THE SOUND OF 2022

I’ll save you all the usual boring cliches about what a year it’s been and go straight to the chart.

Put together over an afternoon, here’s the 50 Best Songs Of 2022.

  1. Taylor Swift – Anti Hero
  2. Harry Styles – As It Was
  3. Sam Ryder – Space Man
  4. Wallows – Especially You
  5. Jamie T – The Old Style Raiders
  6. Sigrid ft Bring Me The Horizon – Bad Life
  7. Arlo Parks – Softly
  8. Confidence Man – Holiday
  9. Ed Sheeran – Overpass Graffiti
  10. The Feeling – There Is No Music
  11. Feeder – The Healing
  12. Harry Styles – Late Night Talking
  13. Sam Fender – Getting Started
  14. Liam Gallagher – More Power
  15. Pretty Cartel – Dominick The Donkey
  16. Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher – Birth Of An Accidental Hipster
  17. Griff x Sigrdi – Head On Fire
  18. Paul Weller and Suggs – Ooh Do U Fink U Are?
  19. Simple Minds- Traffic
  20. Tegan and Sara – Yellow
  21. Idles – All You Need Is Love
  22. Lewis Capaldi – Forget Me
  23. Rosa Linn – Snap
  24. Sigrid – It Gets Dark
  25. Alfie Templeman – Broken
  26. Let’s Eat Grandma – Watching You Go
  27. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Pretty Boy
  28. Pixey – I’m Just High
  29. The Killers – Boy
  30. Lauren Spencer-Smith – Fingers Crossed
  31. Holly Humberstone – Sleep Tight
  32. Simple Minds – First You Jump
  33. George Ezra – Green Green Grass
  34. Steve Lacey – Bad Habit
  35. Liam Gallagher – Everything’s Electric
  36. George Ezra – Anyone For You
  37. Hot Chip – Broken
  38. Maisie Peters – Not Another Rockstar
  39. Bruce Springsteen – Nightshift
  40. Nina Nesbitt – I Should Be A Bird
  41. Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott – Too Much For One (Not Enough For Two)
  42. Beabadoobee – 10:36
  43. Jamie T – Between The Rocks
  44. The 1975 – Part Of The Band
  45. Beabadoobee – Talk
  46. Sinead O’Brien – Holy Country
  47. Soda Blonde – Mandinka
  48. Tom Chaplin – Midpoint
  49. Foals – 2001
  50. Warmduscher – Fatso

Congratulations to Taylor Swift, a two time winner having won it in 2012. I know you’re all eager to see if she’ll win it again in 2032.

If you haven’t heard the winning song, the video is embedded below.

And if you wish to look at archive charts, i’ve listed all the previous winners below.

2021 : Maneskin – Zitti E Buoni
2020 : Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday
2019 : Vampire Weekend – Harmony Hill
2018 : Lovelytheband – Broken
2017 : Liam Gallagher – For What It’s Worth
2016 : The Strumbellas – Spirits
2015 : Blossoms – Charlamagne
2014 : Jamie T – Zombie
2013 : Haim – The Wire
2012 : Taylor Swift – We Are Never Getting Back Together
2011 : Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA What A Life
2010 : Marina and the Diamonds – Shampain
2009 : Little Boots – New In Town
2008 : Sons and Daughters – Darling
2007 : Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4
2006 : Kasabian – Empire

THE SOUND OF 2020

We haven’t had our first 24 hours of 2021 yet and I can’t imagine that many want to look back at 2020, but it’s time for my annual look back at the best songs of the past year.

I’m not going to insult you by cutting and pasting the usual about how it was a great year and all that. It really wasn’t.

Even though we got treated to some interesting covers and live online concerts from bored pop stars in lockdown, i’d swap all that for a return to normality.

As much as i’ve loved Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco, i’d rather it not have to exist, if you know what I mean.

I actually have concert tickets for 2021, unsurprisingly, most are carried over from 2020.

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott are first up in April, although that is looking ambitious, considering that Paul Weller scheduled for the week before has already been put back to November.

Also in the diary is Lightning Seeds, Ash, Doves and Beabadoobee.

Hopefully, when I do get back to concerts, it won’t be in the first batch. Let’s be honest, they’ll be full of tanked up bellends determined to “make up for” what they’ve “missed out on”.

You don’t realise how much a sound crowd adds to a concert until you’re surrounded by bellends.

So, enjoy the best songs of 2020. Hopefully, i’ve introduced you to something you’ll like.

Let’s hope 2021 will be a lot better than 2020, although we’re working off a very low bar.

  1. Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday
  2. The Weeknd – Blinding Lights
  3. Powfu ft Barbadoobee – Death Bed
  4. Post Malone – Circles
  5. David Guetta and Sia – Let’s Love
  6. Royal Blood – Trouble’s Coming
  7. Beabadoobee – Care
  8. Paul Molloy – Dungaree Day
  9. Shader – Don’t You Forget About Me
  10. Georgia – Running Up That Hill
  11. Declan McKenna – Beautiful Faces
  12. Tom Grennan – Amen
  13. Andy Bell – Cherry Cola
  14. Lady Gaga – Stupid Love
  15. Dea Matrona – Roll With It
  16. Blossoms – Paperback Writer
  17. Dermot Kennedy – Giants
  18. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Wildflower
  19. Blossoms ft James Skelly – Dreaming Of You
  20. Beabadoobee – Together
  21. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Come On Outside
  22. Crowded House – Whatever You Want
  23. Tom Grennan – Something Better
  24. Samara Ginsberg – Inspector Gadget
  25. Dermot Kennedy – Power Over Me
  26. Oasis – Don’t Stop
  27. 24kgoldn – City Of Angels
  28. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – We’re Gonna Get There In The End
  29. Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott – Some Might Say
  30. Samara Ginsberg – Knight Rider
  31. Declan McKenna – Rapture
  32. Samara Ginsberg – Thomas The Tank Engine
  33. Liam Gallagher – All You’re Dreaming Of
  34. Beabadooebee – Worth It
  35. Karen O and Willie Nelson – Under Pressure
  36. Tate McRae – You Broke Me First
  37. Declan McKenna – Be An Astronaut
  38. Two Mad Men And A String Quartet – Madness Hits Medley
  39. Blossoms – It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter
  40. Arlo Parks – Black Dog
  41. New Order – Be A Rebel
  42. Izzy Bizu – Faded
  43. The 1975 – If You’re Too Shy
  44. David Latto – Geordie Munro
  45. Magnum Haus – Rip It Up
  46. Swim School – Dignity
  47. Ash – Darkest Hour Of The Night
  48. Doves – Broken Eyes
  49. AC/DC – Shot In The Dark
  50. Tom Ogden – Everyday I Write The Book

PAST WINNERS

2019 Vampire Weekend – Harmony Hall
2018 Lovelytheband – Broken
2017 Liam Gallagher – For What It’s Worth
2016 The Strumbellas – Spirits
2015 Blossoms – Charlemagne
2014 Jamie T – Zombie
2013 Haim – The Wire
2012 Taylor Swift – We Are Never Getting Back Together
2011 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA …. What A Life
2010 Marina and the Diamonds – Shampain
2009 Little Boots- New In Town
2008 Sons and Daughters – Darling
2007 Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 4.1.2019

1. Lovelytheband – Broken
2. Marc Almond and Jools Holland – Tainted Love
3. Rudimental – These Days
4. Brian May – New Horizons
5. The 1975 – It’s Not Living

Tonight, sees The Story Of 1987 on BBC Four, marking the start of the 1987 repeats of Top Of The Pops on the channel.

As is tradition, when the Top Of The Pops repeats reach a new year, I do a chart. So here, is a chart from 1987.

FIVE SONGS FROM 1987

1. Bee Gees – You Win Again
2. Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
3. Madonna – Who’s That Girl?
4. Climie Fisher – Love Changes Everything
5. Curiousity Killed The Cat – Misfit

I’m not suggesting that 1987 was the undisputed year of the banger, but look at some of the songs that weren’t included.

INXS – Need You Tonight
Depeche Mode – Strangelove
Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Down Again
REM – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place On Earth
MARRS – Pump Up The Volume
Spagna – Call Me
Bananarama – Love In The First Degree
Madonna – La Isla Bonita
Fleetwood Mac – Little Lies
Glenn and Chris – Diamond Lights
U2 – Where The Streets Have No Name
U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Fleetwood Mac – Everywhere
Squeeze – Hourglass