The 5 best Super Bowl halftime shows - ranked

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Bruno Mars started out by impressively whaling on the drums, then broke into his hit "Locked Out of Heaven," and the rest was history. Mars threw the crowd a curveball when he rocked out with the Red Hot Chili Peppers" for a collaboration featuring their song "Give It Away." Even non-fans had to love it. The combination of his Temptations-inspired attire and polarizing voice created a performance for the books.

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As he did with his music videos, Michael Jackson brought cinematic showmanship to his Super Bowl halftime show, and just the right amount of corniness, including MJ decoys popping out of Jumbotrons. He also knew how to hold a pose for just long enough (which is a pretty long time, turns out). Michael Jackson was one of our greatest entertainers, and he delivered.

Now please enjoy this GIF of "Michael Jackson" "popping out" of a Jumbotron:

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Beyonce defines pop perfection. Her 2013 performance wasn't just good — it was instantly legendary, even as people were watching (no doubt part of the reason she was asked to return for Super Bowl 50). We all know she can dance of course, but she went the extra mile, which is probably responsible for the photo that got passed around. She also slowed it down with a beautiful rendition of "Halo" that showcased her vocal range. Her performance got even better when she surprised the world with a Destiny's Child reunion.

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Only Prince would launch his Super Bowl show with an extremely phallic male-symbol stage jutting down the field, a powder-blue suit on his body, and a bandana on his head. Prince brought rock-star energy to the game the likes of which it had never seen and hasn't seen since — with nods to Jimi Hendrix and Foo Fighters, actual rain, and guitar licks that earn their spine chills along the way — before the "Purple Rain" coda brought everyone to an emotional climax. He may have waited over a decade, but The Purple One finally bested MJ himself.