Believe by Cher – Joey Weslo

I don a pair of scandalous trousers so tight, they create audible gasps as I strut through the bar. If you got it, flaunt it. After careful consideration, I AM too good for you. All the money in the world won’t make the sex with him any better. – Do you believe in life after love? – Tonight, the dance floor is sultry and stained with sweat-soaked bodies grinding to a hypnotic pulse. “I don’t need you anymore!”

Peanut Butter by Galantis – Miguel Angel Contreras III

    With a stumbling, incoherent gait I sifted through the throngs of arriving highschool students enroute to my usual crash site. Invariably it was surrounded by similarly sleep deprived friends and flanked by history teachers numbed to the regular early morning demonstrations of our withering mental health. I ricochet off the final turn in the hall and locked onto my fleshy target desperately deluding himself in a doze. Haphazardly, I flopped onto his unaware body with the absent self awareness of a Great Dane. I swapped out his earplugs for my own while he groaned and cursed at me and before he could plant a volleyball spike on my face. I peered through the glare of his pitch sunglasses with feigned innocence and slurred,
“Look what I found last night…”. The unthematic music and repetitious lyrics blared in his ears as his grimace recovered. As the second chorus finished playing he remove the earplugs and lower his sunglasses, locking eyes with me with exasperation, but also calm. I had thought the music’s tempo exhilarated him.   
“Your taste in music is rapidly declining.”

This Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen – Brandon Beckwith

A lot of music is formulaic, the pop genre more so than others. If you have all the right pieces in the right sequence, with an infectious beat, then you could, in theory, make the most mathematically perfect pop song.

That said, it’s really just another song about a scandalous night at a club.

Take Me Higher by A.C.E – Tessa Morton

This is a guilty pleasure because I never thought I would publicly admit that I like a Kpop song. I lived in South Korea for five years, and during that time I heard Kpop everyday and wherever I went. At the time I was less inclined to look into the artists that I heard because the music was so far removed from the kind of music I traditionally listened to. Now that I have left Korea, I feel like Kpop followed me here. One of the biggest boy groups in the world is from South Korea and I see students on campus wearing kpop branded hats, bags and hoodies. Motivated by a coworker who was interested in learning about more Korean artists, I did some research of my own and discovered this gem. I truly feel like the Backstreet Boy loving, bubble pop loving, middle school version of myself has reemerged. This song is a bop and the music video is even better. I honestly can play this on repeat and it always makes me smile.

Mine by Bazzi – Karla Villegas Pineda

The smooth bassline to “Mine” compliments its cheesy lyrics in way that makes me smile every time the chorus hits. Because most of the lines end in added ninth chords, the flow from the verse to the chorus is not only seamless, but also easily puts listeners in a good mood. Not only has this song become a great meme reaction, it’s become the song I blast through my car’s speakers as I drive home from a good night out with friends.

Toxic by Britney Spears – Kimberly Wilson

Arguably one of Spears’ best records, this sultry pop hit slowly takes over me every time I listen. If you’re ever in search of a fire quote for your next mean muggin’ Instagram post, look no further. And did I mention the iconic violin solo is my absolute fav’? (sorry, Vivaldi). This hit is definitely every bit of a “toxic” guilty pleasure, indeed. 

Tik Tok by Ke$ha – Madison Venckus

Ever since I was ten I knew every word

Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani – Alison Pfaff

One of the most iconic songs by Stefani, it’s a song that is so overplayed, but I still come back to it. Enough said.