On the rise are One Direction (“One Thing”), Ellie Goulding (“Lights”), and Calvin Harris (also “Let’s Go”). They debuted on the very first Now album with their number one hit Is There Something I Should Know, and are back on the latest volume with Black Moonlight - a single which failed to make the top 75.

series in the United Kingdom and the biggest selling Now album of all time, having sold 1,649,272 copies as of January 2013. It was very difficult choosing the most essential song off Now 6, which tells you why it’s ranked so high. Terence Trent D'Arby's hits are now credited to Sananda Maitreya, the name he chose in 2001; while Eurythmics now insist on the awkward billing of "Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart".

Many of these artists have gone on to become global superstars such as Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes, Walk The Moon, Maggie Rogers, Rae Sremmurd, Zara Larsson, Jacob Whitesides, and Tate McRae. Here’s another fun fact: If you invite me to your wedding and don’t play “24K Magic,” I am taking my gift back. The presentation of each release has evolved notably over time: from 1986 through to 2013, all double and triple CD sets were released in chubby Jewel cases which could hold up to 6 discs. Overall, Now 55 is not this high because of the quality of the DJ songs (well, except for “Where Are Ü Now,” which is perfect)—it’s this high because of the charting success of the DJ songs, and the overwhelming commercial success of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” which also lands on Now 55.

Growing up: Gabrielle’s wonderfully positive Sunshine followed by Honeyz’s soulful Never Let You Down featuring the voice of Mariama Goodman for the first time. From “We Can’t Stop” to “Blurred Lines,” from “Get Lucky” to “Summertime Sadness”—even on down to “Sail” by AWOLNATION— Now 48 is a magical listen. The Essential Score for each album was determined by rating each song’s essentialness on a scale of 1 to 10. Since the release of Now 102 in Easter 2019, the corresponding Now album from 100 volumes ago has been re-compiled and re-issued on 2-CD sets on the same day. In our universe, meanwhile, I’d expect “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper to land on, like, Now 69.Between her and Robbie Williams ruling the charts, it’s a good argument for 99 being the worst year for pop music.

There’s no doubt that the opening salvo is extremely impressive – despite the age of some of the tracks. I’ve given myself to the power of the Now Formula, and I trust its ability to objectively determine the best Now.

Speaking of actresses making bizarre forays into the music world: Now 32 includes “Good Girls Go Bad” by Cobra Starship and Leighton Meester. A hot take: “Need You Now” is one of the best songs of the decade, across all genres; it’s probably top five. However, starting with Now 32 in 2009, the compilations began including a set of four to six bonus tracks titled “Now What’s Next. The perceived wisdom about compilations is that, when somebody picks one up, they look at the first half-dozen tracks and the last two or three tracks and make a decision accordingly," says Steve Pritchard, who was custodian of the series for more than 20 years.