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Public Radio’s Most Popular Songs of 2022 (So Far)




NPR Music asked public radio music programmers across the country to name their top spins so far this year – and to provide a short description of the song and why it resonated. 

Below are some of the picks, along with links to the stations (including the Colorado Sound) that did the picking. 

 

Beach House, “Once Twice Melody”

On the title track from Beach House’s Once Twice Melody, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally open a musical door that instantly welcomes you into their world with pulsing, electronic indie-pop lushness. The song embraces you with a hug of warm light, opening up endless emotional, yet nostalgic possibilities. —Bruce Warren, WXPN 88.5 Philadelphia

 

Leyla McCalla, “Vini Wè”

Leyla McCalla’s new album, Breaking the Thermometer, grew out of a theater project that explores the archives of Radio Haiti, the first radio station in Haiti to broadcast in the Kreyòl language. “Vini We” is a love song. And it’s a reminder, according to McCalla, that it’s love which offers hope when there seems to be nothing but darkness and struggle. —Elena See, FolkAlley.com

 

Robert Glasper, “Black Superhero”

Producer and pianist Robert Glasper teams up with Killer Mike, BJ The Chicago Kid and Big K.R.I.T. on an uplifting anthem that uses a heavy beat and the voices of a gospel choir to reflect upon our current times and the importance of role models in our society. —Brian Burns, WUNC 81.5 Chapel Hill 

Spoon, “Wild”

Making Austin, Texas proud once again, Spoon returned with its 10th studio album this year. The second single, “Wild,” immediately draws you in with an ear-catching ’90s vibe. To many, Spoon continues to be an underrated band, but those of us clued in can’t help but listen on repeat. —Misti Mundae, 90.9 The Bridge, MO

Related: Watch the Lumineers encounter a guy playing “Ophelia” on the streets of Boston

 

The Lumineers, “Where We Are”

Inspired by a car crash, the gentle melody of “Where We Are” is both eerie and delicate — that disconnected feeling is something many of us can relate to. But The Lumineers land on a positive sentiment (‘It will be OK’), offering just enough to keep us going. — Kurt Wolff, The Colorado Sound, KJAC 105.5


Read more and see the full list of songs on NPR.org 

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