Cherry Bomb (Guardians of the Galaxy 2)

Raw, buzzing guitars that feel like they were recorded in someone's garage on purpose — that's the whole point. "Cherry Bomb" moves at a reckless mid-tempo swagger, all power chords and pounding drums that hit with the force of adolescent aggression distilled into two and a half minutes. Cherie Currie's voice is the centerpiece: young, slightly sneering, projecting a defiant sexuality that was genuinely shocking coming from teenage girls in 1976. There's no vulnerability here, only challenge — the delivery lands somewhere between a taunt and an invitation, and the chorus explodes with a full-throated howl that demands space. Joan Jett's rhythm guitar and the rhythm section drive everything forward with almost no ornamentation, because ornamentation would soften the blow. The song's cultural weight lies in what it represented: an all-female rock band playing loud, dirty, confrontational rock at a moment when that combination was considered an oxymoron. The Runaways weren't asking for permission, and the song sounds like it. You reach for this when you need to feel untouchable — driving too fast, walking into a room like you own it, reclaiming something that was taken.