Music can bring on many different emotions, but the one I’m going to focus on is nostalgia. So get those phones out and be ready to build a playlist.

Everyone has a different taste in music, different guilty pleasure songs, but I believe one thing that all of us can agree on is the iconic age of pop music from 2005-2010. In the span of those five years, some of the best pop music to ever hit the airwaves came to our young and growing ears and is forever embedded into our memories.

I look back at the Billboard Hot 100 of those years, and remember most of the songs vividly. 2006’s 100 was topped by Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day.” Once upon a time, probably around 2006, this was my favorite song by far. The song was followed closely by the two-hit wonder, James Blunt, who’s songs “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover” were gorgeous love ballads. The All-American Rejects topped charts with their hits “Move Along” and “Dirty Little Secret” which still happen to be included on numerous playlists that I have made. Around this time, not many bands were doing what they do better than The Fray. Their songs “How To Save A Life” and “Over My Head” were both top 25 songs on the Hot 100 in 2006. In my opinion, the best song to come out of 2006 was “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol. It is one of those songs that people still quote to this day on Instagram posts and on their Twitter feed. The most popular quote being “If I lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world,” which speaks volumes to a number of people.

When I look back now, I realize that 2006 and the next couple years to follow were the prime years for R&B singer Ne-Yo. His angelic voice was put to good use in his albums “In My Own Words,” which featured songs like “So Sick” and “When You’re Mad.” Another great album of his was “Year of the Gentleman.” This had songs that I used to just sit on the couch and watch on MTV Jams non-stop, including “Mad,” “Closer,” and possibly my favorite Ne-Yo track of all time “Miss Independent.” Ne-Yo was one of the highly admired artists of this time period.

2007 might be the greatest year in recent music history. 2007’s Hot 100 was topped by two songs that have been played on Friday’s in South’s hallways in the last month. Number one was “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce followed by “Umbrella” by Rihanna. Both women are still prominent figures in music, but I don’t know if anything they’ve made since will ever be as good as these golden years of pop were. Another song that will make you feel nostalgic for this period is The Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah.” 2007 was a great year for the now seemingly non-existent Akon. This was the year his album “Konvicted” took off. The album included hits like “Don’t Matter,” the first song I ever knew all the lyrics to. Another great song from this album was “Sorry, Blame it On Me.” He speaks on his relationship with the mother of his children, his own mother, and the reasons he was previously convicted in a truly beautiful song where he takes responsibility for his mistakes and the mistakes of others. Another monster hit was “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne, the song was played on the radio non-stop and is the first time I remember a song getting truly played out. This year also included the likes of prime Sean Kingston, along with Fergie, Justin Timberlake, and Kanye West.

2008 and 2009 were both topped by hip-hop songs. 2008 was the year that Flo Rida’s “Low” hit the radio and every club in the world, making its way to number one. 2009 was Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow,” which looking back wasn’t all that great of a song, but does not change the fact that it reminds me of being in fourth grade and thinking that long division was difficult, oh, good times. These two years were dominated by Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, and Chris Brown.

2010 was the last year of great pop music for me. “Hey Soul Sister” by The Train was a great song from this year. The best song of the year came from the artistry that is B.O.B. His hit single featuring Haley Williams “Airplanes” might be one of my favorite songs of all time. Taio Cruz was a big name from this year, Bruno Mars was just breaking on to the scene, and Jason Derulo was putting out a steady stream of great songs. After the year 2010, pop music fell off. Was it because I grew out of listening to songs on repeat, non-stop for months? Quite possibly. But that does not change the fact that the songs in this article just like many more are songs that should be listened to and appreciated for a long time.