New York. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Our sonic roundup of the era that brought us Miami Vice , mall culture and more awesomely cheesy entertainment than any sane person can handle is wonderfully diverse. Thirsty for more essentials from way back when?

50. ‘Gimme Shelter’ — The Rolling Stones
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Blige and Florence Welch. It was also the fifth-bestselling song in the U. The song caused a stir among some religious groups, who feared that the Stones were devil-worshippers. However, in a interview with Rolling Stone , Mick Jagger said the song was an idea he got from French writing. However, this ended up being a bonus; he embraced the unique sound and added even more interest by wrapping a piece of wax paper around the strings of his guitar. And it gave him his first No.
49. ‘One’ — U2
What makes a pop song a classic? A catchy melody, for sure. A beat that makes you want to move. Lyrics that speak to your heart and head. And a voice that catches your ear and holds your attention. The best pop songs contain all of these elements and more. Scientists at the University of London who have studied the psychology of pop music have identified three elements that make a song grab your attention:. Ask a group of songwriters what makes a pop song great and you're likely to get a number of different answers.
Follow Billboard. All rights reserved. Here, we revisit the ranking's biggest hits of all-time. On Aug. Sixty years later, the chart remains the gold-standard ranking of America's top songs each week. And while what goes into a hit has changed bye, bye jukebox play; hello, streaming! The Twist - Chubby Checker The only song to rule the Billboard Hot in separate release cycles one week in , two in , thanks to adults catching on to the song and its namesake dance after younger audiences popularized them. Smooth - Santana Feat. Rob Thomas. Uptown Funk!