Popular Western music. Latest rankings [2026]

DelicateTaylor Swift36rank/position

Taylor Swift – Delicate

This is a track with a curious charm: the vocals processed through a vocoder end up expressing the protagonist’s fragile, almost breakable heart all the more vividly.

Included on Taylor Swift’s 2017 album Reputation, this gem carries an intimate atmosphere within its electropop sound.

The lyrics portray the desire—and the anxiety—of wanting to believe that someone she met during a time of bad press will love her for who she truly is, striking a superb balance of precarious longing.

It became the album’s most successful single on radio, spending 35 weeks on the Hot 100.

It also appears in the Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty.

It’s the kind of song that gently stays by your side on those nights when you’ve just fallen for someone and feel a little timid.

Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana37rank/position

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit (Official Music Video)

Nirvana’s biggest hit, which shook the rock world to its core in 1991.

Opening their second album Nevermind, this track makes a powerful impact with its “quiet–loud” structure, moving from subdued verses to explosive choruses.

Despite its simple, power-chord-driven riff, Kurt Cobain’s searing, soul-baring vocals intertwine with Dave Grohl’s powerful drumming to create a truly one-of-a-kind sound.

At the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, it won both Best New Artist and Best Alternative Video.

It also ranked an impressive No.

5 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

It’s a timeless classic that not only resonates with those in their 50s who felt its real-time shock but is also essential listening for anyone who wants to experience the origins of grunge.

Count on MeBruno Mars38rank/position

Bruno Mars – Count on Me (Official Lyric Video)

A heartwarming song about the importance of bonds with friends! This work by American superstar Bruno Mars features a soothing acoustic guitar sound and rhythms that evoke Hawaii.

The straightforward message—when you’re in trouble, I’ll help you, so I want you to rely on me too—will surely move you.

The track is included on the classic album Doo‑Wops & Hooligans, released in October 2010.

In Australia, it gained popularity through radio play and reached No.

19 on the charts.

If you’ve had a fight with a close friend or want to cheer up someone who’s feeling down, listening to this song will surely help you be honest with your feelings.

Bohemian RhapsodyQueen39rank/position

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video Remastered)

This is a track that resonates like a grand, roughly six-minute tale, as if you’re watching a single film.

Created by Queen, the song’s structure is breathtaking as it whirls from a beautiful ballad to opera and then into fierce rock.

Yet behind its dramatic sound lies the anguished cry of a protagonist who regrets his sins and struggles against fate, tightening your chest with sorrow.

Released ahead of the landmark album A Night at the Opera in October 1975, it’s also known for its memorable use in the film Wayne’s World.

When you’re crushed by inescapable loneliness or despair, surrendering yourself to this vast sonic world will let emotions well up from the depths of your heart.

HappyPharrell Williams40rank/position

Pharrell Williams – Happy (Official Video)

Pharrell Williams is a music producer behind numerous hit songs.

One of his tracks that brings an exceptionally positive, sweet moment is “Happy.” Its breezy rhythm, infused with neo-soul and funk, makes your heart bounce just by listening.

The lyrics convey a sense of happiness that won’t be defeated by any hardship, letting you feel a liberating freedom as if released from everything.

Released as a single in November 2013, it was beloved worldwide as the theme song for the film Despicable Me 2.

The song spent 10 consecutive weeks at No.

1 on the U.S.

Billboard chart.

If you listen to it with someone special on White Day, you’ll naturally want to clap along—and both of your smiles are sure to shine.

HappierEd Sheeran41rank/position

Ed Sheeran – Happier (Official Music Video)

It’s a masterpiece whose warm melody gently wraps the pain of heartbreak and whose bittersweet yet forward-looking lyrics resonate deeply.

Hailing from the UK, Ed Sheeran delicately portrays the complex emotions that arise when he sees his ex looking happy with someone new.

Included on the album ÷, the song was released as a single in April 2018 and reached No.

6 on the UK charts.

Simple guitar arpeggios and restrained strings tenderly support the aching vocal.

For anyone who’s said goodbye to someone important and, while wishing them happiness, can’t quite shake the lingering loneliness—this is a heartwarming song that stays by your side at the end of love we all experience.

When I Was Your ManBruno Mars42rank/position

Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man (Official Music Video)

It’s an achingly sorrowful story woven with nothing but piano melody and vocals.

Bruno Mars, a global hitmaker and entertainer known for his singing and dancing, strips away all flashy production here and relies solely on his vocal power in this standout ballad.

Included on his 2012 album “Unorthodox Jukebox,” it topped the U.S.

charts in 2013.

The lyrics, in which he lays bare specific regrets—like how he should have brought her flowers—deeply move listeners.

In this work, he reveals a disarmingly vulnerable side that contrasts with his glamorous image.

Why not listen to it alone on a quiet night, reflecting on past love? It’s sure to gently comfort the pain of heartbreak.