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2012 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 2012 Billboard Number One Hits list caught pop music at a turning point. Club-pop was still loud, indie-pop broke through in a major way, Rihanna and Adele carried over from huge earlier runs, Carly Rae Jepsen turned one phone-number-adjacent hook into a cultural moment, and Bruno Mars closed the year with retro-pop energy.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2012, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list includes late-2011 carryovers at the beginning and Bruno Mars’ Locked Out of Heaven run into early 2013.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using streaming activity, radio airplay, and sales. These are official Billboard No. 1 songs, not personal favorites, playlist picks, or “the song everyone quoted until your phone begged for mercy” selections.

2012 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

  • January 1 – January 14, 2012: Sexy and I Know It – LMFAO
  • January 15 – January 28, 2012: We Found Love – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
  • January 29 – February 11, 2012: Set Fire to the Rain – Adele
  • February 12 – February 25, 2012: Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson
  • February 26 – March 3, 2012: Part of Me – Katy Perry
  • March 4 – March 10, 2012: Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson
  • March 11 – April 21, 2012: We Are Young – Fun featuring Janelle Monáe
  • April 22 – June 16, 2012: Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye featuring Kimbra
  • June 17 – August 18, 2012: Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
  • August 19 – August 25, 2012: Whistle – Flo Rida
  • August 26 – September 8, 2012: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift
  • September 9 – September 15, 2012: Whistle – Flo Rida
  • September 16 – September 22, 2012: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift
  • September 23 – November 24, 2012: One More Night – Maroon 5
  • November 25 – December 15, 2012: Diamonds – Rihanna
  • December 16, 2012 – January 26, 2013: Locked Out of Heaven – Bruno Mars

Song-by-Song Notes on the 2012 Billboard No. 1 Hits

Sexy and I Know It – LMFAO

LMFAO opened the 2012 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with Sexy and I Know It, a late-2011 party-pop carryover that continued into January. The song’s cartoon confidence, dance-club production, and meme-ready hook made it a perfect fit for early-2010s pop culture.

Its run at No. 1 followed LMFAO’s massive success with Party Rock Anthem. For a brief stretch, the duo had pop radio sounding like a neon gym bag had gained sentience.

We Found Love – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

Rihanna and Calvin Harris returned to No. 1 in January 2012 with We Found Love, one of the biggest dance-pop hits of the early 2010s. The song had already dominated late 2011 and carried that momentum into the new year.

Its pulsing electronic production and emotional simplicity helped define the EDM-pop era on mainstream radio. It sounded enormous, but the lyric stayed simple enough for a whole arena to feel it at once.

Set Fire to the Rain – Adele

Adele reached No. 1 with Set Fire to the Rain, another major hit from her blockbuster album 21. The song combined dramatic orchestration, heartbreak, and a massive vocal performance, giving Adele one more chart-topping moment from an already historic album cycle.

Its success showed how dominant Adele remained in early 2012. While much of pop was leaning toward club beats, Adele kept proving that a huge ballad could still blow the doors open.

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson returned to No. 1 with Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), an empowerment anthem built for pop radio, workout playlists, and post-breakup recovery plans. The song topped the chart in two separate runs.

It became one of Clarkson’s signature hits and showed her staying power nearly a decade after winning American Idol. The title had a lot of words, but the message was direct: survive first, sing loudly after.

Part of Me – Katy Perry

Katy Perry’s Part of Me debuted at No. 1 for one week in March 2012. The song came during the extended Teenage Dream era and gave Perry another high-profile Hot 100 moment.

Its debut reflected Perry’s release-week strength during one of the most successful pop album campaigns of the early 2010s. She was still squeezing No. 1 hits out of that era like it had a hidden compartment.

We Are Young – Fun featuring Janelle Monáe

Fun reached No. 1 with We Are Young, featuring Janelle Monáe. The song’s big chorus, theatrical build, and placement in a Chevrolet Super Bowl commercial helped push it from indie-pop buzz to mainstream anthem.

Its six-week run made it one of 2012’s defining pop hits. It sounded like a late-night confession turning into a stadium sing-along, which is a very efficient emotional escalation.

Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye featuring Kimbra

Gotye and Kimbra reached No. 1 with Somebody That I Used to Know, one of the most distinctive chart-toppers of the decade. Its sparse arrangement, duet structure, and quietly tense breakup narrative made it stand out from the louder dance-pop surrounding it.

The song spent eight weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song for 2012. It was strange, elegant, and emotionally chilly enough to make passive-aggressive texting feel artistic.

Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe became one of 2012’s biggest pop-culture hits, spending nine weeks at No. 1. The song’s bright strings, direct hook, and playful crush energy made it nearly impossible to escape.

Its rise was helped by viral sharing, celebrity lip-sync videos, and a chorus built for instant repetition. It was not just a song; it was a national conversation about whether anyone should actually call.

Whistle – Flo Rida

Flo Rida reached No. 1 with Whistle, a breezy pop-rap single with a simple hook and strong radio appeal. The song topped the Hot 100 in two separate one-week runs during late summer.

It fit neatly into Flo Rida’s run of hook-heavy crossover hits, where club energy, pop melody, and a memorable chorus usually did the heavy lifting.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift earned her first Hot 100 No. 1 with We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. The song marked a clear move toward full pop, using spoken-sung humor, a giant chorus, and a breakup message that required no decoder ring.

It topped the chart in two separate runs and helped launch the Red era. The title was long, but the point was short: no, really, never.

One More Night – Maroon 5

Maroon 5 spent nine weeks at No. 1 with One More Night, tying Call Me Maybe for the longest No. 1 run of 2012. The song mixed pop-rock with reggae-influenced rhythm and a hook that proved extremely durable at radio.

Its long run famously kept Psy’s Gangnam Style at No. 2 for several weeks. That makes One More Night a central song in one of the year’s biggest chart “almost” stories.

Diamonds – Rihanna

Rihanna reached No. 1 with Diamonds, a Sia-written ballad that showed a more polished and restrained side of her pop sound. The song’s shimmering production and direct chorus helped it stand apart from the year’s more frantic dance hits.

It gave Rihanna another major Hot 100 No. 1 and helped bridge the year from late-fall pop into Bruno Mars’ retro-styled closing run.

Locked Out of Heaven – Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars closed the 2012 Billboard chart year with Locked Out of Heaven, which carried into January 2013. The song blended pop, funk, rock, and a Police-like rhythmic feel, giving Mars one of his most energetic No. 1 singles.

Its cross-year run made it the handoff between 2012 and 2013. After a year of viral pop, indie breakthroughs, and EDM influence, Bruno Mars ended things with a retro groove and a very big chorus.

About Gangnam Style by Psy

Gangnam Style by Psy was one of the biggest pop-culture events of 2012, but it never reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at No. 2 while Maroon 5’s One More Night held the top spot.

That makes Gangnam Style an important footnote for this page. It was a global viral landmark, became the first YouTube video to reach 2 billion views, and helped show how online video could turn a non-English-language song into worldwide pop culture. It just missed the official Billboard No. 1 slot.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2012

Somebody That I Used to Know Was the Year-End No. 1

Gotye and Kimbra’s Somebody That I Used to Know spent eight weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s top Hot 100 song of 2012. Its success was unusual because it sounded more like art-pop heartbreak than a standard radio smash.

Call Me Maybe Became a Pop-Culture Catchphrase

Call Me Maybe spent nine weeks at No. 1 and became one of the most quoted songs of the year. Its hook traveled through radio, YouTube, celebrity clips, parody videos, and everyday conversation.

Gangnam Style Changed the Conversation Without Hitting No. 1

Psy’s Gangnam Style peaked at No. 2, but its cultural impact was enormous. It became a landmark viral video and helped prepare the ground for the chart changes that would make online video even more influential in the following year.

Taylor Swift Scored Her First Hot 100 No. 1

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together gave Taylor Swift her first No. 1 on the Hot 100. It also pointed toward the bigger pop transformation she would complete with 1989.

Indie-Pop Broke Through

Fun and Gotye both reached No. 1 in 2012, giving the year a strong indie-pop flavor. Their songs sounded very different from each other, but both proved that nontraditional pop voices could dominate the Hot 100.

2012 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

  • Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2012.
  • Call Me Maybe and One More Night each spent nine weeks at No. 1, the longest Hot 100 runs of the year.
  • We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together gave Taylor Swift her first Hot 100 No. 1.
  • Set Fire to the Rain continued Adele’s massive 21 era.
  • Part of Me debuted at No. 1, adding another chart-topper to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream era.
  • Gangnam Style peaked at No. 2, even though it became one of the most famous songs and videos of 2012.
  • Locked Out of Heaven closed 2012 and carried into the 2013 Billboard chart year.
  • Rihanna appeared twice on the 2012 No. 1 list with We Found Love and Diamonds.

Why the 2012 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 2012 Billboard Number One Hits list showed pop music stretching in several directions at once. Dance-pop and club music were still powerful, but indie-pop, acoustic drama, viral video, and emotionally offbeat songs were taking up more room at the top.

The year also showed that the definition of a “hit” was changing. Radio still mattered, but YouTube, memes, celebrity sharing, and online fan behavior were becoming harder to ignore. Gangnam Style did not reach No. 1, but it became one of the clearest signs that video culture was about to change the chart conversation.

For chart fans, 2012 was a year of bright hooks, strange breakthroughs, and songs that became catchphrases almost overnight. The Hot 100 still sounded like radio, but the internet was already knocking on the studio door with a horse dance.

Sources

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