Hi, everyone. Welcome to my first ever year-end list on my website! Today, I’m counting down the top 10 worst hit songs of 2022!

Well … I really mean my top 10 least favourite hit songs of 2022. I don’t mean this as a personal attack on any of the artists, anyone involved in making the songs, or anyone who likes these songs. This is just me making a list of my personal least favourite hit songs of 2022, and I’m doing it for fun.

I will be doing a best hit songs of 2022 list soon, too, and the eligibility rules are the same for both lists. The song must meet both of the following qualifications:

1 – The song must be on the 2022 Billboard Year-End Hot 100.

2 – The song must never have made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 before 2022.

So, that means “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals, “STAY” by The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, and “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran are not eligible for either list, as well as quite a few other songs.

That being said, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush, “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives, and “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms are all eligible, because despite being released decades ago, none of these songs made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 until 2022. Meanwhile, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey are not eligible, because like “Heat Waves”, “STAY”, and “Bad Habits”, they have both made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 before.

So, out of 85 eligible songs this year, which ones did I like the least?

(Also, there will be dishonourable mentions before I reveal #1)

#10 …

It’s important for me to mention that I respect almost every song I listen to … there are rare exceptions, but I can respect pretty much any music. Because, well, it takes effort to make a song, even if I don’t like the song. Even if I find the song really boring and uninteresting, I can at least say, ‘You put in the effort to make a song.’

Of all the songs in this top 10, this is probably the one I respect the most. And going back to what I said in the intro about how this is all just me talking about my own personal least favourite hit songs of 2022, I think this song is the biggest example of that on this list. And it’s another example of why music is so subjective. Because while I don’t believe in music being objectively good or bad, if I had to pick a 2022 hit song that is ‘better’ than how much I personally like it, it’s probably this one.

And yes, I know this is a super controversial pick, and if I had a much larger audience than I do, this placement would take over the comment section (it might anyway), but if I’m being totally honest here …

#10: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor’s Version] [From The Vault]” by Taylor Swift

How do I explain this one?

Look, I have a lot of respect for Taylor Swift re-recording her albums to reclaim ownership of her music, and this version of “All Too Well” was written before the version released in 2012 … but while the version released in 2012 is one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs, as much as I respect the 10-minute version, and despite it being the original version of the song that was unreleased in 2012, if I’m being totally honest, this version doesn’t do much for me.

And this was a tricky song to place on this list, because I had to decide how much to compare it to the 2012 release and how much to look at it as its own song … and usually I’ll try not to let comparisons to other songs impact a song’s placement on one of these lists, but when it’s two versions of the same song, that’s different. Because why would I want to listen to this when I could listen to the 2012 release?

Really, this song’s placement on the list is not as much about the song itself as it is about my feelings toward the 2012 release vs. the 10-minute version. And I’m not going to go into a ton of detail about why I love the 2012 version so much, as that’s something I’ll save for another post (I’ll almost definitely do a list of my top 10 favourite Taylor Swift songs at some point), but adding more to the story actually does less for me than the 2012 version … again, it’s for reasons which I’ll explain at a later date.

But I will say this: while I do love some songs that are this long, this one just drags on for me, and the production, in my opinion, isn’t nearly as good as the 2012 version. Also, I don’t like how the strings sound when mixed with the rest of the instrumental, and I don’t like how quietly they’re mixed, either.

When Taylor sings, ‘And I know it’s long gone, and that magic’s not here no more’, I can’t help but feel that way about this song (if we ignore the double-negative, that is, and I’m willing to ignore it, in both versions of the song) … except the 2012 version isn’t long gone, and I can still listen to it instead … and that’s what I’ll do.

So, yeah, overall, that might be the biggest reason why I don’t like this song. There’s no reason why I would want to listen to this when I could just listen to the 2012 version. Again, props to Taylor for what she’s doing with her re-recordings, but I just don’t enjoy listening to this.

#9 …

So, that was a controversial pick … how about something more people can agree on?

#9: “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic

I don’t think a lot has to be said about this one. It seems like almost every music critic agrees about “I Ain’t Worried”.

To me, the fast-paced percussion doesn’t fit the rest of the song, and I don’t like the addition of whistling, either. There’s just so little about this song that interests me, and at times, I find it kind of annoying.

There are so many songs I’d rather hear on the radio, but instead, I have to hear this song all the time. I’ll be changing the station pretty much every time I hear this song on the radio.

How is this the same band who made “Counting Stars”?

#8 …

I remember when Adele made her big comeback with “Easy On Me” in late 2021, and so many people were so excited … and I get why, especially considering that it had been almost six years since Adele had put out new music. And I’m going to be totally honest and say that “Easy On Me” didn’t click for me nearly as much as it did for so many people. I don’t mind the song, but especially compared to songs like “Hello” and “Someone Like You”, it just didn’t stand out to me nearly as much … but I do like it a lot better than Adele’s other hit in 2022, that’s for sure!

#8: “Oh My God” by Adele

Where do I begin with this song? First of all, there’s not much about it that really stands out to me in a positive way.

But also, the hand-clap percussion in the chorus doesn’t fit in my opinion, and I’m not sure why.

Overall, the song feels really … awkward. I can’t really think of a better word. Something about the way the instruments and vocals are timed at points just sounds kind of … awkward. I don’t know how else to describe it.

There’s lots of repetition that doesn’t help the song, either, in my opinion.

Adele has made some songs I absolutely love, that’s for sure … but this isn’t one of them.

#7 …

I mentioned “I Ain’t Worried” being a song that makes me want to change the radio station when it comes on … but if you want me to talk about a song that makes me want to change the station even more …

#7: “Sunroof” by Nicky Youre & Dazy

It’s difficult to write my honest opinion about a lot of these songs without sounding mean. And really, I’m not trying to be mean. But if I’m being totally honest, I can’t help but wonder, ‘Why would someone want to listen to this?’ And I don’t mean that in a judgy way … I’m just curious what anyone hears in this song that I’m missing. Because it seems to be a lot more well-liked than I would have expected.

I get that this is supposed to be an upbeat summer jam, but at least to me, it just doesn’t click. The percussion doesn’t fit in my opinion, I don’t like the vocal melodies, and it does so little to stand out to me in a positive way.

If I want to listen to a fun summer jam, there are so many other songs I’d rather listen to. I get what this song is trying to do, but it’s not for me.

#6 …

So, this is a collaboration between two very popular artists … and while I’m not super familiar with one of these artists, the other I’m a huge fan of. And I’ve heard enough from each of them to know that, in my opinion, they’re both a lot better than this:

#6: “Sweetest Pie” by Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa

I reviewed Megan Thee Stallion’s album from earlier this year, and I gave it a positive review … but unfortunately, my least favourite song from the album is the one that became a hit. And while I haven’t heard a ton of Megan Thee Stallion’s music, I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve heard. But this just didn’t click for me at all, and a big part of the reason why is the production. I don’t really like how distracting the bass is, and the horns just don’t fit if you ask me, maybe because they’re mixed so quietly. There’s just so much going on in the instrumentation, and it gets to be quite annoying to me. Also, the trap beat doesn’t help in my opinion, especially when it sounds kind of like it was produced for a different song.

Also … the lyrics are really bad in my opinion. This whole thing with food as a sex metaphor is really annoying to me, and the vast majority of the time, I don’t like it when songs do this.

Also, there’s some effect on the synths that I can’t quite describe, but it doesn’t sound good in my opinion.

Now, it’s worth noting that I usually love Dua Lipa’s music … which is part of the reason this song was so disappointing to me. And if this list were about hit songs that disappointed me, this would probably be even higher. But that’s not what this list is about, and even minus the disappointment, I can’t stand this song. I think it’s annoying, uninteresting, and it’s not in this spot due to being disappointing … it’s here because, to my ears, it’s absolutely terrible.

#5 …

Bad Bunny had seven hits eligible for this list … wow. And with that many eligible songs, thre’s a pretty good chance of ending up on this list. And that’s what happened.

#5: “Efecto” by Bad Bunny

First of all, I really don’t like the percussion on this song … I find it mixed way too loudly, and overall I just find the beat annoying when paired with the rest of the instrumental. Melodically, there’s not much here that I like, either.

While the only language I speak and understand is English, I’ve looked at the lyrics translated to English … and while I don’t know how accurate they are, based on the translation I saw, I really don’t like the lyrics.

But musically, I find it mostly boring, with the exception of that percussion, which really doesn’t sound good to me.

And then, at the end of the song, out of nowhere, it gets really mellow, and I don’t think the outro of the song adds much, as it sounds so different from the rest of the song, and I don’t think it sounds very good.

Overall, while I’m curious to hear more of Bad Bunny’s music, I really don’t like this song.

#4 …

So, I’m not a big fan of country/folk music … but honestly, I ended up liking a lot more in those genres on the 2022 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 than I expected! But one thing that usually bugs me in country/folk music is trap percussion. That’s not to say it can’t work for me, but most of the time, it won’t. And this is no exception:

#4: “You Proof” by Morgan Wallen

So, I get how this could have worked. The lyrics describe a relationship that Morgan Wallen isn’t over, and he’s trying to move on, and he wants something ‘you proof’ to try and move on.

But outside of the story being told, there’s pretty much nothing about this song that’s interesting to me. And even the lyrics don’t really click for me. Obviously, the whole point of the song is that using drinking as a distraction is a bad idea, which is a good message, but it still feels quite generic. Again, I’m not trying to be mean, it’s just that I don’t find the lyrics all that interesting.

But the reason this is here is because I think it sounds terrible … I already mentioned the trap percussion which sounds really out of place to me, but there’s not much melodically here that I like, and the guitars do almost nothing for me.

Once that chorus hits, I just really want to turn this song off, especially with that annoyingly repetitive sound at the end of the chorus that I don’t know how to describe other than by saying it sounds like either a guitar or a synth.

Overall, I really don’t like the production and instrumentation on this song, and that’s the main reason it’s here. That and the fact that there’s no reason why I would want to listen to this. There’s just so few positive things I have to say about it.

#3 …

Staying on the topic of country … well, clearly I don’t like “You Proof”, considering that it’s not only on this list, but as high as #4. But that being said, I at least find it more listenable than this …

#3: “The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs

I reviewed Luke Combs’ newest album, Growin’ Up, and I gave it a 4/10, calling this song one of my least favourites on the album … and I’ll just say it: this is my least favourite song on Growin’ Up. Not only is the instrumental really boring to me, but I find the lyrics super cheesy.

Luke Combs has made songs I really like, including on his newest album, but this just didn’t click for me at all, and I honestly find it to be very annoying.

Seriously, just read through these lyrics and you’ll understand what I mean. Yes, there are songs with much worse lyrics, but something about the way these lyrics combine with the instrumental really annoys me, and I’m not entirely sure why.

I think part of this is my overall feelings on country music, but there’s a lot of country that I really like. So, I’m not quite sure why this song is ending up this high on the list … or am I? Because something about it feels really off-putting, partially because, to me, there’s just so little to it … and that’s one of the things that annoys me the most in music. I’m not saying there wasn’t effort put into this, but it doesn’t sound like a song that had a lot of effort put into it … and to me, that’s the biggest problem with this song.

So, overall … yeah, Luke Combs has made way better songs than this … and there’s no reason for me to listen to this. Just being honest here.

#2 …

Even though this artist’s music is mostly not very well liked in the online music critic community … it still seems like a lot more critics like this song than I would have expected. And as someone who agrees with the vast majority of critics that the album this song comes from is terrible … well, despite this being one of the most well-liked songs on the album, if not the most well-liked, I think it’s one of the album’s worst tracks, and I honestly don’t understand the appeal …

#2: “Jimmy Cooks” by Drake (ft. 21 Savage)

First of all, this instrumental sounds awful to me, with the sample of “You Were Gone” by Brook Benton pitched up, and the trap beat that sounds too loud to me, especially with that super annoying kick.

Drake adds pretty much nothing to the track, at least to me, and while I haven’t looked super closely into the lyrics, there doesn’t seem to be much to it lyrically, and I really don’t like 21’s verse, especially with all the references to shooting people, as well as some other terrible lines. But even aside from that, 21’s performance flow-wise doesn’t work for me, either.

Speaking of flow, Drake’s verse sounds like so many other boring Drake verses I’ve heard, and while I respect the tributes to Lil Keed and DJ Kay Slay, I’m going to be honest and say that I find Drake’s verse very boring.

Overall, when you put it all together … it just feels like a total mess … like, what was the point of this song? Again, I respect the tributes to Lil Keed and DJ Kay Slay, but as a full track, I don’t understand why it was made. I don’t mean that in a mean way, I’m just saying I personally don’t understand.

And while I don’t want to judge anyone’s music taste, and I’m not saying this is the case for everyone, I honestly wonder if some of the critical acclaim just came from this being the one rap song on Drake’s house album … and to me, it sounds like so many other Drake rap songs that I don’t care about, except much worse. And there was only one hit song in 2022 that I find more annoying to listen to. But first …

Dishonourable Mentions:

Before I reveal my #1 least favourite hit song of 2022, let’s quickly go through some dishonourable mentions, in no particular order:

“love nwantiti (ah ah ah)” by CKay
“Trouble With A Heartbreak” by Jason Aldean
“Broadway Girls” by Lil Durk (ft. Morgan Wallen)
“Woman” by Doja Cat
“Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black
“She Likes It” by Russell Dickerson (ft. Jake Scott)
“Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” by Elton John & Dua Lipa
“Big Energy” by Latto
“pushin P” by Gunna & Future (ft. Young Thug)
“PUFFIN ON ZOOTIEZ” by Future
“In A Minute” by Lil Baby
“What Happened To Virgil” by Lil Durk (ft. Gunna)

Alright, now it’s time to reveal my least favourite hit song of 2022 …

#1 …

At the end of the day, the song topping this list is the one I enjoy listening to the least … and, I mean, isn’t that the point of this list?

And this might seem like a surprising pick to some people … it’s not a super well-liked song as far as I can tell, but I’m guessing a lot of people would probably call this song more boring than terrible … and in my opinion, boring is one thing that can make a song terrible. But to my ears, this is much worse.

Let me explain …

#1: “TO THE MOON” by Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins

To anyone who doesn’t know, “TO THE MOON” is a song that just barely made it onto the Billboard Year-End Hot 100. Jnr Choi is the main artist here, as Sam Tompkins is credited because of a sample this song uses of Sam Tompkins’ cover of the Bruno Mars song, “Talking to the Moon”, a song I’m not a big fan of, but I don’t think it’s bad.

Now, why is it that I dislike this song so much? Well, first of all, that clicking percussion gets really annoying in my opinion, and there’s so little added to the sample in the instrumentation, and something just seems off in the production, and I can’t quite tell what.

But I also really don’t like the vocal effect used, and that hook is so annoying to me. And overall, while I don’t know whether or not there was a lot of effort put into this, it certainly doesn’t sound to me like there was. I feel bad for saying this, and I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s the best way for me to describe why this song is so annoying to me. Songs like these that sound so low-effort to me can really annoy me, and I’m left thinking, ‘Why couldn’t so many other songs be hits instead?’

But, of course, these are just my feelings on the song, and I’ll still give props for writing and releasing a song … but when the song sounds this gloomy with a feeling of not much happening, with lyrics I think are terrible, and a hook I find super annoying, with production I don’t like and that annoying clicking percussion … this song is super off-putting to me. So, for me, “TO THE MOON” by Jnr Choi and Sam Tompkins is the worst hit song of 2022.

But, of course, all of these picks are just my own personal least favourite hits of the year. Feel free to let me know what you think of my list, and/or share your own personal list.

Just to update everyone on my year-end lists and other upcoming posts … soon I’ll be doing a post of the top 10 best hit songs of 2022, as well as the top 10 worst albums of 2022, the top 50 best albums of 2022, and the top 100 best songs of 2022. And I also might do a top 25 worst songs of 2022, but that’s to be determined. Also, I’ll try to do another mini review post before the end of the year, but we’ll see. And with that, thanks for reading!