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Will Lady Gaga’s halftime show rank among these performances?

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Katy Perry in 2015.
Photo: Michael Conroy/AP

Michael Jackson (1993) College marching bands and Up With People were halftime traditions until Super Bowl XXVII brought the King of Pop to Pasadena and changed the game forever.

Janet Jackson (2004) MJ’s little sister had the whole world talking “wardrobe malfunction” after Justin Timberlake (accidentally?) exposed part of her right breast for less than a second at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston.

Paul McCartney (2005) Looking for a safe choice after the previous year’s slip-up, Super Bowl XXXIX turned to an ex-Beatle and his “Hey Jude” sing-along in Jacksonville, Florida, paving the way for a slew of veteran rock acts (The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, The Who) in the years to come.

Prince (2007) The musical gold standard among halftime shows found the Purple One covering Hendrix and the Foos, playing “Purple Rain” in the rain and schooling the world on his guitar greatness from atop his Super Bowl XLI symbol, er, stage, in Miami.

Katy Perry (2015) Guest performers Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz—and even Perry herself—had nothing on Left Shark, an out-of-sync dancer who put a silly spin on Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona.

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