Nate Ruess, lead singer of the NYC indie-pop trio fun., might be the Platonic ideal of a 21st-century rock star. He has a huge voice, all snarl and Broadway panache; at his full-fathom best, he could send Adam Lambert scrambling for cover. His music blends classic bubble-pop tunefulness with rococo rock & roll – close harmony chorales, showy key changes, a dash of Queen here, a dollop of Les Miz there. In "We Are Young" (featuring Janelle Monáe), and 10 other rollickingly catchy songs, Ruess' knack for the anthemic is matched by Gen-Y humor – emo self-deprecation that leavens the bombast. "Some nights I rule the world/With bar lights and pretty girls," he sings. "But most nights I stay straight and think about my mom."

Listen to "Some Nights":

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• Photos: Random Notes

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.