December means extra for the Billboard charts than simply the approaching onslaught of Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé — it additionally means it’s year-end season. At this time, Billboard revealed its many year-end charts for 2022, together with the Yr-Finish Sizzling 100.
The chart is led by Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” — hardly a shock, provided that it set the all-time Hot 100 record for longest keep on the chart this October — adopted by Harry Types’ “As It Was” and The Child LAROI & Justin Bieber’s “Keep.” Bad Bunny and Doja Cat tie for essentially the most entries on the chart with seven every, whereas Bieber is the lone artist with a number of prime 10 entries, additionally touchdown at No. 8 with “Ghost.”
How related do these prime songs and artists really feel to the yr that was? And what classes can we take from the chart on the entire? Billboard staffers talk about these questions and extra beneath.
1. So, “Warmth Waves”: Appear about proper for a 2022 Yr-Finish No. 1? If not, which track from the highest 10 would you might have picked to outline the musical yr?
Rania Aniftos: Seeing this year-end chart jogs my memory how lengthy a yr actually is. I assumed for positive that Harry Types’ “As It Was” had the No. 1 spot within the bag, however I fully forgot about how “Warmth Waves” simply dominated the music area at first of 2022. Given how shortly the track beat The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” because the longest charting track in Sizzling 100 historical past, it’s not shocking that “Warmth Waves” has the highest spot this yr.
Stephen Daw: At first, I used to be a bit stunned to see “Warmth Waves” on the prime of the chart — however upon reflection, that is the suitable track for the No. 1 spot. With such a record-breaking run as much as the No. 1 spot, and a wholesome domination of TikTok, radio and streaming providers, “Warmth Waves” was unstoppable hit of 2022. Positive, a chart-smasher like “As It Was” dominating that prime spot for 15 weeks is worthy of recognition — however the crossover success of “Warmth Waves,” regardless of the percentages, is the form of once-in-a-lifetime second that deserves its flowers.
Josh Glicksman: To be trustworthy, it doesn’t! That’s to not say “Warmth Waves” isn’t worthy of the accomplishment — its No. 1 standing and record-breaking 91 weeks on the Sizzling 100 would certainly point out in any other case — however provided that it debuted on the chart in January 2021, it feels extra definitive of final yr than this one. As a substitute, I’d choose its runner-up, Harry Types’ “As It Was,” as extra apt for 2022: a yr usually highlighted by megahits from music’s largest superstars. And with Types setting the report for the longest-running No. 1 by a solo act in Sizzling 100 historical past this yr (15 weeks), it’s a bit shocking to not see it end atop the record.
Jason Lipshutz: It is smart on paper when in comparison with the year-end No. 2 single, “As It Was,” since “Warmth Waves” had a four-month head begin on Harry Types’ smash, which was launched in early April. But the truth that “As It Was” spent 15 nonconsecutive weeks atop the Sizzling 100 in 2022 — months-long ubiquity, ensuing within the longest-leading No. 1 single by a solo artist within the chart’s historical past — makes the Types single really feel extra year-defining than Glass Animals’ unstoppable hit. Onerous to argue with “Warmth Waves,” particularly after it set the Sizzling 100 longevity report with 91 weeks on the chart, however I’ll keep in mind 2022 because the yr of “As It Was.”
Andrew Unterberger: It’s a rating that actually owes extra to quirks of timing and Billboard chart math than an plain cultural dominance — particularly contemplating many people reached our fill level with the track in 2021, if not all the way in which again in 2020. However as for if “Warmth Waves” feels like 2022… yeah, sorta. It’s a vibey, melancholy, genre-less track that has lengthy since eclipsed its makers, went viral on TikTok a number of instances with out ever going viral viral, and might be nonetheless getting performed on dozens of radio stations throughout the nation as we communicate. If that’s not an outline of a success track in 2022 I don’t know what could be.
2. Whereas Unhealthy Bunny, together with his Yr-Finish Billboard 200-topping Un Verano Sin Ti album, is a predictable artist to look on this Yr-Finish Sizzling 100 with seven entries, it’s rather less apparent that Doja Cat — who didn’t even launch an album this yr — could be proper alongside him with seven songs of her personal. Does her quantity of entries shock you? Does she look like a good consultant for the yr in chart pop?
Rania Aniftos: To me, it does and it doesn’t on the identical time. It’s shocking solely as a result of, in comparison with 2021, Doja Cat’s presence appeared much less distinguished this yr. Nevertheless, with that being mentioned, Doja’s additionally the queen of low-key relevance. By that, I imply that whether or not or not she’s actively selling her music, it’s all the time used on TikTok, it’s all the time taking part in on the radio and it’s all the time on varied Spotify playlists. I discover that I’m usually listening to her music whether or not I intend to or not, so it is smart that she was a pop chart staple of the yr.
Stephen Daw: Regardless of her “retirement” announcement, Doja nonetheless managed to be inescapable all year long. Whether or not it was with a reimagined, Elvis-inspired smash in “Vegas,” the Afrobeats-tinged “Girl,” or a featured slot on Publish Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Music),” Doja virtually by no means left the Sizzling 100 in 2022, and did so with a cadre of hits that felt actually diverse and completely different — very like pop music itself.
Josh Glicksman: In no way shocking to me. Doja Cat is an ideal illustration for the yr in chart pop: she’s greater than able to offering a down-the-middle within the style, however at a second’s discover, she will change over to R&B, hip-hop, or some mixture of all three. At a time when fashionable music is extra genre-agnostic than ever, she blurs the traces in addition to anybody else on the market. Plus, she dominates at a number of codecs — Doja Cat has eight prime 10s on each Billboard’s Radio Songs and Streaming Songs charts since 2020.
Jason Lipshutz: Not a shock in any respect: Doja Cat has turn out to be probably the most dependable hitmakers in trendy pop, and the long-tail business viability of her final two albums is arguably much more spectacular than their fast success. Loads of artists are notching hits with the early singles to their full-lengths, as Doja did with Sizzling Pink’s “Say So” and Planet Her’s “Kiss Me Extra”; only a few are spinning off prime 20 entries with their fifth singles, as she did with “Streets” and “Get Into You (Yuh).” Her means to dig deep into her tasks and mine new hits permits her to pop up seven instances on the year-end Sizzling 100 with out breaking a sweat.
Andrew Unterberger: I imply, it’s no secret that Doja has remained ubiquitous within the yr post-Planet Her, so in concept this shouldn’t be that shocking. However that quantity: seven. Any pop star price their glitter can luck into two or three enduring hits off-cycle, and it’s actually not exceptional for the nice ones to seek out their option to 4 or 5. However seven? That’s simply foolish, and exhibits that Amala’s golden contact in pop proper now ought to actually not be underestimated.
3. What track from exterior the chart’s prime 10 would you might have both anticipated to look increased, or really feel was extra vital for the yr than its rating suggests?
Rania Aniftos: “Operating Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and “We Don’t Speak About Bruno!” These songs have been all over the place! No shade supposed right here, however how did Gayle’s “abcdefu” rank increased?
Stephen Daw: Contemplating his absolute dominance of streaming as effectively the album charts, I assumed Unhealthy Bunny would possibly eke out a year-end prime 10 in “Tití Me Preguntó.” The observe might not have made it to the No. 1 spot, however Benito’s Un Verano Sin Ti was essentially the most unavoidable smash-hit album of 2022, no questions requested. The importance that has for the trade at massive when speaking about Latin music’s crossover into turn out to be probably the most fashionable genres of the day is very large, and Unhealthy Bunny’s position in making that crossover occur can’t be understated.
Josh Glicksman: “About Rattling Time.” Positive, its launch date coming in April narrows its window, however it felt like for a span of some months, Lizzo’s Particular lead single was nearly all over the place — be it TikTok (greater than 2 million movies on the platform have been created utilizing the track as its backing observe) or the radio (No. 1 on Radio Songs for 9 weeks). Its runner-up end on Billboard’s 2022 Songs of the Summer time chart encapsulates as a lot, however I’d’ve anticipated that to translate to a prime 10 placement as effectively.
Jason Lipshutz: Kate Bush’s “Operating Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by no means reached No. 1 on the Sizzling 100 and solely spent a number of months in and across the prime 10 of the chart, so it’s not stunning that it finishes as little as No. 23 on the year-end chart… however the truth that a track from 1985 climbed that top, wholly because of its use in a single tv present (albeit a pop culture-commanding one), remains to be wildly spectacular, and could have reverberations throughout the mainstream for years to come back. “Operating Up That Hill” represents a tipping level for older songs being revived into new hits, and on this period of TikTok resurrections, songs like this can really feel much less like lightning-in-a-bottle moments and seem extra usually on the year-end charts.
Andrew Unterberger: Keep in mind how for the primary three months of this yr, it appeared like “We Don’t Speak About Bruno” was mainly the one hit track in existence? Encantomania on the whole feels a decade outdated at this level, and clearly the track’s relative lack of radio help means it doesn’t have the lengthy tail songs want to actually threaten the highest of the Yr-Finish charts. However man, in any case that, for the track to solely end at No. 24 — 10 decrease than the third-biggest single from Lil Nas X’s Montero — feels greater than a little bit underwhelming for the Disney Hot 100 GOAT.
4. Preserving in thoughts that there’s nearly all the time a little bit carry-over between Billboard‘s year-end charts — which track from this yr’s prime 100 would you anticipate to have the endurance to nonetheless make a robust exhibiting on subsequent yr’s prime 100 as effectively?
Rania Aniftos: Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy.” Whereas it’s at No. 98 proper now, to even rank on the record given it was simply launched in September is fairly spectacular, and I feel we’ve solely simply began to see the lasting energy of that track.
Stephen Daw: It’s gotta be “As It Was.” A part of what made the track so enormous was that it saved coming again — after an album launch, after huge tour dates, after headline-making semi-controversies round Harry’s movie Don’t Fear Darling, “As It Was” refused to fall off the charts. The track even had the momentum to get Lil Nas X sweating about his report because the longest-running Sizzling 100 hit. There may be not a world by which “As It Was” doesn’t make an look increased than we might intuitively anticipate on the 2023 Yr-Finish chart.
Josh Glicksman: This is likely to be a loophole of a solution, however I’d go together with Mariah Carey’s “All I Need for Christmas Is You.” Given its observe report since first reaching No. 1 on the Sizzling 100 in 2019, the vacation basic’s placement on the year-end record appears like nothing in need of a lock till additional discover. Nonetheless, that appears like dodging the query, so if pressed on one thing from this yr, I’d go together with Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy.” Its late launch in 2022 — mixed with the hit’s endurance — ought to give it loads of momentum into 2023 and enhance it increased than this yr’s No. 98 end.
Jason Lipshutz: Manner down at No. 98 on the year-end Sizzling 100 is Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” — a single that has already hit the highest of the Sizzling 100, stays nonetheless at No. 3 this week, and has quite a lot of juice left to push into 2023 (when Smith can even launch their new album, Gloria, in late January). Perhaps “Unholy” by no means makes it again to the highest of the Sizzling 100, however I may see it hanging across the prime 10 for the opening few months of 2023 and making a stronger exhibiting on the following year-end chart.
Andrew Unterberger: “Unholy” is the protected wager, however I”ll go a little bit bolder and say that Zach Bryan’s “One thing within the Orange” (No. 39) hangs round lengthy sufficient — particularly if nation radio ever absolutely kicks in for it — to make it to the 2023 Yr-Finish Sizzling 100 as effectively. (By the way in which, price noting that Taylor Swift solely has one track on this yr’s chart, and none from Midnights. Think about that won’t be the case subsequent yr!)
5. Zooming out to have a look at the Yr-Finish Sizzling 100 in its entirety, what do you suppose it suggests was essentially the most consequential development impacting 2022 fashionable music?
Rania Aniftos: There are two traits I’ve seen essentially the most for the reason that starting of the yr, they usually’re polar opposites. The primary is basically uncooked, emotional songs about deep subjects like heartbreak and psychological well being, like “Fingers Crossed” by Lauren Spencer-Smith and Adele’s “Simple on Me.” The second is what I prefer to name “baddie songs,” a.okay.a songs you hearken to whereas on the brink of exit to really feel assured, or songs that you simply publish a thirst lure to on Instagram. We’ve confirmed to be fairly complicated as a society and as music listeners, if these two traits are any indication.
Stephen Daw: That there is no such thing as a formulaic path to “success” on this inudstry (I perceive that this feels like a cop-out — I promise it’s not). “Warmth Waves” being at No. 1 on this chart is unlikely-yet-understandable given the track’s huge attraction throughout platforms; “As It Was” turned synonymous with pop radio; “Keep” was an absolute streaming monster; “abcdefu” was a viral sensation on TikTok. Every time somebody comes ahead with their concept of the “definitive option to ‘make it’ within the music trade,” I roll my eyes, as a result of this chart exhibits that there isn’t a set option to obtain success on the charts. There are quite a lot of completely different avenues to take at the moment (and also you in all probability must be on a couple of if not all of them) to earn that chart-smashing hit.
Josh Glicksman: It’s arduous to not instantly be struck by the entire songs impacted by viral moments on TikTok. Significantly for artists which may be visiting the year-end Sizzling 100 songs chart for the primary time, the platform has been a staple in yielding breakthrough hits.
Jason Lipshutz: When you requested 100 folks to call the 5 defining pop artists of 2022, I doubt a lot of them would title Justin Bieber… however there he’s with two songs within the year-end prime 10, “Keep” with The Child LAROI and “Ghost,” each holdovers from 2021 that simply refused to vanish after months of radio play and tens of millions of streams. Fairly shocking to see them up so excessive… but when the Biebs comes again with a gargantuan 2023, these two tracks might be thought-about harbingers to his sustained success.
Andrew Unterberger: The largest factor for me is rap taking a really clear backseat to pop — no rap songs in any respect within the chart’s prime 5, hybrid rappers like Lil Nas X and Doja Cat outperforming any core hip-hop radio artists, and the 2 best-performing rap songs (Jack Harlow’s “First Class” and Latto’s “Huge Power”) each being constructed round huge pop samples. Not stunning given current fashionable music traits (and the inherently pop-skewing nature of the Sizzling 100), however nonetheless a little bit stark in comparison with the chart panorama of a half-decade in the past.
