@Justin Roettger

The tracks you can’t get enough of lately, all in one place. Updated as you listen.

The songs you love. The more you use Apple Music, the better the mix. Refreshed every Tuesday.

Whether it’s a weekday morning or Saturday night, get going with this personalized mix of upbeat music. Refreshed every Monday.

Songs to help you relax and unwind. Updated every Sunday.

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

There are rare talents, and then there is Michael Jackson. Yes, the Indiana-born musical prodigy's albums sold like kitchen appliances in the ‘80s, but more importantly, the lifelong showman sang as if every breath were his last. He out-discoed disco. He used elements of R&B, soul, funk, blues, rock, and gospel to turn sonic emotion into genre set pieces, like how “Thriller” morphed fear into horr-opera. MJ even invented his own onomatopoeic language—“Hee hee”; “Chi-ooh!”; “Ow!”—all of which instantly conjure a snapped fedora. Even among the Greatest of All Time, the King of Pop stands apart.

Ambushing mid-'90s radio smack in the middle of grunge's extended hangover, this genre-defining Florida boy band made their name with a string of ultra-romantic blockbuster ballads, including “I Want It That Way” and “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).” Between their perfectly calibrated harmonies, airtight dance choreography, and producer Max Martin's cutting-edge merger of pop and R&B, Backstreet Boys dominated the second half of the decade. The pure rush of jubilation bottled by “Everybody (Backstreet's Back)” sealed the deal, perfecting a template for successors like One Direction.