Oh hey! I'm Sam Lansky, and this is "Pop Think." I've gotta be honest with you. I'm tired of rumors starting and sick of being followed. You guys feel the same way? Perfect, because my subject this week is the embattled Lindsay Lohan, she of occasional (OK, frequent) legal troubles and consistent pop music magic.

And I'm not just talking about "Rumors" (although I'd be lying if I said I didn't channel her performance in that video every time I'm alone in an elevator). Despite becoming more known for tabloid antics than music career, Lindsay's two albums were supremely listenable, and sessions from her a-billion-times-delayed third album, Spirit In the Dark, had more potential than half the pop songs you're currently playing on repeat. So fasten your seat belt (seriously, you'd better be buckled up given Lindsay's driving record), because this week we're looking at some deep Lindsay cuts with the ultimate hope that LiLo will get back in the studio and give us the pop masterpiece we've been anticipating.

We really really miss this Lindsay Lohan.

Lindsay Lohan had a rough week last week with enough drama for a three-part Lifetime Original Movie. MTV News' James Montgomery did a superb job of recapping it, so I'll spare you the details, but for a minute there, when news outlets were reporting that paramedics had been called to Lindsay's hotel room, it looked like we might really lose her. And though her last official single, 2008's dance-pop banger "Bossy," is undoubtedly a worthy entry in her catalog, it'd be a shame (though, of course, not as regrettable as losing a vibrant, talented young woman) to imagine it being her last.

Read more about Lindsay Lohan's music career after the jump.

After setting a precedent with songs like the thrillingly trashy dance-pop classic "Rumors," pop-rock confection "Over" and the likably overwrought "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)," "Bossy" seemed to augur a new era for Lindsay. The list of her collaborators for her planned third studio album, Spirit In the Dark, was impressive: Stargate, Ne-Yo, The-Dream, Bloodshy & Avant and Pharrell, and the leaks that have surfaced from that era show so much of that promise.

There's the warm, skittering drums of "Can't Stop, Won't Stop," with its infectious hook and Lindsay's surprisingly emotive vocals; the soaring melody and dramatic strings and smoky sound of "Stay." And best of all, the Ina Wroldsen-penned "Stuck," a dark, throbbing pop gem. My personal favorite though is "Too Young to Die," produced by J.R. Rotem and penned by pop chanteuse Lolene, with chilling love-as-death extended metaphor lyrics that serve as a fascinating counterpart to some of her real-life self-destructive behaviors. Even if it's metaphorical, there's something fascinating about hearing Lindsay call out "I'm too young to die!" on the chorus.

And while that sentiment is true, some of her more recent accidents have been a frightening reminder of how fragile life is when you're young and lost and plagued by personal demons. Even if many of us follow Lindsay for the guilty-pleasure train wreck appeal of seeing what drama will unfurl next, it's her talent that earned her her fame. We loved her in "Mean Girls," we taught ourselves the rooftop choreography from the "Rumors" video and we belted out "Over" in the car with our friends after a bad breakup. (By "we," I mean "I," but also, probably, "you.") It's about her artistic output, not her personal life. And I want to see Lindsay back on top so she can do those things again.

Not only is she too young for the drama and the death scares, but she's too young to retire. Lindsay, wrap up these movies and make some killer pop music again. I'm not ready for you to tell me that it's over.

Sam Lansky is a writer and editor from New York City. He goes hard for Swedish pop music, "Real Housewives" GIFs and juice. Follow him on Twitter or Tumblr.

Photo credit: Universal Music