Tag Archives: 500-greatest-songs

When Donna Summer was recording her album I Remember Yesterday, she wanted each song to evoke a different decade. “I Feel Love” was meant to represent the future of music, and as time has gone on, that idea has become a prophecy. Co-produced by Giorgio Moroder and Peter Bellotte, “I …

It took two years for Nicki Minaj to take over the world. Following her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty, she caught the attention of Lil Wayne, who signed her. Minaj became ubiquitous, quickly taking over the charts and winning over rap heavyweights and pop divas with her next-level guest …

When OutKast dropped “Ms. Jackson” in the fall of 2000, the world was stunned. Nobody had ever heard a hip-hop song that sounded anything like this. But there’s never been anybody like OutKast before. The Atlanta duo, made up of Andre 3000 and Big Boi, brought their innovative hip-hop style …

One thing Cher’s career has never been is predictable. As a teenager in the Sixties, she cut her teeth with future husband Sonny Bono and producer Phil Spector. They would produce massive pop hits like “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On” that became staples in the Seventies. …

Only a few rare songs ever turn into pop classics. But this one turned into a classic twice. “Killing Me Softly with His Song” has one of the longest, weirdest stories in pop history. In the 1970s, it hit Number One as a lush soft-soul hit for the smoothed-out R&B …

BTS were already massive in their native South Korea in 2017 when they scored one of their defining hits, the emotional ballad “Spring Day.” It was a poignant tale of grief and loss. Three years later, “Dynamite” showed a totally different extreme of their music, going for dance-floor kicks. The …

When UGK‘s Pimp C first heard Project Pat’s 2002 song “Choose U,” he was immediately taken by the beat. The track samples Willie Hutch’s soulful “I Choose You,” and Pimp C couldn’t believe it wasn’t a hit. When UGK got back into the studio to work on their 2007 album …

In a new episode of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs, Carole King discussed her multiple entries on the list, both her solo hits and ones she co-penned with ex-husband and creative partner Gerry Goffin. Among them is the Shirelles‘ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” the 1960 girl group classic that …

Daddy Yankee’s original plan was to become a baseball player. When a stray bullet hit him, he pivoted to focusing on his other passion: music. The Puerto Rican star ended up becoming an integral part of the creation and explosion of reggaeton, a Spanish-language genre that fuses elements of dancehall …

The Kinks were heading into uncharted territory in the Sixties. The London rockers blew up in the early days of the British invasion, topping the charts with violently rowdy bangers like “You Really Got Me.” But Ray Davies began to explore a new kind of introspective songwriting, telling stories of …