Pop music is always evolving, but every so often a song comes along that shifts everything. Whether through innovation, cultural impact, or sheer staying power, these are songs influenced what came after them, and each one helped shape the sound of modern pop.

Before dragons, crowns, and global fame, Emilia Clarke was just another young actor trying to break through. She had a few small roles and was still figuring things out when she landed the part of Daenerys Targaryen. It would change everything—and make her famous almost overnight. But what fans didn’t know at the time was how close she came to never being able to enjoy it.

One of the greatest guitarists of all time, Jimmy Page was the genius behind Led Zeppelin's iconic, hard rock sound. But behind the rock god image, Page cultivated enough dark secrets, questionable behavior, and interpersonal problems to fill a stairway to heaven.