage of which is considered lazy. And while I can understand where they're coming from, I don't really care about that if I'm being honest. I fucking hate Blue (Da Ba Dee), despite having a good synth melody, I really hate the guy's pitchshifted vocals, they're so annoying. So taking the good synth melody of Blue and putting it into a party song with someone not sounding annoying was always gonna improve it for me. And it's a damn good synth melody. And Bebe Rexha sounds amazing, like damn how is the same woman who sang Meant To Be? Another criticism of this song is that it's a party song yet it sounds kind of depressed. Which is part of why I love it so much. This song is partying out of desperation to avoid your struggles and pressures. It has the same dark party atmosphere that I love about songs like Take It Off by Kesha or We Can't Stop by Miley Cyrus. In fact this sounds like a early 2010s song that would have gotten popular in the club boom of 2010 or the EDM boom of 2013, both genres I love and miss on the charts. If this song sparks a party music revival on the charts I would be down for that. 

A genre of music I've never been the biggest fan of is R&B. While I get the appeal of it and there are some R&B songs I enjoy, I mean I put Telepatia by Kali Uchis and two Doja Cat songs on my best list in 2021, I often find it a bit unengaging. But hey, when it's good, it can be very very good. Like this for example. 

7. Smokin' Out The Window - Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak)(Peak #5, Billboard Year End: #41, Jan-Dec Year End: #87)

I was not as high on the Silk Sonic album as a lot of people, while it was an enjoyable enough listen, it didn't really leave me with the desire to come back to it. Leave The Door Open has grown on me since 2021 and I listen to it sometimes, but outside of that and Smokin' Out The Window I don't go back to it. But Smokin' Out The Window won me over instantly, from the moment I heard it, I was like "This will be one of my most streamed songs of 2022" and it was. The fantastic throwback instrumentation, Bruno and Anderson sliding off each other perfectly, the modern humor combined with a throwback sound, the iconic "THIS BITCH", both sounding amazing, one of the most joyful and best hooks of the year. Easily my favorite song on the Silk Sonic album, and in fact my favorite song of Bruno's career. 

This year one of the most controversial things you could do in list season, was praise one of the most acclaimed songs of the 80s by putting it on a best list. 

 6. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush (Peak #3, Billboard Year End: #24, Jan-Dec Year End: #23)

If you weren't following the charts this year, Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush returned to the Hot 100 this year following it's usage in a episode of Stranger Things, causing it to go viral and get introduced to newer audiences, as well as get re-pushed to pop radio. A lot of people in this community feel this song should not be allowed for lists like this since it's so old, and if you think that and it makes you feel better, pretend this isn't here, move everything below it up a spot, and put Doin' This by Luke Combs as #20. That list also works. However, I decided as soon as this song returned that if it made the Year End list this year I would allow it, for multiple reasons. The first is, that this song only peaked at #30 on it's original run in the US, never making a Billboard Year End list, so it's eligible under my normal rules anyway. And two, well, at my high school we had an American Music class, and my class played this song in concert a month or two before it got used in Stranger Things. So I'm a psychic, and I caused this song to become big again. You chart nerds can thank me! I'm obviously joking, but anyway this song is a classic for a reason, even if I do have minor issues with it. It can drag a bit at points, but it also has incredible synthwork, Kate Bush's vocals are obviously top notch, and the lyrics are fantastic. Why isn't this song higher on the list? Well one, I'm not automatically biased towards older songs, and two as I said there are points this song drags a bit, and there's songs I like more here. It's still a classic though. 

So uh, remember when I said songs had to debut on either year end list I use this year to be eligible. Well, there was one exception. Let me explain...

5. STAY - The Kid Laroi, Justin Bieber (Peak #1, Billboard Year End: #3, Jan-Dec Year End: #3)

So let me explain why I decided to break my rules and allow this for the list, despite it being eligible for my 2021 lists. One, I kinda went on an odyssey with this song and my opinion on it. When it first came out I absolutely hated it, and it was gonna make my worst list for 2021 up until I started actually working on it, and while listening to it I realized, "I don't hate this anymore". So I removed it from the list and replaced it. Then it just started growing on me throughout early 2022, until I considered it a 10/10. So yeah, I didn't mention it on either list in 2021, but I went from despising it to considering it a masterpiece, so I feel like I need to talk about that somewhere on the blog. Two, it was not only a bigger Hot 100 hit last year than 2021, but also it felt a lot more present in my life last year than in 2021. Like it was only around for a few months in 2021, and it was present in my life for the entirety of last year. And third, I don't want to miss my chance to give this masterpiece the praise I think it deserves. So yeah, if you don't like my breaking the rules, do the same thing I said in the last entry, or if you already did that, move everything below this a further spot up and add a tie between Break My Soul and Cuff It by Beyonce at #20. Now anyway, some of you may be wondering. Do you still consider Without You to be the worst hit song of 2021? Yes without question. That song is still a massive trigger song and one of my least favorites of all time. And both of the other songs I've heard from Laroi, Thousand Miles and So Done are very bad in the case of the former, and abysmal in the case of the latter. But this song is something else, in fact I'd say it's like if Without You worked for me. The two songs are very similar lyrically, which is the part I never hated about Without You, this one has a much better instrumental, Laroi actually sounds amazing, and fits way better over synthpop than acoustic guitar, even if he did do synthpop again with Thousand Miles which I didn't like that time. And of course it has Justin Bieber, who has been on a bit of a winning streak lately (more on that later) The groove is phenomenal, hook catchy as sin, melodies incredible, the OHHHHHs from Laroi are so good, this song just has a way of keeping me coming back. But what caused this song to really connect with me was the lyrics. I understand hating them for being immature or whatever, but I see them as more Laroi realizing this girl left him, and he's gonna have to face life alone, so he's just hoping this girl will stay with him. The way the lyrics combine with the huge atmospheric production one makes it work a lot better than in Without You, and make him feel like he's drowning. But now to more personal reasons. This year I struggled a lot with motivating myself to get my schoolwork done because I felt school fatigue, in addition to my normal reasons like procrastination and. In hindsight after finishing high school, maybe I should have taken a semester of just working a job or something rather than immediately going to college, but yeah. So I had two separate instances of having to make up work to pass my classes and hoping that the teacher would take my work and help me out with passing their class. This song was one I turned to in those instances, and it really comforted me through those times. So yeah, Laroi I still don't like you, but you made one song I find special, and you will always have that. 

All my top 4 were my #1 of the year at one point in the scripting process of this list for the record. Outside of STAY, this was the song on this list I listened to the most this year. 

4. Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold (Peak #18, Billboard Year End: #32, Jan-Dec Year End: #36)

Okay so I already mentioned how I felt school fatigue throughout last year. I also felt at a lot of points, just,  tired of life, not really depressed or wanting to die, but just, I don't know, bored of a lot of things I normally enjoy, and just had a hard time caring about things sometimes. This song comforted me a lot in those times. "Do you ever get a little bit tired of life? Like you're not really happy but you don't wanna die" "A little bit tired of trying to care when I don't" those lines really hit when I was feeling that way. And combined with the fantastic indie pop production and vocals, and one of  the best hooks of the year, and you had one of my most streamed songs of the year. 

This is Taylor Swift's best pop single other than Delicate and I stand by that. 

3. Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift (Peak #1, Billboard Year End: N/A, Jan-Dec Year End: #32)

If you know me, you may be surprised this isn't even higher on the list, and I mean, fair. I am a big fan of Taylor, I loved Midnights, and this was one of my favorite songs on it. But there are two songs here I like more, that I have more of a personal connection to. But this is still one hell of a pop single that I think is her best besides Delicate. Better than all the hits from 1989, I said what I said. The beautiful, echoing, instrumental that has such a gleaming atmosphere, Taylor's incredible performance, the wonderful hook. And of course the lyrics. This is a song where Taylor talks about how she doesn't feel like she belongs in the position of fame she is in, that she thinks she is actually horrible and feels like she doesn't belong, she is an imposter. I really felt a similar song last year with Polo G's Rapstar, but this is even more powerful, because Taylor is multiple times more famous than Polo G will likely ever be. You gotta remember that, celebrities are human beings after all, and not everyone enjoys the fame. Or heck, sometimes artists enjoy the fame at first, but it starts to become a hidden curse later on. As someone who struggles with self confidence a lot, a song like this is always welcome in my playlist, as this one has been ever since it came out. 

I don't think I've ever talked about this before on this blog, but this kind of country song fills a special place in my heart. 

2. Til' You Can't - Cody Johnson (Peak #18, Billboard Year End: #34, Jan-Dec Year End: #42)

 

By "this kind" I mean country songs with traditional acoustic guitar and drums (and sometimes strings), with lyrics about enjoying what you have while you have it or looking back on better times or similar topics. Three examples of that are Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw, You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins, and Remember When by Alan Jackson. But anyway, Til' You Can't. This song is about living life making the most of every day since you don't know if you will be there tomorrow. But more than that, it's also about spending time with your loved ones while you still can. This song helped motivate me to catch up on schoolwork last year, but also, it has another connection. My grandma is one of my favorite people in the world. She's so nice and friendly, wise, spoils me, and is someone who I love being around. And she is getting old. And I'm worried now that she is gonna be gone in the next few years. I've already lost my other grandma, and when she passed I wished I had spent more time getting to know her while I could. I don't want to make the same mistake with Jill (my grandma who is still alive). So lately I have been doing walks with her followed by eating dinner together before going to Friday Night Magic: The Gathering, because I want to spend time with her and get to know her better while you can. "If you're gonna love somebody, hold them as long and as close as you can, til' you can't" That line just HITS like a truck every single time. Phenomenal song. But there was one song I liked more than it. Before we find out what that was, some Honorable Mentions, as well as some of my favorite songs I heard this year that weren't eligible for this list. 

Honorable Mentions: 

HM. Doin' This - Luke Combs 

This is my honorary #21. It's one of the best songs on this Year End lyrically, I just wish I liked it a bit more musically. Still, in the right mood it hits. 

HM. Break My Soul/Cuff It - Beyonce

And these are tied for my honorary #22. Break My Soul is the better of the two if I'm being honest, but both are bangers. 

HM. Ojitos Lindos - Bad Bunny, Bomba Estrero 

This is my favorite song I've heard from Un Verano Sin Ti, and my favorite Bad Bunny song I've heard other than Dakiti (a song that has grown on me a huge amount since 2021). The harmonies, the guest female singer's beautiful vocals, the good if simple beat. I wish I had heard this song before my trip to Hawaii this summer because this is probably incredible beach music. 

HM. Titi Me Pregunto - Bad Bunny 

This is the other Bad Bunny song I enjoyed a fair amount on this year end, although this one was a grower. It just kinda slaps. 

HM. Hold Me Closer - Elton John, Britney Spears 

I can't really explain why this song works for me and not Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) but it does. Also even as someone who's not a huge Britney fan, it was good seeing her on the charts again after what she's been through lately. Welcome back Britney!

HM. What Happened To The Virgil - Lil Durk, Gunna

Well at least something worthwhile from Lil Durk made the Year End. 

HM. Fingers Crossed - Lauren Spencer-Smith 

Look, I know a lot of my online friends hate this song, and I honestly get it. But I always liked it. Her voice actually sounds good here (even if it didn't on her follow up Flowers which is one of the worst songs I heard this year, would have been real high on my worst list if it was a hit), I like the lyrics, and I really like the piano. So yeah, Lauren Spencer Smith may never get another hit, and I don't really want her to, but I still like the hit she did get. 

HM. I Hate U - SZA

Good Days has grown on me a bit since 2021 (still not best list material for me but yeah), and while this isn't as good, it's also pretty good, even if I'm not in the mood for this kind of song often. 

HM. Die For You - The Weeknd

This is the worst of the songs I've heard from Starboy, but it's still a good pop song, and I'm just glad something from The Weeknd made my eligibility rules this year, even if I would have preferred something from Dawn FM, hey I'll take what I can get. I need to listen to Starboy by the way. 

HM. Glimpse Of Us - Joji 

As someone who was never a big fan of Slow Dancing In The Dark, I was surprised when I listened to this how much I liked it. I proceeded to not go back to it much, but hey it's really good when you do and definitely getting my recommendation. 

HM. Tommorow 2 - GloRilla, Cardi B 

Is Cardi B ever gonna drop that album? 

HM. Sunroof - Nicky Youre, Dazy

I get finding this annoying, believe me. But I also think it slaps so...

HM. Wait For U - Future, Drake, Tems 

I always liked this more than Puffin On Zootiez if I'm being honest. Not my favorite Future song but it's really good still. 

HM. Better Days - NEIKED, Mae Muller, Polo G

Wait this song was this year? It's still amazing so whatever. 

Now for some of my favorite songs I heard this year that weren't eligible for this list, with a limit of one song per artist. 

Labyrinth - Taylor Swift 

This is my favorite song on Midnights, and one of my favorite Taylor songs ever if I'm being honest. The lyrics are great as usual, but what's really special is the sound of it. It's an absolutely stunning piano ballad, probably the best one she's ever done. All the great sound effects, the phenomenal atmosphere, Taylor's phenomenal performance, and the absolutely STUNNING pitchshifting near the end. CHILLS EVERY TIME! 

Less Than Zero - The Weeknd

Just imagine if we had had a song like this or even one like Out Of Time as a year end hit. Sadly it wasn't to be, since radio was too busy continuing to play the late album single from his last album that had been out for over a year, seriously radio WTF? But anyway, Less Than Zero is my favorite song on Dawn FM and the 2nd best song I've heard from him behind Save Your Tears, which this song is very similar to actually. The atmosphere and vocals are absolutely transcendent, the lyrics are fantastic, what more do I need to say? 

Betty (Get Money) - Yung Gravy

This would have genuinely made my top 10 if it made the Year End, as a song that uses the Never Gonna Give You Up sample fantastically, where Yung Gravy shows a ton of charisma, and all in all this is just a bop that I listened to so much in the summer. Oh and speaking of money...

Money - JID

The Forever Story is a fantastic album, and this is my favorite song on it. A song where JID raps over a fantastic guitar line, while a choir sings the hook. And I love every second of it. JID has some great bars, I love the guitar line, and I love the choir hook so much. MONEY MONEY ALL I NEED, ALL I WANT! 

Father Time - Kendrick Lamar, Sampha 

I finally listened to this album in full the other day, and it was really good, and this was my favorite song on it. I'm not gonna talk about the lyrics, because I'm not the best person to talk about Kendrick lyrics. I just know I like this one the most musically with the piano beat and Sampha's great hook. 

2 Die 4 - Tove Lo

Tove Lo released a great album this year in Dirt Femme and this is my favorite song on it, a smash pop hit that never was. Incredible melodies, one hell of a catchy hook, and a phenomenal drop. I easily see a world that this was a US Top 10 hit, and I wanna live in that world. 

AM Gold - Train 

This is the best song I've heard from Train since at least Angel In Blue Jeans, if not before. Sure the lyrics are dumb, but in a hilarious way. He calls a girl a hit and legit. But the groove is fantastic, hook great, vocals amazing and the strings add so much. This song reminds me a bit of Train's early days, which is an amazing thing. The album was good too, although this is the best song on it. 

Finally...

Something I love about following the charts, and how much music I listen to, is when artists I don't like surprise me with songs or albums that I do like. What I'm saying is that, Justin Bieber made my favorite hit song of 2022. 

1. Ghost - Justin Bieber (Peak #5, Billboard Year End: #8, Jan-Dec Year End: #8)

It goes without saying that me saying last year that Anyone was my favorite song of his aged really poorly. And the thing is that I had heard this song before, the one time I listened to the album. I remembered liking it, but not as much as Anyone then, and I had also forgotten what it sounded like or what it was about. But then this song became a late album single, and proceeded to dominate the radio for months, with it only growing each listen and I was like "okay, no this makes Anyone look like Yummy in comparison". Don't get me wrong Anyone is still great, although it's cooled a bit since my 2021 best list was made. But this is something else entirely. Absolutely transcendent synths combined with guitar, creating a phenomenal atmosphere that matches the lyrics perfectly. But the lyrics are the biggest reason I adore this song so much. I'm gonna be honest, for a bit, I wasn't sure what would get the #1 spot, but I ended up giving it to this song because I think it's the song that will stick with me for the longest after this year. Because, as I have said, I lost my grandma on my dad's side a few years ago, as well as my grandpa's housemate who was really nice to me, and who I have good memories of. While I have definitely moved on from mourning their death, there's still just, a part of me that feels empty, that I will no longer be able to interact with them anymore, that the memories I have of them are all I have left. And I wish I had spent more time with both of them while I still could, but my grandma lived in Sacramento, about two hours away, and I didn't go to my Grandpa's house that often. This, along with the even better song and top 2 song I have ever heard, Vanilla Twilight by Owl City,  has been one of my biggest comfort songs whenever I think of them and how much I miss them. And with my worries of my grandma leaving earth soon, and wanting to spend more time with her while I can, this song hits even harder. Ghost by Justin Bieber. My pick for the best hit song of 2022!

Thanks for reading! Urtar Reviews signing out! I'll see you next time!