With holiday cheer in the air, TIME takes a closer look at some of the weird stories behind our favorite seasonal tunes
Music
9 Christmas Albums That Won’t Make You Want to Punch an Elf
Music that won’t make you cringe, cry or stuff your ears with sugarplums
School of Rock: 10 Supersmart Musicians
As students return to classrooms, TIME looks at an honor roll of rock stars who really made the grade
Shock and Awe: Top 10 Controversial Album Covers
To mark National Record Store Day, TIME takes a look at some memorable album covers that raised eyebrows (and sometimes ire). Warning: Some explicit nature
Download TIME’s Populist iPad App and See All of Our Pop Culture Lists
In mid-October, when we re-launched this entertainment site, we also struck out into the wild world of tablet apps.
TIME Populist, available for the iPad (download here), took all of the Top 10, 15, 25 and 100 lists that we …
Top 10 David Bowie Songs
As the persona-shifting musician turns 65, we take a look back at his most memorable tunes.
Top 10 Overplayed Holiday Songs
By Thanksgiving Day each year, more than 150 radio stations nationwide begin to broadcast Christmas music 24/7. TIME presents the most incessantly spun jingles.
All-TIME 100 Songs
Our critics pick the most extraordinary English-language popular recordings since the beginning of TIME magazine in 1923. Here are 100 (unranked) songs of enduring beauty, power and inventiveness
Coming Soon: The All-TIME 100 Songs
Compiled by a group of the magazine’s writers and editors, the list is the result of months of heated debate and one really, really long email chain about disco.
Top 10 Date-Specific Songs
Earth, Wind & Fire’s hit “September” asks, “Do you remember the 21st night of September?” This Sept. 21, TIME takes a look at songs with specific date references
Top 10 Musical Collaborations
Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Watch the Throne” was so big, it required three different music labels to handle its release. TIME takes a look at other musical partnerships that packed a lot of punch.
The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos
Thirty years ago, MTV began to beam a budding art form — the music video — into homes across the U.S. TIME takes a look back at the most memorable clips from three decades’ worth of music television
Top 10 Controversial Music Videos
Following the popularization of the music video format in the early ’80s, musicians have pushed its boundaries in the name of art.