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DAMN. POP MUSIC IS REALLY HARD TO DEFINE.

We all know “Pop” stands for “Popular”…

but then is a song, by definition, not pop if it flops? Hm. Conversely, does simply being a hit mean it’s a pop song? Is there some kind of instrumentation, production, song structure, or whatever that would definitely define it? Is pop music even worth the existentialism?

See the thing is, “pop music” is not a genre, it’s a state of existence. Rock, hip hop, house, and jazz – for example – are genres, and a pop song can be any (or many) of them. But that state of existence has nothing to do with how it’s received, or any metrics of success that we have utilized over time. There is some indescribable je ne sais quoi about a track that makes it pop vs. not. A sheen, a glitter, a glow. I feel like we can all agree to that. But after lots of thought, here’s what I came up with:

A song does not have to be popular to be pop, but it has to try.

That’s it. It’s really just an intention, right? Plenty of songs try to be hits, but aren’t…still pop songs. Plenty of hits are tracks that just happen to become popular…but are not pop songs (let’s use Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” or 2Pac’s “California Love,” as examples.)

A pop song can be a club-ready, it can be a ballad, it can even make you headbang. In fact, the word “pop,” is incorporated into so many genres we all listen to on the regular… pop rock, dance pop, country pop, synthpop, pop punk, pop rap, etc. It really all comes down to, “was this song written, produced, and performed to be a hit?” When you have the perfect earworm, the perfect hook, the perfect riff and you bring it to life in a way people are just going to “get.” Babe you just made a pop song. And whether or not that was even understood by the artist at the time doesn’t really matter – I’m sure Van Halen, Snoop Dogg, and Oasis wouldn’t expect to see themselves on this list. But they made their beds. Happy to have ya!

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The 500 Best Pop Songs of the Last 50 Years…

This list compiles pop songs from 1975 through 2024 and ranks them in order of greatness – according to me, of course!

And to me, greatness meant, “how great of a POP song is this?” It’s not about the impact of the song, it’s not about the videos, or performances, or outfits, or choreo…and it’s certainly not about chart positions or sales. All of those things can be a testament to the song, but not what makes it great.

Oh, and fyi, I’m not going to justify any of these tracks being “pop” – trust me I have agonized over and gut-checked every single one. If something’s missing, sure maybe I missed it… but maybe it’s not a pop song, or just maybe it’s not a good one (oop). But pop music is about, and for, the masses. So tell me how wrong I am, lemme have it!

Pop Music (*proper noun) is a culturally-shared experience. It can often be dismissed or belittled, but it’s the music that we all know. They’re the songs that are everywhere, and thus become the soundtrack to our lives. I guarantee you most or all of your guilty pleasures are pop songs. Like, if you know how to “do the Macarena,” you have engaged in pop music culture…and c’mon, your grandpa knows how. Pop music – at its best – is great! Let’s f*cking celebrate it!

All the people with taste…ahem…do : )

THE 500 BEST POP SONGS OF THE LAST 50 YEARS