2022 was an incredible year for the music industry. Songs and artists reached new levels of fame with the help of television shows and social media platforms like TikTok, as new and old songs went viral and topped the charts. Because of this, today’s article will look at a few of the most popular songs of 2022. Looking back at these songs and their genres is a good indication of the music that will be released this year.
‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles
One of the most popular songs of 2022 was ‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles. Released in April 2022, As It Was spent ten weeks on the UK Singles Chart and 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was the lead single from Styles’ third studio album and won several accolades, including Best Pop Song at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
‘As It Was’ also won the award for Favourite Pop Song at the 2022 American Music Awards. Like the other songs on this list, ‘As It Was’ found additional fame on TikTok, and the song has been used in around 2.6 million videos.
‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush
Despite being released in August 1985, ‘Running Up That Hill’ by British singer Kate Bush skyrocketed the charts in 2022 after being featured in Stranger Things’ fourth season. According to ExpressVPN’s 2022 streaming wrap-up, Stranger Things broke almost every streaming record in 2022 and helped Netflix regain subscribers after its dramatic loss in the first quarter.
Similarly, Stranger Things helped Kate Bush’s song regain popularity after featuring in the show. Impressively, the song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. ‘Running Up That Hill’ also sat at the top of the charts in the United Kingdom for three weeks and in Australia for nine weeks.
‘Anti-Hero’ by Taylor Swift
‘Anti-Hero’ by Taylor Swift was a late addition to 2022’s most popular songs. Still, its October release and subsequent viral popularity was another reminder of Taylor Swift’s power in the music business. The song was the lead single from Swift’s tenth studio album, breaking global records.
‘Anti-Hero’ became one of Spotify’s most streamed songs on its opening day. It topped the charts in dozens of countries, including Ireland, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Indonesia, New Zealand, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. ‘Anti-Hero’ also became Swift’s ninth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
‘About Damn Time’ by Lizzo
This song is another one that found immediate fame on TikTok, sending it higher up the global charts. ‘About Damn Time’ was released in April 2022 by American singer and rapper Lizzo.
The song reached number one in the United States and entered the top three in several countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada. ‘About Damn Time’ was also nominated for several awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
2022 was a mixed year for the music industry. We saw several new songs top the charts, but we also saw older songs regain popularity, like Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’. This mixture will likely continue into 2023, and we suspect movies, television shows, and social media will also continue to influence which artists and songs see chart-topping popularity.
