The Top Songs of 2012, from Somebody That I Used to Know to Call Me Maybe

What was the number one song of 2012?

"Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra was the number one song of 2012 on Billboard's year-end Hot 100. Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" was second and Fun.'s "We Are Young" third. "Call Me Maybe" and Maroon 5's "One More Night" shared the longest run at number one that year, nine weeks each.

The 2012 best songs: the top 15

1. "Somebody That I Used to Know", Gotye featuring Kimbra: an eight-week number one that won the Grammy for Record of the Year.
2. "Call Me Maybe", Carly Rae Jepsen: the song of the summer.
3. "We Are Young", Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe: a stadium-sized anthem and Grammy Song of the Year.
4. "Payphone", Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa
5. "Lights", Ellie Goulding: a slow-burning dance-pop hit.
6. "Glad You Came", the Wanted
7. "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)", Kelly Clarkson: an empowering number one.
8. "We Found Love", Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris: the EDM-pop crossover.
9. "Starships", Nicki Minaj
10. "What Makes You Beautiful", One Direction: the boy band's American breakthrough.
11. "Wild Ones", Flo Rida featuring Sia
12. "Set Fire to the Rain", Adele
13. "Sexy and I Know It", LMFAO
14. "Some Nights", Fun.
15. "Wide Awake", Katy Perry

More top songs of 2012 (16 to 30)

16. "Good Feeling", Flo Rida
17. "Whistle", Flo Rida
18. "One More Night", Maroon 5
19. "Drive By", Train
20. "The Motto", Drake featuring Lil Wayne
21. "Where Have You Been", Rihanna
22. "Everybody Talks", Neon Trees
23. "Take Care", Drake featuring Rihanna
24. "Titanium", David Guetta featuring Sia
25. "I Won't Give Up", Jason Mraz
26. "It Will Rain", Bruno Mars
27. "Mercy", Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz
28. "Boyfriend", Justin Bieber
29. "Party Rock Anthem", LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
30. "Too Close", Alex Clare

Every number one song of 2012

These songs were number one on the Billboard Hot 100 during 2012, in order: "Sexy and I Know It" (LMFAO), "We Found Love" (Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris), "Set Fire to the Rain" (Adele), "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (Kelly Clarkson), "Part of Me" (Katy Perry), "We Are Young" (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe), "Somebody That I Used to Know" (Gotye featuring Kimbra), "Call Me Maybe" (Carly Rae Jepsen), "Whistle" (Flo Rida), "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (Taylor Swift), "One More Night" (Maroon 5), "Diamonds" (Rihanna) and "Locked Out of Heaven" (Bruno Mars). "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was Taylor Swift's first Hot 100 number one.

Call Me Maybe and the viral hit

Carly Rae Jepsen, a Canadian Idol contestant, released "Call Me Maybe" in Canada in 2011. Justin Bieber heard it on the radio while visiting Canada, shared it with his fans, and helped sign her to a label in the US. A wave of homemade lip-sync videos followed, and the song spent nine weeks at number one in the summer of 2012, one of the first hits built on social media.

Indie goes pop

2012 was a breakthrough year for artists from outside the pop machine. Gotye, a Belgian-born Australian, topped the chart with a song built on a sample from a 60s Brazilian guitar recording, Fun.'s "We Are Young" rose to number one after a Glee cover and a Super Bowl car commercial, with "Some Nights" following it into the top ten, and Alex Clare's "Too Close" and Neon Trees' "Everybody Talks" crossed from alternative radio to the Hot 100.

The EDM boom

Electronic dance music took over pop in 2012. Calvin Harris produced Rihanna's "We Found Love", David Guetta teamed with Sia on "Titanium", Nicki Minaj went dance-pop with "Starships", and Flo Rida placed three songs in the year-end top 20 with "Wild Ones", "Good Feeling" and "Whistle". For more, see our Flo Rida songs.

One Direction and Gangnam Style

One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" launched a new boy band craze in America, with the Wanted's "Glad You Came" close behind. In the second half of the year, PSY's "Gangnam Style" became a worldwide phenomenon, reaching number two on the Hot 100, and in December its video became the first on YouTube to pass one billion views.

Adele, Taylor Swift and Rihanna

Adele's 21 was still the biggest album in America in 2012. She won six Grammys that February, and "Set Fire to the Rain" became her third straight number one from the album, after "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You". In the fall, Taylor Swift released Red, led by her first number one, and Rihanna added two more chart-toppers, "We Found Love" and "Diamonds", to one of the longest runs of hits of the decade. Bruno Mars closed the year at number one with "Locked Out of Heaven", the lead single from Unorthodox Jukebox.

Songs of 2012 for a party or an anniversary

For a throwback party, "Call Me Maybe", "Party Rock Anthem", "Wild Ones", "Starships" and "We Found Love" are guaranteed to fill the dance floor. For a 2012 wedding anniversary, "I Won't Give Up", "It Will Rain", "Lights" and "Set Fire to the Rain" bring back the year, and "We Are Young" is a joyful singalong for the whole room. For more, see our songs with figurative language, which includes "Titanium".

Top songs of other years

For more year-by-year hits, see our top songs of 1985, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2013.

A song as unforgettable as 2012

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