It’s brutal out there, and that’s why, more than ever, we needed the consoling and prodding pleasures of popular music to help everything make sense in here. [Stage direction: taps chest, knowingly.] ...

"Only here to sin." That admission from NPR Music's song of the year lies at the heart of many of the stories told across these 100 tracks. Perhaps the crowning of Cardi and Megan's "WAP" last year ...

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Lisa of Blackpink attends the Michael Kors Collection Spring 2019 Runway Show at Pier 17 on September 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images ...