If — Mayans permitting — we somehow manage to make it through the remaining days of 2012, then survive plummeting off the fiscal cliff that awaits at year's end, we're all going to look back on the past 12 months and just laugh.
After all, 2012 gave us the rise of Honey Boo Boo, Clint Eastwood addressing an empty chair at the Republican National Convention and the 88 sublime minutes of bottle-smashing that was "Liz & Dick." Compared to all that, the end of a b'ak'tun or impending economic ruin don't really seem all that bad. But here's the thing about the year that was: No matter how grim things got on the pop-culture front, musically, things couldn't have been better.
We saw breakout stars — like Fun., Carly Rae Jepsen and Gotye — rise to the top of the singles chart and stay there for extended periods of time (their songs, respectively, combined for 23 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100). And though they never made it to the top spot, acts like One Direction, the Wanted and Psy certainly shaped the year that was like few newcomers before them. Established powerhouses like Maroon 5, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift only continued to expand their empires. Every week, it seemed, there was a new song, dance or video that practically begged for our attention. In short, there was no shortage of truly memorable songs released in 2012, to the point where putting together a top 10 was nearly impossible.
Still, we tried our best. MTV put together a brain trust that spanned the company and asked them to submit their choices for their favorite songs of the year. And after some (thoroughly lengthy) debates led by our panel — Rob Markman (MTV News), Sarah Epler (MTV.com) and Rawley Bornstein (MTV Music & Talent) — we managed to whittle that list down to a manageable 10. From South Korean sensations to Canadian upstarts (and with plenty of appearances by British Boy Bands and American rockers), here are our picks for the Songs of 2012, #10 to 3. Be sure to check back at 7:59 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com for the final reveal. It's all part of our quest to bring you "The Big & Best of 2012"!
10. "Payphone," Maroon 5
Singing about a payphone in 2012 is like showing up to freshman Psych 101 lugging a Selectric typewriter instead of an iPad: You could do it, but nobody would know what your deal was. And yet, thanks to Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine's towering chorus falsetto on the Grammy-nominated tune, a warm marching-band dance thrum, haunting piano line, some unnecessarily urgent cursing and Wiz Khalifa's "came up from nuthin'" show-stopping verses, it totally worked. "Payphone" spent 19 weeks in the top 10, sold more than 3 million digital copies and made M5 superstars ... again. Tap, tap, tap, return. — Gil Kaufman
9. "Glad You Came," the Wanted
Boy bands aren't supposed to be this saucy. But the Wanted took a tune about drinking and flirting the night away and made it undeniably charming. And thought it was released in 2011, the fist-pumping ode really didn't catch fire until this year. But once it did, the single stormed the charts, eventually landing at #1 on Billboard's Pop Songs list. The U.K. band's racy track has not only sold millions of copies, it's also perhaps the best use of innuendo to hit pop radio in a while. Oh, how cheeky those boys are! — Jocelyn Vena
8. "Gangnam Style," Psy
Before this song sparked a late-breaking controversy , it befuddled Bill O'Reilly, infiltrated the NFL, inspired more parodies than Clint Eastwood at the RNC and, oh, yeah, racked up nearly 1 billion views on YouTube, "Gangnam" is either the track we, as a culture needed right now, or the track we, as a culture, deserved (probably both). But no matter what your take, chances are you did the dance at least once. — James Montgomery
7. "Mercy," Kanye West (featuring Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz)
Kanye West is hip-hop's undisputed mad scientist, trapped in the lab tinkering with sonic frequencies until he comes up with the perfect blend of dirty rap/pop. Yeezy made a Frankenstein of a hit with "Mercy," drawing inspiration from DJ Screw, dancehall and every rapper's favorite film, "Scarface." Not only was the song a club staple, it ruled radio, peaking at #1 on the BillboardRap Songs chart, and snagged two 2013 Grammy nominations. Mercy, mercy me. — Rob Markman
6. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Taylor Swift
After building a cottage industry out of high-school fairy tales, the (soon to be) 23-year-old Swift finally graduated with "Never Ever," a biting break-up track that, while packed with lyrical "like, ever's," still manages to arrive at a thoroughly grown-up conclusion: She is better off alone. Story-book endings are for kids, after all...... just don't tell Harry. — J.M.
5. "Starships," Nicki Minaj
With her frenetic club hit, Nicki simultaneously taught us that "starships were meant to fly" and that critics can't always see the glow sticks coming their way. The RedOne-produced single drew ire within the hip-hop community for its heavy dance/pop vibe, but the rave-worthy video — shot on a beach in Hawaii — coupled with a catchy hook made this an instant, pump-your-fists smash. Party on y'all. — Nadeska Alexis
4. "What Makes You Beautiful, "One Direction
Much like the guys in 1D, this track comes off sweet and innocent. Oh, yeah, it's also bananas infectious. Released at the top of the year, the bubbly pop tune served as the perfect introduction to the mop-topped U.K. boy band on the way to going platinum three times over. It's the kind of tune you stay, yes, Up All Night to. And by packing their Stateside shows in 2013. "Somebody That I Used to Know," Gotye (featuring Kimbra)
For us common folk, break-ups are pretty hard, but not for Gotye. The Grammy-nominated Aussie turned his heartache into pure pop gold. We're not sure who the ice queen was, but thanks to her, we got one of the hottest songs of 2012. "Somebody That I Used to Know" hit #1 in just about every country with a radio frequency, including the U.S. and 'Ye's native Australia. If you don't know, now you know. — R.M.
"The Big & Best of 2012: A Year End Celebration Presented by T-Mobile" goes LIVE at 12 p.m. ET on 12/12/12. Watch at bigandbestof2012.com for eight hours of live performances surprise guest appearances, prize giveaways, special editions of "RapFix Live," "Big Morning Buzz Live," "MTV News After Hours," "You Oughta Know" and much more! 2, fans showed they couldn't resist a song, from five adorable dudes, about wanting to love
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