100 Greatest Songs From 2012

record sleeve for Gangnam Style by Psy and Payphone by Maroon 5
Criteria: These songs from the year 2012 are from Rock 'n' Roll and related sub-genres. Rankings are based on initial and lasting popularity and on acclaim received from critics and musicians.

Gangnam Style single cover Payphone single cover Diamonds single cover Live While We're Young single cover Locked Out Of Heaven single cover Starships single cover Blow Me (One Last Kiss) single cover Climax single cover
Note: Yearly song lists go by earliest 'release date' (Single, Album, or Country of first release).
Not necessarily the year a song peaked in the U.S. charts.
No.
Song
Artist
1 Gangnam Style Psy
2 Payphone Maroon 5 (feat. Wiz Khalifa)
3 Diamonds Rihanna
4 Live While We're Young One Direction
5 Locked Out Of Heaven Bruno Mars
6 Starships Nicki Minaj
7 Blow Me (One Last Kiss) Pink
8 Climax Usher
9 Thinkin' Bout You Frank Ocean
10 Ho Hey Lumineers
11 Thrift Shop Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Wanz)
12 Some Nights fun.
13 Radioactive Imagine Dragons
14 I Love It Icona Pop (feat. Charli XCX)
15 Whistle Flo Rida
16 Just Give Me A Reason Pink (feat. Nate Ruess)
17 Let Her Go Passenger
18 We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Taylor Swift
19 Swimming Pools (Drank) Kendrick Lamar
20 Scream & Shout will.i.am (feat. Britney Spears)
21 I Will Wait Mumford & Sons
22 Adorn Miguel
23 Good Time Carly Rae Jepsen (with Owl City)
24 Mercy Kanye West (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz)
25 Stay Rihanna (feat. Mikky Ekko)
26 Scream Usher
27 Summertime Sadness Lana Del Rey
28 Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself) Ne-Yo
29 Try Pink
30 Same Love Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert)
31 I Knew You Were Trouble Taylor Swift
32 When I Was Your Man Bruno Mars
33 Sweet Nothing Calvin Harris (feat. Florence Welch)
34 Next to Me Emeli Sandé
35 Chasing the Sun The Wanted
36 Harlem Shake Baauer
37 One More Night Maroon 5
38 Demons Imagine Dragons
39 Madness Muse
40 I Need Your Love Calvin Harris (feat. Ellie Goulding)
41 Fuckin' Problems A$AP Rocky (feat. Drake, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar)
42 The House That Heaven Built Japandroids
43 Die Young Ke$ha
44 Anything Could Happen Ellie Goulding
45 Little Things One Direction
46 Pound The Alarm Nicki Minaj
47 Take A Walk Passion Pit
48 Give Me All Your Luvin' Madonna (feat. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.)
49 Sixteen Saltines Jack White
50 Holes Passenger
51 Angels The xx
52 What Now Rihanna
53 Breezeblocks alt-J
54 Clique Kanye West (with Jay-Z and Big Sean)
55 Let's Go Calvin Harris (feat. Ne-Yo)
56 Who David Byrne & St. Vincent
57 Read All About It, Pt. III Emeli Sandé
58 I Belong In Your Arms Chairlift
59 Stubborn Love Lumineers
60 Kiss You One Direction
61 Elephant Tame Impala
62 Hold On Alabama Shakes
63 Oblivion Grimes
64 On Top Of The World Imagine Dragons
65 Happy Pills Norah Jones
66 White Walls Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Schoolboy Q, Hollis)
67 Youth Without Youth Metric
68 Oh Love Green Day
69 The Descent Bob Mould
70 The Veldt deadmau5
71 Cherokee Cat Power
72 Into The Black Chromatics
73 & It Was U How To Dress Well
74 Yet Again Grizzly Bear
75 Daughters Nas
76 Myth Beach House
77 Breathing Underwater Metric
78 45 The Gaslight Anthem
79 Autre Temps Alcest
80 We'll Be Coming Back Calvin Harris (feat. Example)
81 Ruin Cat Power
82 Va Va Voom Nicki Minaj
83 My Kind Of Love Emeli Sandé
84 Put It Down Brandy
85 This Summer Superchunk
86 Hey Jane Spiritualized
87 The Celestials Smashing Pumpkins
88 Dance For You Dirty Projectors
89 Bad Girls M.I.A.
90 Song For A Warrior Swans (feat. Karen O)
91 Among The Leaves Sun Kil Moon
92 Losing You Solange Knowles
93 Tempest Deftones
94 My Kind Of Woman Mac DeMarco
95 Pyramids Frank Ocean
96 Comeback Kid Sleigh Bells
97 Simple Song The Shins
98 Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings Father John Misty
99 The Only Place Best Coast
100 White Flag Guided by Voices
20 more worth mentioning.
101 Baby Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti (feat. Dam-Funk)
102 Teenage Icon The Vaccines
103 That's Why God Made The Radio The Beach Boys
104 We Take Care Of Our Own Bruce Springsteen
105 All Your Gold Bat for Lashes
106 Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe Kendrick Lamar
107 Lightning Bolt Jake Bugg
108 Big Beast Killer Mike (feat. Bun B, T.I., Trouble)
109 Every Single Night Fiona Apple
110 Met Before Chairlift
111 Caravan Rush
112 The Pit Silversun Pickups
113 Zero Dark Thirty Aesop Rock
114 Weather In My Head Donald Fagen
115 You're Early 2:54
116 Would That Not Be Nice Divine Fits
117 Girl Gone Wild Madonna
118 Boozophilia Low Cut Connie
119 Tattoo Van Halen
120 A Night And A Day Pepe Deluxé
DigitalDreamDoor Editor Picks for 2012
Lew's Choice - An unheralded great record from 2012
* Emmylou First Aid Kit
Ryan's Choice:
* Tiptoe Through the True Bits Los Campesinos!
Adam's Choice:
* 20/20 Graveyard
Bruce's Choice:
* Love To Flirt Mud Morganfield