39. Britney Spears – Toxic

If pop histories were written solely about ability, Britney’s decade would not be headlined by bald-headed substance abuse and multiple marriages, but by Toxic. The high watermark of a sporadically brilliant career, Toxic is a hugely confident and ambitious record, but despite its lofty goals it never overreaches itself. Right across the song, Britney is incredibly sexy, but never in a forced way – both her breathy and brazen deliveries do exactly what’s required, and then a little more. Similarly, the production attempts some frankly bizarre tricks for a pop single, but always pulls them off: screeching backwards strings, anyone? Proto-dubstep bassline? Played for, and got, it would seem. Add this musical virtuosity to the dazzling video clip and you have an utterly self-assured and complete package. History, they say, is written by victors – while Britney might’ve lost a great deal of battles this decade, Toxic is one hell of a win.