the summer of
What it was like to be 15 in 2012 in America
To be fifteen in America in 2012 was to have “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye everywhere, The Avengers on every screen, and The Big Bang Theory on after school. That year, gas cost $3.64 and the Tesla Model S 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.
▶ Play your 2012 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.
the mixtape of 2012
Somebody That I Used to Know — Gotye
- Somebody That I Used to Know — GotyeThat xylophone and slow build was the breakup everyone dissected in the group chat all summer.
- Call Me Maybe — Carly Rae JepsenYou scribbled a number you'd never call, and the whole grade sang the maybe like a promise.
- We Are Young — fun.Carry-me-home hollered from car roofs at 2 a.m., young and invincible and sure it'd last.
- Some Nights — fun.That distorted howl over stomping drums was every question you had about who you were becoming.
- Ho Hey — The LumineersHo, hey; a stomp-clap campfire singalong that made falling in love feel handmade and true.
why this one mattered
The body-paint music video and that quiet-to-explosive heartbreak chorus owned 2012 for teens — a song everyone knew the words to and tied to their first real breakup or crush. Endlessly parodied and covered, it defined the year's emotional vocabulary.
the year-end #1 was this very song — Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye.
the movies you are watching in 2012
- The Avengers
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Hunger Games
- Skyfall
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
the tv shows you are binging in 2012
- The Big Bang Theory
- The Walking Dead
- Game of Thrones
- Modern Family
- Breaking Bad
the games you are playing in 2012
- New Super Mario Bros. 2
- Just Dance 4
- Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
- New Super Mario Bros. U
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II
what things cost in 2012
| Gas (per gallon) | $3.64 |
|---|---|
| Movie ticket | $7.96 |
| First-class stamp | 45 cents |
| minimum wage | $7.25/hr |
| the average income | $51,017 |
trending this year
the gadgets you just got
what everyone is snacking on
what everyone is drinking
what made the news in 2012
- Obama wins reelection, defeating Mitt Romney for a second White House term
- Superstorm Sandy slams the Northeast, flooding New York City's streets and subways
- The Sandy Hook shooting leaves a Connecticut elementary school in mourning
- Felix Baumgartner skydives from the stratosphere, breaking the sound barrier in freefall
what everyone is saying
top-performing stocks in 2012
| Company | Ticker | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America | BAC | $11.61 | +109% |
| Sprint Nextel | S | $5.67 | +143% |
| PulteGroup | PHM | $18.16 | +188% |
| Whirlpool | WHR | $101.76 | +115% |
| Netflix | NFLX | $92.59 | +34% |
worst-performing stocks in 2012
| Company | Ticker | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hewlett-Packard | HPQ | $14.25 | -45% |
| Advanced Micro Devices | AMD | $2.40 | -56% |
| Best Buy | BBY | $11.85 | -49% |
| Apollo Group | APOL | $20.92 | -61% |
| Cliffs Natural Resources | CLF | $38.59 | -39% |
the summer of 2012.
you can't wait to be older.