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Playlists, albums, articles & videos from our Rhapsody music experts.

Source Material: Katy Perry, 'Teenage Dream'

by Rachel Devitt

It's hard to imagine pop culture or, well, life in general without Katy Perry, but our little Teenage Dream Girl only dropped into our lives back in 2007 or so. Now, just a few short years later, she's gone from kissing girls to getting hitched, wowed us with wigs in every color of the rainbow, ridden everything from a banana to a cloud to Russell Brand (sorry), and released not one but two smash albums. In fact, the second one, last year's Teenage Dream, just helped Ms. Perry set a new record: she's the first-ever female singer (and only the second-ever artist, after Michael Jackson) to have five No. 1 singles from one album.

Teenage Dream takes its subject matter seriously: like teenagerdom in general, it is angsty, dramatic, hormone-ridden, at times annoying, near-universal and, oh yeah, a lot of fun. Perry's retrospective on adolescence and its attending aesthetics of emotional theatrics, colorful vibrancy, neo-jailbait vixenry and head-cheerleader camp are mined from a wide array of sources. In other words, peppermint candy-bras (and Russell Brand) notwithstanding, the girl's got surprisingly good taste. So dig in and listen up! to our exploration of the roots and routes that led to the record-breaking Teenage Dream. Katy lovers and haters alike will find plenty of favorites and surprises here!

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

Pop music subversive Cyndi Lauper's outward persona may have reached clown-level goofiness at times (Captain Lou Albano in her videos, the intentionally ridiculous dance pose on the cover) yet her debut kicks off with the brilliant and pointed "Money Changes Everything" and one of her biggest hits ("She Bop") got banned from the radio for being about masturbation.

Greatest Hits

Shirley Bassey

Everything Shirley Bassey sings sounds like something off a film soundtrack -- even the songs that aren't actually on a film soundtrack. Whether she's belting out a show tune or dipping into a guttural growl for one of her Propellerheads collaborations, Bassey's voice is grandiose, dramatic, commanding. You say some fellows called the Doors originally wrote "Light My Fire" and it wasn't a lounge song besotted with sweeping strings and Bacharachian brass? We'll never believe it. Because Shirley Bassey is just that much diva. And, darlings, she most definitely does have the range.

Miss Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee

This four disc box set is the perfect introduction for new Peggy Lee fans, and offers some rare tracks for the old ones. Lee's recordings with Capitol are on par with those of Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole and Ella Fitzgerald -- making this some of the best music cut in the 20th Century.

Galore

Dragonette

Love Angel Music Baby

Gwen Stefani

With a set that runs from Britney-like dance pop to hip-hop-flavored club jams, Love Angel Music Baby bubbles with an impressive range of styles -- techno, Middle Eastern house, New Wave, even J-Pop. Stefani reveals herself to be a true omnivore, and shows she's got what it takes to make it as a solo artist.

Alright, Still

Lily Allen

Gritty street scenes filtered through a cheeky sense of humor, British irony, and lots of milky tea make up Lily Allen's bird's-eye view of London. Allen's songs are set to an array of carefree, swinging sounds that incorporate elements of ska, pop and hip-hop, which help to offset weighty topics such as crack whores ("LDN"), breakups ("The Littlest Things") and revenge fantasies on unfaithful partners ("Smile"). More melodic and airy than the Streets, Allen is a sharp urban storyteller with an ear for a hook.

Their Greatest Hits

The Coasters

From Under The Cork Tree

Fall Out Boy

On their major label debut, Fall Out Boy deliver a heaviness that speaks to the members' background in hardcore, but the melodies come straight from the songbook of the alienated, love-struck teenager. Add in some anthemic choruses and incredibly long song titles, and you've got an intriguing, explosive record.

A Night At The Opera

Queen

Generally considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time, A Night at the Opera's overlaying of heavy metal, genius stereo gimmickry, Broadway swish and British pomp is as vital and riveting to listen to today as when it was released in 1975 (and went triple platinum). "Bohemian Rhapsody" is beyond unique, but so is the zillion angel chorus that provides Freddie Mercury's backing vocals and the instantly identifiable warble of Brian May's guitar. "Sweet Lady," "Death on Two Legs," "I'm in Love with My Car" -- these are some of Queen's absolute best songs.

The Anthology

X-Ray Spex