Perfect Pop Songs

@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.

My personal favorite pop song is “Two For the Road” by Henry Mancini.
The instrumental version on the “RCA Legendary Performers” Mancini comp is the towering, definitive version.
The song is arranged, played and recorded…well…I don’t really have words, to be honest.
When this version reaches an orchestral-strings-only break at the 2:00 mark, and then goes into a dark, increasingly dissonant, jazz-piano-inflected outro…ending with a brief, haunting, almost-creepy melody (vibraphone?)…you already spent the first 2 mins in the throes of peak bliss, and then that is how they ended it?!…ridiculous.

“Moon River” by Mancini/Mercer.
Both the main version with choral vocal arrangement and the acoustic guitar/string arrangement version that Audrey Hepburn sings in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Can’t go wrong with either.

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)

 

T Rex - Get it On

Rick Beato must be the king of picking great songs and pop songs for that matter

"Once In A Lifetime" by Talking Heads was my tongue worm, but that's not popular song.

@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

 

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

inbetween days - the cure

dear prudence - siouxsie and the banshees

butterfly on a wheel - the mission UK

the choke - skinny puppy

80s - killing joke

lagartija nick - bauhaus

Eleanor Rigby, the Beatles.

Amazing arrangement featuring a double string quartet. Great pacing. Poignant lyrics. 

@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.

 

Great one @cd318! I have "Johnny Angel" on a 7" 45 (one of my first), and again fall in love with Shelley every time I hear it.

From roughly the same time---and also performed on the TV show he was appearing in at the time of it’s release---is "Young World" by Ricky Nelson. This perfect Pop song also contains a perfect guitar solo by the great James Burton, the obvious model for George Harrison’s solo in "Nowhere Man". Compare the two.

Also from the early-60’s are the amazing run of hits from Roy Orbison, including his biggest, "Oh, Pretty Woman". Best use of an Orbison song in a movie: the scene in Blue Velvet in which Frank (played to creepy perfection by Dean Stockwell) lipsynchs to "In Dreams". VERY disturbing.

The Everly Brothers also had an incredible string of perfect Pop song hits, most written by the husband-and-wife team of Felice & Boudleaux Bryant. "Bye Bye Love", "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have To Do Is Dream", "When Will I Be Loved" (already mentioned above), "Let It Be Me" (done by Dylan for his Self Portrait album), "Cathy's Clown", and "Love Hurts" (recorded by Gram Parson and Emmylou Harris for Gram's Grievous Angel. Good, but the Brothers' version is great). 

So many good songs already mentioned. Here's a few that always make me spin 

 

del amitri "Roll To Me"

Db's "Neverland"

Rheostatics "Claire"

Cars "Just What I needed"

XTC "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead"

 

My Girl-

Smokey and Ron White

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

 

Agreed @rvpiano, that song defines Pop. Carole and Gerry wrote a lot of fantastic songs, including the astounding "Halfway To Paradise", recorded in the 1980's by Nick Lowe, a great version.

Carole King/Gerry Goffin: “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” is to my mind the greatest pop song ever written. (Her own version of it.) Genius lyrics and melody.
Still can’t get it out of my head.

@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

This one is likely not well know because it was apparently a cover, recorded for a movie soundtrack. However, if you are a fan of Matthew Sweet, or Pop Rock in general, you should hear this one. For both myself, and my teenage son, this track in probably in our top 2-3 most played songs on Spotify for the last couple of years......

Matthew Sweet - "Wild"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFUomwWNLhQ

This version of "Don't Worry Baby"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq2Ayilg--8

By the definition laid out, Tom Petty is the first artist that came to mind - IMHO he was a master of pop 

@cd318 -  Gary Puckett has a great, classic voice. Great singer.

"Blinding Lights" -- The Weeknd

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

"Just Like Me" by Paul Revere & The Raiders. This great Power Pop classic features a fantastic double-tracked guitar solo by Drake Levin.

"Halfway To Paradise". This masterpiece of a Pop song was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin in The Brill Building in NYC. Though first recorded by Tony Orlando (!) in 1961, I didn't hear it until Nick Lowe recorded and released it as a single in 1977. Glorious!

This one is just so 1960s.

Twelve Thirty - The Mamas & the Papas


https://youtu.be/RWb7F1mxljE

The Zombies - "This Will be Our Year"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmuswTEGF-U

“Windsurfer” by Roy Orbison. 
“That Happy Feeling” by Bert Kaempfert.

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

Whip it, by DEVO..

Mony Mony, by Billy Idol..

Different "Pop" anyways.. For me Pop ya got to be able to dance to it..

Acapella ballots don't count. :-)

More current,

Havana!

Has anyone done Rock Lobster yet?

Safety Dance?

Call me Maybe?

"Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell.

I like the "Winchester Cathedral" nomination as well.

Just for contrast I’ll toss in "Highway Star" by Deep Purple. Once the opening riff starts you are helpless.

and for something more modern:

Alesso - Heroes (we could be) ft. Tove Lo   .....  loud but awesome..

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

I think the Pointer Sisters "I’m So Excited" checks most of the boxes for me. Steve

Funny, I remember that song and thought it was a David Bowie song.

One more for the crowd:

Adam and the Ants - Ant Music

@xiang  - Good one!

My "all time favourite" pop song;Edwyn Collins - A girl like youhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oqJ0JpMj6I I meant to add that it contains the great line:"Too many protest singers, not enough protest songs"

My "all time favourite" pop song;Edwyn Collins - A girl like youhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oqJ0JpMj6I

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

Ditto to Staying Alive sucks.

Pure. Lightning Seeds

I’m an older guy and  recognize/know many of the aforementioned titles. I’m exploring NEW pop. Try the band Sofi Tukker- you’ll recognize some of their songs as music in Apple commercials. Energetic, fun lyrics not to be taken too serious- which to me is part of pop culture and pop music. It’s only my opinion so don’t hate on me 

Friday Night offering.......

The Monroes - "What Do All The People Know?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRI_02EOsyI

"Little Red Corvette"  Prince

Somehow, we've managed to forget two very obvious choices:

Be My Baby - The Ronettes
When My Baby's Beside Me - Big Star

Here's a few more less obvious songs from the "new wave" era:

How She Threw It All Away - The Style Council
Gang of One - Bradford
Dig For Fire - The Pixies
The Sound of Crying - Prefab Sprout
Don't Run Wild - The Del Fuegos

A sincere thanks to all taking the time to respond to this. I can almost see the smile on some of your faces as I read your posts.

I'll add a song that stuck in my head as a kid.

Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cT0Jh9lUhrc

I tried to stay away from non-English ones, but there may be more pop there than imagined.

Lambada

Macarena

99 Luftbalons

Falco output

I noticed some ska mentioned early on, but no reggae or rocksteady.  My nominations are:

Desmond Dekker - Israelites

Toots and the Maytals - 54-46 That’s My Number

I know the understanding is only English-language pop songs will be mentioned, BUT if anyone is curious about pop music in other languages may I humbly suggest:

Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli - Time To Say Goodbye.  (English and Italian)

Indochine - Dizzidence Politik (French New Wave)

Elba Ramalho - Coração Brasileiro (Brazilian Portuguese, anything from this same album is a pop song winner)

And an old favorite from way back:

The Singing Nun - Dominique (French)

Safe choice. And a perfect one, I guess.

@glupson  - Well, since "Stayin' Alive" sucks, I'll go with "Dancing Queen".