Written by: David Guetta, Savan Kotecha, Giorgio Tuinfort, Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk
Produced by: Rami and Carl Falk
Album: My Everything
UK release: August 2014
UK chart peak: 2

Even under ~normal circumstances, One Last Time would comfortably be among Ariana Grande‘s best songs. A danceable semi-ballad with emotionally complex lyrics and affecting vocals, it’s powerful in the way it juxtaposes vulnerability with a danceable beat, and – let’s be honest – it’s far superior to Problem and Break Free, the My Everything singles that overshadowed it at the time.

But One Last Time isn’t a ~normal pop song anymore. After the 2017 bombing at Ariana’s concert in Manchester, it became a tribute to those who lost their lives and lost their loved ones, and a symbol of solidarity for all affected by such a fucking mindless tragedy. It’s a prime example of pop music’s ability to provide a sense of togetherness at the worst of times, and now it isn’t just one of the best songs of the decade, it’s also one of the most important.

• 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: Cathy Dennis and Eg White
Produced by: Mike Spencer
Album: Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree
UK release: April 2010
UK chart peak: 1

REMEMBER the excitement when, over a year after her X Factor elimination (and imagine if the final had been her with JLS and Alexandra Burke, instead of Eoghan Quigg with JLS and Alexandra Burke), Diana Vickers finally made her mark with a chart-topping song AND album.

I do think that, on the whole, D-Vix is better suited to the gentle electropop of her second album than she is to the much ~bigger production of songs like this, but… dammit, it’s just such an ace track, and the perfect one with which to launch her attempt at pop stardom. Obviously Eg White and Cathy Dennis know their way around a blistering pop anthem, and this kiss-off is a slam-dunk; built around one very simple-but-effective lyrical hook. If only it were the first of many No1 smashes.

• 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: Ryan Baharloo, Ester Dean, Dr L***, John Charles Monds and Henry Walter
Produced by: Dr L*** and Cirkut
Album: G.R.L. EP
UK release: August 2014
UK chart peak: 11

Released in the UK just five days before standout member Simone Battle’s death, the sheer brilliance of Ugly Heart by G.R.L. has always felt incredibly poignant: it’s rare that a pop group asserts so much easy-sounding confidence and personality on their breakthrough song, and this pure-pop belter has all the signs of a band ready to take over the world.

Each member makes the absolute most of their verse (Natasha’s take on the second pre-chorus is my favourite, and Simone’s delivery is *chef’s kiss*), the various Mel C-esque ad-libs are amazing, and the finale is a proper hands-aloft, scream-at-the-sky masterpiece of a kiss-off.

• 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.