I'm not expecting many people to do the earlier decades, but just to get things started, here are my own 5 entries for those periods

pre 1950s
Nobody Knows you When You’re Down and Out, Scrapper Blackwell (1929)
I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom, Robert Johnson (1936)
In the Mood, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (1939)
Ain’t Misbehavin, Fats Waller (1943)
Sentimental Journey, Doris Day (1944)

1950s
Summertime, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong (1957)
I’m a King Bee, Slim Harpo (1957)
Great Balls of Fire, Gerry Lee Lewis (1957)
Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry (1958)
The Sky is Crying, Elmore James (1959)

I might add my 5s for the later decades later on.

I take it they’d have to be original? …

comment by StringerBell (U11749)
posted 1 minute ago
I take it they’d have to be original? …
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Definitely DON'T need to be original versions

Don’t listen to any songs from these decades

I think if we're going to see any action on this, then it'll be on the thread for the 60s-90s.
I have my 10 for 60s,80s and 90s, just finishing off the 70s.

Comment deleted by Article Creator

This is what I had for the 21st century incidentally:

Caught in a Moment, Sugababes
Gold Lion, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Knights of Cydonia, Muse
Crazy, Gnarls Barkley
Denial, Sugababes

Words Darker Than Their Wings, Alter Bridge
If Your Girl Only Knew, Finnebassen
After You, Pulp vs Soulwax
Tennessee Whiskey, Chris Stapleton
I Feel it Coming, The Weeknd & Daft Punk

August, Taylor Swift
Wildfires, Sault
Westside Gunn, Lil Cease & Armani Caesar
Chaise Longue, Wet Leg
Solitude, Pasquale Grasso & Samara Joy

getting the 70s down to 10 is not really practical.

I could EASILY have a 10 from 1970-1972

Do they have to be sung, or do instrumentals count?

comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 13 minutes ago
Do they have to be sung, or do instrumentals count?
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up to you

as long as it could be called an example of a modern form of popular music

Barbie girl by Aqua for the 90s surely?

pre 1950s
Nobody Knows you When You, Scrapper Blackwell (1929)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=626pNZB8xXE

I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom, Robert Johnson (1936)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW0CilI_ikc

In the Mood, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (1939)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aME0qvhZ37o

Ain’t Misbehavin, Fats Waller (1943)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ8fWP6a3Q4

Sentimental Journey, Doris Day (1944)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQCROAHoU4

I might want to recheck these ones actually, just this period as there's a bit of swing stuff I've become aware of.

1950s
Summertime, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong (1957)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HJCN3upMHE

I’m a King Bee, Slim Harpo (1957)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWLvm11MAaM

Great Balls of Fire, Gerry Lee Lewis (1957)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_FAqr6rP4w

Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry (1958)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf4rxCB4lys

The Sky is Crying, Elmore James (1959)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S788gj9vdp0

This one's 1949
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FExAXSi4lXA