What contemporary music hits do you think will stand the test of time?

Darude - Sandstorm

Moon River

Something by Tame Impala? Maybe Yeezus and TLOP?

I think "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars/Mark Ronson (2014) and "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake (2016) are strong contenders when it comes to contemporary dance music. They feel as fresh today as they did a decade ago, and I think they will age well because they exemplify the fundamentals of the genre. They're energetic, catchy, and have a je ne sais quoi that makes them stand out in a crowd. If I'm throwing a party, these two tracks are easily on the track list for the evening.

OP: gimme some contemporary music
Rudyharrelson: here's some songs from a decade ago
^{although I have to admit I agree with your choices}
- I mean, it's still within the "contemporary" timeframe, right? Had they mentioned disco or even 90s/00s pop like Britney and BSBs, I'd understand the disagreement. 😅

People in this thread are realising they are oooold.

I'm starting to see grays in my mane, my mortality winks at me. 😭😂

How recent is the cutoff for contemporary?

Given how hypercommercialized and devoid of personal artistry the throwaway modern music industry is, if something is known as a hit then I don’t see it being something good to my tastes. Even the couple of former megastars which have returned to the scene with hits seem to have been forgotten about shortly after their release (ex. The Beatles’ “Now and Then”, Billy Joel’s “Turn the Lights Back On”). There will be some pop songs that may stick around for a while out of novelty rather than quality, whether they’re simply quirky (ex. “Gangnam Style”, “Turn Down For What”, “I Glued My Balls to My Butthole Again”), they became associated with a huge fad (ex. “Friday”, “Harlem Shake”), or they prominently featured in a musical or movie (ex. The Hamilton Soundtrack, songs from a Disney movie). “Somebody I Used to Know” is the closest thing to an exception that I can think of, but that’s also a bit quirky. Does anything by Greta van Fleet count as a hit with a chance for longevity?

Given Taylor Swift’s relatively unique situation of having a massive cult of personality and now having control over her own catalog and releases, she has potential to output exceptions to the hypercommercialized rule but I’m not familiar with her discography beyond the hits that I hear played in public spaces.

"Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon

Tiktok by Ke$ha. 😉

Probably a lot of Portishead songs like Numb, Roads and Only You.

Can you really call something 30 years ago contemporary?
- Yes, I just did.

“Good Luck, Babe!”

Depends what you define as a "hit" or "standing the test of time"

In a literal sense, all of it will because it's unlikely for music to just disappear in 2025

In terms of people still caring about it? Still most of it, nostalgia means what people listen to when they're young determines at least a fraction of what they listen to when older.

In terms of still coming up in conversation, it's more important to look at the artist than the individual tracks. Those who are truly talented and compose their own interesting tracks consistently over a good number of years, will still be talked about and their tracks will still be played. I think longevity is probably a big factor, if Pink Floyd only ever released dark side of the moon (I know PatGoD was their first) and then disappeared, I don't think they would be remotely as influential.

For comparison, what are other songs which have previously stood the test of time?

Basically all the songs recommended on this thread lol
- We’re all old as fuck and think it’s no later than 2010.