Perfect Pop Songs

This one is just so 1960s.

Twelve Thirty - The Mamas & the Papas


https://youtu.be/RWb7F1mxljE

The thing about pop, although it might be hard to define what exactly pop is, now that the singles charts is seen to have become irrelevant (not that all great pop songs charted, many like Louie Louie didn't) is that it had the ability to appeal to a wide an audience as possible. 

Let's not forget the sheer variety of genres that made an appearance in the charts between 1950 - 2010. I would for example argue that both I Want To Hold Your Hand and Get Back are pop records. 

So what isn't a pop record?

I would say it's something that either wasn't or could ever be a big hit. For example out of all the great tracks on Astral Weeks the closest to a pure pop record (charts/airplay) I guess would be The Way Young Lovers Do. The other songs are all classics but that's the one you'd think Morrison would look to for singles chart success if he had wanted it.


@reubent , yes My Lonely Sad Eyes is a great pop record.

Despite never being released as a 45 here in the UK, I think it's up there with Here Comes the Night and Brown Eyed Girl as one of Van Morrison's best efforts at pop. 

Some of these suggestions do seem to be great examples of missed single releases. Such as Wyatt Funderberk's Bluer Than Blue.

On the other hand when I think of Tom Petty and obvious pop record, it's always going to be I Won't Back Down.

Anyway here's another example of a great pop record. A sure fire hit if there ever was one. At least it was in the UK giving the band their first number one in almost 20 years. For some inexplicable reason it barely broke the US top 100.

Maria  by Blondie

@slaw ,

It’s actually quite difficult to define what pop is.

For example what might have been considered popular back in the 1920s might not today.

You’re not likely to hear Fats Waller, Bing Crosby, Jimmie Rodgers, Eddie Cantor of even Louis Armstrong much on the radio today.

Then there’s the question of geography. I’ve little idea of what was popular in Germany or Mexico in the period 1950 to 2010.

So maybe we could go with commercial (and potentially commercial) music recorded in the US and the UK between 1950 and 2010.

Attempts at greater precision are likely to suffer the curse of academia as the fun quickly disappears into the spaces between the words.

Keeping it simple as possible, here’s one of the greatest pop records cut in the past 30 years. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like this.


Electrolyte by R.E.M

https://youtu.be/1LewYq40Svw

@bdp24,

"A sterling example of a Pop song is "When You Walk In The Room", written by Jackie DeShannon and released by her as a single in 1963."


Jackie's version certainly is. I think it's a mark of a great pop record that it can be a hit for different artists at different times. The charts are littered with such cover versions. There's probably even a few songs that have been hits for three or more artists! 

I always found it a little odd that my audiophile friends would tend to look down on pop. I know some people say they don't like bands 'selling out' (?) but my friends never articulated just what it was about pop they didn't like.

Or maybe it was the fact that pop didn't always have the highest sound quality in mind that often caused it to be overlooked by audiophiles?  For many other people pop is the goto whenever they get the urge to want the musical equivalent of a sugar hit.

Anyway, in return I would resort to calling  them 'musos'. You know the kind of musicians who fret about dropping a bum note whilst strangely being unaware that 99% of the audience didn't notice and couldn't care less even if they did.

In any case, why does it matter that musicians have to maintain a priest like devotion to their art? Isn't music also supposed to be fun?

Is 'selling out' even such a bad thing after all? Didn't the Clash, the Smiths, and the Ramones all 'sell out'. Even Steely Dan and the Floyd released the odd single, didn't they?

Or is this something that only affects the mindset mainly the most devoted (possibly over-identifying) of fans? 
In my case I was pleased  to be an early Joy Division fan and watching their gradual acceptance into the rock pantheon only went to confirm my taste. I certainly didn't feel disgruntled or let down by that. I don't own any part of Joy Division, and they owe me nothing.

For sure there are some worthy bands who almost only ever made pop music - the Mamas and Papas, the Association, Abba, the Beach Boys etc.

Herman's Hermits were another such great pop band. With so many hits they hardly ever strayed from safe pop territory. On a couple of notable occasions when they did the results were interesting.

Marcel's was certainly a great b side (https://youtu.be/e6fWFFp87xs) but perhaps their greatest pop song was this one.

Silhouettes  by Herman's Hermitshttps://youtu.be/Hs_glAOwbzk

@reubent ,

Freedy Johnston - "Bad Reputation" is one cool record. Great video too.

@glupson,

Victims is most certainly a pop song. It has to be by the fact that it topped the UK charts for several weeks around the winter of 1983/4. I can remember watching it on the yearly roundup pop video show back then.

Culture Club was the kind of band you couldn’t admit to liking but you couldn’t ignore either. Quite a few good singles though.


@clearthinker, of course McCartney was the great pop writer. Without him, Mickie Most and Tony Hatch the 1960s pop scene would have looked entirely different. Certainly in the UK.


@mitchagain,

There She Goes by The La’s is certainly a quintessential pop song.

It could probably be a hit for anyone and it’s not surprising that Sixpence None the Richer had similar success with their own version a little later.

https://youtu.be/tMfXeuv4kZE

@reubent ,

Wow, my favourite Beat record. Great video but muted sound. It normally sounds a lot more punchy. 
Here's a slightly cleaner version with lyrics.

https://youtu.be/uAQ5JatwGrE

The early 80s were a great time for UK singles. Here's one that went straight to number 1 in its first week by the group that were being seen then as the new Beatles.

The Jam - Going Underground

https://youtu.be/JeZuku6GijA

@bdp24 ,

"Are we to consider well-selling Classical albums Pop music?"

I would. At least certain variants. Here in the UK Classic FM chart often has themes from, wait for it, computer games and films in it. Even their top 300 Hall of Fame features some very well known music. Often much to the purists disdain. Everyone here in the UK will remember Nessun Dorma (World Cup theme 1990) and Freddie Mercury's collaboration with Montserrat Caballe Barcelona (1992 Olympic Games theme).

https://halloffame.classicfm.com/2020/


@desktopguy,

"Every time I hear this, I fall into a spell (song-as-drug):"


That’s a great point about the trance effect. I think the average music listener is drawn to pop before all else just for this reason. They want to move and they want to escape their immediate reality, of only for 3 minutes or so.

Certain records with this quality seemed destined to be instant worldwide hits upon release.

The obvious 2 ones that I can think of were the following.

The Police : Every Breath You TakeThe Bangles : Eternal Flame

@slaw,

The hypnotic Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke has somehow achieved the near impossible by replacing the also brilliant Four Tops version as my favourite.

The Left Banke Walk Away Renee
https://youtu.be/9_QVUfZv92U

@woofman74,

"Also, any song from 1967."


Could not agree more.

Any UK or US chart in any week of that year had more than its fair share of great pop songs.

A few obvious examples

The Association Windy (live)https://youtu.be/F_asDtq__d8


Procul Harum’s tremendously hypnotic 
A Whiter Shade of Pale was the big hit of the summer over here.

https://youtu.be/1TQuvfTE8Ro


The Doors Light My Fire which oddly wasn’t a hit in the UK upon release but that anomaly was fixed upon a subsequent release.

https://youtu.be/tEXlWgMOtqc


The Beatles had 3 stunning pop records in the same year as pop’s most famous album.

All You Need is Love and Hello Goodbye were guaranteed number 1 hits.

https://youtu.be/rblYSKz_VnI


Whilst perhaps the most perfect pop record of the 3, Penny Lane only reached no 2 here in the UK.
https://youtu.be/S-rB0pHI9fU

It must have been a very difficult year to have to decide just which records to buy.

Pure by the Lightning Seeds is a standout pop song.

For sure stuff like Abba's Dancing Queen and The Ronettes Be My Baby are the very essence of pure pop music.

Phil Spector after trying to top that went into a similar downwards spiral as Brian Wilson did with the failure of Smile, when the magnificent River Deep, Mountain High failed to attain the same success.

Talking of Brian Wilson, surely this must be one of their very best attempts at pop? The most expensive single ever produced til then, even outdoing Phil, a sure fire worldwide hit and a US and UK No1 in 1966.

Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys.

https://youtu.be/mdt0SOqPJcg

I just checked the 1100+ songs on my phone and was surprised to find only 25 of them were recorded after 2010.

Doesn't seem to be going in the right direction according to my tastes.

2000-10  89
1990-00  95
1980-90  160
1970-80  202
1960-70  404
1950-60  102
1940-50  15
1930-40  8

In fact this last decade has been pretty sparse with just 2 notable entries.

Jesse and Joy's 
More than Amigos (2016)

https://youtu.be/7rzdm6dVs4U


and Bruce Springsteen's  
Dream Baby Dream (2014)

https://youtu.be/zQMs2LyjKJQ

These two (indie classics?) kind of remind me of each other what with both being drenched in reverb and echo.

The Jesus and Mary Chain -
Some Candy Talkin (1986)

https://youtu.be/oIIdLAQ3nvc

and Cigarettes After Sex - Starry Eyes (2012)

https://youtu.be/F_6Emq5dyXQ

Here's another seemingly effortless classic from the Ed Sullivan archives - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap from 1968.

Lady Willpower.

https://youtu.be/vUHEHibJLZQ

@ericsch ,

Wow, that is brilliant. Thanks!

I hadn't heard of Lorrie Morgan but she may well have posted the definitive version of this classic.

She must have ice in her veins to stay that cool in such company.

Talking of beautiful vocals here's Dianne and Annita from 1965 with my favourite version of  'A Groovy Kind of Love' 

https://youtu.be/skSsIm1TfF0

Like Captain Renault, I'm shocked, simply shocked.

How could I have forgot to mention perhaps the most perfect pop record ever cut?

If there's anything wrong with this then it's beyond my comprehension.

Shelley Fabares - Johnny Angel US no 1 1962

[Pardon the poor sound on this colour video but there are versions with far better sound availabile].

https://youtu.be/OnEmeOUmjVk

 

@dredison 

Great suggestions.

All except the Del Amitri were new to me.

 

Nice standout lyric in the XTC track -

"But he made too many enemies

Of the people who would keep us on our knees."

The Rheostatics was probably my favourite upon first listen.

 

That's the thing about classic pop, it's immediate.

 

 

@bdp24 

Yes, another timeless classic from that period. I'd never heard it before but you can instantly tell that everything that matters is there.

 

@shtinkydog 

"since we're doing sub-genres, here are my goth-pop picks:

inbetween days - the cure"

 

That's the great thing about Pop, it's a genre all by itself that doesn't care about sub-genres.

I remember hearing Love Cats earlier today in the car on Union Jack.

Anyway, surely everyone would agree that this is a great pop song?

 

https://youtu.be/scif2vfg1ug

 

It's always great to stumble upon a great new recording.

Sometimes it can happen in the most unlikely of places, a fairly recent Disney movie.

 

I See the Light - Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy (Tangled OST)

 

@tylermunns 

Good recommendations. I'll have to check out 'Two for the Road' if it's on Amazon Music this Thursday.

 

As for 'Moon River', I love that acoustic version performed by Audrey Hepburn.

It's as good as it gets.