40 best 21st-century pop songs: BTS ranks higher than Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa, another Kpop song included
Recently, TimeOut magazine ranked the 40 best Pop songs of the 21st century. Is your favorite artist on this list?
Recently, America’s TimeOut magazine has picked the 40 best Pop songs of the 21st century. The 21st-century hits selected by TimeOut were released between 2000 and 2021 and can be considered the songs that contribute the most to the prevalence of popular music over the last two decades.
Of course, the song that ranks 1st place can spark controversy because everyone has in their hearts their most favorite track of the 21st century. However, TimeOut’s pick will surely please many people. The champion of this ranking is ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’, Beyoncé’s global “super hit”. Whether you like it or not, this is a worthy song of being #1: “The anthem of single gals everywhere, no one could resist Queen Bey’s leotard and signature dance moves…”
The 2nd and 3rd place on the list are already familiar hits: Rihanna and Jay-Z’s ‘Umbrella’ ranks 2nd while Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ ranks 3rd. Going through this list makes fans feel nostalgic. Even though we’re now in 2021, playing these old songs on repeat would still not make us feel bored or outdated!
‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears takes the 4th place, a legendary hit with both iconic melody and MV. 5th place is well-deserved for Adele’s Rolling In The Deep, 6th place is Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’, 7th place is Amy Winehouse’s ‘ReHab’, and The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ takes the 8th spot.
The list appears a lot of familiar names that you’ve probably heard of once, such as Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ (#11), Justin Timberlake’s ‘SexyBack’ (#12), Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ (#12). #13), Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ (#14), Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ (#15),…
Notably, BTS‘s ‘Dynamite’ suddenly appeared at #23 on the list, ahead of Harry Styles’ ‘Adore You’ (#24), Ariana Grande’s ‘no tears left to cry’ (#25), Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’ (#25). #27), ‘Levitating’ by Dua Lipa (#35),…
TimeOut wrote about ‘Dynamite’ as follows: “The K-pop supergroup has taken over the world and it doesn’t seem to show any signs of stopping. This is the group’s highly anticipated English song, pop bubblegum which is perfectly calibrated, explosive, and feverish from the start, achieving a steady track record over the years. 20 years after N’SYNC said goodbye in ‘Bye Bye Bye’, a “new kingdom” was born and raise the flag”.
Besides ‘Dynamite’, Kpop has one more representative that is not surprising also on this list: PSY‘s ‘Gangnam Style’ holds #39. If BTS brought Kpop to the “top” in the US market, it is ‘Gangnam Style’ that is the stepping stone to start a strong Kpop era of “attacking” in the United States. An addictive tune with the “horse dance”, it’s not surprising that ‘Gangnam Style’ made this list.
40 BEST POP SONGS OF THE 21st CENTURY
(As voted by Time Out Magazine)
- “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” – Beyoncé
- “Umbrella” – Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
- “Shake it Off” – Taylor Swift
- “Toxic” – Britney Spears
- “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
- “Firework” – Katy Perry
- “ReHab” – Amy Winehouse
- “Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd
- “Dancing on My Own” – Robyn
- “Hey Ya!” – Outkast
- “Hips Don’t Lie” – Shakira featuring Wycleff Jean
- “SexyBack” – Justin Timberlake
- “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen
- “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
- “Poker Face” – Lady Gaga
- “Hollaback Girl” – Gwen Stefani
- “Starships” – Nicki Minaj
- “Royals” – Lorde
- “Party in the U.S.A.” – Miley Cyrus
- “Bad Guy” – Billie Eilish
- “Good as Hell” – Lizzo
- “Get Lucky” – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell
- “Dynamite” – BTS
- “Adore You” – Harry Styles
- “No Tears Left to Cry” – Ariana Grande
- “Drivers License” – Olivia Rodrigo
- “Sorry” – Justin Bieber
- “Titanium” – David Guetta featuring Sia
- “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
- “Hotline Bling” – Drake
- “Milkshake” – Kelis
- “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee
- “Bootylicious” – Destiny’s Child
- “Work It” – Missy Elliott
- “Levitating” – Dua Lipa
- “American Boy” – Estelle featuring Kanye West
- “Since U Been Gone” – Kelly Clarkson
- “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” – Eve featuring Gwen Stefani
- “Gangnam Style” – Psy
- “Crazy” – Gnarls Barkley