Top 10 Greatest Years in Pop Music History
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the ten greatest years in the history of pop music!
#10: 2009
Something special was brewing in 2009. Lady Gaga was dominating the charts after the release of The Fame, Black Eyed Peas had transitioned over to a much more anthemic electro-pop sound with The E.N.D. and overall, pop music was in a celebratory mood. Music didnt take itself too seriously in 2009 - and whether it was telling you to just dance, or that tonight was gonna be a good night, life was a lot simpler back then. Big breakthrough releases for Katy Perry, Jason Mraz, Drake, and a reinvented Miley Cyrus made this one a year worth remembering.
#9: 2016
2016 was truly a landmark year for the modernization of music.Streaming services like Spotify began to take over from radio. Huge releases from Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce, and Drake were just part of the reason why this one sticks in the memory. And these artists werent just dropping great singles either. No, they each managed to put out landmark full-album releases. Sure, losing David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, and George Michael in one calendar year sucked, but the newer generation were very clearly delivering the goods - and 2016 stands alone as perhaps the greatest year for pop music of the 2010s.
#8: 1989
When it comes to underrated years in pop music, 1989 is certainly one that doesnt get mentioned enough. Living legends like Prince and Madonna were at the very top of their game and with the growing popularity of hip-hop, the range of music making its way across airwaves was never greater. 1989 was a melting pot of musical styles - with metal, grunge, rap, and a number of electronic genres all finding a home on the same charts. From the Pixies to Public Enemy and Chaka Khan to Lou Reed, this was a year that brought us a little bit of everything and most of it was pretty darn good.
#7: 1977
Fleetwood Mac released Rumours in 1977. Need we say anymore? This year will always be remembered due to us losing the King, Elvis Presley, to an untimely death - but in terms of pure music, there was a lot to love. Disco was hitting its stride in a huge way - especially after the release of Saturday Night Fever. The Bee Gees smash hit Stayin Alive might just be the greatest song the genre ever produced. If its not, then how about Donna Summers I Feel Love? Beyond disco, we were seeing the emergence of punk-bands like The Sex Pistols and The Ramones on a mainstream level - and there was even room for big releases from hard-rockers like Motorhead and AC/DC, among others.
#6: 1999
Prince really wasnt joking when he told us to party like its 1999. This year was jam-packed with super-successful pop classics, from the RnB-tinged anthems of Destinys Child and TLC to the Latin grooves of Santana and Ricky Martin. We also got some straight-up pop gems this year courtesy of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Hip-hop was also in full-swing, and the emergence of Eminem as a legitimate A-list celebrity brought the genre to new heights. Sure, Woodstock 99 was a total disaster that completely missed the point of the 1969 original, but 1999 just has so much going for it that its impossible to rank it any lower.
#5: 1956
1956 was an iconic year for many reasons and the sheer amount of legendary performers who were at the peak of their powers at this time was staggering. Elvis Presley dropped Heartbreak Hotel, Johnny Cash put out I Walk the Line, Little Richard brought out Long Tall Sally - and thats only the tip of the iceberg. This was the year when the idea of pop music began to circulate. The dancing of Elvis Presley on that legendary national TV performance lit a fire underneath an entire generation - single-handedly creating the type of pop-star worship that would define music for decades. Something was changing in popular culture - and 1956 was as crucial as any year in music history.
#4: 1983
1983 will forever be remembered as the year that MTV truly took off, but also for the way that Michael Jacksons Thriller album cycle benefited from it. MJ was just on a roll in 1983, dropping seminal singles like Beat It, Billie Jean, and, of course, Thriller. But it wasnt just the King of Pop who was firing on all cylinders. The Police had a smash-hit with Every Breath You Take and everyone from Bob Marley and Prince to Bowie and the Talking Heads were making a dent on the charts. Music videos were becoming just as important as the song itself - and during this period, we were really starting to see musicians getting experimental with their style and overall image.
#3: 1964
Beatlemania had officially gripped the world by the time 1964 was through - and just like Elvis in the previous decade, it was a moment that kickstarted a totally different level of reverence for pop stars. Elvis was off making movies, and Dylan hadnt quite gone electric yet, but this year brought us the debut album of The Rolling Stones, the first ever on-stage guitar destruction from Pete Townshend of The Who, and perhaps the heaviest single ever released to that point - You Really Got Me by The Kinks. This was a pivotal year for many genres - but 1964 will always be remembered as a major year for mainstream rock music and the British pop invasion.
#2: 1969
The 60s were coming to an end - and no moment in musical history summed up a period of time better than 1969s Woodstock music festival. But the love and peace of this period would soon give way to some real political strife and tension - and you could feel this shift happening in the music. Huge releases from Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and more laid the groundwork for the music of the 70s. Rock stars grew their hair longer, expressed themselves more aggressively onstage, and the early seeds of punk, heavy metal, and progressive rock began leaking into the sounds of some of the biggest names on the charts. Musically speaking, this mightve been the most interesting year of the 60s.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
1985
The Year Where Music Videos Truly Evolved
1978
The Year Where Mainstream Music Earned Its Punk-Edge
1986
A Legendary Year For Breakout Pop Divas
1994
The Year Where Genres Truly Collided
1980
The Year Where Music Became Larger Than Life
#1: 1984
When it comes to instant-classic singles, legendary music videos, and unforgettable albums, 1984 was just on a different level. In one calendar year, Prince gave us the Purple Rain album, Wham dropped Careless Whisper and Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, and Madonna shocked audiences with Like A Virgin. Also, Tina Turner mounted a massive comeback and Springsteen put out Born In The U.S.A, and were still barely scratching the surface. Never before in music history have so many artists achieved pop genius in such a short window of time. One-hit wonders, movie soundtracks, artist collaborations it was just hit after hit after hit. And out of all of the years that pop music has excelled, 1984 has truly stood the test of time.
Did we leave any particularly mind-blowing years in pop history off our list? Let us know in the comments section below!
