Every self-respecting millennial has a handful of songs that seem to sneak onto every feel-good, pump-up, throwback Thursday playlist we make. These songs carried some of us through high school, and others—ahem, freshmen—through our awkward junior high days. Whatever your music taste, these tracks evoke your guiltiest pleasures and have you, at the very least, mouthing along—that is, when you’re not belting for your very life.
Although this list is certainly not definitive, it is likely you’ll find one song that’s your cue to drop everything and sing, dance and reminisce until the very last measure.
“Picture to Burn” – Taylor Swift, released January 2008
Taylor Swift’s debut album was full of sing along-able tracks, and the fourth single, “Picture to Burn,” was the first one that really had us banging our heads in you-go-girl fashion. It also came before everyone had an opinion about her love life, and shamelessly screaming “I really, REALLY hate that stupid old…” did not mean you were pro- or anti-Taylor, but simply pro-music. Rock on, Taylor.
“Paper Planes” – MIA, released February 2008
The tongue-in-cheek anthem about drug peddling and gunslinging was the first, and for many, the last we heard of British rapper MIA. The track made a big appearance in the mega-hit movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” but it also served as an outlet for people who didn’t exactly know how to approach female rappers. Don’t deny it: you and your friends were sure that “no one on the corner has swagger like us.”
“Take a Bow” – Rihanna, released April 2008
Rihanna brought some island flare with her 2005 single “Pon de Replay,” but her most epic and belt-worthy single came from her third album, “Good Girl Gone Bad.” The theatrics of the song can have even the most stoic listener shaking his head at Rihanna’s imaginary cheating man. Let’s hear your speech!
“Heartless” – Kanye West, released November 2008
Kanye already had us hooked with his first three albums: who could resist “Jesus Walks,” “Gold Digger,” or “Homecoming?” Still, 2008’s “808s & Heartbreak” churned out three massive singles, the second of which seemed to hang around forever. The dark and brooding nature of the song, when paired with the venomous way West performs it, gets a whole new life every time it comes on the radio. Who doesn’t love a good rap about a scorned Kanye West?
“Best I Ever Had” – Drake, released February 2009
Somewhere in between Degrassi-Drake and rap-superstar-Drake, the Canadian dropped his first EP and with it, the first single: “Best I Ever Had.” The track was named Billboard’s Hot Rap Song of 2009, and with good reason. While slow and plodding, the too-cool-for-school song manages to make the listener fall in love with both Drake and the object of his affection. You da best.
“Tik Tok” Ke$ha, released August 2009
No list of high school guilty pleasures could escape the grips of the glitter queen. Her debut single, “Tik Tok,” took the radio by storm at exactly the right time of year; the summertime fun was coming to a close, but the school year fun was just beginning. The awkward phrasing, shaky vocals and admittedly ridiculous lyrics made the track just right for rolling down the windows and celebrating the addictively awful state of pop music. Although Ke$ha’s repertoire is full of maddeningly catchy party anthems, nothing can beat the original. Furthermore, an embarrassingly large portion of millennials can thank Ke$ha for introducing them to Mick Jagger.