"Don't You Worry Child" Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin

Scoring the biggest crossover hit of your career—it's not a bad way to go. Just as dance music supergroup Swedish House Mafia prepares to take an indefinite hiatus, their farewell single, "Don't You Worry Child," is finding unexpected success on the pop charts. (It also recently became their third #1 club hit.) Helping the transition from dance floor to radio is a touch of pathos, evoked most prominently by vocalist John Martin. Recalling a father's advice, his ecstatic cries add an emotional texture to the otherwise fairly standard rave-up, giving a sense of deeper meaning to a listener's desire to jump along. B

"Swimming Pools (Drank)" Kendrick Lamar

Last week, good kid, m.A.A.d city, the first studio album from Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar, debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, bolstered by the success of his bleary-eyed hit "Swimming Pools (Drank)." There's always a place in popular music for odes to alcohol, and Lamar has taken it a step further, crafting a song that feels like the deep dive into a pool of liquor that the chorus recommends. As the dark instrumental oozes along like the fuzzy processing skills of a tipsy brain, it steadily grows to match Lamar's swaggering rhymes, a boost of confidence that will surely be familiar to anyone who's ever felt a little too cool after a few too many drinks. "Pools" is a high-concept party track that still sounds mighty fine up in the club with drank in hand. B+

Throwback Thursday: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" Soulja Boy Tell'em

Before PSY, there was Soulja Boy Tell'em, another goofy rapper with incomprehensible lyrics and a ridiculous dance craze. His breakthrough hit—amazingly, other successes followed—was "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," a seven-week #1 in the fall of 2007 thanks to a viral video and the questionable purchasing habits of teenagers. (Sound familiar?) Composed entirely of stock loops from a music-editing program for PCs, "Crank That" almost feels like the work of an idiot savant. Its spare steel-drum-and-snaps instrumental offers a surprisingly catchy hook—which is then buried under Soulja Boy's drawling, tuneless drivel. Worse songs have hit the top of Billboard charts, but for mind-numbing stupidity, "Crank That" is a real winner. C-

Five years ago this week, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Begin Again" Taylor Swift

She may be the biggest musician in the country right now, but Taylor Swift is walking a precarious artistic tightrope between widening her audience and alienating her old fans. It's a difficult balancing act for any artist, and the jury's still out on how she's managing. On the lead single from her latest album, Red, Swift went full-blown pop, earning her first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while simultaneously missing the top ten on country radio for the first time in her career. So it's unsurprising that follow-up release "Begin Again" is a much safer choice for the Nashville starlet, trading in bubblegum Max Martin hooks for soft acoustic guitar and softer vocals. Those yearning for the return of Swift's airy storytelling will be satisfied by this understated ballad, as sweet and detailed-oriented as any in her catalog. And despite the presence of banjos and fiddles, "Begin" never quite breaks out into twang, remaining accessible for potential crossover success. B

"Little Things" One Direction

On their exhilarating debut single, the boys from One Direction showered love upon a girl who doesn't know how she beautiful she is. Now it's become clear that they may, in fact, have something to do with that. "Little Things," their first ballad release (co-written by Ed Sheeran of "The A Team" fame), spends three-and-a-half painfully intimate minutes pointing out all the supposed flaws that cause the unnamed leading lady's self-doubt—freckles, crinkly eyes, chubby stomach—before doubling back with a simple "But I'll love them endlessly" and "You're perfect to me." Uh-uh, guys, it doesn't work like that. Best keep those thoughts to yourself next time—even if you feel the urge to express them via stripped-down acoustic guitar arrangement and supple man-on-man harmonies (complete with a self-serious black-and-white video to match). D+

"Little Talks" Of Monsters and Men

Every once in a while, a hit song completely passes you by. Such was the case with the whimsical, propulsive "Little Talks," the debut single from Icelandic indie rock outfit Of Monsters and Men. I heard it for the first time last week, as I was scanning past on the radio, and I was immediately struck by its tender coed harmonies and blasting trumpet. In the excitement of my discovery, I failed to realize how late to the game I was; "Talks" reached the top of Billboard's alternative chart this summer. But better late than never, I suppose. The song's juxtaposition of melancholy storytelling—that of a woman talking to her recently deceased husband—against energetic, six-piece revelry (punctuated by celebratory cheers) is a stunner, evoking a gorgeous, cathartic swirl of pain and joy. It would have been a shame to miss this one altogether. A

Throwback Thursday: "Candle in the Wind 1997" Elton John

Following the car crash that killed his close friend, Princess Diana, Sir Elton John released "Candle in the Wind 1997," a reimagining of his 1973 ode to Marilyn Monroe. It quickly went on to become the biggest single of all time, a monster smash that sold over 33 million copies worldwide and spent 14 weeks at #1 in the U.S. Tied, as it is, so innately to the tragedy that is describes, "Wind 1997" is a much more emotional tribute than the original. But it's also a less musically interesting song, lacking the heft of the '73 version's bluesy electric guitar, choral harmonies and percussion section. Performed only once, at Diana's funeral, it scales down to primarily John and a piano, drifting along to its demure conclusion. That said, John's perfectly expressed sentiment—reverential, but not syrupy; grief that is gracefully palpable, but not overwrought—is a standout in pop music's long history of honoring legends. B

15 years ago this week, "Candle in the Wind 1997" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.