Everybody loves pop music. Even if it’s not your particular music preference, you’ll still find yourself singing along to pop hits, past and present. Chances are that at least one of the songs on the list below will make you want to put on your dancing shoes.
1. Michael Jackson – ‘Thriller’
It’s hard to pick just one song from the King of Pop when, in truth, this list could be full of his hits. ‘Thriller’ came out on top, partly due to the spooky music video that still has people doing the zombie dance to this day.
2. Britney Spears – ‘Baby One More Time’
One of the most recognisable modern pop songs comes from Britney. Her schoolgirl image inspired girls all over the world, who stuck with her through her breakdown in 2007 and still sing along to her bubblegum pop today.
3. The Beatles – ‘Help!’
Here is a group that not only made some great pop songs, but also wrote some of the best English songs of all time. Even after their breakup in 1970, the Fab Four produced classics that generations old and new can appreciate.
4. Adele – ‘Rolling in the Deep’
This 2010 hit was the lead single from Adele’s second album, 21, which went on to receive a string of accolades. Her lovable, frank personality and songs that you could belt out at the top of your lungs helped her cement her claim as pop royalty.
5. Oasis – ‘Wonderwall’
This anthem has to be one of the most popular karaoke songs of all time, at home and across the pond. The Gallagher brothers may not be particularly happy with their rock ballad reaching this pop list, but its unshakable reputation as a classic sing-along song means it just has to feature.
6. OutKast – ‘Hey Ya!’
It’s unusual for a hip hop group to produce catchy pop songs, but that’s exactly what OutKast did when they released ‘Hey Ya!’. This upbeat hit reached number one in the US and had fans shaking what their mommas gave them.
7. Madonna – ‘Like A Prayer’
Undoubtedly one of the best ever pop songs, ‘Like A Prayer’ was surrounded in controversy when it was released, due to its music video. Featuring scenes of sex and violence in a religious setting, it paved the way for Madonna to become a pop icon who never shies away from the shock factor.
8. Beyoncé – ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’
One of the best music videos of recent times accompanies Beyoncé’s smash hit, ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’. The simplistic, black and white video shows Queen Bey performing a meticulously choreographed dance routine with two backup dancers, something that scores of fans have imitated in their own videos.
9. Journey – ‘Don’t Stop Believing’
This power ballad hasn’t lost any popularity through the years, with its appearance in many film soundtracks keeping it alive. The hit TV show, Glee, reintroduced it to a younger audience, whose parents were probably horrified that such a classic could be covered.
10. Justin Timberlake – ‘SexyBack’
Once known as the clean-cut heartthrob of boyband *NSYNC, Justin reinvented his image with the more risqué ‘SexyBack’. It was Timberlake’s first number one single – with many more to come.
Honourable Mentions
Although they didn’t quite make the list, it’s impossible to write a list of pop songs without thinking of ABBA’s ‘Waterloo’, Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, all of which very, very narrowly missed the cut.
How to learn English with songs?
The key is to pick your favorite English song and make learning English fun through the sing along. English songs always contain a lot of useful vocabulary and expressions. If you would like some other ideas for how to improve your English from songs, you could consider some of these:
– Learn English with Songs
Practise your English listening skills and improve your pronunciation with fun song quizzes!
– Lyrics Training
Improve and practise your listening skills with the best music videos. You can sing Karaoke to your favorites songs and fill in the gaps to the lyrics as you listen to the song.
