Beyoncé’s track could have filled our list of the best songs of 2022. renaissance or Bad Bunnies summer without you, arguably the two best and biggest albums of the year. But since we’re wise music lovers here at The Daily Beast, we’ve loaded our list with dance floor fillers, indie gems, bilingual bops, emotional soulwreckers, and more to divide the love. (and yes, Bey and Benito).
Check out our picks for the 15 best songs of the year below. Happy listening!
“Tomorrow 2” – GloRilla ft. Cardi B
Drake and 21 Savage released 16 duets in their first collaborative project this year. loss of herStill, none of their misogynistic musings made for GloRilla and Cardi B’s “Tomorrow 2” true brilliance. The original track was already a masterpiece, better than most up-and-coming male rappers have released in the last five years, but frustratingly short. But on this remix, Cardi B invites you to stay at the party a little longer by delivering one of her best and funniest verses since her 2017 collaboration with G-Eazy, “No Limit.” invite. A breath of fresh air and a return to his energetic, anthemic rap songs that dominated the early 2010s. — Kindall Cunningham
“King” – Florence + The Machine
Respectfully midnight, which may be the best musical work Jack Antonoff has produced this year.First Taste of Florence Welch & Co. dance fever It was this absolute monster of a single who finds our heroine torn between her career and motherhood and upset that she has to feel that friction at all. Her reflections on what she must sacrifice to serve our art are downright goosebump-inducing. Unleash. —Madeline Ross
“Where He Inserted His Blade” – Black Country, New Road
Black Country, New Lord died before he had a chance to actually live. That’s not entirely fair.The band are still touring together and have new music planned.But we can’t help but mourn them. Four days before his release of their second album, ants from thereLead singer Isaac Wood has announced his departure. And every element of the album is gorgeous, with Wood’s vocals being the core strength, from his bulging chamber pop strings, to his confident brass and woodwinds and irresistible basslines. “I know you’re scared/Well, I’m scared too,” he sings tremblingly on the triumphant “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade.” And a line that only Wood could sell: “Oh, whenever I try to make lunch for someone in my head/I’ll be dreaming of you”. It’s somber and vulnerable lyricism at its finest, heightened by strong instrumentation and backup vocals to serve. i miss it —Allegra Frank
“There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” – Arctic Monkeys
Long live the soft rock era of the Arctic Monkeys! The Sheffield indie his band may have let down some of his purist fan base with their latest album Rock. carBut for those of us who enjoyed it Tranquility Base Hotel & Casinotheir adventure into the realm of Yacht Rock was a fun ride.morning Songs provided by the band. Alex Turner’s lyrics feel a little friendlier than usual, as they allude to some sort of last dance, but his writing is just as sharp. And the use of orchestral strings in the song’s final chorus is a cherry on top of a deliciously heartbreaking song. —KC
“Last Last” – Burna Boy
Burna Boy weaved crack into this song as far as I’m concerned. Because it helps explain a strange, hypnotic quality that you might not notice after listening to it 12 times in a row.The Nigerian superstar was inspired by Toni Braxton’s 2000 hit “He Wasn’t Here”. It shifts between English and Yoruba, drawing energy from the fluttering sample of ‘t Man Enough’. After watching so many viral videos of crowd screaming this year, it’s easy to forget, but this is a pure breakup song. Although it takes a friendly and admirable “fuck it, that’s life” approach to pain, regret, and heartbreak. -Mr
“medicine” – mom
“Medicine” sounds like a song that never existed. Reminiscing about the best indie rock of the ’90s (they couldn’t remember the era they lived in), the band adds a thoroughly modern flair to their grievances. And that riff! You have to fall in love with a band with a guitarist/vocalist named Allegra (Screaming, Allegra Weingarten). But there’s no denying the song’s catchy opening. I don’t remember my life before it was implanted in my brain. The “Uh” refrain completes the pop even more. This song tastes the exact opposite of medicine, but it’s absolutely healing. -of
“Alien Superstar” – Beyoncé
Choose your favorite song from Beyoncé songs renaissance It’s like choosing a favorite child. But “Alien Superstar” feels like it best represents the album’s thesis to “Summer Renaissance,” “Cuff It,” which went viral on the internet, and even “Break My Soul.” increase. The song’s mesmerizing chorus instantly transports you from a car or subway train to ballroom heaven. Beyoncé’s soft vocals can make you feel angelic and ethereal, but they can also make you feel like you’re sweating on a disgustingly hot dance floor. In a real club environment, this jam will forever please the crowd. It’s a gorgeous, smooth track with a touch of dirt and grime that’s often lacking in today’s disco revival. —KC
“Titi Asked Me” – Bad Bunny
No 2022 list would be complete without a man who has definitely ruled the music world this year.Puerto Rico Dynamo summer without you is a rare blockbuster album that actually deserves all the hype, and as such trying to win the best track is a tall order. (meaning “was”) is a real take on culture thanks to its wordplay-filled lyrics about a (friendly) nosy aunt who wants you to settle down. Similarly playful music her video was one of her best of the year. -Mr
“It’s Raining” – Superorganism
No band is like Superorganism, and no song is like “It’s Raining.” His mashup of the genres of weirdo pop, psychedelic hip-hop, and singalong indie sweet, this song sounds unlike any other released in 2022. A seamless collaboration between a millennial rapper, a generation X indie rock star, and a generation Z singer/songwriter/painter/fucking poster/producer/hype woman. Rainy weather has rarely been so thrilling. -of
“Metamorphosis” – Rosalia
Writing fresh and sexy songs in our horny modern world is a difficult task. MotomamiThe juxtaposition of sleazy lyrics over delicate piano and bare-bones production makes “Hentai” a better choice than some of the boring, lascivious hits Ariana Grande has churned out in recent years. It is a dynamic song. This spiky graphic lyrics usually sound like an effort or become a joke.But like all the tracks above Motomami, Rosalia performs this song with an ease and confidence that makes her take her seriously, even when it’s about “diamonds” on the “tip” of a man. —KC
“cardboard box” – FLO
FLO deserve recognition simply for having perhaps the strongest debut single of the year. “Cardboard Box” was a hell of an introduction to the trio of Giorgia, Stella and Rene. Because the trio assumed the mantle of British girl her group abandoned by Little Mix, a void left by her R&B in the ’90s and her early ’00s. Groups such as Destiny’s Child and Blaque. “Cardboard Box” is a collection of witty lyrics, sour harmonies, and confident kisses, plotting revenge against a former sex offender executive (and the boys’ mother). -Mr
“Shotgun” – Soccer Mom
Soccer Mommy’s third album is her most concentrated work. Thoughtful and poetic lyrics. Exciting guitar/bass/drums. A production that casts a beautiful patina throughout. Her lead single, “Shotgun,” most clearly encapsulates it all. sometimes foreverThe song sounds overused, but its slightly demonic bass is gracefully replaced by much brighter guitars in a pure pop chorus. “Whenever you want me/I’ll be by your side/I’ll be waiting to ring like a shotgun bullet”—what better expression of loyalty than this? 25 years old ‘s Sophie Allyson (Mama herself) has already cemented her sound by the time hearing her music becomes a requirement. -of
“Bad Habits” – Steve Lacy
At this point, hearing Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” in public will make you want to buckle up or throw yourself out the window. But there’s a reason this “Record of the Year” nominee is inevitable. A genre-melding R&B tune that perfectly captures the excitement and devastation of unruly love and the naughty thoughts that come with it. Lacy’s falsetto during the refrain adds a longing emotional sense to an otherwise breezy pop song. And Lacy has the charm and pride to pull it off. —KC
“Loose” – Grace Ives
In less than three minutes, Grace Ives turns the oddities of everyday life into compact pop earworms. With “Loose,” her first single in three years, the Brooklyn musician returns with her DIY track that’s sharper than anything she’s ever made, yet brilliantly careless. rice field. After sprinting through coy, uneasy verses about total losers, Ives explodes into a towering chorus. Combined with a video of her dancing freely in a flower shop and belting out the open window of a speeding car, it’s a great encapsulation of a very relatable desire to get out of your own head and, well, loosen up. -Mr
“Blind” – Siza
SZA is back and people smarter than me are writing about how lucky she was with her second album. SOS, finally here (including my colleague Kyndall Cunningham!). However, “Blind” is particularly noteworthy, as it contains SZA’s completely casual singing style beneath the song’s dramatic and important ballad. “My past can’t escape me/My cat precedes me”? “You’re still talking about babies/And I’m still taking plan B”? Worst In relation to the song’s larger theme of the struggle for self-love and respect when the urge is defeated, these are self-introspective ideas at their best. Out of context, they’re hauntingly hot and incredibly good rhymes. -of