"What You Waiting For?" is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004). Written by Stefani and Linda Perry, the song is the album's opening track and was released as Stefani's debut solo single. Lyrically, "What You Waiting For?" details Stefani's lack of inspiration and fear of producing the album, as well as her reaction to pressures exerted by her record label. It is primarily an electropop song and introduces Stefani's four backup dancers, the Harajuku Girls, who had a major input into the album's production.
"These Words" is a song by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was written by Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins and Bedingfield for her 2004 debut album, Unwritten. The song is the album's opening track, and was released as its second single. "These Words" details Bedingfield's lack of inspiration and her reaction to pressure from her record label to produce a hit song.
"Pon de Replay" is the debut single of Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun (2005). It was written and produced by Vada Nobles, Alisha "M'Jestie" Brooks, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. The song was released on May 24, 2005, as the lead single from the album. Prior to signing a six album record deal with Def Jam Recordings, "Pon de Replay" was one of three songs which was recorded for her demo tape to be sent to record labels. It is a dance-pop, dancehall and R&B song that features elements of pop and reggae. The lyrics revolve around Rihanna asking a DJ to turn the volume of her favorite songs up louder. The name means "play it again" in Bajan Creole, the language used for everyday speech in Barbados.
"Unwritten" is a song by English singer Natasha Bedingfield for her debut studio album of the same name. It was released in 2004 as the third single from the album. The song was written by Bedingfield, Danielle Brisebois, and Wayne Rodrigues and produced by Rodrigues and Brisebois. The single was released as the album's third UK single and second US single. In 2006, "Unwritten" became the theme song for the MTV reality television series The Hills. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first top-ten hit in the United States.
"Mambo!" is Helena Paparizou's fifth CD single and the first from her international album The Game of Love. There were two versions of the song; a Greek version and an English version. The Greek version was released in November 2005 in Greece and was a major hit going straight to number one for ten weeks including during Christmas. In total, the song charted for 23 weeks, leaving Helena with her most successful CD single to date. The single was released as a CD single and Sony BMG also re-released Helena's debut album Protereotita for a third time with her single under the name of Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo!.
"Maneater" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). The song was written by Furtado, Jim Beanz, and its producers Timbaland, and Danja. It was released to mainstream radio in the United States in July 2006. The song's musical style and production were inspired by the Hall & Oates song of the same name and other music from the 1980s.
"Hurt" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album, Back to Basics. It was serviced to US contemporary hit radio stations on September 17, 2006, as the album's second single, and was released for purchase in November. Written by Aguilera, Linda Perry, and Mark Ronson, and produced by Perry, the song is a pop ballad with lyrics describing how the protagonist deals with the loss of a loved one and was inspired by the death of Perry's father.
"Self Control" is a song by Italian singer Raf, released in 1984. It was written by Giancarlo Bigazzi, Steve Piccolo and Raf, and arranged by Celso Valli. The track topped the charts in Italy and Switzerland, and started the explosion and dominance of Italo disco-style recordings in continental European charts during the 1980s.
"She's Madonna" is a song by British singer Robbie Williams with the duo Pet Shop Boys, from his seventh studio album, Rudebox (2006). The track was released as its third and final international single on 5 March 2007 by Chrysalis Records. The subject matter of the song is a reference to the conversation Williams had with his ex-girlfriend Tania Strecker, over the reason her former boyfriend Guy Ritchie gave, for leaving her for American singer Madonna. Williams had played the recording to Madonna shortly after writing it, receiving a positive reaction.
"Wheel of Fortune" is a song by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as their first single from the debut album, Happy Nation (1992). The song was first serviced to Danish radio in early 1992, through Mega Records, but failed to pick up much support. When re-promoted for a third time and released in stores on 29 June 1992, it entered the official Danish singles chart at number six, before later peaking at number two. It wasn't released elsewhere in Europe until 1993, following the success of their second single, "All That She Wants".
"Because of You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It was written by Ne-Yo, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen for his studio album of the same name while production was helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production moniker Stargate. The song, released on February 13, 2007, served as the album's first single. "Because of You" reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, topped the New Zealand Singles Chart, and reached the top 10 in Ireland, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The song appears in the 2008 action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the fictional radio station The Vibe 98.8.
"Saturday Night" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, fronted by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was first released in 1992 in Italy and 1993 in Spain through Prodisc. Throughout 1994, it was released across the rest of Europe and experienced worldwide success. The song was written by Italian producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva. In 1994, the song was included in the debut album, Whigfield.
"Do You Know? " is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. It was released in 2007 as the first single from his eighth studio album, Insomniac and takes the latter part of its English name from the sound of a ping pong ball bouncing that is employed as a percussion track throughout the song. The song's Spanish version is entitled "Dímelo" and was released to Latin radio, becoming Iglesias' 17th number one song on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs.
"Taking Chances" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion, taken from her tenth English-language studio album of the same name (2007). It was written by Kara DioGuardi and former Eurythmics member, Dave Stewart for their band named Platinum Weird. The song was supposed to be released as a single in February 2007 from their unreleased self-titled album. However, after DioGuardi and Stewart recorded it, they played the track for Dion's husband René Angélil, who loved it and she recorded it.
"Cry for You", released as "Cry for You (You'll Never See Me Again)" on Hard2Beat, is a song by Swedish singer Petra Marklund, performing as September, from her second studio album In Orbit (2005). It was released in Sweden on 29 November 2006 as the third and final single from the album. The single version was also included on her third studio album Dancing Shoes (2007) as a bonus track, and it was released as a single from her various compilation albums that were released in Europe. Musically, "Cry for You" is a dance-pop and euro-pop track, with it lyrically being about getting out of an relationship.
"Release Me" is a pop song recorded by Swedish singer Agnes Carlsson taken from her third studio album, Dance Love Pop (2008). The track was written by Carlsson, Anders Hansson and Sharon Vaughn. It was released as the album's second single in Sweden and as Agnes's debut single internationally. "Release Me" was another top ten hit for Agnes in Sweden and also charted in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Worldwide, the single sold over 900,000 copies, making it Agnes' biggest hit to date.
Nabiha Bensouda is a Danish singer-songwriter.
"Promiscuous" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). The song was written by Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, Furtado and Nate "Danja" Hills. The song's lyrics feature a conversation between a man and woman who call each other promiscuous. The song was released as the second single from the album on April 25, 2006.
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson and the title song from her fifth studio album, Stronger (2011). Originally titled as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)", the song served as the album's second single on January 17, 2012, through RCA Records. Written by Kelly Clarkson, Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, and David Gamson, with additional writing and production by Greg Kurstin, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is an uptempo song which draws from the genres of dance-pop and electropop. Its lyrical content mainly explores themes of empowerment and recovery following a heartbreak, with the chorus inspired by a Friedrich Nietzsche quotation: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
"Applause" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third studio album, Artpop (2013). It was released as the album's lead single through Interscope Records on August 12, 2013. Written and produced by Gaga, DJ White Shadow, Dino Zisis and Nick Monson, additional songwriters included Martin Bresso, Nicolas Mercier, Julien Arias and William Grigahcine. "Applause" was inspired by the cheering of her fans, which kept her motivated during the months she toured with the Born This Way Ball in pain, before cancelling it due to a hip injury, and pays respect to the art of performance. It is an electropop, dance-pop and Eurodance song built around synthesizers and hi-NRG beats, with lyrics addressing how Gaga is dependent upon her fans' adoration and how she lives to perform.
