We could have filled our roundup of 2022’s best songs exclusively with tracks from Beyoncé’s Renaissance or Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, arguably the two best and biggest albums of the year. But because we’re judicious music lovers here at The Daily Beast, we’ve decided to divvy up the love, loading our list with dancefloor fillers, indie gems, bilingual bops, and emotional soul-wreckers alike (and, yes, Bey and Benito).
Below, check out our picks for the 15 best songs of the year. Happy listening!
“Tomorrow 2” - GloRilla ft. Cardi B
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Drake and 21 Savage released 16 duets this year on their first collaborative project, Her Loss. Still, none of their misogynistic musings could amount to the sheer brilliance of GloRilla and Cardi B’s “Tomorrow 2.” The original track was already a masterpiece and better than what most up-and-coming male rappers have put out over the past five years—though it was also frustratingly short. But with the remix, Cardi B invites you to stay at the party a bit longer, offering one of her best and funniest verses since her 2017 G-Eazy collab, “No Limit.” It’s a breath of fresh air and a callback to the high-energy, anthemic rap songs that dominated the early 2010s. —Kyndall Cunningham
“King” - Florence + the Machine
With all due respect to Midnights, this may be the best piece of music Jack Antonoff produced this year. The first taste of Florence Welch and Co.’s Dance Fever was this absolute monster of a single, which finds our heroine torn between her career and motherhood, and annoyed that she even has to feel that friction at all. Her rumination on what women have to sacrifice in service to their art is utterly goosebump-inducing—first because of Welch’s gothic snarl on lines like “I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king,” and then when, after a drum fill that Phil Collins would be jealous of, she unleashes a guttural howl to the heavens. —Madeline Roth
“The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” - Black Country, New Road
Black Country, New Road died before it really got a chance to live. That’s not totally fair to say—the band’s still together, touring and planning new music. But it’s hard not to mourn them: Four days before the release of their second album, Ants From Up There, lead singer Isaac Wood announced he’d left the group. And gorgeous as every element of the album is—from its swelling chamber-pop strings to its confident brass and woodwinds and entrancing basslines—Wood’s vocals are the core strength. “I know you’re scared / Well, I’m scared too,” he sings, quivering, on the triumphant “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade.” And then, a line only Wood could sell: “Oh, how anytime I try to make lunch for anyone in my head / I end up dreaming of you.” It’s sheepish, vulnerable lyricism at its best, elevated by powerfully building instrumentation and backup vocals—everything to serve Wood’s blessed baritone. I’ll miss it. —Allegra Frank
“There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” - Arctic Monkeys
All hail Arctic Monkeys’ soft-rock era! The Sheffield indie band may have disappointed some of its rock-purist fanbase with their latest album, The Car. But for those of us who enjoyed Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, their venture into yacht rock territory has been an enjoyable ride. And their Grammy-nominated single “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” is one of the best post-AM songs the band has offered. Alex Turner’s lyrics feel slightly more accessible than usual as he alludes 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 are the cherry on top of a deliciously heartbreaking tune. —KC
“Last Last” - Burna Boy
Burna Boy laced this song with crack, as far as I’m concerned, because it would certainly help explain the weirdly hypnotic quality that makes you not even realize when you’ve listened to it 12 times in a row. The Nigerian superstar trawls energy from a fluttering sample of Toni Braxton’s 2000 hit “He Wasn’t Man Enough” as he flits between English and Yoruba. It’s easy to forget after watching so many viral videos this year of crowds screaming along, but this is a pure breakup song—albeit one that takes a relatable and commendable “fuck it, that’s life” approach to pain, regret, and heartbreak. —MR
“Medicine” - Momma
“Medicine” sounds like a song that’s never not existed. Harkening back to the best of ’90s indie rock—an era they weren’t alive to remember—the band adds a thoroughly contemporary affection to their disaffected vocals. And that riff! I’m required to be in love with any band with a guitarist/vocalist named Allegra (shoutout, Allegra Weingarten). But the song’s chugging opening is undeniable; I don’t remember life before it got implanted into my brain. The “uh huh” refrain adds an extra layer of pop perfection. This song tastes like the opposite of medicine, but it’s absolutely healing. —AF
“Alien Superstar” - Beyoncé
Picking a favorite track from Beyoncé’s Renaissance is like choosing a favorite child. But “Alien Superstar” feels like it best represents the album’s thesis over “Summer Renaissance,” the internet-viral “Cuff It,” and even “Break My Soul.” The song’s entrancing chorus instantly transports you from your car or subway train to ballroom heaven. Beyoncé’s soft vocals make you feel angelic and ethereal—but also like you should be sweating your ass off on a disgusting, hot dancefloor. And in an actual club environment, this jam is an eternal crowd-pleaser. It’s a gorgeously smooth track with a touch of dirt and grime that’s often lacking from today’s disco revival. —KC
“Titi Me Preguntó” - Bad Bunny
No 2022 list is complete without the man who undeniably dominated the music world this year. The Puerto Rican dynamo’s Un Verano Sin Ti is the rare blockbuster album that’s actually worth all the hype, and as such, it’s a tall order trying to crown the best track. But “Titi Me Preguntó” (which translates to “my auntie asked me”) is the one that really took over the culture, thanks to its wordplay-packed lyrics about meddling aunties who just want you to settle down (relatable) and the track’s equally playful music video, which was one of the best of the year. —MR
“It’s Raining” - Superorganism
There’s no band like Superorganism, and there’s no Superorganism song like “It’s Raining.” A genre mash-up of weirdo pop, psychedelic hip-hop, and singalong indie sweetness, this song sounds unlike any other released in 2022. Superorganism has a unique capability to hear the future, and I do believe that it sounds like this: a millennial rapper, a Gen-X indie rock star, and a Gen-Z singer/songwriter/painter/shitposter/producer/hype woman in seamless collaboration. Rainy weather is hardly ever this thrilling. —AF
“Hentai” - Rosalía
Writing a fresh, sexy tune in our horny, modern world is a difficult task. But Rosalía pulls it off masterfully with “Hentai,” from her Latin Grammy-winning album Motomami. The juxtaposition of raunchy lyrics over a delicate piano and bare-bones production makes “Hentai” a more dynamic song than some of the tediously lewd hits Ariana Grande has churned out in recent years. Lyrics this pointedly graphic would usually come off as try-hard or turned into a joke. But like all the tracks on Motomami, Rosalía executes this song with the sort of ease and confidence that forces you to take her seriously, even when she’s singing about a “diamond” on her man’s “tip.” —KC
“Cardboard Box” - FLO
FLO deserve to be recognized if only for having possibly the strongest debut single of the year. “Cardboard Box” was a hell of an introduction to the trio of Jorja, Stella, and Renée, as the trio assumed the British girl group mantle abandoned by Little Mix—not to mention, the void left by ’90s and early ’00s R&B groups like Destiny’s Child and Blaque. “Cardboard Box” is all snappy lyrics, honeyed harmonies, and kiss-off confidence, as they plot revenge against their fuckboy exes (and those boys’ moms). —MR
“Shotgun” - Soccer Mommy
Soccer Mommy’s third album is the best distillation of her talents: thoughtful, poem-like lyrics; evocative guitar/bass/drums; production that casts a beautiful patina over the whole thing. The clearest encapsulation of it all is lead single “Shotgun,” the centerpiece of Sometimes, Forever. The song sounds well-worn, its slightly diabolical bass graciously giving way to a much brighter guitar in the pure-pop chorus. “Whenever you want me / I’ll be around / I’m a bullet in a shotgun waiting to sound”—is there any expression of loyalty more on point? At age 25, Sophie Allison (Ms. Mommy herself) has already solidified her sound, to the point where listening to her should be a requirement. —AF
“Bad Habit” - Steve Lacy
At this point, you either want to belt along or throw yourself out of a window when you hear Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” in public. But there’s a reason this “Record of the Year” nominee is so inescapable. The genre-blending R&B tune perfectly captures the excitement and devastation of having an unattainable crush—and the naughty thoughts that come along with it. Lacy’s falsetto during the refrain adds an emotional sense of yearning to an otherwise breezy pop song. It’s a fun, groovy serenade, as heartfelt as it is crass. And Lacy has the charm and swagger to pull it off. —KC
“Loose” - Grace Ives
In less than three minutes, Grace Ives manages to turn the weirdness of everyday life into a compact pop earworm. With “Loose,” which marked her first single in three years, the Brooklyn musician returned with a track that’s sharper than anything she’d done before, but still gloriously insouciant and DIY. After sprinting through coy, anxious verses about total loserdom, Ives explodes into a towering chorus: “I’ve been loose / Every night / Wind me tight.” Paired with a video in which she uninhibitedly dances in a flower shop and belts out of a speeding car’s open window, it’s an awesome encapsulation of that very relatable desire to get out of your own head and get, well, loose. —MR
“Blind” - SZA
SZA is back, and many smarter people than me have written about how lucky we are that her second album, SOS, is finally here (including my colleague Kyndall Cunningham!). But “Blind” deserves extra attention for how perfectly casual SZA’s delivery is underneath the song’s dramatic, important balladry. “My past can’t escape me / My pussy precedes me”? “You still talking ’bout babies / And I’m still taking the Plan B”? In context with the song’s greater theme—the struggle for self-love and respect when your worst impulses win out—these are introspective ideas at their finest. Out of context, they are some unforgettably searing, incredibly good rhymes. —AF
