To be fifteen in Britain in 2012 was to have “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye feat. Kimbra everywhere, Skyfall on every screen, and The Great British Bake Off on after school. That year, gas cost £1.37/L and the London 2012 Olympics on every screen was the new thing. Born in 1997? You turned 15 in 2012 — a teenager from 2010 to 2016, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.
Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.
Somebody That I Used to Know — Gotye feat. KimbraThat xylophone and heartbreak duet everyone knew word-for-word, the definitive breakup song of a whole awkward school year.
Call Me Maybe — Carly Rae JepsenA viral earworm before we called it that, scrawled on the back of every teenager's hand as a joke.
We Are Young — fun. feat. Janelle Monáe'Tonight we are young', wailed with your arms round mates you swore you'd never lose touch with.
Gangnam Style — PSYOlympic summer, and the whole country invisibly-horse-riding through PSY at every barbecue, wedding and school sports day.
Titanium — David Guetta feat. SiaSia's vocal soaring over Guetta's build, unbreakable and enormous, the anthem of London 2012's golden fortnight.
The sound of Britain in Olympic summer 2012 — that xylophone loop and the body-paint video everyone parodied, a bittersweet break-up song that somehow united the whole country the way that whole strange, golden year did. Impossible to escape, impossible to forget.
the year-end #1 was the UK's best-selling single of 2012.
the movies you are watching in 2012
Skyfall
The Dark Knight Rises
The Avengers
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Ted
the tv shows you are binging in 2012
The Great British Bake Off
Downton Abbey
The Voice UK
Made in Chelsea
Sherlock
the games you are playing in 2012
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
FIFA 13
Minecraft
Assassin's Creed III
Just Dance 4
Mass Effect 3
what things cost in 2012
What things cost in 2012
a litre of petrol
£1.37
a pint of lager
£3.06
a 1st-class stamp
60p
a gallon of gas
£1.37/L
minimum wage
£6.19/hr
a movie ticket
£6.60
the average income
£26,500
trending this year
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vine_logo.svg · Public domainVine (arriving)Photo by Stock Catalog (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snapchat_filter_(43252259172).jpg · CC BY 2.0SnapchatPhoto by The RedBurn, Sitic (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:4G_LTE_Logo_Android_4.1_on_the_Galaxy_Nexus.jpg · CC BY 2.54G in the UKInstagram for AndroidPhoto by Ajay Suresh (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Netflix_Streaming_(40845736773).jpg · CC BY 2.0Netflix UK
the gadgets you just got
Photo by Dennis Cortés (Unsplash, via Wikimedia Commons), CC0 (public domain, no attribution required) · CC0 1.0iPhone 5Photo by Ashley Pomeroy (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPad_Mini_Smart_Case_3781.jpg · CC BY 3.0iPad miniPhoto by Dennis Cortés (Unsplash, via Wikimedia Commons), CC0 (public domain, no attribution required) · CC0 1.0Samsung Galaxy S IIIPhoto by Reza Almanda (Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY 2.0Nintendo Wii UPhoto by Tors (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raspberry_Pi_Model_B_Rev._2.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 deRaspberry Pi
what everyone is snacking on
Photo by Rerrj at English Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greggs_sausage_rolls.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Greggs sausage rollWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:McCoy%27s_crisps.jpg · CC0McCoy'sPhoto by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rolo-Candies-US.jpg · CC0RolosAI-generated illustrationFrijj milkshakePhoto by Leigh Harries (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Percy_Pig_(6050229631).jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0Percy Pig
what everyone is drinking
AI-generated illustrationCapri-SunBxxiaolin, edited by Pittigrilli, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Can_of_Monster_Energy_drink_sold_in_China_(0.33_l),_on_white_background.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Monster EnergyAI-generated illustrationOasisAI-generated illustrationFruit ShootAI-generated illustrationLucozade Sport
what made the news in 2012
London hosts a triumphant Olympic Games as Team GB win 29 golds
The Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee with a Thames pageant
Bradley Wiggins becomes the first Briton to win the Tour de France
Felix Baumgartner skydives from the edge of space, watched live worldwide
Photo by Alexander Kachkaev (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fireworks_at_Olympic_stadium_and_The_Orbit_during_London_Olympics_opening_ceremony_(2012-07-27).jpg · CC BY 2.0London 2012 delivers a golden Olympic summer for Team GBPhoto by Peter Trimming (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thames_Diamond_Jubilee_Pageant_(14)_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2989634.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0The Queen marks her Diamond Jubilee with a Thames pageantPhoto by Robin McConnell (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bradley_Wiggins,_2012_Tour_de_France,_Stage_19_close-up.jpg · CC BY 2.0Bradley Wiggins becomes first Briton to win the Tour de FrancePhoto by David Wright (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barclays_Bank,_Hessle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_316549.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0Barclays fined £290m over the Libor rate-rigging scandalPhoto by Georges Biard (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Felix_Baumgartner_2013.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0Felix Baumgartner skydives from the edge of space
what everyone is saying
"omnishambles"Oxford's UK Word of the Year, a total mess
