<![CDATA[Pop Icons - Pop Icons]]>

<![CDATA[Pop Icons - Pop Icons]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 04:44:32 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[The best of 2025 in music according to Pop Icons]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 10:17:45 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/the-best-of-2025-in-music-according-to-pop-icons

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

1. LADY GAGA
2. BAD BUNNY
3. ROSALÍA
4. TAYLOR SWIFT
5. SABRINA CARPENTER

BEST SONG

1. BAD BUNNY - ''DTMF''
2. TAYLOR SWIFT - ''THE FATE OF OPHELIA''
3. BLACKPINK - ''JUMP''
4. CHAPPELL ROAN - ''THE SUBWAY''
5. ED SHEERAN - ''SAPPHIRE''

BEST ALBUM

1. ROSALÍA - 'LUX'
2. BAD BUNNY - 'DEBÍ TIRAR MÁS FOTOS'
3. LADY GAGA - 'MAYHEM'
4. THE WEEKND - 'HURRY UP TOMORROW'
5. SAM FENDER - 'PEOPLE WATCHING'

BEST VIDEO

1. ROSALÍA, BJÖRK, YVES TUMOR - ''BERGHAIN''
2. LADY GAGA - ''ABRACADABRA''
3. TAYLOR SWIFT - ''THE FATE OF OPHELIA''
4. ED SHEERAN - ''DRIVE''
5. PINKPANTHERESS - ''STATESIDE''

BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE

1. RICKY MARTIN - ''LATIN ICON MEDLEY'' AT 2025 VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS
2. KENDRICK LAMAR - LIVE AT SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW 2025
3. LEWIS CAPALDI - LIVE AT GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL 2025
4. TURNSTILE - ''I CARE/DULL'' LIVE AT THE TONIGHT SHOW
5. ARIANA GRANDE & CYNTHIA ERIVO - ''WICKED MEDLEY'' LIVE AT OSCARS 2025

]]><![CDATA[The best of 2024 in music according to Pop Icons]]>Fri, 20 Dec 2024 11:52:37 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/the-best-of-2024-in-music-according-to-pop-icons

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
BILLIE EILISH

SONG OF THE YEAR:
''GOOD LUCK, BABE!'' BY CHAPPELL ROAN

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
''HIT ME HARD AND SOFTLY'' BY BILLIE EILISH

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
''HOUDINI'' BY EMINEM

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR:
LADY GAGA, BRUNO MARS - ''DIE WITH A SMILE''

LIVE PERFOMANCE OF THE YEAR:
CELINE DION - HYMNE A L'AMOUR'' LIVE OLYMPIC GAMES 2024

TOUR OF THE YEAR:
''THE ERAS TOUR'' BY TAYLOR SWIFT

]]><![CDATA[The best of 2023 in music according to Pop Icons]]>Mon, 18 Dec 2023 10:02:48 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/the-best-of-2023-in-music-according-to-pop-icons

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
MILEY CYRUS

SONG OF THE YEAR:
'VAMPIRE' BY OLIVIA RODRIGO

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
'SOMETHING TO GIVE EACH OTHER'
BY TROYE SIVAN

VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
'DANCE THE NIGHT' BY DUA LIPA

BEST ORIGINAL SONG FROM A MOVIE:
'WHAT WAS I MADE FOR?' BY BILLIE EILISH

BEST TV PERFOMANCE OF THE YEAR:
SHAKIRA LIVE AT VMA'S 2023

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''These Boots Are Made for Walkin''' by Nancy Sinatra]]>Wed, 08 Mar 2023 12:21:28 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-by-nancy-sinatra

''I told Lee Hazlewood (who wrote the song) I didn’t think it was good for a man to sing it, that it sounded kind of ugly, and that a girl should sing it and it would be better. And he realized I was right.'' - Nancy Sinatra

"The image created by 'Boots' isn't the real me. 'Boots' was hard and I'm as soft as they come." - Nancy Sinatra

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Pure Shores'' by All Saints]]>Tue, 14 Feb 2023 13:02:20 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-pure-shores-by-all-saints

''I was on a plane when I wrote the lyrics. I was flying to LA to work with William Orbit on the song. So I wrote it on the plane and when we landed and I got to the hotel I couldn’t find the lyrics. I’d lost them. So I then had to write it again from scratch. I came up with the title after writing the song. I’ve never even thought that it isn’t mentioned once in the actual song. I think such a left-field track like ''Pure Shores'' blended well with my style of writing. It just brought out what I do in a different kind of way and it also opened up my ears and allowed me to love contrast. I like the idea of two people coming from opposite ends of the scale.'' - Shaznay Lewis

''I’ve only seen The Beach once. If I saw it now I’d probably think something different, but I remember at the time there was some of it that I didn’t understand. People have told me where they’ve done trips to Thailand and they take a boat to where they shot the film and they play Pure Shores.'' - Shaznay Lewis

''William Orbit was introduced to us by Pete Tong who was our A&R at the time. I am so glad that William came into my life. Working with him taught me a lot. It opened my eyes to working with people who might not necessarily be on the same page as me and how much I could learn from a different perspective as a writer.'' - Shaznay Lewis

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Red Rain'' by Peter Gabriel]]>Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:58:37 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-red-rain-by-peter-gabriel

"'Red Rain' was written after a dream I'd had about the sea being parted by two walls. There were these glass-like figures that would screw themselves into each wall, fill up with red blood and then be lowered across the sand, as it were to the next wall, where they'd unload the blood on the other side. I used to have these extremely vivid dreams that scared the hell out of me." - Peter Gabriel

"If feelings of pain do not get brought out, not only do they fester and grow stronger but they manifest themselves in the external world." - Peter Gabriel

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''One Sweet Day'' by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men]]>Fri, 03 Feb 2023 09:26:54 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-one-sweet-day-by-mariah-carey-and-boyz-ii-men

''I wrote the initial idea for 'One Sweet Day' with Walter, and I had the chorus... and I stopped and said, 'I really wanna do this with Boyz II Men,' because...obviously I'm a big fan of theirs and I just thought that the work was crying out for them, the vocals that they do, so I put it away and said, 'Who knows if this could ever happen, but I just don't wanna finish this song because I want it to be our song if we ever do it together.'' - Mariah Carey

''The whole idea of when you lose people that are close to you, it changes your life and changes your perspective. When they came into the studio, I played them the idea for the song and when [it] was finished, they looked at each other, a bit stunned, and told me that Nathan "Nate" Morris had written a song for his road manager who had passed away. It had basically the same lyrics and fitted over the same chord changes. It was really, really weird, we finished the song right then and there. We were all kinda flipped about it ourselves. Fate had a lot to do with that. I know some people won't believe it, but we wouldn't make up such a crazy story.'' - Mariah Carey

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Scream & Shout'' by will.i.am and Britney Spears]]>Thu, 02 Feb 2023 08:44:48 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-scream-shout-by-william-and-britney-spears

"The video was essentially trying to reduce what the song is about to symbols. And that's what it was, just really keeping it clean and iconic." - Ben Mor (video director)

"I think will.I.am just really gets music in the broadest spectrum. He knows what people want to listen to. He gets kids and what they want to listen to. Every time I've worked with him I go in and I cannot sit down. I have to stand up! It's like I'm in a club!" - Britney Spears

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Wish I Could Fly'' by Roxette]]>Wed, 01 Feb 2023 10:48:43 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-wish-i-could-fly-by-roxette

''The original idea was to see how a drum machine loop would fit with a big orchestra, but it quickly evolved into something more substantial. The finished song was picked as first single from the 1999 album 'Have a Nice Day', eventually becoming a major hit in continental Europe and group's first British hit in years.'' - Per Gessle

''This is a very special song to me. One of my all-time favourite Roxette songs. I never get tired of this.'' - Marie Fredriksson

]]><![CDATA[The 10 best Harry Styles songs according to Pop Icons]]>Wed, 01 Feb 2023 09:57:09 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/the-10-best-harry-styles-songs-according-to-pop-icons

Here are the 10 best Harry Styles songs according to Pop Icons team.

10. MATILDA

9. AS IT WAS

8. WATERMELON SUGAR

7. DAYLIGHT

6. ADORE YOU

5. FALLING

4. SIGN OF THE TIMES

3. MUSIC FOR A SUSHI RESTAURANT

2. LOVE OF MY LIFE

1. GOLDEN

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Grace Kelly'' by Mika]]>Sat, 28 Jan 2023 13:19:33 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-grace-kelly-by-mika

"I was so desperate to get signed, not because I wanted to have a big record just because I wanted to Able to do this for a living, so I was taking my music around and I went to one record company person and he was 'listen, this is never going to sell, you're not weird enough , you're not indie enough. I went home and I was so angry, so I wrote out the song saying "I can be any color you want, what the hell do you want me to be, should I look older, should I bend over just to be put on your shelf. What is it that you want? You don't know what you want so I can be every color of the rainbow.' And at the end I was like, 'all you think about is money so kerching! take that.' And that was the song.'' - Mika

"The comparisons to Freddie Mercury are fine. They started long before I made the record - I've even referred to it in Grace Kelly." It was written after these musicians were trying to mold me into what I should be. I was really angry and so I wrote the song and mailed them the lyrics. They didn't call me back, but two years later it's come full circle." - Mika

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Without You'' by Mariah Carey]]>Tue, 24 Jan 2023 10:18:30 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-without-you-by-mariah-carey

"I used to love the song 'Without You' when I was a little girl and I remember that it always made me cry and I always thought it was such a beautiful song. I heard it again when I was in a restaurant, they had it playing over the muzak, and I was like, 'I love this song, I haven’t heard it in so long,' and I just decided that I wanted to cover it, so we did it, and I just think it's an incredible song." - Mariah Carey

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''If You Leave Me Now'' by Chicago]]>Mon, 23 Jan 2023 10:35:57 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-if-you-leave-me-now-by-chicago

''I’m sitting around a pool, and a song comes on, I’m going, ‘That’s a catchy tune. Where have I heard this before?‘ The next thing, they go, ‘That’s Chicago’s latest release, “If You Leave Me Now.” The main point of the story, outside of me being a dummy, is that often songs that just made the album end up being some of the biggest hits.'' - Walter Parazaider

''That was one of those magical ‘We need one more song’ (situations).'' - Peter Cetera

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman'' by Aretha Franklin]]>Sun, 22 Jan 2023 10:56:24 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-you-make-me-feel-like-a-natural-woman-by-aretha-franklin

"Gerry Goffin is one of the best lyricists in the last 50 years. He's a storyteller, and his lyrics are emotional. 'Natural Woman,' 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.' These are perfect examples of situations, very romantic, almost a moral statement. Gerry is writing about a girl who just might let a guy sleep with her and she wants to know, 'is it just tonight or will you still love me tomorrow?' Goffin could write a female lyric. If he could write the words to 'Natural Woman,' that's a woman speaking. Gerry put those words into Carole's mouth. He was a chemist before he was a full time lyricist. He's very intelligent and obviously emotional." - Lou Adler (Ode Records owner)

''Aretha took her inspiration from those gospel singers with that, and I was like, ‘Well, that’s cool.’ Then she sat down at the piano. She’s a great player, but she had not been playing piano in her later life like she used to. In that footage, you see me turn to my daughter and I say, ‘She’s playing!’ Then everything went up and up and up, and she gets to ‘You make me feel so aliiiive,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God.’ She was giving her all in a way I had not seen her give in a long time. And then, of course, she drops the mink. I was in the balcony, but my friend who was on the orchestra level heard it go thud.'' - Carole King (songwriter)

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''It's Raining Men'' by The Weather Girls]]>Sun, 22 Jan 2023 09:34:15 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-its-raining-men-by-the-weather-girls

''Paul Jabara wrote Last Dance for Donna Summer and he won an Oscar. And after that, he called me up and he said, 'Let's write one together. I got a title. How about It's Raining Men? And that's when I said, 'I'll be right over. He played it for Streisand, and he played it for Patti LaBelle and he played it for Diana Ross. And they all hated it. I don't consider myself a songwriter. But, you know, I had a wonderful co-writer in Paul Jabara, who was a real pro.'' - Paul Shaffer (songwriter)

''Paul Jabara wrote ''It’s Raining Men''. He asked a lot of people to sing the song, like Donna Summer, Diana Ross, and Barbra Streisand. They all turned it down. Izora and I were in L.A. doing shows as Two Tons of Fun. Paul asked us to record it, and we laughed and said no. He begged, and he pleaded, but we didn’t want to do it. We thought it was a joke. Finally, we agreed to do it. We went into the studio and recorded the song in 90 minutes. Then, Paul started taking the song on acetate to the clubs in NYC and L.A. The fans in the clubs started a battle to see who was actually singing the song. Some said it was Two Tons of Fun, and others said, “No, it’s The Weather Girls.” And that’s when we changed our name. In a way, it was us starting all over again.'' - Martha Wash

''I loved Bridget Jones. I read both books. In fact I am Bridget Jones. So many of us are. So when they asked me to do this for the film, it was like a gift. I thought it was just for the soundtrack album, but then when they heard it, they wanted it to be a single. Normally doing a cover would be scary, but I do think this is as good if not better than the original. Steve Lipson has done a great job, and I love the string arrangement. The video was done really quickly too. I had this idea about Fame and Flashdance, because I was into Fame especially growing up.'' - Geri Halliwell

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Owner of a Lonely Heart'' by Yes]]>Sat, 21 Jan 2023 10:14:32 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-owner-of-a-lonely-heart-by-yes

"It was already deemed to be a hit record. The record company had invested a lot of money in making a record. They brought me in to make it Yes. They said, 'This is going to be a hit, and we're going to make sure.' They promoted it like crazy and did a good video - MTV had just started up. So everything just sort of happened at the same time." - Jon Anderson

''I think it’s aged very well. It doesn’t sound dated at all. I still sing it on stage, because I enjoy performing it and that’s what people want to hear. It’s a great song.'' - Jon Anderson

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Halo'' by Beyoncé]]>Fri, 20 Jan 2023 08:38:07 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-halo-by-beyonce

"Halo'' is angelic. Like you see angels' faces instantly when you hear it. Its lyrics are basically saying that I had these walls built up about love; you completely tore them down and when I look at you I see your halo, it's really beautiful" - Beyoncé

"I was playing a pick up game right before a show in Michigan and I tore my Achilles heel. It was the most intense pain I ever experienced in my life. I passed out. So I ended up going home for two weeks. My wife forbade me from writing or doing any work whatsoever. Evan Bogart (songwriter) and I were super close friends. He was having his explosion as a songwriter, and I texted him and said, 'My wife's gone for three hours, will you come over? So he came over and I said: ''Dude, Beyoncé wants me to do a song. Let's do a song in three hours''. I had this idea for a patch of this weird choir of angels thing, started playing it and within three hours we had ''Halo''. - Ryan Tedder (songwriter)

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''When I Was Your Man'' by Bruno Mars]]>Sun, 15 Jan 2023 11:56:33 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-when-i-was-your-man-by-bruno-mars

"When we started the record, I was like, 'I'm never singing another ballad again,' but that came from the gut - it's the most honest, real thing I've ever sang. When there are no safe bets, that's when I feel my blood move." - Bruno Mars

"This song is about a special woman that I let slip away at one time. It's a happy ending though. I put everything I got into that one.'' - Buno Mars

''It's one of those things where even girls can relate to this song. Everyone makes mistakes. And I remember writing that and it's the simple things, the little things. Like, I should have bought you flowers; I should have just let you know when I had the chance. And that was probably the most difficult song to write just because you know I'm so naked on that song, out of all the sexual songs I'm singing about, that's the one I'm most vulnerable. And I think a piano and a vocal is the most purest form of music." - Bruno Mars

]]><![CDATA[NEWS: Watch ABBA's ''Take a Chance on Me'' lyric video]]>Sat, 07 Jan 2023 10:12:29 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/news-watch-abbas-take-a-chance-on-me-lyric-video

Watch ''Take a Chance on Me'' lyrics video on ABBA's official youtube channel:

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Proud Mary'' by Creedence Clearwater Revival]]>Thu, 05 Jan 2023 08:36:11 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-proud-mary-by-creedence-clearwater-revival

''In the middle of July of'68, I got my honorable discharge from the United States Army after much consternation. I was overjoyed. This envelope containing this little thing that's like a diploma had been sitting on the stairs of my apartment building for a couple of days. Finally, one day I was coming into my apartment, and I look on the stairs, and, "Hey, that's got my name on it!" Well, I opened it up, and I'm discharged from the army. Holy hallelujah! I actually went out on the little apartment-building lawn and did a couple of cartwheels. At that one moment it was like "Wow, all the troubles of the world have been lifted off my shoulders ! If it didn't happen within five minutes, certainly within a week and a half I had written "Proud Mary." That one event that led to doing the cartwheels, that's where "Left a good job in the city" comes from. I just felt real good.'' - John Fogerty

''I made the very first entry: ''Proud Mary''. For some reason that phrase came into my brain, and I thought it was a good song title. It sounded cool. But I had no idea what it was about. Proud Mary? I didn’t know what that meant. It could’ve been about a person. The title jumped off the page. Oh my – you mean this song is about a boat? Without saying anything else, it said everything. I was female, ships are female. Proud. Wow, there it is! Proud Mary!'' - John Fogerty

''Although I didn't recall it at the time when I was doing "Rollin' on the river," there is an old Will Rogers movie about these old paddle wheelers, and I believe at one point they actually sing, "Rolling on the river." I know that buried deep inside me are all these little bits and pieces of Americana. It's deep in my heart, deep in my soul. As I learned in English 101, write about what you know about.'' - John Fogerty

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Can't Help Falling in Love'' by Elvis Presley]]>Sat, 31 Dec 2022 12:43:02 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-cant-help-falling-in-love-by-elvis-presley

''One night Elvis was telling us about this pretty little black-haired girl he’d met in Germany: Priscilla. He told us, ''I want to record this song next, and while I’m doing it I guess I’ll have my mind on Priscilla''. The song was ''Can't Help Falling in Love.'' - Gordon Stoker (backing vocals)

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Here Comes the Sun'' by The Beatles]]>Fri, 30 Dec 2022 09:53:04 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-here-comes-the-sun-by-the-beatles

"Here Comes the Sun" was written at the time when Apple was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen: 'Sign this' and 'sign that.' Anyway, it seems as if winter in England goes on forever, by the time spring comes you really deserve it. So one day I decided I was going to sag off Apple and I went over to Eric Clapton's house. The relief of not having to go see all those dopey accountants was wonderful, and I walked around the garden with one of Eric's acoustic guitars and wrote "Here Comes the Sun". - George Harrison

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''My Sweet Lord'' by George Harrison]]>Mon, 26 Dec 2022 15:41:44 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-my-sweet-lord-by-george-harrison

''My Sweet Lord" has got a mantra in there and mantras are – well, they call it a mystical sound vibration encased in the syllable. It has this power within it. It's just hypnotic. Once I chanted it for like three days non-stop, driving through Europe, and you just get hypnotised.'' - George Harrison

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Every Rose Has Its Thorn'' by Poison]]>Sat, 24 Dec 2022 14:22:36 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-every-rose-has-its-thorn-by-poison

''Every Rose Has Its Thorn'' was written in a laundromat in Texas while I was waiting for my clothes to dry and lamenting the fact that my stripper girlfriend broke up with me. I remember using a pay phone to call this girl I was dating. She answered the phone, but she sounded a little odd. Immediately she gave me that ‘I’m really sleepy’ line, which was not something she would normally say. And then I heard it – the whispering in the background. It was obviously a guy’s voice. Now, a female voice, that I could’ve lived with, you know what I’m saying? Hell, I may have even welcomed it! But another guy… It broke my heart.'' - Bret Michaels

''I was just heartbroken. I wrote it on an acoustic guitar. When you write a song, nothing pops up and says that this song is magic. When I wrote it, it came from my heart and soul. We put it on the record. We didn't even try to go out with it until the third one from the album. The record company really didn't believe in it. It ended up being a No. 1 song. It was a rock and country station in Dallas that actually broke the song.'' - Bret Michaels

]]><![CDATA[Behind the song: ''Down Under'' by Men at Work]]>Fri, 23 Dec 2022 11:32:46 GMThttps://www.popiconsblog.com/pop-icons/behind-the-song-down-under-by-men-at-work

''The chorus is really about the selling of Australia in many ways, the overdevelopment of the country. It was a song about the loss of spirit in that country. It's really about the plundering of the country by greedy people. It is ultimately about celebrating the country, but not in a nationalistic way and not in a flag-waving sense. It's really more than that.'' - Colin Hay

"It's a very important song for me. It always felt like a strong song, right from the start. Originally, the idea came from a little bass riff that Ron Strykert, the guitar player for Men at Work, had recorded on a little home cassette demo. It was just a little bass riff with some percussion that he played on bottles which were filled with water to varying degrees to get different notes. I really loved it. I used to listen to it in the car all the time. When I was driving along one day in Melbourne, the chords popped out and a couple of days later I wrote the verses." - Colin Hay

"It's ultimately a song about celebration, but it's a matter of what you choose to celebrate about a country or a place. White people haven't been in Australia all that long, and it's truly an awesome place, but one of the most interesting and exciting things about the country is what was there before. The true heritage of a country often gets lost in the name of progress and development." - Colin Hay

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