The 10 Best Singles of 2012

Our pick of the 10 greatest songs of the past 12 months.

! 10. Bruno Mars ‘Locked Out Of Heaven’ True, pint-sized pop hero Bruno Mars does firmly wear his influences on his sleeves (The Police in this case) but when the tuneage is this damn good, who cares?! Irresistible and funky beyond belief, the star of the raunchy anthem is Bruno’s impeccable, ultra-soulful voice. Quite simply the coolest pop star around right now!

! 9. Pink ‘Blow Me (One Last Kiss)’ Alecia Moore sounded a vibrant and powerful as ever on her irresistible summer anthem ‘Blow Me (One Last Kiss)’. Setting out her stall early with the emotionally driving lyrics "White knuckles and sweaty palms from hanging on too tight… eyes on fire, eyes on fire, and the burn from all the tears, I've been crying… I’ve been dying over you” the empowering break-up anthem soon progresses into a pop-rock work of genius. A track that could perk up any broken heart.

! 8. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida ‘Troublemaker’ Lifted from his brilliant album ‘Right Place Right Time’, Olly’s collaboration with hip-hop beefcake Flo Rida is arguably his best single yet! Funky, insanely chirpy and packed with enough to catchy pop hooks to knock out a heavyweight boxer, pop music doesn’t get much addictive than this. Not just a cheeky Essex chap who once sang on The X Factor, Olly is now a fully-fledged pop superstar.

! 7. James Arthur ‘Impossible’ Throughout The X Factor live shows, James Arthur consistently proved he was one of the most talented and musically diverse artists EVER on the show – from rock to Motown to pop, he absolutely nailed it week after week! Showing off his more sensitive and melodic side, his choice of winners single was a cover of Shontelle’s emotionally driving ‘Impossible’. As we’ve come to expect from James, the result was stunning!

! 6. One Direction ‘Live While We’re Young’ Already a true global phenomenon with millions of fans, sold-out tours worldwide and a transatlantic chart-topping debut album, the pressure was on One Direction to deliver with their new material in 2012. Within seconds of hearing ‘Live While We’re Young’ we knew it was wrong to worry! Fun, upbeat and unbelievably catchy, it’s a slice of pop magic that has cemented 1D’s status as the biggest boyband on the planet!

! 5. Rihanna ‘Diamonds’ Apart from her amazing talent and smoking hot image, one of the reasons Rihanna is such a formidable pop star is that she surrounds herself with some of the best songwriters on the planet. Penned by Sia Furler (David Guetta’s ‘Titanium’) and delivered in RiRi’s unique style, ‘Diamonds’ is sultry, soulful, seductive and without a doubt one of the greatest songs of 2012.

! 4. Labrinth ft. Emeli Sandé ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’ One of the most eclectic pop stars in music right now, Labrinth has already given us a breezy summer anthem (‘Let The Sun Shine’) and crunching electro-grime (‘Earthquake’) and his stripped back love song ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’ was just as brilliant. Featuring the amazing Emeli Sandé, the ballad perfectly brings the pair’s vocal talents and is perhaps the most beautiful song of the entire year. Stunning is an understatement.

! 3. Carly Rae Jepsen ‘Call Me Maybe’ At the start of 2012, Carly Rae Jepsen was a relative unknown who’d finished third on Canadian Idol four years earlier. Then one track changed not just her world but also the pop landscape forever – the amazing ‘Call Me Maybe’. The perfect pop song, it fuses sweeping disco strings, cheeky lyrics and breezy feel-good melodies to startling effect. We really couldn’t get enough of it!!

! 2. Robbie Williams ‘Candy’ Reinvigorated after the Take That reunion and signed to a new record label, Robbie Williams’ comeback single was like a breath of fresh air. With acclaimed U2 producer Jacknife Lee at the helm, ‘Candy’ is a kaleidoscopic pop anthem packed with juicy saxophone honks and sing-along lyrics all delivered in the Robster’s cheeky voice. An amazing return to form!

! 1. Gotye ft. Kimbra ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ Just like Carly Rae Jepsen, Australian singer Gotye was firmly off the pop radar at the turn of 2012 but thanks to his Kimbra duet ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ he soon helped to define the year. Centred on a plaintive xylophone plonk, Gotye and Kimbra deliciously bounce off each other in a vocal tug-of-war about a failed relationship. A true understated pop gem that struck a chord with millions.