Written by: Gabriella Cilmi, George Astasio, Jason Pebworth and Jon Shave
Produced by: The Invisible Men
Album: Ten
UK release: March 2010
UK chart peak: 9

The pressure to sex up her image was gross, but the actual music Gabriella Cilmi was divvying up during the Ten era was exciting, immaculate electropop; led by this Invisible Men-produced first single.

On A Mission is an 80s-tinged femmepowerment banger that packs – and I cannot stress this enough – one of the best spoken middle-8s of the decade. Whenever it’s on, I HAVE to chant along. I just HAVE to, it’s the law.

Gabriella didn’t stay in this lane for long: since she’s gone down a more independent route, her music has returned to the ~earthier vibe of her debut, which has been great (especially some of the stuff she’s put out this year). But! I will aaaalways have a massive soft spot for this brief moment when she was the under-rated Queen Of The Disco.

• I’ll be writing about my favourite 100 pop songs of the decade; one a day for the last 100 days of 2019. They’re in no particular order, except the Top 10 – which will (obviously) come in late December.
• See the full list so far here.
• You can follow the rolling, daily-updated playlist below, or here.

Written by: Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg and Toby Gad
Produced by: Carl Falk, Steve Angello and Rami Yacoub
Album: Killer Love
UK release: March 2011
UK chart peak: 1

Remember that brief, divine period in UK history when Nicole Scherzinger could score a solo Number One single in the UK? Halcyon days!

Where the excellent Poison is a glass-shattering, absolute-racket-in-a-good-way banger, its follow up Don’t Hold Your Breath is… a glass-shattering, absolute-racket-in-a-good-way ballad. Scherzy sounds full of tear-stained resolve, and the full-pelt fist-pumpy production feels like stepping into a time machine to the turn of the decade.

Like Alesha Dixon, I’m happy Nicole has managed to remain a successful part of celebrity culture, but – even though this track in particular was a chart-topper – listening back to the likes of DHYB and Your Love just makes me sad that we didn’t give her more success when she was churning out the hits.

• I’ll be writing about my favourite 100 pop songs of the decade; one a day for the last 100 days of 2019. They’re in no particular order, except the Top 10 – which will (obviously) come in late December.
• See the full list so far here.
• You can follow the rolling, daily-updated playlist below, or here.

Written by: Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback
Produced by: Max Martin and Shellback
Album: 1989
UK release: November 2014
UK chart peak: 4

An exhilarating play on the media’s idea of Taylor Swift The Man-Eater, Blank Space was a big ~Moment from the 1989 era, and rightly so. With the production taking its cues from Lorde’s breakthrough the previous year, lyrically this is Taylor at her best: biting, satirical, with a knowing wink to camera.

It’s also irresistibly catchy, with an instant hook (obviously – look at the three writers!). There are so many golden flourishes: “Darling I’m a nightmare, dressed like a daydream”, the pen click, the unintentional “Starbucks lovers” mix-up, basically the entire video…

Blockbuster Taylor is fully activated, and completely on top of her game, in this modern classic.

• I’ll be writing about my favourite 100 pop songs of the decade; one a day for the last 100 days of 2019. They’re in no particular order, except the Top 10 – which will (obviously) come in late December.
• See the full list so far here.
• You can follow the rolling, daily-updated playlist below, or here.