ABBA’s greatest victory, Madonna’s Illuminati induction & more: Your weekly bop rewind

We made it to the weekend! Let’s kick back, grab a drink, and crank up the tunes.

This week, we pay homage to our allied faves and icons. The ladies of pop, dance, and musical theater have been carrying our joy on their backs for longer than we can count through talent, controversy, and plenty of bops.

In this retrospective of LGBTQ-approved tracks released on this week in history, we see some of the ladies who’ve launched a thousand online fan accounts doing what they’ve always done best.

From Eurovision charts to honest body parts, here’s your weekly bop rewind:

The Barbra Streisand Album by Barbra Streisand (February 25, 1963)

At just twenty years old, Barbra Streisand made her album debut and casually created one of the most definitive pop vocal records ever produced. It nabbed her Album of the Year at the 6th Grammy Awards and quickly started her on her way to her current EGOT status.

“Waterloo” by ABBA

With this unspeakably feel-good single, ABBA snagged Sweden their first Eurovision win and put the nation on track to become the superpower of the competition that they now are (with six wins, the country is only bested by Ireland, who have seven). Over six decades into the competition’s history, “Waterloo” is still regularly cited as its best winning single ever.

“Like A Prayer” by Madonna

Television networks, the Pepsi Company, even Pope John Paul II: Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” video had everyone shook. The mixture of sexuality and overt Christian imagery — including burning crosses — led to one of the original pop star “Illuminati” conspiracy theories. That’s pop history!

“Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira

Solely by shaking her hips and slaying, Shakira brought forth one of the best-selling singles in music history. She also marked a new height in the Latin crossover of U.S. pop music, becoming the first artist to top the Billboard Latin chart and mainstream Top 40 at the same time. That’s international stardom.

“Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears

Focus on Britney’s incredible energy, Kesha’s expert ear for pop lyricism, and the video inspired by the looming threat of the 2012 Mayan calendar scare; pay no attention to the Dr. Luke behind the curtain. This track and the subsequent “Femme Fatale Remix” with Kesha and Nicki Minaj didn’t revolutionize pop, but it’s certainly early-2010s pop perfected.

Join us next week for another bop after bop!