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Perfect Pop Songs

Those with the kind of music, lyrics, performance, arrangement and production that you could easily repeat all day.

How about starting with this one? Somewhat outside of her usual cannon and none the worse for it. Perhaps also a contender for the sexiest vocals ever?

Louie Louie  by Julie London
cd318
reubent
6,939 posts
 
Before someone beats me to it.......

Don McLean - "American Pie"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_TFkut1PM
davehg
85 posts
 
I think of the early to mid 1970s as a key time for pop. With the Beatles no more, it opened up the doors for a myriad of artists and influences. Singer songwriters, arrangers, R&B and Soul and gospel influences, so much pop goodness.

Heck, Al Green was a one man pop/gospel/soul hurricane (and among my top 5 artists).

To the above list of perfect pop I’d include:

Baker Street -Gerry Rafferty
Treat Her Like a Lady - Cornelius Bros and Sister Rose
Pretty much any hit by the Staple Singers
She’s Gone - Hall & Oates
I’ve Got the Music in Me - Thelma Houston
Shining Star - The Manhattans
Pretty much any hit by the Temptations
Cruisin - Smokey Robinson

davehg
85 posts
 
@dayglow I think Michael Jackson was the biggest pop sound of the early 80s who was not new wave. “Don’t Stop till you get enough” is just a perfectly crafted pop tune that holds up better than anything later except maybe Man in the Mirror..

Unlike her early to mid 80’s stuff, several of Madonna’s 90’s tunes hold up well, as do certain George Michael cuts. I’m a big Prince fan too. But after Hanson’s “mmmBop”, which I still think is a well crafted pop tune that suffered from over exposure, I agree it’s hard to find enduring stuff in the early 2000s.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,509 posts
 

What a thread! Some Power Pop, a particularly favorite genre of mine (and apparently a lot of others):

"Cruel To Be Kind", Nick Lowe

"Girls Talk", Dave Edmunds

"Queen Of Hearts", Dave Edmunds (forget about Juice Newton’s pale imitation)

"Teacher Teacher", Rockpile

"Bad Case Of Loving You", Moon Martin (ignore the terrible cover by Robert Palmer)

"Cadillac Walk", Moon Martin (and the great version by Mink DeVille)

"Waterloo", ABBA

"Trying To Find My Baby", The Dwight Twilley Band

"Precious To Me", Phil Seymour

"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", The Rubinoos. Great guitar solo by Tommy Dunbar

"She’d Rather Be With Me", The Turtles. Incredible drumming by Johnny Barbata!

"Love’s Made A Fool Of You", The Bobby Fuller Four

"Peggy Sue", "Rave On", "Words Of Love", "It’s So Easy" (Linda Ronstadt’s version may be even better), & a bunch more by Buddy Holly. For scorching Rockabilly, listen to his version of "Down The Line" (Jerry Lee Lewis did a great version of this bitchin’ song as well)


dayglow
1,755 posts
 
Many great posts here, Rhinestone Cowboy great 70's choice! IMO a perfect pop song should be between 3-4 minutes long(Billie Jean 4:54) not overly repetitive, restricted solos/dynamics while being seamless and avoiding political/polarizing lyrics.


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