Released on the same day as Sgt. Pepper, David Bowie's 1967 debut was an odd start for the man who'd soon turn his strangeness into stardom. He mixes the English music hall of the Beatles' "Penny Lane" with the psychedelic whimsy of early Pink Floyd, but even in this cabaret setting, Bowie shows his knack for mixing singalong tunes with offbeat subject matter: The catchiest song, "She's Got Medals," celebrates a cross-dressing lesbian soldier. Singles, stereo and mono mixes, and Bowie's first BBC radio session complete this early portrait of pop's ultimate shape-shifter.

“The A Team”

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.