Our No. 1 songs: 2022

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Songs Considered - "Our No. 1 Songs: 2022"

Date: December 14, 2025
Host: Robin Hilton
Guest: Stephen Thompson

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Episode Overview

This episode of "All Songs Considered" takes a nostalgic journey back to 2022, with hosts Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson reflecting on their top song picks from that year as part of a larger retrospective on 25 years of music discovery. The discussion centers on the standout tracks and albums that shaped 2022, how the hosts' relationships to music have evolved through years of intense listening, and the difficulty of narrowing down favorites in such a musically rich period. The tone is candid, warm, and full of deep admiration for the artists discussed.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Challenge of Picking Favorites

• Robin Hilton's Dilemma:

  • Robin confesses 2022 was the first year he didn’t make a top 10 list, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music.
  • “I 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.” (01:15)

• Musical Overload:

  • Both hosts agree that constant exposure (via projects like New Music Friday) makes it harder to choose just a few favorites, a problem compounded by the depth of the music scene rather than age.
  • Stephen: “Are you sure this isn’t just we’re getting older?” (01:08)

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Standout Songs and Albums of 2022

1. Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue”

• Although technically a 2021 single, the self-titled debut album dropped in 2022 prompting Robin’s selection.
• Robin: “I would have maybe given it to Wet Leg that year. But the album that it’s from came out in 2022, so that’s why I’m picking it.” (03:20)
• Stephen highlights Wet Leg’s sophomore album Moisturizer, calling it a “fearless follow-up.”
• Stephen: “All killer, no filler.” (03:40)

2. Lizzo – “About Damn Time”

• Acknowledged as a song that permeated mainstream culture.
• Stephen: “One of the songs that kind of permeated the monoculture...” (04:13)
• Not played, but referenced as a logical pick for the year.

3. MUNA – “What I Want”

• Stephen’s personal pick and from his favorite album of 2022.
• Stephen: “Yep.” (04:15) (in response to Robin guessing the track)
• Robin praises Katie Gavin's solo work as well.
• Robin: “Feels like it’s got a little more character to it.” (05:12)

4. Alex G – “Runner”

• Mentioned by Robin as another notable release from 2022.
• Song snippet played (08:44).

5. Porridge Radio – “Back to the Radio”

• Robin expresses heartbreak over the band’s breakup earlier in the month.
• Robin: “Love this band so much. They actually announced that they were breaking up this year. I was really heartbroken when they announced that.” (10:48)
• Stephen attributes this to “a hard economy for bands right now.” (11:00)

6. Tuvelou (Tove Lo) – “Dirt Femme”

• Stephen lauds the Swedish pop record, which he feels was overlooked.
• Stephen: “I feel like I was the only person in the world who was beating the drum for that.” (11:12)

7. Sunlux & Mitski & David Byrne – “This Is a Life” (Everything Everywhere All at Once soundtrack)

• Stephen’s “favorite cultural artifact of 2022.”
• Stephen: “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.” (11:44)
• Robin draws a vocal parallel between Mitski and Sunlux’s Ryan Lott.
• Robin: “Mitsky sounds a little bit like Ryan Lott when he’s in his falsetto.” (12:40)

8. Ethel Cain – “Preacher’s Daughter”

• Praised by Stephen as an album he returns to frequently.
• Stephen: “That’s a record I went back to again and again. Still go back to again and again all the time.” (13:05)

9. Stromae – “Multitude”

• Stephen emphasizes the album's beauty and lasting appeal.
• Stephen: “Put out a gorgeous record called Multitude that year that was so, so beautiful.” (13:09)

10. Deanna Petkoff – “Devastatingly Mediocre”

• Celebrated as one of the greatest break-up “kiss off” songs.
• Stephen: “One of the greatest kiss off songs you’re gonna hear. If you’re breaking up with someone right now, find Deanna Petkoff’s song Devastatingly Mediocre and send it to them.” (14:08)

11. Rosalía – “Motomami”

• Mentioned by Robin as his album of the year, and Stephen agrees.
• Robin: “Anyone who’s been listening to the year end coverage of the best of 2025 is probably already tired of hearing this mentioned. But of course, this year we got Lux. And I know I picked it as album of the year.” (14:18)
• Stephen: “It’s absolutely beautiful. And, you know, Motomami is a very different record, but you still have that sense of perfectionism, that sense of just extreme expansiveness.” (14:51)

12. Noah Kahan – “Stick Season”

• Robin notes the significance and emotional impact of the title track.
• Song segment brings the episode toward a close.
• Robin: “We’ll go out on this and until next time, thanks, Stephen thank you, Robin. And for NPR Music, I’m Robin Hilton.” (16:30)

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Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Music Abundance:

  • Robin Hilton (01:15): “I found while hosting new Music Friday and consuming that much stuff that I 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.”

• On Wet Leg’s ‘Moisturizer’:

  • Stephen Thompson (03:40): “All killer, no filler.”
  • Robin Hilton (03:41): “It is a fearless, fearless follow-up to the self-titled record.”

• On 2022’s Diversity and Difficulty:

  • Stephen Thompson (13:10): “Honestly, we’re now up to the point where I feel like I’m still discovering songs that I missed from 202022 and kind of still adding them to my playlists.”

• On Porridge Radio’s Breakup:

  • Robin Hilton (10:48): “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.”
  • Stephen Thompson (11:00): “Yeah, it’s a hard economy for bands right now.”

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:20–01:45: Hosts open with reflections on 2022 and challenges of naming top songs.
• 01:56–02:53: “Chaise Longue” by Wet Leg plays.
• 03:30–03:41: Discussion of Wet Leg’s acclaim and sophomore album.
• 04:15–04:54: “What I Want” by MUNA plays.
• 08:44–09:32: “Runner” by Alex G.
• 09:32–10:48: “Back to the Radio” by Porridge Radio and discussion of band's breakup.
• 11:12–11:51: Praise for Tove Lo and cultural impact of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
• 11:51–12:33: “This Is a Life” by Sunlux/Mitski/David Byrne plays.
• 13:37–14:08: “Devastatingly Mediocre” by Deanna Petkoff.
• 15:19–16:43: “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan closes out the episode.

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Conclusion

This episode thoughtfully showcases the overwhelming abundance of great music in 2022, with Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson weaving personal anecdotes, critical praise, and genuine admiration for the artists and records they discuss. Their conversation is filled with warmth, humor, and insightful commentary, making it clear that picking the “number one” song gets harder each year. The hosts celebrate the year’s music not just by naming favorites, but by exploring the emotional impact and cultural resonance of these songs and albums—offering plenty of recommendations for both nostalgia and discovery.

Transcript

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[Robin Hilton]

It's All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton. Stephen Thompson here.

[Stephen Thompson]

Hello, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

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 are in December now and we're posting all of our best of 2025 stuff. 2022 was. It was actually kind of interesting for me when I went back and 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 list.

[Stephen Thompson]

Why not?

[Robin Hilton]

I think you know, I was so deep into New Music Friday. You know I used to host New Music Friday.

[Stephen Thompson]

I know this life.

[Robin Hilton]

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.

[Stephen Thompson]

Are you sure this isn't just we're getting older?

[Robin Hilton]

I don't think it is that.

[Stephen Thompson]

I think it because you meant figuratively.

[Robin Hilton]

Yes, I meant figuratively literally. Our ears are dropping. No, I just think I found while hosting new Music Friday and consuming that much stuff that I 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 gonna go first with what I think is maybe, maybe what we would pick as our number one song for 2022.

[Stephen Thompson]

That's great. Take it off my list because I got too many.

[Advertisement/Announcer]

Oh yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

We don't need to play Name the tune.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

Mommy, daddy, look at me. I went to school and I got a degree. All my friends call it the big D I went to school and I got the big D I got the big D I got the big D I got the big D I went to school and I got the big D. Is your muffin buttered? Would you like us to assign someone to butter to your muffin? Excuse me, What? Excuse me, what? Hey you over there on the shades long in your underwear. What are you doing sitting down? You should be horizontal now.

[Robin Hilton]

It's a wet leg. Shades long from their self titled debut actually dropped as a single in 2021. So if you.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, some of it. Some of us had it on our year end best list in 2021.

[Robin Hilton]

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 on for that year was Lil Nas X's Montero. Call Me by. I mean, it's a great song.

[Stephen Thompson]

That's a great song.

[Robin Hilton]

But I, I would have given it to. And Wet Leg came in second with Jay's Long. I would have maybe given it to Wet Leg that year. But the album that it's from came out in 2022, so that's why I'm picking it.

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Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

And of course, Wetleg has a new album out now called called Moisturizer that is absolutely phenomenal.

[Robin Hilton]

Just no sophomore slump or whatever.

[Stephen Thompson]

All killer, no filler.

[Robin Hilton]

It's like. Yeah, it is a fearless, fearless follow up to the self titled record.

[Stephen Thompson]

Terrific, terrific record. And honestly, it's hard to narrow down 2022 to just a song or two as well. You know, 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 gonna go with arguably my favorite song from definitely my favorite album.

[Robin Hilton]

Is this Moon what I Want.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yep.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

Yeah. And when I see my friend Put something on the tongue I'm gonna ask for one. Cause that's just what I want, want, want what I want, want I want. I spent way too, too, too many years not knowing what what I wanted how to get it, how to live it. And now I'm gonna make up for it all at once. Cause that's, that's just what I want.

[Robin Hilton]

I don't know. I guess it's pretty great stuff. Maybe I really need to.

[Stephen Thompson]

Somebody should have told me about this.

[Robin Hilton]

Why am I just now finding this out? Yeah. No, that's a great tune. And Katie Gavin, I know you're also a big fan of hers. I do. I kind of liked her solo work a little bit more. Feels like it's got a little more character to it.

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, they're very different. They're both great. Very different. Phenomenal live band.

[Robin Hilton]

All right, we need to take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll have more songs that remind us of 2022.

[Stephen Thompson]

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[Robin Hilton]

I have kids under 18. So like time is very limited. That's why at BetterHelp, our therapists try to have sessions, sometimes at night, depending on the therapist, or during the weekend. So I think that's what we need to tell the parents. You're not alone. We can help you out.

[Stephen Thompson]

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[Stephen Thompson]

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[Robin Hilton]

Podcast so 2022 as you said, very difficult year. To really sum up very quickly, I would also mention Alex G's runner came out that.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

I like people who I can open up to.

[Stephen Thompson]

You don't judge for what I say, but judge me for what I do.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

And when I think of people, I look up my run of my runner, my man, my runner, my runner, my man. I laugh when you say the wrong thing, bouncing it off to everybody else but they Hit you with the roll up magazine My runner, my runner my man my run.

[Robin Hilton]

Porridge Radios Back to the radio from the album Waterslide Diving board Ladder to the sky that song came out.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

And I miss 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 to you Sit still, do nothing what if it mattered? I'm trying to help without breaking or shattering we almost got better we're so unprepared for this Running straight at it I'm not the right man for this Lock all the windows and shut all the doors and get into the house and lie down on the corner floor Talk back to the radio Think loud in the car I miss everything now.

[Robin Hilton]

It was nothing at all 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.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, it's a hard economy for bands right now.

[Robin Hilton]

And I think they were all just really burned out and just needed to stop, you know. They played their final show in Glasgow just earlier this month. Yeah. What else would you think of?

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, as tempted as I am to rep one more time for Tuvelou, spelled Tovlo, pronounced Tuvalu. She's Swedish. Put out a really terrific pop record called dirt femme in 2022 that I feel like I was the only person in the world who was beating the drum for that.

[Robin Hilton]

I remember that for that record.

[Stephen Thompson]

I still listen to that album all the time and think it's so great. But honestly, like my favor, cultural artifact of 2022 ended up winning Best Picture at the Oscars. Everything Everywhere all at Once. 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.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

This is a. Free from destiny. Not only what we sow not only what we show. This is a life Everybody possibility from destiny I choose you and you choose me yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

God, this song. That's Mitsky singing David Burns on this as well.

[Stephen Thompson]

And of course, Sun Locked official band.

[Robin Hilton]

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.

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Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

And honestly, we could have gone. We could go so many different directions here.

[Robin Hilton]

Right.

[Stephen Thompson]

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. Strome put out a gorgeous record called Multitude that year that was so, so beautif. I feel, honestly, we're now up to the point where I feel like I'm still discovering songs that I missed from 202022 and kind of still adding them to my. To my playlists. You know, there's a singer named Deanna Petkoff who had a song called Devastatingly Mediocre.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

All my friends think you're a joke it's not funny anymore and I've turned you into an anecdote Pretending you're just another chore well, I know it's really hard to tell if I'm ent. If I'm bored It's time I start to ask myself why I never ask for more.

[Stephen Thompson]

One of the greatest kiss off songs you're gonna hear. If you're breaking up with someone right now, find Deanna Petkoff's song Devastatingly Mediocre and send it to them.

[Robin Hilton]

I thought you were gonna say there's this singer named Rosalia who had an album called Moto Mommy. And anyone who's been listening to the year end coverage of the best of 2025 is probably already tired of hearing this mentioned. But of course, this year we got Lux. And I know I picked it as album of the year.

[Stephen Thompson]

I picked it as album of the year as well. It's absolutely beautiful. And, you know, Motomami 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.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh. Noah Kahn's Stick Season, the title cut from that record came out that year as well.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

As you promised. Convinced 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 and the blame that I can't face Memories or something Even smoking weed is not replacing. I am terrified of weather Cause I see you when it rains Doc told me to travel but there's Covid on the And I hover my pits to see the sticks and I sock 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 til my friends come home for Christmas and I'll dream each night of some version of you that I might not have but I did not lose. Now you're tired Tracks in one pair of shoes and I'm split in half have to do.

[Robin Hilton]

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.

[Musical Guest or Artist]

Called Me Forever now you still can't call me back and I love Vermont but it's the season of the stick soccer 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 dream each night of some virgin to you that I might not have But I did not lose.

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[Stephen Thompson]

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