About This Quiz
There's nothing quite as uplifting as an inspiring power ballad when you're feeling down, or as energizing as a fast-tempo dance tune when you're working out. And when you can't get out of bed after a soul-crushing break-up, those rousing I'm-over-you tracks can come to the rescue.
In these ways (and many more), pop music has the power to touch everyone. Songs of this genre dominate the U.S. Hot 100 Billboard chart for a reason — the radio is playing them nonstop, and a record number of Americans are buying, downloading, or streaming them. From prolific pop icons like Madonna, Britney and Beyoncé to lesser-known artists who top the charts with one or two infectious tunes, these talented performers know how to get hundreds of thousands of people on their feet. They also have a knack for dropping catchy singles to which we all end up knowing the words, whether we like it or not.
Are you one of those people who always has a pop song playing in their head? If so, we have a feeling you'll nail this quiz. It features lyrics from some of the most popular songs of the last few decades. Can you guess each one correctly? It's time to do your hair toss, check your nails and find out!
Off Madonna's fourth studio album of the same name, "Like a Prayer" was received widespread acclaim from critics when it was released in 1989. It reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in a row.
Released in 1982, "Thriller" by Michael Jackson is one of the best-selling singles of all time. In 1983, Jackson won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male for the song. He also won a Grammy for the album as a whole.
Katy Perry co-wrote and performed this single off her third studio album, "Teenage Dream." The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and won an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.
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This 1987 pop hit was the first single from Houston's second album, "Whitney." The song became the star's fourth consecutive No.1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, selling over 1 million copies in the U.S. alone.
From Britney Spears' fourth album, "In the Zone," this infectious song hit the U.S. airwaves in 2003. The meg star received her first and only Grammy Award to date for the song in the Best Dance Recording category.
This song is from Beyonce's third studio album, "I Am... Sasha Fierce." It won three Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year. It also topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for four non-consecutive weeks.
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Released in 2000, this NSYNC hit was the second single off the band's second studio album, "No Strings Attached." Unbelievably, the song was NSYNC's only No.1 song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
This was English singer-songwriter Adele's first No.1 single in the United States, and it remained at the top spot for seven weeks. The song also went to No.1 in 10 other countries.
This single is from Taylor Swifts fifth studio album, "1989." It debuted at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and won the award for Favorite Song at the 2015 "People's Choice Awards."
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Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" was one of the most popular summer songs of 1999. It reached No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts and stayed there for five consecutive weeks.
Off Lovato's third studio album, "Unbroken," this 2011 power ballad debuted at No.10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also sold 176,000 paid digital downloads in the first week of release in the United States, which was a sales record for Lovato.
"Born This Way" debuted at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was released in 2011. The song held the top spot for six weeks and became the fastest-selling song in iTunes history.
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This single by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen spent nine consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also nominated for two Grammy Awards and named Song of the Year by MTV.
Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 charts. This made it the best-performing song of 2017 in the U.S.
"Thank U, Next" debuted at the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and was Ariana Grande's first No.1 single. The song also broke a record on Spotify for receiving the most streams in a single day by a female artist.
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"No Scrubs" became TLC's third No.1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts. It stayed in the top position for four weeks and became the second-biggest U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single of 1999.
Released in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" is off Gwen Stefani's debut solo album, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." It became one of the most popular songs of the year, as well as the first digital download to sell 1 million copies.
Released in 2015, "Sorry" spent three weeks at the No.1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also became one of the best-selling digital music releases in history with more than 10 million in U.S. sales in 2016.
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This song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk features vocals by Pharrell Williams. It won Grammy Awards for both Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year.
The fifth single from Billie Eilish's debut studio album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?," "Bad Guy" won two Grammy Awards in 2020, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
While this song was originally released in 2016, it didn't become a chart-topping hit until it was re-released for radio in 2019 and peaked at No.3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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"Without Me" became Halsey's first No.1 song on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 Chart as a lead artist. It was also the No.1-selling song in the U.S. for six weeks on the Digital Songs chart.
This 2003 song is from Justin Timberlake's debut solo album, "Justified." It reached No.5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and was was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
This song from Miley Cyrus's fourth studio album, "Bangerz," became the singer's first No.1 single on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 chart. It fell from the top spot after two weeks but returned to No.1 nine weeks later.
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Drake's catchy "Hotline Bling" peaked at No.2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song won two Grammy Awards in 2017 for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance, and it featured a wildly popular video that inspired many memes.
Off Beyoncé's first solo album, "Dangerously in Love," this song spent eight consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was her first No.1 single as a solo artist.
Written and performed by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for eight consecutive weeks.
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This pop hit by Maroon 5 features Christina Aguilera. The song reached No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and spent 10 weeks in the top three. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Now one of the Backstreet Boys' signature songs, "I Want It That Way" was the first single from the boy band's third studio album, "Millennium." It was nominated for three Grammy Awards.
Released in 2009, this song was The Black Eyed Peas' first No.1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It held the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks and became the second longest-running single at No.1 that year.
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When "Fantasy" was released in 1995, it became the second song in Billboard history — and the first by a female — to debut at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson was the first.
This song by American band Fun spent six consecutive weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became the first song to have seven weeks of digital sales exceeding of 300,000 , a record previously held by Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie."
Off Rhianna's third studio album, "Good Girl Gone Bad," this single spent seven consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became the second best-performing single of 2007 behind Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable."
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Performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" served as the main theme song for the blockbuster 1997 film, "Titanic." It's one of the best-selling singles of all time and became the second-best-selling single by a female artist in history.
This Robin Thicke Song, which also features Pharrell Williams and rapper T.I., became the longest-running No.1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single of 2013. It spent 12 weeks at the top of the chart.