{"id":614684,"date":"2026-09-13T09:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T09:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/614684\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T09:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T09:44:11","slug":"the-25-best-pop-songs-of-all-time-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/614684\/","title":{"rendered":"The 25 Best Pop Songs of All Time, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Songs. There have been so many of them. How far back do you want to go? What do you want to count as a song? Think of all the genres. Think of what might’ve been sung once and then lost to time, because its time came before music<\/a> was able to be recorded and replayed. What if 25 of those songs, however abstract, were actually better than what\u2019s ranked below?<\/p>\n

Actually, that might not matter anyway, because the focus here is on pop music. Pop music is usually popular, or it\u2019s intended to be popular, even if it doesn\u2019t find a particularly big audience. That\u2019s a distinction worth making, because not all the songs here were hits in the traditional sense. They either were, or they sound like they could\u2019ve\/should\u2019ve been. Also, some of the songs blend some other genres in with pop, but as long as there are recognizable pop music elements there, it\u2019s fair game to be included. And only one song per artist, for the sake of having some variety.<\/p>\n

25 <\/p>\n

“The Chain” (1977)<\/p>\n

Fleetwood Mac<\/p>\n

A possible highlight on Rumours<\/a>, and the word \u201cpossible\u201d is only being used because it\u2019s such a great album, here\u2019s Fleetwood Mac\u2019s \u201cThe Chain.\u201d There are a few other songs from Rumours just as worthy as \u201cThe Chain,\u201d and then there are perfect songs by the band found on other albums, too. Fleetwood Mac is good, you know? To kick things off with the coldest take possible.<\/p>\n

As far as poppy-sounding songs go, \u201cGo Your Own Way\u201d might be the poppiest, but \u201cThe Chain\u201d is only ever so slightly less immediate with its catchiness. It\u2019s got the energy to match that other song from Rumours, and then the way it builds\/progresses is also great. Lyrically, it also represents Rumours at its best<\/a>, which is saying a lot, since the entire album is as memorable on that front as it is on a melodic front.<\/p>\n

24 <\/p>\n

“Waterloo Sunset” (1967)<\/p>\n

The Kinks<\/p>\n

If this were a top 26, ABBA would be here<\/a>. Maybe \u201cWaterloo\u201d would be that ABBA song, or at least be a contender, but instead, you’re going to have to put up with \u201cWaterloo Sunset.\u201d And also put up with no ABBA. Sacrilege, yes. Consider, though, \u201cWaterloo Sunset,\u201d by The Kinks. Can you listen to this song and feel worse three minutes later? Give it a shot, see if it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

The Kinks have a lot of good music, but \u201cWaterloo Sunset\u201d is far and away their best song. It’s not even close.<\/p>\n

Those still seething with rage about the ABBA snub might not feel any better, because their minds are on that, but if you’re not in that camp, \u201cWaterloo Sunset\u201d is undeniably spirit-raising in nature, even while being kind of bittersweet. If The Kinks had a bunch of other songs that were nearly as good, \u201cWaterloo Sunset\u201d might feel like the band\u2019s best qualities distilled into a single song, but no. The Kinks have a lot of good music, but \u201cWaterloo Sunset\u201d is far and away their best song. It’s not even close. There are no other contenders.<\/p>\n

23 <\/p>\n

“This Is the Day” (1983)<\/p>\n

The The<\/p>\n

Like \u201cWaterloo Sunset,\u201d \u201cThis Is the Day\u201d is another bittersweet song, but there\u2019s more ambiguity here regarding the extent to which it\u2019s bitter and\/or sweet. It\u2019s different things depending on how you’re feeling when you give it a listen, and that\u2019s something you can say about many of the best songs of all time. What\u2019s less praiseworthy here is the band\u2019s name, admittedly. The The<\/a>. That\u2019s a choice alright.<\/p>\n

This song\u2019s also a reason why a distinction was made between \u201cpop\u201d and \u201cpopular\u201d early on, because The The don\u2019t typically sound like a radio-friendly kind of pop band. \u201cThis Is the Day\u201d is infectious, though, if you’re willing to give it a shot, and it\u2019s the band\u2019s signature\/best song. The The is sort of a band, anyway. It\u2019s a Tame Impala situation where the band is kind of just one guy (Matt Johnson, in The The\u2019s case, and Kevin Parker, in the case of Tame Impala).<\/p>\n

22 <\/p>\n

“Video Killed the Radio Star” (1979)<\/p>\n

The Buggles<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all very tongue in cheek that \u201cVideo Killed the Radio Star\u201d is from an album called The Age of Plastic, and that it came out right at the end of the 1970s, more or less establishing what the sound of the 1980s would be. Call synth-pop plastic in nature if you want, but it\u2019s still pop, and it can still be great, evidenced here (and in a few more songs to come, too).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also quite a bit to be said here regarding it being, quite appropriately, the first music video played on MTV<\/a>, which was another thing undeniably tied to pop music throughout the 1980s. The Buggles sometimes get labeled as a one-hit wonder band, because of \u201cVideo Killed the Radio Star\u201d being easily the band\u2019s best-known song, but The Age of Plastic, as an album, is better than it gets credit for, even if this particular song is admittedly the standout track.<\/p>\n

21 <\/p>\n

“Style” (2014)<\/p>\n

Taylor Swift<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot that can be said about the music of Taylor Swift (they’re calling that take just now the biggest understatement of all time), and not all of it\u2019s positive. But the good songs have to be appreciated, as does her knack for putting out a ton of good pop music that plenty of people have found hard to resist. \u201cStyle\u201d is one such song, and it\u2019s great enough that it makes most (though not all) of The Life of a Showgirl<\/a> a bit easier to forgive.<\/p>\n

\u201cStyle\u201d isn’t even from one of the very best Taylor Swift albums, though it\u2019s being highlighted here as her single best pop song (\u201cAll Too Well,\u201d as in that 10-minute version, goes a bit beyond the bounds of the pop genre). You can play this one to a Taylor Swift denier, or even a hater, and you’re almost sure to get an \u201cOkay, that\u2019s not too bad\u201d out of them, which is definitely worth something.<\/p>\n

20 <\/p>\n

“Just Like Heaven” (1987)<\/p>\n

The Cure<\/p>\n

At the risk of sounding weird for comparing Taylor Swift to The Cure, \u201cJust Like Heaven\u201d is here in a similar way to \u201cStyle.\u201d It might not be the very best song the band\u2019s ever done, a bit like how some more ambitious songs<\/a> of Swift\u2019s might top \u201cStyle,\u201d but \u201cJust Like Heaven\u201d is the best pop \u2013 or pop-adjacent \u2013 song The Cure have ever done, because this is an undeniable radio-friendly song.<\/p>\n

The Cure contain multitudes, or whatever that saying is. Most of the time, The Cure\u2019s moody and more rock-oriented in sound, yet \u201cJust Like Heaven,\u201d \u201cIn-Between Days,\u201d and \u201cBoys Don\u2019t Cry\u201d prove the band\u2019s skill at putting out songs in a poppier style. Of the bunch, \u201cJust Like Heaven\u201d is the biggest rush, emotionally speaking<\/a>, and also the most cathartic. It\u2019s a perfect song condensed into a perfectly brisk track-length.<\/p>\n

19 <\/p>\n

“The Downtown Lights” (1989)<\/p>\n

The Blue Nile<\/p>\n

If you’ll allow one more slightly unconventional pick here, after the The The shout-out (that series of words does make sense, promise), here\u2019s something by The Blue Nile, which is another band that came to \u201cprominence\u201d in the 1980s, even if the band\u2019s never been particularly prominent. The Blue Nile deserved (or deserves?) better, is the main thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Downtown Lights\u201d is about as good as synth-pop gets, if it fits within that particular pop sub-genre. It\u2019s very moody synth-pop, and also, the album version of the track is about two to three times longer than your average pop song, which might technically make it less attention-grabbing and immediate. Still, what a song, and what a cinematic album<\/a> it happens to come from (seriously, Hats is one of the best albums of all time, thank me later for letting you know).<\/p>\n

18 <\/p>\n

“Dancing on My Own” (2010)<\/p>\n

Robyn<\/p>\n

Just based on the title, it\u2019s not too hard to figure out what \u201cDancing on My Own\u201d is about. The lyrics are also very on the nose, if you don\u2019t happen to catch the title, but that narrative is strong and bleakly relatable (unless you\u2019ve been lucky in life and love) nonetheless. There\u2019s a desperate person longing for someone they were once in love with, and they keep dancing on their\u2026 you know\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the way this Robyn song<\/a> is also energetic in sound, though, beyond the lyrics, that ensures those lyrics hit harder. It is a song you can dance to, if you ignore the lyrics, and maybe even if you can mostly ignore the lyrics, too. But things are hard to ignore entirely. You might not be able to ignore the lyrics entirely. If you can just dance, even if it\u2019s on your own, all through the pain, maybe that\u2019s enough. Pop music can be distressing and emotionally damaging too, you know?<\/p>\n

17 <\/p>\n

“Dreams” (1992)<\/p>\n

The Cranberries<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a big risk that comes with calling a song \u201cDreams,\u201d because if it doesn\u2019t sound sufficiently dreamy, that title is going to look kind of silly, or at least unfitting. The song of that name, by The Cranberries<\/a>, thankfully more than delivers in terms of feeling dreamlike, because it\u2019s one of the most effortlessly floaty and cathartic pop songs ever recorded.<\/p>\n

Chungking Express is a feature-length demonstration<\/a> of how good \u201cDreams\u201d is, or at least a cover of it. Okay, not quite, but throughout the second half of that film, you hear \u201cDreams\u201d a bit as part of the soundtrack, and the same goes for \u201cCalifornia Dreamin’,\u201d by The Mamas & the Papas. Honestly, the repeated uses of \u201cCalifornia Dreamin\u2019\u201d eventually get grating. But no matter how many times the movie plays \u201cDreams,\u201d and no matter how many times you choose to rewatch Chungking Express, it never gets old, like the song equivalent of Paul Rudd or something.<\/p>\n

16 <\/p>\n

“The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1988)<\/p>\n

Prefab Sprout<\/p>\n

One more selfish pick, and that\u2019s it, but here\u2019s a Prefab Sprout song, and it\u2019s one that\u2019s very pop, despite its title. \u201cThe King of Rock ‘n’ Roll\u201d is pretty depressing lyrically, being about a washed-up artist who had a one-hit wonder decades earlier, and now the song itself is decades old, and it wasn\u2019t quite a huge hit either. But it\u2019s better known than most Prefab Sprout songs.<\/p>\n

The chorus definitely contributes to the feeling of \u201cThe King of Rock ‘n’ Roll\u201d<\/a> being a joke song, because it literally goes: \u201cHot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque.\u201d And then they repeat it. That\u2019s the chorus. This song is not here as a joke, promise. It is so catchy, and then once you move beyond the catchiness, it\u2019s lyrically incredibly clever, all the while technically being very lyrically simple. It\u2019s great subversive pop and great genuine pop all at once.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Songs. There have been so many of them. How far back do you want to go? What do…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":614685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-614684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/614685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}