Throwback Thursday: "Unpretty" TLC

In recent years, a spate of "it gets better" dance anthems have proved hugely successful for just about every major pop diva around. But none of them has matched the poignancy or heart of TLC's self-empowerment opus "Unpretty," which was warning girls against the dangers of society's unfair beauty standards—and the boys who buy into them—long before Lady Gaga was even a twinkle in pop music's eye. What distinguishes "Unpretty" is its candid vulnerability. Rather than floating above the self-doubting misery of it all on bursting synths and soaring vocals (à la recent hits like "Firework" and "Born This Way"), it is grounded in melancholy confessions and inviting harmonies that give the listener a true empathetic hook. The song becomes an opportunity for honest self-reflection and emotional confrontation, not just the soundtrack to a hot night out at the club, and that makes the ebullient affirmation of the chorus feel all the more enlightened and sincere. The result is a genuinely uplifting musical experience—one in which the final, blissful electric guitar solo seems to carry you away into a state of cathartic peace. A

13 years ago this week, "Unpretty" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.