NPR Music - Our No. 1 songs: 2022

Episode Date: December 14, 2025

We go to college and get the “big D,” hit the dance floor and do what we want, then head back to the radio. Is this a life filled with every possibility, or is it all just devastatingly mediocre?Note: This is a recurring series in celebration of All Songs Considered’s 25th anniversary. A shorter version of this episode ran earlier in the year.Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [e-mail] pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton, Stephen Thompson here. Hello, Robin. So we're looking back at the past 25 years of all songs considered, looking at our number one songs from each year. We are all the way up to 2022, so we're almost done. You know, we're in December now, and we're posting all of our best of 2025 stuff.

2022 was actually kind of interesting for me. When I went back, I tried to find what my picks were from that year. I didn't have any because it was the first year. I did not do a top 10 albums or song lists. Why not? I think, you know, I was so deep into New Music Friday. Oh, yeah. You know, I used to host New Music Friday.

I know this life. I think you're starting to figure it out that you listen to so much music. And your ears start getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And you start just loving so much more stuff. Are you sure this isn't just we're getting older? I don't think it is that. I think it because... You meant figuratively.

Yes, I meant fear. Literally, our ears are dropping. No, I just think I found while hosting new music Friday and consuming that much stuff that I've found it nearly impossible to whittle it down to just, oh, tier 10 albums, the 10 best songs, because I just loved so much stuff. But, you know, you've been going first just about every time we've done this, but I'm going to go first with what I think is maybe what we would pick as our number one song for 2022. That's great. Take it off my list because I got too many. Oh yeah. We don't need to play

name the tune. Mommy Daddy. Excuse me. So Wet Legg, Shea's Long from their self-titled debut. Actually dropped as a single in 2021. So if you... Yeah, some of us had it on our year-end best list in 2021. I mean, NPR Music had it on their best songs list for 2021. I think we got that list wrong, by the way, because the number one song that NPR music had for that year was Little Nas X's Montero.

I mean, it's a great song. That's a great song. But I would have given it to it. And Wetleg came in second with Shays Long. I would have maybe given it to Wetleg that year. But the album that it's from came out in 2022, so that's why I'm picking it. Yeah, and of course, Wetleg has a new album out now called

Moistrizer that is absolutely phenomenal. Just no sophomore slum. or whatever. All killer, no filler. It's like, yeah, it is a fearless, fearless follow-up to the self-titled record. Terrific, terrific record. And honestly, it's hard to narrow down 2022 to just a song or two as well.

You know, you could go with one of the songs that kind of permeated the monoculture, like About Damn Time by Lizzo would make a lot of sense here. But honestly, I'm going to go with arguably my favorite song from definitely my favorite album. When I go out again, I'm going to drink a lot. I'm gonna take a shot, because that's just what I want. Yep. Yeah. I don't know.

I guess it's pretty great stuff. Maybe I really need to spend more time. Somebody should have told me about this. Why am I just now finding this out? No, that's a great tune. And Katie Gavin, I know you're also a big fan of hers. I do like I've kind of liked her solo work a little bit more. Feels like it's got a little more character to it.

I mean, they're very different. They're both great, very different. phenomenal live band. All right, we need to take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll have more songs that remind us of 2022. So 2022, as you said, very difficult year to really sum up very quickly. I would also mention Alex G's runner. It came out that year. Porge Radio's Back to the Radio from the album, Water Slide Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky.

That song came out. what we were, but you've closed yourself off to me. We sit here together, the same as we've always been laughing and talking, but I want to cry to you, laughing and talking, but I want to cry if it mattered, I'm striking or so. Love this band so much. They actually announced that they were breaking up this year. I was really heartbroken when they announced that, but it's hard.

Yeah, it's a hard economy for bands right now. And I think they were all just really burned out and just needed to stop. They played their final show in Glasgow just earlier this month. Yeah. What else would you think of? Well, as tempted as I am to rep one more time for Tuvalu, spelled Tovlo, pronounced Tuvalu, she's Swedish, put out a really terrific pop record called Dirt Fem in 2022 that I feel like

I was the only person in the world who was beating the drum for that. I remember that record. I still listen to that album all the time and think it's so great. But honestly, like my favorite cultural artifact of 2022, I ended up winning Best Picture at the Oscars, everything everywhere all at once. Yeah. A movie that was so fun and funny and strange and surprising,

but also really deeply heartfelt. And it had a song that perfectly matched that mood and was nominated for an Oscar. This is a light Every possible Destiny Use me Oh god, this song That's Mitzki singing

David Burns on this as well And of course Sunlocks Official band of Robin Hilton One of my all-time favorite bands And you know Something I thought

When I started listening to this More and more Mitsky sounds A little bit Like Ryan Lott When he's in his falsetto We actually didn't say the name the name of the song is This is a Life from Sunlux and the film Everything Everywhere all at once.

Yeah, and honestly, we could have gone, we could go so many different directions here, right? Ethel Cain put out the album Preacher's Daughter in 2022. That's a record I went back to again and again, still go back to again and again all the time. Stromay put out a gorgeous record called Multitude that year that was so, so beautiful. And I feel honestly, we're now up to the point. where I feel like I'm still discovering songs that I missed from 2020 and kind of still adding them to my playlists. You know, there's a singer named Deanna Petkoff, who had a song called Devastatingly Mediocre. One of the greatest kiss-off songs you're going to hear, if you're breaking up with someone right now, find Deanna Petcoff's song devastatingly mediocre and send it to them.

I thought you were going to say, there's the singer named Rosalia who had an album called Motomami. And anyone who's been listening to the year-end coverage of the best of 20-25 is probably already tired of hearing this mention. But of course, this year we got Lux. And I know I picked it as album of the year. I picked it as album of the year as well. It's absolutely beautiful. And, you know, Motamami is a very different record, but you still have that sense of perfectionism, that sense of just extreme expansiveness, right? Like, she just has this huge musical mind.

and you hear it come through on this record. Oh, Noah Kahn's stick season, the title cut from that record came out that year as well. As you promised me that I was more than all the miles combined, you must have had yourself a change of heart like halfway through the drive because your voice trailed off exactly as you passed my exit sign. Kept on driving straight and left our future to the right. Now I am stuck between my anger in the blame that I can't face.

memories or something even smoking weed is not replaced and I am terrified of weather because I see you when it rains. Doc told me to travel but there's COVID on the plains and I hover my pitise the season of the sticks and I saw your mom she forgot that I existed and it's half my fault but I just like to play the victim I'll drink alcohol till my friends come home for Christmas and I'll dreamish night of some virgin of you that I might have but I did not lose.

Now your tired tracks in one pair of shoes and I'm splitting half but that'll have to do. We'll go out on this and until next time. Thanks, Stephen. Thank you, Robin. And for NPR music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's all songs considered.

me forever now you still can't call me back and I love her mom but it's the season of the sticks and I talk your mom she forgot that I exist today and it's half my fault but I just like to play the victim I'll drink alcohol till my friends come home for Christmas and I'll dream each night