The Prophet Blog’s Top Pop Songs of 2012… So Far
Hello.
The Prophet Blog’s Top Pop Songs of 2012… So Far list covers singles that were released between January 1st and July 1st of this year. And to be more specific, only songs that had their music video premiered during that time are eligible.
Genre wise it’s all pop — that is, if you also consider urban, electronica, dance, and hipster as pop, as I do.
Look out for my separate K-Pop mid-year list next weekend.
Enjoy!
30. Teairra Mari – U Did That feat. 2Chainz
After a string of fun-but-forgettable urban jams, Detroit diva Teairra Mari hooked up with “Motivation” hitmaker Rico Love and found her groove on this saucy bedroom banger. [Listen]
29. Jessie Ware – 110%
Lush, dreamy, and one of the best things to come out of the UK this year, Jessie Ware’s Sade-meets-synthpop single “110%” should’ve established the singer as Britpop’s new ‘it’ girl. Sadly, everyone was too busy being raped by Rita Ora’s Rihanna rip-offs to notice “110%” floating over their heads. (Listen)
28. Kris Allen – Vision of Love (Maison & Dragen remix)
Finnish house duo Maisen & Dragen transformed the maudlin AC fodder that is Kris Allen’s “Vision of Love” into a glorious dance anthem. If a big-name DJ had done this, it probably would’ve been one of the year’s biggest club hits. (Listen)
27. Agnes – One Last Time
After scoring a global hit with her disco anthem “Release Me”, Swedish songstress Agnes reinvented herself with this heart-wrenching synth ballad. This is exactly the kind of song that Leona Lewis wishes she could get for her serially-delayed Glassheart album. (Listen)
26. Drake – Take Care feat. Rihanna
Chris Brown, who? Justin Bieber, what? Drake left the competition for dead this year when he successfully merged indie with top forty on the beautiful Jamie xx-produced pop ballad “Take Care”. (Listen)
25. Maroon 5 – One More Night
Maroon 5 finally stopped pretending to be a real band and went all-out bubblegum on their new album Overexposed. Now Adam Levine’s the male Katy Perry, and he’s never sounded better — especially on “One More Night”, which could possibly only be improved if Rihanna or Britney sung it instead. (Listen)
24. Kreayshawn – Summertime feat. V-Nasty
Viral sensation Kreayshawn makes girl-on-girl action and pill popping at a Puerto Rican parade sound as normal as buying a Popsicle on a hot day in this no-frills feel-good summer anthem. (Listen)
23. Santigold – Disparate Youth
There was a four-year gap between the release of Santigold’s acclaimed debut and her follow-up album, but as they say, it was worth the wait. Santi’s ‘official’ comeback single, “Disparate Youth”, was a fine return to form after the disappointing buzz track “Big Mouth”, melding new-wave keys and machine gun guitar bursts with her unusually detached and layered vocals. It’s like she never even left in the first place. (Listen)
22. Nossa – Mas Que Nada
French girl trio cover a Brazilian classic while performing Colombian choreography in Portugal.
Flawless is the only word. (Listen)
21. Demi Lovato – Give Your Heart a Break
Disney diva Demi Lovato made up for the tween melodrama of “Skyscraper” with this pop-rock anthem of massive proportions. (Listen)
20. Yui Horie – Coloring
Japanese voice actress slash pop star Yui Horie effortlessly snatched Perfume’s wig with this busy slice of artificial electro-pop. If you close your eyes really tight, you’ll think that your old Sega Megadrive is singing to you. (Listen)
19. Brianna Perry – Marilyn Monroe
As far as female hip-hop is concerned, 2012 is the year of Nicki Minaj and Azealia Banks. But while Nicki ruled the Hot 100 and Azealia became a hipster icon, underrated rapstress Brianna Perry was quietly killing it with a bad weave and the deliciously swagged-out “Marilyn Monroe”. (Listen)
18. Cher Lloyd – Want U Back
Not even the staunchest “Swagger Jagger” hater could resist this crunchy smash from Britain’s biggest brat. Now Cher Lloyd’s cracked America, while Cheryl Cole is still struggling to stay in the top ten back home. (Listen)
17. Ricki-Lee – Do It Like That (Fred Falke Remix)
Flaw-free remixer Fred Falke gave Ricki-Lee’s noisy Beyonce b-side a thumping italo-disco makeover and transformed it one of the year’s hottest club tunes. (Listen)
16. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Candy Candy
Harajuku Princess turned J-Pop sensation Kyary Pamyu Pamyu sings about chewing candy over a musical bed of Yasutaka Nakata-produced bubblegum.
Only in Japan. (Listen)
15. Katy Perry – Part of Me
I really tried to hate “Part of Me”, but I just couldn’t. On this post-Russell Brand divorce anthem, Katy Perry added yet another No. 1 hit under her belt and cemented herself alongside Rihanna as the definitive top forty pop diva of the past five years. (Listen)
14. ICONIQ – Ladies
Washed-up Asian pop star dives headfirst into drum ‘n’ bass with stunning results. Fast, furious, and feminine, “Ladies” lives up to its name as one of the hottest (and most underrated) ladies jams of the past few years. (Listen)
13. Florence + the Machine – Spectrum (Calvin Harris remix)
Britain’s biggest indie-pop diva hits the dance floor and bags her first chart-topper thanks to DJ-turned-hitmaker Calvin Harris. (Listen)
12. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
The original American Idol defied naysayers and returned to the top of the charts with this radio-friendly slice of sing-out-loud self-empowerment. Only Kelly Clarkson could make something this generic sound so damn good. (Listen)
11. Flo-Rida – Wild Ones feat. Sia
Flo-Rida’s made-for-radio pop-rap is seen as a joke by most people, but this year he finally released a song that it was okay to like in the brilliant “Wild Ones”. You can thank Aussie songstress Sia for that one, who gifted Flo with the most bulletproof hook of 2012. (Listen)
10. M.I.A. – Bad Girls
Former indie ‘it’ girl M.I.A. turned her swag on and got her groove back on this too-cool-for-school urban banger. It’s as if Maya never even happened. (Listen)
09. Nelly Furtado – Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)
Nelly Furtado’s Loose-era urban-pop received a chaotic makeover on her polarizing comeback single “Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)”. It was a little too out-there for some people, but for those who got it, “Big Hoops” was everything that pop music has been missing. (Listen)
08. Kendrick Lamar – The Recipe feat. Dr Dre
Buzzed-about rapper Kendrick Lamar lives up to the hype with the best West Coast hip-hop offering since The Game exploded onto the scene with The Documentary. (Listen)
07. Jai Paul – Jasmine (Demo)
Newcomer Jai Paul took the abstract electronica of James Blake, fused it with the sensuality of retro Prince, and ended up with one of the sexiest songs since the Purple One was at the top of the charts. (Listen)
06. D E N A – Cash Diamond Rings Swimming Pools
Bulgarian hipster repeatedly slurs “cash, diamond rings, and swimming pools” in a thick accent over M.I.A. Arular era electro-hop. On paper this should be a hot mess; in reality, it’s the coolest song of 2012. (Listen)
05. Sugar’s Campaign – Netokano
Sugar’s Campaign is the brainchild of two electronic artists from Japan’s musical underground. Their single, “Netokano”, is a beautifully warped piece of ’80s japtronica that somehow manages to be both retro and light years ahead at the same time. Nuff said. (Listen)
04. Lana Del Rey – Blue Jeans
Twin Peaks was reborn on Lana Del Rey’s Lynchian hip-pop ballad “Blue Jeans”. It was songs like this one that forced the naysayers to look past the lips and the name Lizzie, and just listen. (Listen)
03. Cassie – King of Hearts
Generally speaking, Cassie is a one-hit-wonder best known for dating Diddy, a nude photo scandal, bombing on stage at BET, and shaving one side of her head. Yet her jungle-pop comeback single “King of Hearts” was called “the best-sounding identity crisis I’ve heard in a while” by The Guardian, was compared to Robyn and Radiohead by Spin, and ended up on Beyonce’s official website alongside the caption, “I can’t stop listening to this song!”.
Sometimes, the power of great music knows no bounds. (Listen)
02. Azealia Banks – Liquorice
Azealia Banks may be a grade A bitch, but on “Liquorice” –a lyrical hurricane of house-rap and racial politics– she exceeds expectations and proves that she could very well be the most important femcee since Missy Elliott. (Listen)
01. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
How on earth does a 26-year-old runner-up from the 2007 edition of Canadian Idol with a failed album under her belt become the biggest pop sensation of 2012? It’s simple: “Call Me Maybe”.
The unequivocal pop song of 2012 contains no dubstep or post-hook electro breakdowns, no lyrics about bottles of Jack or flying starships, no cuss words, no blatant sexual references, and no crazy costumes in the music video. It’s just good, fun, old-fashioned pop with a killer chorus and a simple concept. That’s it, and it’s damn refreshing.
