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Billboard Lists

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Pop-punk isn’t often associated with romance. Bitterness, heartbreak, teenage silliness, railing against conformity – these are the touchstones of a genre that was born in the late ‘70s and never really grew up. Another long-running pop-punk tradition is attracting some of the most awkward kids around; if they’re going to tell their crush how they feel, best to leave it up to a song.

Pop-punk love songs do exist, however, and some of them are even — dare we say — romantic? Pop-punk forerunners like Ramones and the Undertones were really just overgrown teenagers with a secret love of bubblegum pop, so it’s no surprise the genre developed a knack for sticky hooks and lovey-dovey lyrics to match.

By the time the ‘90s rolled around, live wire bands like Green Day and Blink-182 were ready to take pop-punk to the masses. Along with their just-dangerous-enough good looks, their superpowers included the ability to distill mushy teenage hormones into spiky, two-and-a-half-minute guitar pop songs. We still haven’t quite recovered. In the decades that followed, artists like Avril Lavigne, Paramore and 5 Seconds of Summer made sure that pop-punk’s multi-generational pull lives on.

Below, we’ve gathered our picks for the 20 best pop-punk love songs, ranging from genre classics to deep cuts. To keep the list as varied as possible, we capped it at one song per artist; while you might be missing “The Only Exception” or “First Date,” we’re feeling pretty starry-eyed about the anthems we’ve collected here. We can’t bring back the summer or the Warped Tour, but these sure jog the memories.

You can’t talk about game changers in the music industry without talking about Rihanna. Whether you know her as the Caribbean Queen, the “good girl gone bad,” RiRi or simply Rih, the Barbadian singer has come a long way since her pre-Roc Nation days. Case in point: Robyn Fenty is the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner as the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles, making her the first headliner since Apple Music took over the Halftime Show.
In 2005, Rih dropped her first single “Pon De Replay” off her debut album, Music of The Sun. At just 17, the singer was already experiencing her first major hit: the reggae-influenced club track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 27 weeks on the chart. But she quickly proved she was no one-hit wonder: The following year, her track “SOS” spent three weeks crowning the chart. Now, she has dozens of charting hits under her belt — including 14 No. 1s and features with Drake, Britney Spears, Eminem and more.
Though mainly known as a hitmaker, her talents go beyond music-making — she launched her Fenty Beauty line of cosmetics and skincare products in 2017 and lingerie brand Savage X Fenty in 2018. Plus, RiRi’s fashion consistently turns heads (in the best way possible) — whether she’s red carpet ready or simply taking a stroll around town.
With a Navy of fans who will wait a lifetime for the Barbadian singer’s next release — and her 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance — there’s no doubt that Rihanna has made her mark on music. Take a look back at her biggest hits on the chart below.
Rihanna’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (through Feb. 8, 2023). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.

Songs have been written about every topic imaginable, but the best ones — from swooning ’50s ballads to contemporary club bangers — have been penned about the ups and downs of being in love. We are counting down the top 50 Hot 100 hits with a form of the word “love” in the title. The romantic tunes cover every era of the Hot 100’s history, ranging from 1958’s “To Know Him Is to Love Him” by the Teddy Bears to 2019’s “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi. Love is a many splendored and many faceted thing, and this list has all types of love songs: tunes about “The Power of Love” (Huey Lewis), “The Greatest Love of All” (Whitney Houston), eternal love (Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever”) and NSFW lovin’ (Madonna’s “Justify My Love”).

It’s sonic proof that while musical fads and fashions will change with every generation, love — and the songs inspired by it — will never go out of style. And we have the numbers to prove it: 9.6% of all Hot 100 No. 1s feature the word “love” in the song title.

The ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Billboard’s Top 50 Love Songs of All Time ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (from its inception on Aug. 4, 1958, through Feb. 4, 2023) and comprises songs that have the word “love” in its title (or a variation, like “lover,” “loving,” “lovely,” etc.). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods. Songs are ranked based on a formula blending performance, as outlined above, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from each era, certain time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years.

You’re likely to find Jeff Beck‘s face on any Mount Rushmore of guitarists — and maybe of musicians, period.

His musical praises are being sung worldwide since his shocking death Wednesday (Jan. 11) from bacterial meningitis at age 78. And rest assured that everything being said about the seven-time Grammy winner and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is true. And maybe even understated.

While his skills are unquestionably worth celebrating, those discussions sometimes obscure the fact that Beck’s greatest gift was in service to the songs he played. Whether with the Yardbirds or the various incarnations of his own band, or with a wide variety of collaborators, Beck elevated his songs with purposeful and deliberate choices — of notes, riffs, phrasings — that raised them to the proverbial next level. He demonstrated plenty of flash and drama during his 60 years of recording, but always in a manner that made the songs soar.

The best are, not surprisingly, hard to choose, and there’s plenty of genuine greatness to be found deep in all of Beck’s albums. But these 10 — in alphabetical order — are at the top of the heap, all performances that transcend the individual songs to establish some new standards for music itself.

The Greatest of All Time, a.k.a. the GOAT. That’s a distinguished — and also contentious — honor when it comes to ranking who or what is the ultimate best, whether you’re talking films, TV shows, restaurants or any other subject.

In early 2023, Billboard/Vibe is ranking the Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time as part of our salute to this year’s golden anniversary of hip-hop. (The genre dates back to 1973, when DJ Kool Herc first set up his two turntables to rock a Bronx party.) The rollout begins with today’s (Jan. 11) reveal of the rappers ranked 50-41. Each succeeding week, 10 more rappers will be unveiled as we move further up the list. Then the final top 10 will be announced during the week of Feb. 6.

In determining these rankings, the Billboard and Vibe editorial teams opted first to limit the rap arena to North America. So for example, as estimable as his career is, British rapper Slick Rick isn’t on this list. We also opted not to include the significant contributions of reggaetón and dancehall MCs on this list, just to keep our pool of nominees a little more focused.

From there, the teams took into account the following criteria, not in any particular order: body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications), cultural impact/influence (how artist’s work fostered the genre’s evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess).

As is well-known, GOAT and similar best-of lists always draw their share of criticism and praise from industry pundits and the public alike. So it took a lot of deliberation and deep discussion to reason our way to what we believe is a well-thought-out, authentic list that reflects hip-hop’s foundational pioneers, evolutionary trailblazers and contemporary mainstays. In addition, that mix also encompasses 50 years of cultural milestones for a genre initially dismissed as a passing fad — and now recognized as the industry’s market share leader.

Let’s reveal Nos. 50-41 of Billboard/Vibe’s Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time … and let the debate begin.

Love was an overriding theme in R&B in 2022 — and given what people have been enduring over the last several years, between the pandemic, incessant social and political issues as well as economic uncertainty, it’s not surprising. The various iterations of the emotion were rhythmically and lyrically dissected: from new love, spiritual love, toxic love and love lost to, above all, self-love.

Established and emerging stars alike embraced the oftentimes complicated subject in refreshing and illuminating ways. Songwriter Muni Long staked her claim to a solo career with “Hrs and Hrs,” her sensuous, no-time-limit take on lovemaking. On the other side of the clock — against an infectious two-step track — The Weeknd grappled with being out of time when his lover calls quits on their relationship.

Beyoncé took fans on a liberating course to self-love via the anthem “Break My Soul,” then extolled the exhilarating feeling of falling in love and enjoying life with abandon on “Cuff It.” Rihanna, also marking her long-anticipated musical return, addressed the spiritual power of enduring love on “Lift Me Up.”

Here are R&B’s most memorable songs of 2022:

Hip-hop experienced twists and turns throughout 2022.

Once the ball dropped, Gunna ignited the flame with his club-ready single “Pushin P’,” which made the 16th letter in the alphabet top-tier on social media. Also, no one expected the Memphis rookie GloRilla to cause tremors in the genre with her earthshaking anthems “FNF” and “Tomorrow 2.” Her surplus of hits allowed men and women to get loud and rowdy together as they chanted her lyrics with gusto.

And when we weren’t in a partying mood, we received doses of high-octane lyricism and thoughtfulness from our most well-spoken MCs. Kendrick Lamar’s precision and innate ability to connect with listeners remains second to none, as proven on “Rich Spirit” and “N95,” while Jay-Z’s agile wordplay continues to be at a hall-of-fame level after rattling off an impressive 80-bar melee on DJ Khaled’s Grammy-nominated “God Did.” Vince Staples — who delivered a top-five effort on Billboard’s Best 20 Hip-Hop Albums of 2022 — doled out quality records as well, whether it was the DJ Mustard-anchored single “Magic” or the criminally underappreciated gem “When Sparks Fly.”

The quality of hip-hop records in 2022 came from all walks of life and different sectors of the map, keeping us engaged, intrigued and hungry for more. Can 2023 carry the same momentum and “big energy”? Only time will tell; until then, check out Billboard’s Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2022 below.

In 2022, dance albums were a bigger part of the cultural conversation than they’ve been in years. Not only did several artists finally release the passion projects they’d worked on in isolation during the covid years, marquee acts dropped long-awaited follow-up albums, and two of the biggest pop artists in the world both released dance-focused LPs within weeks of each other. 

Exploring different influences and dimensions of house music, Drake and Beyoncé brought dance music to mainstream audiences – and the top of the Billboard 200 – with force not seen since the peak EDM years. These efforts also likely brought at least a few mainstream ears to the deeper realms of the sprawling dance space. 

Listeners nostalgic for the golden age of EDM were also blessed with LPs from a few of their faves, too. And while releases from the likes of Swedish House Mafia and Krewella didn’t match the commercial success of their earlier works, artists in the post-EDM era prioritized artistic reinvention over streaming numbers, finding success and expanding their legacies in the process.  

Whereas the typical path to a dance artist’s debut album runs through a marathon of club and festival dates, prodigious debuts from artists like Shygirl and Ariel Zetina arrived in the aftermath of DJ sets being confined to Zoom. While house masters Honey Dijon and The Shapeshifters were reliable delights during our collective coronaraving years, each seized this moment to flex their bonafides on long-anticipated LPs, which proved well worth the wait.

As in years before, 2022’s best dance albums demonstrate true diversity – of race, gender, age, nationality, and style – unmatched by any other genre. Here’s to all the artists who gave us long-players for the living room, for the dancefloor, for old heads, for new fans and for everyone in between.

These are our 50 favorite dance/electronic albums of 2022, presented alphabetically by artist.

It was a blockbuster year for hip-hop in 2022, as we witnessed a handful of returns — led by pgLang commando Kendrick Lamar. After a five-year drought, Lamar reawakened with spirited raps and elite storytelling on his newest release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Meanwhile, Future’s reign remained supreme after notching the highest opening week of his career with the success of his ninth studio album, I NEVER LIKED YOU. We also received a fistful of collaborative albums, with Drake and 21 Savage’s unexpected collision Her Loss leading the pack, while women MCs strengthened their grip on the genre with the rise of GloRilla and Latto. 

Despite his late-minute push, Metro Boomin squeaked his way into rap contention with his third Billboard 200 chart-topper HEROES & VILLAINS this December, just before the buzzer sounded. With his starry hip-hop alliance including Future, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Young Thug, and plenty more marquee names ready for combat, the Atlanta savant maximized his efforts to bring us a cinematic thriller.  Meanwhile, Nas and Hit-Boy continued to prove why they are hip-hop’s fiercest one-two punch, with the release of their Billboard 200 top-ten debut King Disease’s III. The trifecta extends Nas’ lyrical streak while elevating Hit-Boy’s status to legendary territory on the production side. 

Now, the biggest question looking forward is whether 2023 will have enough juice to contend after this year’s stellar campaign. Only time will tell, but, until then, let’s remember the year that was and take a look at Billboard’s  20 best hip-hop albums of 2022 below. 

It’s perhaps hard for all of us entrenched in the dance universe to bear in mind what a small world it ultimately is, statistically speaking. In the United States, dance and electronic music made up just 3.3% of total recorded music volume in 2021, which means that all of our efforts — all of our emails, all of our late nights and all of our sweat expelled on the dancefloor — are contributing to a scene that’s perhaps easy for other sectors to write off as humble, hard to see, “not the commercial juggernaut it once was.”

But inside it doesn’t feel that way, does it? Inside, it seems that new genres are developing, new markets are opening and new stars are breaking through while veterans are finding success in reinvention. Meanwhile, dance clubs and festivals are doing “amazingly well,” after an existentially fraught two years from which other realms of live events are still struggling to return. And when two of the biggest musical icons in pop history looked for reinvention this year, they came to clubland.

Indeed, while the commercial viability of dance music isn’t making waves like it did during the EDM heyday, the scene has in ways never felt healthier. The genre made an imprint in most realms of recorded music in 2022 — via fusion with sounds from pop to hip-hop to Latin, with creativity and quality at a high and with the sorely-needed diversification of the scene finally starting to happen — though with much work still to be done here and in relation to how we better protect the people and places in the scene that are its founders and foundation.

Driving it all, of course, was the music. It’s cliché at this point to say that dance/electronic is really just a blanket term for dozens and dozens of other genres — many of them wildly different and fairly laughable to compare — but that fact remains true, with this dizzying sonic taxonomy synthesizing a world that feels not just massive, but culturally significant and ultimately unstoppable.

These are our 50 favorite dance tracks of 2022.