Pop music has enjoyed a real high spell over the last few decades. We’ll look back on the era in a few decades time and be blessed with the amount of huge acts that have graced our radios, televisions and arenas.
The likes of Ed Sheeran, Adele, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and many more have all played a huge part in changing the face of music as we moved even further into a digital and streaming age. But what are the best songs to have kept us dancing during that time?
There’s of course plenty to choose from, and it wasn’t an easy task. There was plenty of debate amongst our writers, but we finally managed to decide on a top five. So, here it is…
Pharrell – Happy
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We’re starting with what is quite possibly the ultimate pop song and one of the finest ever written, never mind the last 15 years. No matter what type of music you typically like, no matter what your age, it’s an out-and-out foot stomper that can’t help but put a smile upon your face.
Released in 2013, crazily part of its success came down from being in the film Despicable Me 2, which helped it stay in the number one spot in the UK for some time as well as being the biggest selling track of the year.
There’s elements of pop, elements of northern soul, and let’s face it, it’s so far removed from the Pharrell we know from the 1990s and 2000s, which makes it all the more intriguing.
Lady Gaga – Poker Face
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It wouldn’t be a top pop list without Lady Gaga. The superstar has a number of hits that could have made this list, but we’re going with Poker Face, not just for its catchy beats, but for the fact it’s gambling theme came around at a time when casinos were booming.
It captured the landscape perfectly, with millions of players enjoying online casinos, playing the likes of Fire Joker Slot, while also offering up the romance and sex that really sells pop songs.
It was one of Gaga’s first hits and really set the pace for what has been a glittering career for the singer-come-actor.
Adele – Rolling in the Deep
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Rolling in the Deep was the lead single from Adele’s second album and proved that the British artist was certainly not going to be a one album wonder. Released in 2010, it only reached number two in the charts, but certainly deserved better.
It’s believed that she wrote the song in just three hours and is one of her track’s that has enjoyed the most amount of radio plays and streams. It’s got a much more upbeat tempo than much of her other work, which is why it goes down as a pop classic and is the reason this Adele track gets the nod ahead of her other hits.
Daft Punk – Get Lucky
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Pharrell Williams returns again for our fourth favourite pop song of the last 15 years, this time alongside Daft Punk and the great Nile Rodgers. It was a single destined for success and became the first single (outside of charity singles) to sell over 150,000 copies for two weeks running since Gareth Gates and Will Young during their Pop Idol rivalry.
It’s a track that’s certainly an improvement on Evergreen and Unchained Melody, and incredibly was Daft Punk’s first ever UK number one. It’s incredibly catchy and will long go down as one of the great pop tunes.
Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk
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Mark Ronson has largely been known as a hit-making producer, helping the likes of Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Daniel Merriweather secure big-selling singles. For Uptown Funk in 2014, though, his name and face was at the very forefront of it.
It became an instant classic, with Bruno Mars on guest vocals, spending seven weeks at the top of the UK Singles Charts. A labour of love for Ronson, he claimed that it took 82 takes to get the perfect guitar sound, but get it right he did.
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