There are some fine choices here. Not mentioned in this horse race but two tunes that have always been at the top for this baby boomer are...
"I'm Alive" by the Hollies.
"I've Got You Under My Skin" by Sinatra. The one issued in the 1960's.
the greatest pop song ever?
apropos of absolutely nothing, i just listened to the song "five o clock world" by the vogues for the first time in perhaps 20 years. i heard it on a really good lexus (levinson) sound system and have concluded that it's arguably the greatest pop production ever--the damn thing's incredible. in the space of a quick two minutes you get 12 string guitar, marimba, horns, incredible drumming and a really wild honky-tonk piano, all on top of those weird doowop harmonies. add to the mix a really tight melody and sorta meaningful lyrics and you have something that makes phil spector look unambitious and timid.
also from left field, i've been touting a song called "i can see you" by someone or something called june and the exit wounds as the single most beautiful tune ever written. as far as i know, it's only been released on a sampler by parasol records (an indy label out of urban il). this song sounds like some lost brian wilson masterpiece and is well worth finding for those in search of audio nirvana.
also from left field, i've been touting a song called "i can see you" by someone or something called june and the exit wounds as the single most beautiful tune ever written. as far as i know, it's only been released on a sampler by parasol records (an indy label out of urban il). this song sounds like some lost brian wilson masterpiece and is well worth finding for those in search of audio nirvana.
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Revisiting this thread (which I came to late four years ago), and reading every entry, I see a bunch of my all-time favorites: "God Only Knows", "The Weight", and "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". A few I don’t see (though I may have missed them) are: - "Nowhere Man" - "Waterloo Sunset" - "Lies" (The Knickerbockers) - "In My Room" and "Don’t Worry Baby" - "Trying To Find My Baby" (The Dwight Twilley Band) - the exquisite "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" (Jimmy Ruffin). |
And last but not least... A special nomination, the happiest pop music ever... Middle of the Road featuring lovely Sally Carr https://youtu.be/rm_bhJ7-ddA Soley Soley Sacramento Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep The Talk of All the USA Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum Yellow Boomerang ...and many more :) |
1. Break by Aphrodite´s Child, not sung by Demis Roussos but Lucas Sideras 2. End of the World by Aphrodite´s Child, 1969 sung by Demis Roussos 3. A Whiter Shade of Pale & A Salty Dog by Procol Harum 4. Rain by Uriah Heep, 1972 sung by David Byron 5. Ring Ring by ABBA 1973 sung by Agnetha Fältskog & Anni-Frid Lyngstad 6. So many ABBA songs... 7. Venus & Never Marry a Railroad Man by Shocking Blue, 1969 8. Coutless Italian singers... Si by Gigliola Cinquetti, etc... 9. California Girls by The Beach Boys 10. California Dreaming by Mamas & Papas 11. Cat Stevens... many 12. 10 cc... many 13. He Ain´t Heavy He´s My Brother by The Hollies + many more 14. We Can Work It Out & Girl & Something & ... The Beatles 15. Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum, 1970... also sung by David Byron + many more covers he did 16. You´ve Got a Friend by Carole King 17. You Are So Vain by Carly Simon 18. When Will I See You Again by The Three Degrees 19. Follow You Follow Me by GENESIS, 1978 sung by Phil Collins 20. Non mi rompete by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, 1973 sung by Franceco di Giacomo RIP 21. Moby Dick by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, live 1992 Thank you for the Music Grazie tutti |
"Mah Nà Mah Nà" - the song made famous by Sesame Street. |
Slaw, One more from Daryl Hall (& Oates) - "Every Time You Go Away". Even though Paul Young had the hit with that song, Hall & Oates' original version is IMO every bit as compelling. Now, none of these Hall & Oates tunes may actually be the "best pop song ever", but Hall & Oates gave us some truly great pop music. Plus, if I could sing like one person, Daryl Hall would be on my short list. That guy can sing anything. |
"Wichita Lineman"... with less than 150 words.. (I haven't counted them). told THE STORY! Wow! I only wish that could happen in this day and time. Forward to approximately ten years later.. Hall & Oates. Their MOFI "Abandoned Luncheonette" was/is one of MOFI's greatest sounding lps. This has to be one of the greatest "pop" lps to date! "She's Gone" & "Lady Rain"... common'! I think, sometimes we forget. Still Wichita Lineman stands superior! |
Since "White Christmas" was nominated due to its standing as the #1 seller (and half the Michael Jackson catalog would qualify on a similar basis), I looked at the top 25 all-time best seller list for other potentially good choices. For the benefit of those who like sales as a determinant of the winner of this competition, I found it! My hands down choice: "Kung Foo Fighting" by Karl Douglas - which checks in at #19 on the all-time sales list (per Wikipedia). As a special bonus, my friends Rich and Eileen used it as their first dance when they married twenty years (or so) ago. Maybe not #1, but clearly one of the top 20 pop songs ever! ;-) |
How about this classic from the legendary Vic Mizzy |
AND album- Michael Jackson's Thriller. and Billie Jean has enough detail and overdubs to make it kind of a modern masterpiece. Do i "thrill" to it? No. but MJ hit a peak that will not soon be equalled. He was literally on top of the pop music world for many months after its release. It reminds me of the time during Beatlemania when John Lennon, commenting on the HUGE crowds of fans swarming the Beatles wherever they went, said they were becoming "more popular than Jesus"- a handful of super pop stars enter into the "Unreality Zone" from which some of them sadly never escape. Honorable mention goes to a lot of REALLY great pop songs though- hundreds of them... |
