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One of the best parts about making pop music is it doesn’t have to be about anything. Most of them are boiled down to, “I love you,” “I hate you,” “I want to f*ck you,” or “I want to dance with you.” It’s all about how you present it. But stepping outside of that formula can be incredibly rewarding, especially when an artist is willing to be vulnerable. What makes “thank u, next” so incredible is it’s kind of all of those things at the same time. This is not an ode to her exes, this is Ariana Grande’s ode to Ariana Grande. The journey to herself, mapped out by former lovers in this case, is almost nonchalant…as in, she lets it be a pop song. The loves, the hates, the implicit sex; and let’s dance to it.

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Usher is a legend. He gave R&B a platform on the pop charts an entire generation or two owes him for – and let’s get real, the man has some pretty serious bops. As he began to inch towards a more club-oriented sound, he found a brief sweet spot – somehow crunk – that went right into the history books. “Yeah!” is a party anthem for all occasions. Sure, it’s about cheating, but we’re going to move right past that part. Point is, the beat is iconic and it’s catchy as hell. Lil Jon’s hype and Ludacris’s iconic verse give it so much lift and energy that Usher’s swag comes off like a scream.

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Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia was meant for the clubs, for parties, for stadiums…but we were all in lockdown dancing to “Levitating” in our bedrooms. Yet, in some ways it was more beautiful that way. It’s a track that’s lived many lives – there have been remixes with Madonna & Missy Elliott, and a canceled rapper we all immediately forgot existed (deserved), and every single iteration was as exciting as the next. It’s a testament to this incredible melody. From start to finish, it feels like this song has existed for 50 years, a rare feat of timelessness only the most savvy of pop stars can identify in the creative process.

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Having recently stepped away from Take That, Robbie Williams was blazing a trail for himself with his chaotic energy. Yet somehow, that same artist delivered one of the most tender, powerful ballads ever. “Angels” is a breathtaking song; melodic from start to finish, a constant crescendo that builds beyond a height even imaginable from the plunking piano chords in the intro. This song was born to be sung by tens of thousands of people in unison, in a very cool way. And ballads like this tend to be, well, uncool.

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Undisputedly, this is one of the greatest melodies ever written. It doesn’t make sense until it makes sense, and once it makes sense…OMG. Atomic Kitten didn’t last terribly long, but this absolute landmark of a pop song will. It has to. “Whole Again” is basically synthpop meets gospel, and yet restrains itself from reaching the heights of either. And thus its impact hits like an aftershock. This song is as genius as any song you could consider to be genius.

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Updating classic sounds can be tricky. You don’t want to re-hash something already great, nor do you want to try and improve upon something you shouldn’t touch. “Uptown Funk” does neither. Mark Ronson, already a renowned producer, songwriter, and musician by this point, and Bruno Mars…very much ditto, are students of this music. It’s apparent in everything they’ve ever made. And when they came together, they truly created something that honors their musical ancestors while doing something new at the same time. Everyone knows this song, gets sucked into this song when it comes on, and is going to keep bumping this song at every wedding, etc. for years and years.

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There’s a lot of Adele-level talent floating around in the world, but there’s only one Adele. Obviously, her voice is insane and otherworldly – and she’s just all-around “the whole package.” But you have to have the material, and that’s what makes her such a unique talent. And “Rolling in the Deep” made her a superstar unlike any other. This is honestly one of the greatest songs ever constructed. While her voice catapults you into the sky, the roaring bass and drums suck you down into the depths. It’s invigorating! Adele has such an innate ability to craft a melody that just sticks, and this one of her absolute best works.

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There’s a reason Diana Ross, the Queen of Motown, is the legend she is. With her soft-spoken voice that can turn into a belt at the snap of a finger, her ability to interpret and sell a pop song is uncanny – and for decades was borderline unrivaled. Towards the end of her Motown tenure, the Supremes far in the rearview, and disco all but dead in the eyes of the public…she delivered her greatest work. “Upside Down,” in collaboration with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (CHIC), is a dance floor classic and radio staple. With that perfect riff and understated chorus, this is a masterful example of putting all the right parts together to make something brilliant.

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It’s hard to imagine, but a decade ago The Weeknd was considered alternative. His unique brand of electronic soul was making waves, but it wasn’t necessarily making hits – then came “Can’t Feel My Face.” This incredible track entered the zeitgeist at the perfect moment, and the rest is history still being made. Its spectacular arrangement exemplifies how the simplest of ideas hit the hardest – start slow and let it drop. And what a drop it is! That bassline is so much mightier because of how it’s served up. And yet, with all that, it’s still Abel’s one-of-a-kind voice leading that hook that seals the deal.

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Whitney’s voice is unrivaled, this is an established fact. But vocal talent does not translate to success, and she’s one of the most successful artists of all time. It’s the material. And for Whitney Houston, it wasn’t about having great songs to sing, it was about having great songs to interpret. Her superpower was taking anything, and making it her own – as evidenced by her biggest hit, and one of the biggest hits of all time, “I Will Always Love You.” Famously a cover the Dolly Parton single from 1974, this might as well be a completely different song. While Dolly’s is tender and understated, Whitney’s is powerful and cathartic. Every note she sings, every melodic phrasing choice, is intentional and executed as if it is the singular moment the song is meant to be built around. By the time the climax thunders in, her job’s already done. But she takes it up a level anyway.

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