The Top 20 Best Songs of 2012
2012 was another truly great year for rock and alternative music. Have you seen the 2012 Grammy Nominations? Many of the top awards nominations are dominated by rock and alternative bands like Fun, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, and Mumford & Sons.
Genre-wise, rock music saw the continued emergence and popularity of the indie rock genres, as well as sub-genres like Indie Folk, Indie Pop, Indie Dance, and Synth Pop becoming more clearly defined.
There were many great songs released throughout the year and this post gathers them all up and ranks them in a Top 20 list. Looking for a song that didn’t make the list? Check out a list of ‘honorable mentions’ at the end of the post.
Please note that all songs and honorable mentions in this post are singles released in 2012. You will not find songs such as Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” on the list because it was released in 2011.
Listen to the complete Top 20 list as a Spotify playlist here
Watch the complete Top 20 list as a Youtube playlist here
Related posts:
20. “Where Will We Go” by IAMDYNAMITE
Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Dance Rock
19. “We Come Running” by Youngblood Hawk
Genre: Indie Rock
18. “Reunion” by M83
Genre: Synthpop, Dream Pop, Post-Punk Revival
17. “Days Go By” by The Offspring
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Punk, Punk Rock
16. “Simple Song” by The Shins
Genre: Indie Rock
15. “Take A Walk” by Passion Pit
Genre: Indie Pop, Synthpop
14. “Houdini” by Foster the People
Genre: Indie Pop, Alternative Dance
13. “Youth Without Youth” by Metric
Genre: Indie Rock, New Wave
12. “Love Interruption” by Jack White
Genre: Blue-Eyed Soul, Folk Rock
11. “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees
Genre: Power Pop, Pop Rock
10. “Burn It Down” by Linkin Park
Genre: Electronic Rock, Rap Rock
9. “Some Nights” by Fun.
Genre: Indie Pop, Afrobeat, Power Pop
8. “I Will Wait” by Mumford & Sons
Genre: Indie Folk
7. “Madness” by Muse
Genre: Electronic Rock, Synthpop
6. “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Folk
5. “Spectrum” by Florence + The Machine
Genre: Electro House
4. “Gold On The Ceiling” by The Black Keys
Genre: Garage Rock, Blues Rock, Glam Rock
3. “Oh Love” by Green Day
Genre: Power Pop, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock
2. “Runaways” by The Killers
Genre: Heartland Rock, New Wave
1. “Too Close” by Alex Clare
Genre: Alternative Rock, Dubstep, Soul
Honorable Mentions:
“Ho Hey” by The Lumineers
“Settle Down” by No Doubt
“Lost In Forever” by P.O.D.
“Closer” by Tegan and Sara
“Wait For Me” by Rise Against
“Hurts Like Heaven” by Coldplay
“Go Right Ahead” by The Hives
“Love Bites (So Do I)” by Halestorm
“Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us” by The Darkness
“New Horizons” by Flyleaf
“So Cold” by Further Seems Forever
“I’m Just Me” by Diamond Rings
“Been Away Too Long” by Soundgarden
“Bridge Burning” by Foo Fighters
“Disparate Youth” by Santigold
“Itchin’ On A Photograph” Grouplove
“Blood For Poppies” by Garbage
“The Killing Type” by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
“Holy Touch” by Foxy Shazam
“Gangnam Style” by Psy
Some other lists around the web to compare:
SPIN’s 40 Best Songs of 2012
Rolling Stones 50 Best Songs of 2012
Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs of 2012
Pitchforks Top 100 Tracks of 2012
by Chris Freyer
Category: Lists, Posts, Year End Lists
Tags: Afrobeat, Alternative Dance, Alternative Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul, Blues Rock, Dance Rock, Dream Pop, Dubstep, Electro House, Electronic Rock, Folk Rock, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Heartland Rock, Indie Folk, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, New Wave, Pop Punk, Pop Rock, Post Punk Revival, Power Pop, Punk Rock, Rap Rock, Soul, Synthpop
This list is for Alternative Rock, nothing hard or rocking about it!
Thanks for the comment and voicing your opinion!