Super Bowl 2015 Halftime Show: How Will Katy Perry Fare Against Beyoncé, Greatest Past All-Time Performances?

The Super Bowl halftime show has long been a daring testament to America's love of pop culture, showcasing award-winning artists from across a broad range of genres; the centerpiece performance keeping everyone hyped during the during the testosterone-fueled football game's brief intermission.

Katy Perry, the wide-eyed American darling who's dropped chart-topped after chart-topper ("I Kissed a Girl"; "California Gurls"; "Teenage Dream"; "Last Friday Night"; "Wide Awake"; "Roar"; and "Dark Horse."), will stand center stage this year at Super Bowl XLIX, and she promises to deliver a performance that will shock and amaze. For her 12 and half minutes on stage, Perry will sing alongside Lenny Kravitz, and the performance itself will be inspired by a combination of Diana Ross, Beyoncé and Madonna.

For the first two decades of the Super Bowl, the halftime show mostly consisted of college marching bands, variety shows, drill teams and performance ensembles. But, during the heart of the third decade, pop culture was injected into the halftime experience, and acts such as Mickey Rooney, Prince, Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Toni Bennett, Black Eyed Peas and so many more began to represent in the football arena.

Super Bowl XXXVIII's Nipplegate incident (when Justin Timberlake stupidly tore part of Janet Jackson's costume, exposing her nipple) may seem like the most prominent event in halftime history, but the "wardrobe malfunction" is far from it. There is a long history of outstanding and outrageous performances that pose to upstage the year prior.

Super Bowl XXIX was incredible, as the "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye"-themed spectacle included scenes from the film, as well as performances by Arturo Sandoval and Teddy Pendergrass. "Blues Brothers" fans loved Super Bowl XXXI, where The Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi), ZZ Top and James Brown excited and showboated. Diva extraordinaire Diana Ross was actually taken from the field in a helicopter after performing "Take Me Higher" during Super Bowl XXX in 1995. And the "Salute to Motown's 40th Anniversary" theme of Super Bowl XXXII presented amazing artist such as The Temptations, Queen Latifah, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson and Martha Reeves.

Edward James Olmos narrated 2000's Super Bowl XXXIV, which featured the artists Tina Turner, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir. And Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Chaka Khan and Savion Glover brought the house down in 1999, during Super Bowl XXXIII, under the theme of "Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing."

U2 offered a beautiful and heart-warming tribute to those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks at Super Bowl XXXVI. And Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly reminded everyone why the early 2000s were incomparable at Super Bowl XXXV.

But, if you're a fan of true show stoppers, you'll remember Madonna's 2012 performance at Super Bowl XLVI, which featured EVERYONE, including LMFAO, Cirque du Soleil, Nicki Minaj, CeeLo Green, Andy Lewis, a 200-person choir consisting of Indianapolis locals and M.I.A., who raised her middle finger and received a wave of overreaction from the general public and Madonna, herself. And you'll also remember Bruno Mars' jackpot performance with the Red Hot Chili Peppers during Super Bowl XLVIII, as they performed "Billionaire," "Locked Out of Heaven," "Just the Way You Are" and so many other goodies.

However, if you're a fan of concerted excellence, Beyoncé's performance at Super Bowl XLVII would stand out in your mind. Ms. Knowles-Carter mowed through her entire discography, one hit after the next. And Destiny's Child even showed up midway through the performance to help Beyoncé perform some of the songs that first hoisted her to fame.

In regards to this year's set list, mum has been the word, as Perry has been keeping the finer details about Sunday's performance to herself. Whatever she's going to do must be fantastic however, as Perry beat out British rock band Coldplay and Barbadian singer Rihanna for the coveted role of performer at 2015's half time show.