The Official Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2022
Harry Styles claimed the UK's Official biggest song of 2022 with As It Was, the Official Charts Company can confirm today.
The lead single from Harry's third solo album Harry's House shifted 1.57 million chart units since its release in April 2022 to the year-end. As It Was also holds the distinction of being the UK's longest-running Number 1 of 2022, managing an epic 10 weeks at the top of the Official Singles Chart. The synth-pop track became Harry's second UK chart-topper, following 2017's debut single Sign Of The Times.
As It Was also leads the pack as the most-streamed song of the year, totalling over 180.9 million audio and video streams, and best-selling song physically and digitally with 65,000 copies sold. It also means Harry Styles lands the end-of-year chart double too, as Harry's House is crowned the UK biggest album of 2022.
MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2022
Harry leads an all-British takeover of the Top 10 biggest tracks of the year in the UK, marking the first time ever that all ten of the year's most successful singles were released by, or featured, British artists - including Harry, Cat Burns, Scottish DJs LF SYSTEM, Sam Fender, Glass Animals and Kate Bush. It's the first time such a clean sweep for British music has happened since the music industry began publishing year-end sales charts more than 50 years ago.
See where Harry Styles' songs and albums charted.
2022 also continued the growth of streaming as the dominant way UK music fans consume their favourite songs and artists. The BPI calculates that more than 3 billion audio streams were generated on average every week in 2022, compared to around 1.3 billion each week five years earlier.
The UK’s audio streaming market has grown to meet this demand - more doubling from 68.1 billion to 159.3 billion audio streams and was last year over 40 times bigger than in 2012 (3.7bn audio streams). It now takes, on average, 1.3 million audio streams to break into the Official Singles Chart Top 40 and a combined 7 million audio and video streams to land a UK Number 1 single.
In second place is Ed Sheeran with 2021's biggest song, Bad Habits, which gobbled up 1.18 million chart units throughout 2022, proving Ed's reach is just as dynamic and powerful as ever. This year also saw Ed break a major Official Charts record - becoming the first artist ever to have four albums chart inside the Official Albums Chart Top 10 for a year or more.
Rounding out the Top 5 we have Ed once again, this time teaming up with Afrobeats superstar Fireboy DML on Peru (3), breakout BRITs Rising Star nominee Cat Burns with her Number 2-peaking single Go (4), and Ed's third entry, the scintillating former Number 1 single Shivers (5).
2022 also saw the year of an extraordinary renaissance for one of Britain's greatest pop stars. Kate Bush reaped the rewards of an intelligently placed sync of her 1985 single Running Up That Hill (6) in the fourth season of Netflix's landmark series Stranger Things. The song resonated with a new generation, enabling it to (finally) reach Number 1 in the UK, 35 years after its initial release, breaking a trio of Official Charts records in the process.
The extraordinary story of Running Up That Hill's renaissance and UK chart history
Also earning a place in the 2022 Top 10, we have Glass Animals' TikTok anthem Heat Waves (7), Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott's slow-burning hit Where Are You Now (8), LF SYSTEM's breakout Number 1 Afraid To Feel (9) and Sam Fender's first UK Top 10 single, Seventeen Going Under (10).
The cast of Encanto score two of the Top 40, with their record-breaking Number 1 smash We Don't Talk About Bruno landing at Number 11, and Surface Pressure finishing at Number 39.
More 2022 chart-toppers to make the year-end list include Starlight by Dave (14), abcdefu by Gayle (17), Unholy by Sam Smith & Kim Petras (31), and Forget Me by Lewis Capaldi (40).
2022's fastest-selling singles
As It Was also lays claim to another title this year - that of 2022's biggest first week for a single in the UK. In its opening seven days, As It Was pushed past 94,000 chart units, more than any other track this year.
As for the fastest-seller in its first week based on pure sales, that honour goes to LadBaby's record-breaking Official Christmas Number 1, Food Aid. The charity track totalled over 59,000 first-week copies, becoming the most-downloaded song of the year in the process too.
Breakout hits
Despite releasing her single Go originally in 2020, it was two years later that Cat Burns experienced the most extraordinary breakout year with the track peaking at Number 2 on the Official Singles Chart, and Cat getting nominated for the BRITs Rising Star Award and placing fourth on the BBC's Sound Of...2023 poll.
Dance music was also back in a big way this year, spearheaded by two rising UK acts who scored their first UK Number 1 singles; LF SYSTEM's Afraid To Feel (9) and Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal's B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All) (24) rank as two of the greatest successes of the year.
Other major dance releases include Irish duo Belters Only's Make Me Feel Good ft. Jazzy (12), Where Did You Go by Jax Jons ft. MNEK (16), Australian DJ Luude's hit Down Under with Colin Hay (23), and I'm Good (Blue) by David Guetta & Bebe Rexha (25) which spent a week at Number 1, netting Bebe her first chart-topper in the UK.
MORE: Official Charts' Artists To Watch for 2023
Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2022
POS | TITLE | ARTIST | PEAK |
1 | AS IT WAS | HARRY STYLES | 1 |
2 | BAD HABITS | ED SHEERAN | 1 |
3 | PERU | FIREBOY DML & ED SHEERAN | 2 |
4 | GO | CAT BURNS | 2 |
5 | SHIVERS | ED SHEERAN | 1 |
6 | RUNNING UP THAT HILL | KATE BUSH | 1 |
7 | HEAT WAVES | GLASS ANIMALS | 5 |
8 | WHERE ARE YOU NOW | LOST FREQUENCIES/CALUM SCOTT | 3 |
9 | AFRAID TO FEEL | LF SYSTEM | 1 |
10 | SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER | SAM FENDER | 3 |
11 | WE DON'T TALK ABOUT BRUNO | GAITAN/CASTILLO/ADASSA/FELIZ | 1 |
12 | MAKE ME FEEL GOOD | BELTERS ONLY FT JAZZY | 4 |
13 | COLD HEART | ELTON JOHN & DUA LIPA | 1 |
14 | STARLIGHT | DAVE | 1 |
15 | GREEN GREEN GRASS | GEORGE EZRA | 3 |
16 | WHERE DID YOU GO | JAX JONES FT MNEK | 7 |
17 | ABCDEFU | GAYLE | 1 |
18 | BABY | AITCH/ASHANTI | 2 |
19 | ABOUT DAMN TIME | LIZZO | 3 |
20 | I AIN'T WORRIED | ONEREPUBLIC | 3 |
21 | CRAZY WHAT LOVE CAN DO | DAVID GUETTA/HILL/HENDERSON | 5 |
22 | EASY ON ME | ADELE | 1 |
23 | DOWN UNDER | LUUDE FT COLIN HAY | 5 |
24 | B.O.T.A. (BADDEST OF THEM ALL) | ELIZA ROSE/INTERPLANETARY | 1 |
25 | I'M GOOD (BLUE) | DAVID GUETTA & BEBE REXHA | 1 |
26 | LAST LAST | BURNA BOY | 4 |
27 | ANOTHER LOVE | TOM ODELL | 10 |
28 | FIRST CLASS | JACK HARLOW | 2 |
29 | MR BRIGHTSIDE | KILLERS | 10 |
30 | STAY | KID LAROI & JUSTIN BIEBER | 2 |
31 | UNHOLY | SAM SMITH & KIM PETRAS | 1 |
32 | LATE NIGHT TALKING | HARRY STYLES | 2 |
33 | OVERSEAS | D-BLOCK EUROPE FT CENTRAL CEE | 6 |
34 | BAM BAM | CAMILA CABELLO FT ED SHEERAN | 7 |
35 | LAST CHRISTMAS | WHAM | 1 |
36 | ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU | MARIAH CAREY | 1 |
37 | SAVE YOUR TEARS | THE WEEKND | 2 |
38 | BREAK MY SOUL | BEYONCE | 2 |
39 | SURFACE PRESSURE | JESSICA DARROW | 3 |
40 | FORGET ME | LEWIS CAPALDI | 1 |
©2023 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Compiled using physical and digital sales combined with streaming figures.
Official Top 40 most-streamed songs of 2022
POS | TITLE | ARTIST |
1 | AS IT WAS | HARRY STYLES |
2 | BAD HABITS | ED SHEERAN |
3 | GO | CAT BURNS |
4 | PERU | FIREBOY DML & ED SHEERAN |
5 | HEAT WAVES | GLASS ANIMALS |
6 | SHIVERS | ED SHEERAN |
7 | WE DON'T TALK ABOUT BRUNO | GAITAN/CASTILLO/ADASSA/FELIZ |
8 | RUNNING UP THAT HILL | KATE BUSH |
9 | WHERE ARE YOU NOW | LOST FREQUENCIES/CALUM SCOTT |
10 | MAKE ME FEEL GOOD | BELTERS ONLY FT JAZZY |
11 | STARLIGHT | DAVE |
12 | AFRAID TO FEEL | LF SYSTEM |
13 | SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER | SAM FENDER |
14 | COLD HEART | ELTON JOHN & DUA LIPA |
15 | EASY ON ME | ADELE |
16 | OVERSEAS | D-BLOCK EUROPE FT CENTRAL CEE |
17 | BABY | AITCH/ASHANTI |
18 | GREEN GREEN GRASS | GEORGE EZRA |
19 | ABCDEFU | GAYLE |
20 | ANOTHER LOVE | TOM ODELL |
21 | LAST LAST | BURNA BOY |
22 | I AIN'T WORRIED | ONEREPUBLIC |
23 | ABOUT DAMN TIME | LIZZO |
24 | WHERE DID YOU GO | JAX JONES FT MNEK |
25 | DOWN UNDER | LUUDE FT COLIN HAY |
26 | STAY | KID LAROI & JUSTIN BIEBER |
27 | CRAZY WHAT LOVE CAN DO | DAVID GUETTA/HILL/HENDERSON |
28 | SURFACE PRESSURE | JESSICA DARROW |
29 | B.O.T.A. (BADDEST OF THEM ALL) | ELIZA ROSE/INTERPLANETARY |
30 | BMW | BAD BOY CHILLER CREW |
31 | MR BRIGHTSIDE | KILLERS |
32 | SAVE YOUR TEARS | WEEKND |
33 | FIRST CLASS | JACK HARLOW |
34 | I'M GOOD (BLUE) | DAVID GUETTA & BEBE REXHA |
35 | LAST CHRISTMAS | WHAM |
36 | ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU | MARIAH CAREY |
37 | UNHOLY | SAM SMITH & KIM PETRAS |
38 | BAM BAM | CAMILA CABELLO FT ED SHEERAN |
39 | LATE NIGHT TALKING | HARRY STYLES |
40 | UNDER THE INFLUENCE | CHRIS BROWN |
©2023 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Compiled using audio and video streams.
Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 2022
POS | TITLE | ARTIST |
1 | AS IT WAS | HARRY STYLES |
2 | FOOD AID | LADBABY |
3 | SPACE MAN | SAM RYDER |
4 | GREEN GREEN GRASS | GEORGE EZRA |
5 | I'M GOOD (BLUE) | DAVID GUETTA & BEBE REXHA |
6 | CHRISTMAS DRILLINGS | SIDEMEN |
7 | RUNNING UP THAT HILL | KATE BUSH |
8 | AFRAID TO FEEL | LF SYSTEM |
9 | WHERE ARE YOU NOW | LOST FREQUENCIES/CALUM SCOTT |
10 | FORGET ME | LEWIS CAPALDI |
11 | F**K THE TORIES | K**TS |
12 | THE JOKER AND THE QUEEN | ED SHEERAN |
13 | CRAZY WHAT LOVE CAN DO | DAVID GUETTA/HILL/HENDERSON |
14 | WHERE DID YOU GO | JAX JONES FT MNEK |
15 | PERU | FIREBOY DML & ED SHEERAN |
16 | ABOUT DAMN TIME | LIZZO |
17 | CELESTIAL | ED SHEERAN |
18 | COLD HEART | ELTON JOHN & DUA LIPA |
19 | ANYONE FOR YOU | GEORGE EZRA |
20 | MAKE ME FEEL GOOD | BELTERS ONLY FT JAZZY |
21 | BAM BAM | CAMILA CABELLO FT ED SHEERAN |
22 | HOLD MY HAND | LADY GAGA |
23 | WE DON'T TALK ABOUT BRUNO | GAITAN/CASTILLO/ADASSA/FELIZ |
24 | BREAK MY SOUL | BEYONCE |
25 | SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER | SAM FENDER |
26 | BAD HABITS | ED SHEERAN |
27 | SHIVERS | ED SHEERAN |
28 | I AIN'T WORRIED | ONEREPUBLIC |
29 | UNHOLY | SAM SMITH & KIM PETRAS |
30 | B.O.T.A. (BADDEST OF THEM ALL) | ELIZA ROSE/INTERPLANETARY |
31 | LATE NIGHT TALKING | HARRY STYLES |
32 | HOLD ME CLOSER | ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS |
33 | BIG ENERGY | LATTO/MARIAH CAREY/DJ KHALED |
34 | ALL FOR YOU | CIAN DUCROT |
35 | ABCDEFU | GAYLE |
36 | UNSTOPPABLE | SIA |
37 | NOT OVER YET | KSI FT TOM GRENNAN |
38 | DOWN UNDER | LUUDE FT COLIN HAY |
39 | GO | CAT BURNS |
40 | KISS ME | DERMOT KENNEDY |
©2023 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Compiled using physical and digital download sales only.
MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2023 so far
MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2023 so far
Related artists
AITCH
ASHANTI
BEBE REXHA
BELTERS ONLY
BEYONCE
BURNA BOY
CALUM SCOTT
CAMILA CABELLO
CAT BURNS
CENTRAL CEE
D-BLOCK EUROPE
DAVE
DUA LIPA
ED SHEERAN
ELIZA ROSE
ELTON JOHN
FIREBOY DML
GAITAN/
CASTILLO/ ADASSA/ FELIZ GAYLE
GEORGE EZRA
GLASS ANIMALS
HARRY STYLES
JACK HARLOW
JAX JONES
JUSTIN BIEBER
KATE BUSH
KIM PETRAS
LEWIS CAPALDI
LF SYSTEM
LIZZO
LOST FREQUENCIES
MARIAH CAREY
MNEK
ONEREPUBLIC
SAM FENDER
SAM SMITH
TOM ODELL
WHAM!
Join the conversation by joining the Official Charts community and dropping comment.
Already registered?
Log in
No account?
Register
Sidney Kitty
How was BLACKPINK's Shut Down or Pink Venom not apart?
Ger Forde
Any chance OCC of revealing the year-end charts for Ireland?!
Rob Parkinson
Great to see One Republic getting in top 20, all the songs that went No.1 above it, all finished lower - BOTA, I'm good, unholy and the no.2s. Obviously this can be said for a few singles especially all those fighting when Harry was No.1, have to feel for belters only here who have way outsold many No.1s too but was such fierce competition at the top of the charts at the time it's good to see what songs we're performing over all and not just for a week or 2 before flying out
Brett
The right song is no1. The popularity of Mr Brightside is unreal. Good to see Tom Odell in there but a shame most people liking Another love don't listen to the rest of his catalogue! Love the quirk that both songs with such longevity peaked at no 10 back when we had a real chart.
Piran
'Food Aid', 'Christmas Drillings' & 'F**k The Tories' being as high as they are on the sales list just shows how dead downloads are outside of Christmas! 😭
Glad to see 'Afraid To Feel' & especially 'Seventeen Going Under' sneaking in the Top 10 of the overall chart though. :)
H
HazDaSprinter
I'm not actually angry at this chart. Just 1 thing: WHY ISNT DOJA by CENTRAL CEE HERE???
C
Conor
its in the mid 70s region, don't know the exact number. it is in the top 100 though
NN
Nu No
Taylor Swift is not on ANY of these TOP 40 Song Charts of 2022?
Not on Official TOP 40 and not even Streaming only or Pure Sales Chart?
This means that basically her huge album sales come mostly from a group of a few thousands fans that had most of them buying most of the 29 different versions of the album and streaming most of the songs there non-stop since it was out.
Congrats to Ed Sheeran! The #01 song of 2021 was still #02 in 2022 and he end up having 3 songs inside the Year End TOP 5 and 4 inside the TOP 40! He also had 6 songs among the Year End Pure Sales TOP 40 which is VERY IMPRESSIVE!
G
George
You're forgetting that Taylor Swift's album and singles came out in late October, they never had much chance on catching up to the Top 100 for the rest of the year which had most of the year to collect sales compared to Swift who only had 9-10 weeks to do so, it's not really a fair comparison.
J
JK
That wasn't a problem for Adele last year, so what Nu No said is totally true, a rabid small but loud fan base is disturbing the market buying the 29 versiones of the same songs and albums of TS, she manipulates so easily her minions