'Everytime' :wub: will always rank in my top few Britney songs. Perfection. Listened to 'In The Zone' a few hours ago as it happens :o

 

More Madge <33 have never been HUGE on 'Into The Groove' but i've been appreciating it a lot more the past few months <3

That and Toxic has to be one of the most killer one-two punches in pop history *.*

 

Blasphemy. At least you appreciate it now thank god :smoke:

Missing You is so underrated, I love that song

Fight For This Love is of course a classic and one of the best debut songs of all time so glad to see it high up here.

Stronger is also amazing and Everytime is one of Britney's best- such a beautiful song

 

Great section Liam :wub:

Missing You is so underrated, I love that song

Fight For This Love is of course a classic and one of the best debut songs of all time so glad to see it high up here.

Stronger is also amazing and Everytime is one of Britney's best- such a beautiful song

Really? I thought "Missing You" would be overrated in these parts...

 

Agree that "Fight For This Love" is one of Cheryl's best, along with pretty much most of her debut album.

 

"Everytime" is Britney's best ballad.

 

Other gems:

• Awesome to see Carrie and Madonna on this list!
• "Disturbia" and "Summertime Sadness" so high YAS
• Really interested to see who's in the top 40!

Continuing at a snail's pace :kink:

 

40 Ashanti - Only U

 

This rock inspired electro-R&B song came some 3 years after Ashanti's biggest hit Foolish; it isn't hard to see why a song imbued with an amazing earworm of a guitar riff like this beats even that! As far as chart peaks go, Only U went one better than Foolish and actually almost topped the charts - albeit on sales of ~20k! Just as low sales are characteristic of 2005 songs, sadly being relatively forgotten is something that can be said for many songs (including this) too.

 

39 Evanescence - My Immortal

 

A slight change of pace now... Just like Only U for Ashanti, My Immortal is Evanescence's second and final entry; the song peaked at #7 in the UK after the huge success of their single Bring Me Go Life. It stands out among much of Evanescence's discography as a stunningly striking piano ballad, brought to life by Amy Lee's gorgeously fragile voice. As the song progresses, the range of emotion Amy showcases gets wider and wider but the listener can feel the pain and heartache pouring from each and every word.

 

38 Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River

 

This is the point where I realise how gender biased this countdown is, as Justin is the sole male in the sea of fab female songs that make up my all time top 40! Released as the second single from his debut album, Cry Me A River is about Britney Spears cheating on Justin, and is still one of his signature songs 11 years on, and it became a transatlantic top 3 hit. The song is full of the falsetto vocal tricks Justim is known for, and is carried by his eternally smooth and sexy voice. It even inspired an answer song by Britney Spears that has already been and gone in this countdown!

 

37 Girls Aloud - Biology

 

This is truly a girlband song like no other other. Many girl groups (especially nowadays) seem to attract endless critics for their lack of originality but, like a lot of Girls Aloud's output, this song and it's creative structure has been highly praised by many. Easily their best song, Biology is best described as a sonic journey though a few different songs. That sounds like a mess on paper, but the end result is what can only be described as just a bit of an eargasm.

 

36 Taylor Swift - Should've Said No

 

One of the few songs in the top 40 that didn't really make an impact in the UK (as it wasn't really released), Should've Said No was the fifth and final single from Taylor's self titled debut. Despite a lack of success over here, the song became a fifth pop top 40 hit from the album in the US, selling over 1 million copies to date. Lyrically, the song details how a cheating boyfriend should've resisted the temptation to cheat and consists of many words and phrases Taylor actually used when confronting the boyfriend who inspired this song, while musically it is a wholly classic Taylor song; a stellar example of country fused with pop-rock.

YES at 'Only U'. So damn good. The bass is everything.

'Cry Me a River' is a great inclusion too.

I am ALL ABOUT this particular bass *.* (yes I just referenced that song, oops)

 

 

35 Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You

 

Finishing off the first five from the top 40 is Kelly's only UK #1 from 2009. Kicking off her All I Ever Wanted era, the song went to #1 in the US too and broke the record for highest climb in one week - vaulting from #93 to #1 in a single week! Musically and lyrically, the song is quite typical Kelly, an uptempo singalong pop-rock song with themes of a love that's so deep it would ruin a whole life if it wasn't there, aw.

 

34 Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody

 

Following 6 amazing 00s songs, Whitney gives the top 40 its first injection of 80s. One of her most iconic hits, Whitney scored a UK #1 with this. This is well remembered for its carefree and danceable vibe, which is of course a contrast from the huge soulful ballads she's also known for. This song just couldn't belong anywhere but the 80s, but at the same time it's just timeless and never gets old <3

 

33 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love

 

And that makes it three UK #1s in a row! This one is from 2007, and was Leona Lewis' proper worldwide debut following her X-Factor winning single A Moment Like This. Upon release, it was a worldwide smash, spending 7 weeks at #1 in the UK and topping charts virtually everywhere in the world, including Australia and the US. And although the following years were swamped with Ryan Tedder creations, he never quite managed to top this - although Leona did... More on that later.

 

32 Christina Aguilera - Hurt

 

Breaking a run of UK #1s is a stunning ballad from one of the best voices in the business, although this should have been a #1 :( Unfortunately, it only peaked at #11 despite following the #1 hit Ain't No Other Man, but has been a talent show favourite ever since! Musically, the song is a classic Xtina ballad but has a seriously touching emotional edge as the lyrics are about the pain of losing a loved one.

 

31 Madonna - Hung Up

 

Just missing out on the top 40 is one of the most memorable songs from the most iconic pop female of her generation! Becsuse I'm a cheap hoe, this is yet another #1 - and a worldwide one at that. This is typical Madonna, a huge undeniable pop track but a sample of ABBA's Gimme Gimme Gimme really brings the song to life. Although pretty much all of her disco influenced album Confessions On A Dancefloor is amazing, nothing quite reaches this high <3

30 Lady Gaga - Poker Face

 

Kicking off the top 40 is ANOTHER #1, Lady Gaga's second UK chart topper and to date her biggest selling UK hit I believe. This song is about bluffing during sex, featuring the iconic lyrics "bluffin' with ma muffin". The video isn't exactly one of Gaga's best or biggest cinematic pieces, but the song is a huge out and out pop anthem that everyone has to love and sing along to.

 

29 Beyoncé - Listen

 

This is not one of Bey's most remembered singles, nor her most successful, but it's very nearly the one I cherish the most <3 Taken from one of my absolute favourite movies Dreamgirls, Listen was released as a single along with the movie and finally reached #8 in the UK after Bey duetted with 2008's X Factor winner Alexandra Burke during the show's finale. Vocally, Bey is at her absolute best here, which is unfortunate for the many talent show contestants who attempt this song each time there's a new series of The Voice, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent or anything else, as only Melanie Amaro, Alexandra Burke and maybe Tamera Foster have really made a mark with the song.

 

28 Katy Perry - Firework

 

A completely different vibe to a powerful ballad, Firework is a hugely uplifting uptempo pop track. Although just like Listen, talent shows have taken to using it, it's just (usually anyway) used as a soundbed rather than a cover song! Firework is arguably one of Katy's best vocal performances, and although it was part of a long chain of "you're amazing not fat/ugly/talentless own it!!!1!1!11" songs, it remains probably the best and sold a million copies, becoming her biggest selling hit to date.

 

27 Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill

 

Next is one of the most inimitable voices of all time with her second biggest hit, which peaked at #3 in 1985! This song is renowned as one of her most brutally emotional and honest, and lyrically describes how man and woman can't ever truly understand each other. Interestingly, this was originally titled Deal With God, as Kate felt that it was a powerful title to suit the song, but with the worry that religious countries such as Ireland may blacklist the song it was swapped to Running Up That Hill.

 

26 No Doubt - Don't Speak

 

My birthday #1 <3 It's odd yet amazing that one of my favourite songs ever was top of the charts when I was born! Still known as No Doubt's biggest hit, this song hit #1 in the UK and even Gwen's solo output has never quite matched if commercially here. Although this is the first and last we've heard from most of No Doubt, Gwen isn't quite done yet...

I'm sensing this is a bit no1curr now so I'll just keep posting to myself, wanna get this done before starting my EOY :P

 

25 Katy Perry - Hot N Cold

 

Finishing just ahead of Firework to be Katy's highest charter here is her second worldwide single Hot N Cold. It seemed like Katy would be a one hit wonder after her smash debut I Kissed A Girl was somewhat of a novelty hit, but it was this song that cemented her as a serious pop force. It gave her another big hit, as well as planting the seeds for one of the biggest pop eras in recent memory which bloomed when Katy released her follow up album.

 

24 The Saturdays - Up

 

From the same year as Hot N Cold, this is another song which cemented the potential of an act. If This Is Love became the girls' first top 10, but it was slightly lacklustre and one could maybe be forgiven at the time if they expected The Sats to be a flash in the pan. That assumption disappeared in late 2008 when this song smashed expectations, emerging as one of the best pop songs of recent times and standing up to this day as a shining example of girlband perfection.

 

23 Miley Cyrus - The Climb

 

The final appearance for Miley is one of her numerous UK #11 hits, the country ballad The Climb. Recorded for the modern cinematic CLASSIC Hannah Montana: The Movie, this was slightly more emotional and mature than Miley's early fun/juvenile hits like See You Again and Fly On The Wall although maybe not as grown up as her twerking transformation :P This was pretty huge and the US and sold fairly well in the UK, probably helped by the exposure of Joe McElderry covering it for his X Factor winner's single just months after Miley's version hit the charts.

 

22 Rihanna - SOS

 

Even though most years since have gifted us with a fabulous Rihanna album, she has never quite managed to best this (although she is still to come with a song from this era)! This is nothing hugely innovative, but it's a stellar pop song with an amazing sample. It also became another UK #2 hit for Rihanna and kept her on the road to superstardom (which of course came later with her Good Girl Gone Bad era).

 

21 Britney Spears - Toxic

 

Just falling short of the top 20 is an undeniable pop classic which probably redefined the landscape of pop as we know it (typical gay hyperbole alert). Even with so many iconic and amazing pop songs under her belt, this is regarded as one of Britney's best. Oh and that video must be second only to Baby One More Time, same can be said for the song though :kink:

 

20 Kelly Clarkson - Never Again

 

Kicking off the top 20 is a hugely underrated song from the queen of pop/rock, one that gets farrr too much hate :( Coming off the back of the colossal Breakaway era, My December was a commercial flop relatively and this lead single only scraped top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. Becsuse of that, no further worldwide singles were released :( Despite that, the angsty and bitter lyrics of this paired with the rocky instrumental make this a Kelly classic in my eyes.

 

19 Alanis Morisette - You Oughta Know

 

Speaking of angst... :P Undoubtedly the queen of bile, Alanis scored one of the biggest selling female albums of all time with Jagged Little Pill and this was one of its bigger hits. One of the absolute essentials when it comes to angry songs, Alanis spits "every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it" among other amazing spurts of anger. I struggle to think of anyone who's bested this in terms of bitter, angry rock songs even in the ~20 years that have passed since.

 

18 Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For?

 

Gwen was well known as the vocalist for No Doubt but this was her solo debut, a song in a very different vein to her work with the band. Influenced by 80s electropop, this stomping pop song ushered in her solo career with a bang and she's never even come close to bettering it since despite two brilliant albums.

 

17 Kelly Clarkson - Sober

 

Another appearance from Kelly in the top 20, but it still isn't quite her last... This is the second best song from My December, the first being the heartwrenching Irvine (which would possibly be #1 if I included album tracks!). Sadly, it was never properly released as a single worldwide, only managed to peak just outside the top 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Nevertheless, it's one of her most heartfelt, personal and emotionally affecting songs and one that never fails to really strike a chord with me.

 

16 Christina Aguilera - Fighter

 

She's had a couple of entries already, but this Christina's highest! Stripped as an album barely ever falters but this is the absolute pinnacle, an empowering rock anthem. Just like Black Cat by Janet Jackson before it, Fighter was a departure from the typical R&B/pop Xtina was known for but stands out among her hits.

 

15 Leona Lewis - Run

 

This is the highest cover on this list, go useless trivia about a random internet countdown! Leona originally covered this in Radio 1's Live Lounge but the demand from fans and hugely positive reception led to it being recorded and released as part of a repackage of Leona's debut album Spitit and reaching #1 in the Uk chart. I did love the Snow Patrol original but Leona just added new emotion to it, this is a song where I just feel every word <3

 

14 Beyoncé - Irreplaceable

 

As with a few other recent entrants here, Beyoncé has had many entries here but this is her highest! This is definitely one of my go to sassy anthems, and has arguably become one of her most recognisable hits. Although it kind of embodies 2006 mid tempo R&B and doesn't alter any formulas, this stands head and shoulders above most songs of its kind!

 

13 Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

 

Speaking of formulaic R&B... :P Again, despite this being nothing groundbreaking, this song just amazes me every time *.* And with such a huge chorus elevated by Jordin's huge voice, its no surprise! Frustratingly, this song stalled at #11 so failed to give Jordin a second top 10 hit but hung around for a while and, I believe, sold quite well.

 

12 Rihanna - Unfaithful

 

That's three in a row of this genre :P Unfaithful isn't as decade defining as We Found Love, as daring as Russian Roulette or as notorious as Umbrella, but it is my favourite Rihanna song! A simple piano led R&B ballad, this became another hit for Rihanna following Pon De Replay and SOS. Rihanna's voice lends itself very well to a track fuelled with emotion like this.

 

11 Madonna - Like A Prayer

 

Just missing out on the top 10 is a song that couldn't be further from 00s pop/R&B :P This is a truly iconic pop song, perhaps her most remembered and best loved although that's a tough one to call with a back catalogue like Madonna's! Everything from the guitar led intro to the gospel choir to the unforgettable chorus just embodies perfect 80s pop; this is my favourite Madonna song for sure.

10 Taylor Swift - Love Story

 

Kicking off the run of the 10 absolute greatest songs ever is one of he biggest popstars in the world right now with one of her early country-pop hits. I still recall hearing this for the first time, I knew nothing of her prior to this because this was before I followed music online properly. It was on 4Music and I was insantly enthralled, her voice was so hypnotising and the melody is always intensely catchy! Then I got the Fearless album and the rest is history; Taylor is the queen of my heart tbh.

 

09 The Saturdays - Higher

 

More recent perfect pop next, this time from Buzzjack's favourite floppy girlband The Saturdays! This was the second single from their Headlines EP and, like Love Story above, I clearly remember my first listen. It was when it leaked, I went on youtube and had it on repeat for about two hours! Everything about this just screams pop perfection - the synths; the huge chorus; the vocals... Maybe not the Flo Rida remix, but I just like to pretend that doesn't exist.

Really great charts Liam! Sad that Leona didn't managed a placing in the album chart, but so many great albums and didn't realise you were such a Carrie fan! :wub: And I literally know like 90% of the songs in your singles list and like them all. Great taste in music. :D

Really great charts Liam! Sad that Leona didn't managed a placing in the album chart, but so many great albums and didn't realise you were such a Carrie fan! :wub: And I literally know like 90% of the songs in your singles list and like them all. Great taste in music. :D

Echo would be top 50 I expect if that helps :kink: And yes I LOVE Carrie more than words can describe <3 I've stanned her since I discovered her in 2009.

 

Thanks for commenting!

Love Story & Higher ❤❤❤❤ Both perfect pop songs!

 

Great countdown so far Liam x

Madonna just missing out on the top 10 booo. But a fine choice to go with for your favourite from her. :wub: As you say everything about it just works.

 

'Love Story' i did not like at the time, but i've grown to get behind it now. And 'Higher' is one of their best so yay for that too.

Love Story & Higher ❤❤❤❤ Both perfect pop songs!

 

Great countdown so far Liam x

They sure are <3

 

Thanks!

 

Madonna just missing out on the top 10 booo. But a fine choice to go with for your favourite from her. :wub: As you say everything about it just works.

 

'Love Story' i did not like at the time, but i've grown to get behind it now. And 'Higher' is one of their best so yay for that too.

It was a tough one :( and you'd have no heart if you didn't grow to like Love Story :kink:

Thanks for commenting :D

08 Britney Spears - Baby One More Time

 

This is probably the most iconic pop song of all time - it must be up there at least! Even in the 15 years since, the hysteria behind this and Britney in general has arguably never been even remotely touched by any act. And for all its simplicity, the song has seldom been outdone. The video, just as iconic, is also still one of the best of all time. I think absolutely everyone knows the song and video just from the first two seconds of either medium being seen/heard, and rightfully so. And pretend you also don't know all the words.

 

07 Kelly Clakrson - Because Of You

 

With the saturation of Kelly all through the chart, I'm sure it's no surprise she finds herself in the top 10 too! This was the #1 in my countdown from 2011, but I'm fickle and things change. In fact, there is a single above it here and I'd rank the album track Irvine as better than this too now, oops. But of course if I didn't adore it, it wouldn't be this high still! This is a gorgeous piano ballad, with Kelly at her emotional best. It's one of those songs that often gets attempted on talent shows, but I'm yet to hear a truly impressive cover.

06 Loreen - Euphoria

 

The newest track in the top 10 is this Eurovision winner! It's my most played track on last.fm, and probably set all kinds of records on my personal chart if I bothered to look. It's also one of the highest scoring Eurovision entries ever and broke the "curse" of Eurovision by getting to #3 in the UK chart. The title is one of the most apt ever too, everything about this song is utterly euphoric!

 

05 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights

 

From the newest track to the oldest! This was released early in 1978 when Kate was only 19, which is astounding given this song was written by her too. Lyrically, the song is inspired by the book of the same name which Kate didn't even read properly prior to writing it (she based it on the last 10 minutes of a BBC adaption) :lol: The song is imbued with Kate's signature inimitable idiosyncratic style, and became her only #1. There is only one UK #1 above it here too!

04 Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

 

Narrowly missing the top 3 is one of the most iconic pop songs of recent times. The demo of this was my life for a couple of weeks when it leaked :lol: As such, it took some adjusting when it was released for real! But that adjustment took all of about 5 minutes and I was instantly infatuated by this. I still believe this is one of the most unique pop songs of our generation, and I'd be astounded if she ever topped it.

 

03 Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes

 

This is Kelly's second appearance in the top 10, but also her last! This was released just before Because Pf You, and gave Kelly her third UK top 10 hit. In this song, Kelly is at her best vocally (which is a given to be fair) but I also find it to be one of her most relatable lyrically. This is classic Kelly through and through, perfect pop/rock charged with emotion and just a little aggression - and the video is possibly her best too.

Ooh the CLASSICS keep coming.

 

'Baby One More Time' & 'Bad Romance' in particular would feature similarly high for an all-time rank of my fave songs. Not my favourite songs from Kate/Kelly in the top 10 but i like them enough. 'Euphoria' getting that last.fm honour too :o

They should be among everyone's faves, smh :smoke:

 

---

 

Finally the end is nigh :o

 

02 Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats

 

Carrie has had a few entires here but this one beats them all, and all but one song by every other artist too! This is just the epitome of angry country; it's nigh on impossible for me to listen and not belt out that sassy chorus :wub: This is rightfully her biggest hit in the US, although it annoyingly never crossed over anywhere else... This is the song that cemented her place as a star too, and showed she can be angrily threatening like Miranda Lambert just as well as being country music's girl next door. Yay for versatility.

 

So that means #1 is...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

01 Demi Lovato - Skyscraper

 

Snatching the crown is a stunning ballad from only 3 years ago! Demi was known for releasing pretty standard pop/rock before this, but as a comeback this blew everything out of the water <3 Although this wasn't even written by Demi herself, it perfectly fitted all of her personal struggles at the time and that can be heard in the raw emotion she exudes in every note of this song. The fragility in her voice just makes is so heartbreaking </3 It's a song I can really relate to as well, especially as it was released during one of the toughest periods of my life. It's a song I hate anyone covering too, because it feels so personal to Demi that nobody else can touch it (except Kelly Clarkson who did a damn good job ofc).

 

 

BTHE >>>> all the rest of Breakaway tbh