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2022 was a big year for music, as many artists reemerged after two years of lockdown with new albums that they recorded during the pandemic. Some artists, like British band Glass Animals, had their big break in the U.S., while longtime Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber continued his reign on the charts while touring the world. They’re just a few of the artists who had big years this year.

Justin Bieber, one of the singers behind one of the top songs of 2022 alongside artists like Glass Animals, performing shirtless with a microphone
Justin Bieber | Joseph Okpako/WireImage

‘Heat Waves’ by Glass Animals was the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song of 2022

British indie band Glass Animals has been around for a decade, releasing their debut album Zaba in 2014 and their sophomore follow-up How to Be a Human Being in 2016. The group released their long-awaited third album Dreamland in August 2020 after a pandemic-related delay.

“Heat Waves” became the breakout single on the album, achieving viral fame on TikTok and introducing Glass Animals to wider audiences everywhere. It was released as a single in June 2020, but it spent an unprecedented 91 weeks in total on the chart, becoming the longest-charting song on the Hot 100 of all time, surpassing The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” It also had a record-breaking climb to No. 1: the song spent 59 weeks in total before it finally reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remained at No. 1 for five weeks.

Billboard itself ranked “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals as the No. 1 song for its Hot 100 year-end chart.

‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles was No. 2

Another song boosted by TikTok fame, Harry Styles‘ song “As It Was” from his third album Harry’s House similarly dominated 2022. Styles released “As It Was” as the lead single from Harry’s House in April, and it was nearly inescapable for much of the year.

The song eventually reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart and spent 15 weeks in the No. 1 spot. As a result, “As It Was” became the fourth-longest-running No. 1 in the chart’s history, and Styles remains the only solo artist with a solo song to spend that many weeks at No. 1.

Billboard ranked “As It Was” as the No. 2 biggest song on the Hot 100 for the year 2022.

‘Stay’ by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber was No. 3

Australian artist The Kid Laroi became a household name in 2021 with his breakout single “Stay,” a collaboration with Canadian mega-star Justin Bieber. The song appeared on Laroi’s mixtape F*** Love 3: Over You.

“Stay” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 2021 and logged four weeks atop the chart. It also spent a record-setting 14 non-consecutive weeks in the No. 2. spot.

The song’s success continued well into 2022 — so much so that Billboard ranked it the No. 3 Hot 100 song of the year.

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The top 20

While Glass Animals, Harry Styles, The Kid Laroi, and Justin Bieber can claim success on the Billboard Hot 100 this year, they aren’t the only artists who had big hits on the chart. Billboard went on to rank the top 20 songs that made a big splash on the chart this year.

  1. “Heat Waves” – Glass Animals
  2. “As It Was” – Harry Styles
  3. “Stay” – The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber
  4. “Easy On Me” – Adele
  5. “Shivers” – Ed Sheeran
  6. “First Class” – Jack Harlow
  7. “Big Energy” – Latto
  8. “Ghost” – Justin Bieber
  9. “Super Gremlin” – Kodak Black
  10. “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” – Elton John & Dua Lipa
  11. “Wait For U” – Future, Drake, & Tems
  12. “About Damn Time” – Lizzo
  13. “Bad Habits” – Ed Sheeran
  14. “That’s What I Want” – Lil Nas X
  15. “Enemy” – Imagine Dragons & JID
  16. “Industry Baby” – Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
  17. “abcdefu” – Gayle
  18. “Need to Know” – Doja Cat
  19. “Wasted on You” – Morgan Wallen
  20. “Me Porto Bonito” – Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone
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