In a way, the expansiveness of 2012's soundscape makes it more difficult to place all of the year's best songs into a competitive context. How do you compare the experimental minimalism of Grimes with the abrasive, violence-ridden yelps of Meek Mill? We asked ourselves the same question before sitting down to, track-by-track, listen to the greatest records of 2012 and make our final decisions.

All things considered, and debated, these are the 50 Best Songs of 2012. less