100 Greatest Pop Songs of All Time

The Beatles

Seven minutes and eleven seconds — the "na na na" outro the greatest communal singalong in pop history.

Michael Jackson

The bassline, the beat, the moonwalk it inspired — pop music as a precision instrument aimed at a global audience.

ABBA

Pure euphoria — the piano intro still makes rooms full of strangers feel like they've been friends for years.

Madonna

Gospel choir, burning crosses, and a hook of divine inspiration — Madonna's most complete artistic and commercial statement.

Whitney Houston

Narada Michael Walden's production and Whitney at her most exuberantly joyful — pop perfection.

Kylie Minogue

The "la la la" hook that you will never, ever get out of your head — Cathy Dennis's greatest co-write.

Robyn

The greatest pop song of the 2010s — dancing alone in a club as the defining image of modern heartbreak.

Taylor Swift

The most unguarded, self-deprecating statement from a pop star in years — pure, irresistible fun.

Beyoncé

The most feminist anthem pop produced in the 2000s — the challenge is in every syllable.

Lady Gaga

The "ra-ra-ah-ah-ah" hook and the maximalist production — Gaga's manifesto as an unstoppable pop hit.

Britney Spears

Max Martin's production and a teenager's instinctive pop authority — the decade's final great debut single.

Katy Perry

The empowerment anthem that matched its sentiment with an enormous hook.

Ariana Grande

Pop's most mature response to heartbreak — gratitude as the highest form of romanticism.

Dua Lipa

The bassline and the breakup confidence — Future Nostalgia's lead single as a career-defining statement.

Harry Styles

The most-played song of 2022 — a man in crisis making the year's most joyful-sounding record.

Olivia Rodrigo

Stadium-sized heartbreak from a teenager's bedroom — the streaming era's greatest pop debut.

Billie Eilish

The whispered pop revolution — Eilish subverting the diva template with total cool.

Sabrina Carpenter

The sharpest pop hook of 2024, delivered with irresistible wit by a star finally getting her moment.

Charli XCX

Hyperpop's most commercially successful early moment — a pure, bright burst of joy.

Carly Rae Jepsen

The most self-aware pop song about romantic uncertainty — and the catchiest single of its year.

Adele

The piano opening, the build, the chorus — Hello is a masterclass in pop architecture.

Sam Smith

Vulnerable, exposed, and constructed with the precision of a perfect pop song.

Ed Sheeran

The best-selling single in UK chart history — a marimba hook that conquered every territory simultaneously.

Justin Timberlake

Timbaland's production and JT's wounded confidence — the greatest revenge R&B-pop song.

Rihanna

The song that turned Rihanna from star to superstar — sparse, perfect, impossible to ignore.

Pink

Pink and Nate Ruess — the most emotionally direct pop duet about repairing a relationship.

Kelly Clarkson

Max Martin and Shellback's production — the pop-rock breakup song at its most exhilarating.

P!nk

The toast to the misfits — Pink's rallying cry with an irresistible chorus.

Shakira

Global pop at its most joyful — Wyclef Jean's production and Shakira's undeniable presence.

Jennifer Lopez

RedOne's production over a Kaoma sample — one of the decade's most unstoppable dance-pop singles.

Spice Girls

Girl power as pop manifesto — five personalities crammed into a single that conquered 37 countries.

*NSYNC

The greatest boy band breakup song — pop-rock confidence at the genre's commercial peak.

Backstreet Boys

Max Martin's greatest melody — logically incoherent and emotionally perfect.

Nelly

Pharrell's Chuck Brown sample and a summer anthem that became one of the decade's defining hits.

Pharrell Williams

Four minutes of unconditional joy — the most straightforwardly feel-good song of the 2010s.

Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

Nile Rodgers guitar and Bruno Mars's voice over a track that could have been made in any decade.

Bruno Mars

Disco funk for the 21st century — Mars throwing back with complete sincerity.

The Weeknd

80s synth-pop reborn — the most-played song on Spotify for good reason.

Drake

Afrobeats influence entering mainstream pop-rap — Drake's most globally beloved single.

Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee

The most-streamed song in history for a time — Latin pop's global takeover moment.

Bad Bunny

Un Verano Sin Ti's most purely joyful track — Latin pop making a play for global pop dominance.

J Balvin

Willy William's beat and Balvin's energy — Latin trap as global pop.

Maluma

Reggaeton-pop crossing over completely — Maluma's biggest international moment.

Camila Cabello

The Cuban-American singer's debut solo statement — young Thug's verse and an irresistible sample.

Selena Gomez

Bollywood percussion and a maximally confident pop performance.

Miley Cyrus

The most perfectly constructed breakup pop song of 2023 — Bruno Mars interpolated into self-sufficiency.

Lizzo

George Clinton's influence on a self-love funk-pop anthem of impossible joy.

Taylor Swift

Swift's most nakedly confessional lyric as a pop production — the album's commercial engine.

Harry Styles

The most breezy and sun-soaked pop single of the year — pure sensory pleasure.

Doja Cat

Pop-R&B confidence at its most stylishly unapologetic.

Bebe Rexha

Country-pop crossover as the decade's most relaxed romantic statement.

Halsey

The most emotionally direct thing Halsey recorded — heartbreak as pop maximalism.

Shawn Mendes

The confidence of a pop star who has found his voice — guitar-pop at its most dynamic.

Charlie Puth

Guitar pop with Pharrell-influenced production — Puth announcing himself as a genuine musical talent.

Troye Sivan

LGBTQ+ pop made without apology or explanation — Sivan at his most liberated.

Kim Petras

The brightest, most immediate pop hook of its year — Petras's voice over perfect production.

Lana Del Rey

Dreamy pop nostalgia as an aesthetic — the song that defined an entire mood of 2010s pop.

Lorde

A teenage New Zealander dismantled hip-hop excess from her bedroom — the most quietly revolutionary pop debut.

Grimes

Visions's centrepiece — Claire Boucher making pop music from electronics and innocence.

Perfume Genius

Art pop as pure joy — the LGBTQ+ pop statement of its year.

Carly Rae Jepsen

Emotion's opening track — the saxophone intro the most joyful sound in 2010s pop.

Charli XCX

Hyperpop's most mainstream accessible moment before BRAT.

SZA

Meditation on moving forward as a New Year's gift — SZA's most universally beloved ballad.

Dua Lipa

Future Nostalgia's most muscular track — Giorgio Moroder's influence in a 2020 production.

Ava Max

The operatic pop debut that proved Max's voice could handle the dramatic excess she demanded of it.

Tate McRae

The pop breakup song that arrived out of nowhere and found a massive audience.

Gracie Abrams

Sad pop of extraordinary emotional intelligence from one of the genre's most promising new voices.

Conan Gray

The unrequited love song that defined a certain teenage experience for the TikTok generation.

Olivia Rodrigo

Pop-punk anger as chart domination — Rodrigo channelling Paramore into something of her own.

Taylor Swift

The country-pop crossover that made Swift the biggest young star in America — the bridge alone is worth it.

Katy Perry

Max Martin's best post-2000 production — a perfect encapsulation of new romantic bliss.

Nicki Minaj

The song that made Minaj a mainstream pop star — the hook irresistible.

Iggy Azalea

The Clueless sample and Charli XCX's hook — summer 2014 in a single.

Meghan Trainor

Body positivity as doo-wop pop — the most commercially successful debut single of its year.

Rachel Platten

The decade's most widely adopted empowerment anthem — from weddings to political rallies.

Sia

The belted high note in the chorus is one of the great pop vocal moments of the decade.

Ellie Goulding

The ethereal indie-pop crossover that made Goulding a transatlantic star.

Florence + the Machine

Florence Welch's voice arriving as the decade's most dramatic pop statement.

Marina and the Diamonds

Electropop wit with emotional depth — Marina's FROOT pop maximalism.

Lights

Canadian electropop at its most charming and self-aware.

Walk the Moon

The most exuberantly romantic dance-pop song of its year.

Vance Joy

Ukulele indie-pop — the most gently joyful love song of the decade.

Bastille

The anthemic indie-pop question — "how am I going to be an optimist about this?" — became ubiquitous.

Imagine Dragons

The rock-pop crossover that found an enormous audience on the strength of one drum intro.

OneRepublic

Ryan Tedder's most commercially successful composition — folk-pop with arena ambitions.

Of Monsters and Men

Icelandic indie-folk pop with two voices and a horn section creating something timeless.

fun.

Janelle Monáe's hook and Nate Ruess's vocal — the most theatrical indie-pop hit of its year.

Gotye ft. Kimbra

Art-pop as massive hit — Kimbra's verse the year's most surprising chart moment.

Adele

Drums, voice, and a fury that announced Adele as the decade's dominant pop force.

Doja Cat

Disco-influenced pop-rap — the song that made Doja Cat a mainstream superstar.

Megan Thee Stallion

Beyoncé remix and TikTok explosion — the most confident female pop statement of the year.

Cardi B

The most discussed single of 2020 — provocative, feminist, undeniably effective.

BTS

K-pop conquering English-language pop charts completely — seven voices and total confidence.

Blackpink

The K-pop group with the biggest global audience — four voices and a hook that travels.

NewJeans

The K-pop debut that proved the genre's continued creative vitality.

Billie Eilish

The album's centrepiece — quiet frustration building to cathartic release.

Olivia Rodrigo

SOUR's opening pop-punk statement — teenage alienation as commercial pop.

Taylor Swift

Lover's peak track — vault song to radio staple, a decade after release.

Sabrina Carpenter

Short n' Sweet's funniest and most emotionally honest single — pop perfection.

Charli XCX

BRAT's opening statement — hyperpop confidence as the summer's defining aesthetic.

What is the greatest pop song of all time?

"Hey Jude" by The Beatles is most frequently cited, though "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson and "Dancing Queen" by ABBA regularly challenge it for the title.

What was the best-selling pop single ever?

"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran is the best-selling digital single in UK chart history. Globally, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi was the first song to reach 5 billion Spotify streams.

Who is the greatest pop star of all time?

Michael Jackson and Madonna are most commonly cited as the greatest pop stars in history, with Taylor Swift frequently mentioned as the greatest of the current era.

What defines a great pop song?

A great pop song requires a memorable hook, an instantly recognisable production, and an emotional core that connects across demographics. The best ones make the complicated feel simple.