Bop Shop New Retro Edition: Songs We Love From 2012
The search for the ever-elusive "bop" is tough. Playlists and streaming-service suggestions can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?
Enter
Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. And for
New Retro Week, a celebration of the hugest artists, hits, and cultural moments that made 2012 a seminal year in pop, MTV News has looked back to be able to see what lies ahead. We revisited
Frank Ocean's Channel Orange breaking new ground,
Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" defining a moment, and why
Fun's Some Nights kicked off the Jack Antonoff era in pop. We charted the developments and very different respective cultural dominances of both
KCON and
Spotify. We marked
Rihanna's transition into full-on mogul,
Taylor Swift bringing the personalized to pop, and
One Direction reaching for more control.
Right now, for this week's music round-up, we shine the spotlight back on our preference songs from 2012. Get ready: The New Retro Week Bop Shop is open for business.
Kendrick Lamar: "Backseat Freestyle"
"Alright" became the anthem. "DNA" and "Humble" defined a seminal chapter in
Kendrick Lamar's career. Meanwhile, on 2012's breakout success
Good Kid, mA.A.D City, "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Swimming Pools (Drank)" would be believed the hits. Nevertheless few K.Dot songs remain as immediate and bracing as "Backseat Freestyle," a brilliant (re)introduction to the artist of his generation. Everything Hit-Boy does with that rattling beat provides the perfect foundation for Kendrick's declarations as a young man from Compton — assertions that Kendrick, the artist, had long grown out of, even as he revels in them because the narrator of this story. It wouldn't sound as wonderful if he didn't. —
Patrick Hosken
Kesha: “Die Young”
There’s a uncertain pop history that overlooks just how utterly
dominant was the early ‘10s reign of
Kesha Sebert, who was only 22 once her first single “Tik Tok” became a Billboard No. 1. Her booze-soaked, electropop-drenched anthems championing the freedom of being sloppy and hot was no fluke: Her first seven singles across three electrifying albums were all Billboard Top 10s, altogether certified 30x platinum. “Die Young” was the last of that run, and one that didn’t dare break a winning formula: gleeful chanting, massive, thumping rushes of synth and bass, raunchy one-liners (“That magic in your pants, it’s makin’ me blush!”), As well as a screaming promise to party like this night would be the last. —
Terron Moore
Katy Perry: “Wide Awake”
All
Teenage Dreams must come to an end — and if “Wide Awake” is any indication,
Katy Perry learned that the hard way. Released in 2012 on the deluxe edition of the pop star’s smash-hit sophomore album, this poignant ballad sees Perry trade her saccharine pop sound and whimsical aesthetic for a darker, more pensive vibe. “Thunder rumbling / Castles crumbling / I am attempting to move on,” Perry belts on the bridge. Nevertheless in those ruins, she finds clarity: “Yeah, I am place on Earth again / Out of the lion’s den / I don’t have to pretend / The story’s over right now, the end.” I still get chills a decade later. —
Sam Manzella
Japandroids: "The Nights of Wine and Roses"
In the decade since 2012's
Celebration Rock became an instant all-timer in the canon of soul-blazing guitar music,
Japandroids have become shorthand for a sort of "dudes rock" mentality. It's easy to be able to see why. The album opens with literal fireworks, and
one song is all about waking up your bud in the middle of the night to go rage (and your bud enthusiastically agreeing). Although its larger resonance is noticed in the broad panorama all of the perfect
arena rock: telling 'em all to go to hell and simply yelling like hell to the heavens. The loud grandeur of "The Nights of Wine and Roses," as an entry point to this mindset, is brilliant — not just dudes, although for everybody. —
Patrick Hosken
B.O.B featuring Taylor Swift: “Both of Us”
The formula for a chart-topping rap song in the 2010s was simple: a lady pop star singing a short-but-sweet chorus and then some heavy-hitting bars. While “Both of Us,”
B.O.B’s group effort with
Taylor Swift, didn’t achieve quite the same success as 2010’s “
Airplanes,” it noticed both artists embracing their pop-star power in ways they hadn’t before. “I wish I was strong enough / To lift not one, although both of us,” Swift dreamily croons in the refrain, before B.O.B launches into an inspiring examination of class, society, and what really matters. The collab — which arrived months before Taylor burst her nation bubble with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” — came as a little bit of a shock to listeners who would’ve never believed the two joining forces, yet with its sticky chorus, plucky instrumental, and motivational message, it’s become an oft-forgotten gem in both artists’ discographies. —
Carson Mlnarik
Gossip: “Move in The correct Direction”
Fact: Time travel does exist. In the event you don’t believe me, just hit play on
Gossip’s “Move in The correct Direction” and watch yourself be instantly transported back to a dark East Village bar (or whichever local watering hole you frequented a decade ago). The energetic beat mixed with
Beth Ditto’s powerful vocals feels like a shot of espresso, forcing you to move your feet as you dance your cares away. 2012 was a much more innocent time, although with lyrics like “I’m doing fine / One step closer, each day at a time / I won’t lose my mind,” the Gossip proved their dirty dance-floor fillers are timeless.—
Chris Rudolph
Passion Pit: “Carried Away”
Indietronica outfit
Passion Pit’s sophomore album
Gossamer could not have arrived at a higher class of time. As aesthetic-driven Tumblr blogs were on the rise and the term “hipster” had entered mainstream, their euphoric and synthy stylings were inescapable on alt-radio playlists and Urban Outfitters dressing rooms alike. 2012 was a pivotal year for the categorize, marking the release of their first-ever Top 5 album, an appearance on
Saturday Night Live, and the massive success of “Take a Walk,” which would go on to soundtrack a Taco Bell commercial, much to their indie-kid fans’
dismay. Yet, my personalized preference was routinely “Carried Away,” in which lead singer Michael Angelakos weaves an extremely danceable dissection of how his
bipolar disorder affects his relationships. “I’m sorry, sorry about that / Sorry about things that I’ve mentioned / Habitually let it get to my head,” he sings as if it’s a cheer. Self deprecation never sounded — or felt — so jubilant. —
Carson Mlnarik
Marina and the Diamonds: “How to Be a Heartbreaker”
“Rule No. 1 / Is that you gotta have fun / Yet baby whenever you’re done / You gotta be the opening to run.” A decade ago,
Marina succinctly outlined for us a step-by-step fuckboy guide under the guise of an electropop banger. Steps two through four echo the creed of toxic traits to practice, ensuring you don’t get hurt. “How to be a Heartbreaker” is guaranteed to aid you have a good time, although don’t expect any love to come in case you follow her suggestions. File this certified bop under “songs to play while single and not giving a fuck.” —
Daniel Head
Justin Bieber: aesthetics as well as a Beat" (ft. Nicki Minaj)
As pure historical document,
Justin Bieber's aesthetics and also a Beat" is fascinating. Not only is it still a whole lot of fun to listen to, yet with the benefit of 10 years since, the song usually exist at a crossroads of the major maximalist pop conventions of the day. Slick, stretchy verses in the vein of
Phoenix's "1901"; a undulating pre-chorus that piles on the synths; a plunging drop courtesy of Zedd that materializes out of nowhere; a dizzying feature from none other than
Nicki Minaj. The result is greater than the sum of its parts: intoxicatingly whooshing, punctuated by warbling EDM sonics, and as early 2010s as a neon tank top. It also sounds little like Bieber's current output, an excellent marker of artsy growth. Bieber, Minaj, Zedd, Max Martin, and Savan Kotecha — talk about a pop dream team.
Have something to discuss? You can use the form below, to leave your thoughts or opinion regarding Bop Shop New Retro Edition: Songs We Love From 2012.