The Perfect Pop Song

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Surely in pop, the lyrical content is as important as the tune. Sure, it's catchy as fuck, but a song so blatantly about buggery can't be populist.

Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch" was a hit for a month or so when it was released, and it's blatantly about sex. Lyrical content does not matter. Otherwise I doubt the song "I Touch Myself" would have been considered a pop hit.

[Kinetic 0]

Surely in pop, the lyrical content is as important as the tune. Sure, it's catchy as fuck, but a song so blatantly about buggery can't be populist.

Then explain the enduring popularity of "Louie Louie" and the use of "Lust For Life" in bank and cruise ship commercials. If a song's catchy, most people won't give a second thought to the lyrics.

[Kinetic 0]

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

 

Its a great song to sing too, catchy hooks, a head bangin guitar solo, its got everything a song should have.

"Killer Queen" is actually a pretty amazing pop song, as well.

[King Kamala 0]

I personally prefer Bicycle Race in terms of Queen Songs. Bicycle! Bicycle! I love to ride my bicycle, I love to write my bike... Just a total wtf? song in terms of lyrics. I also find Fat Bottomed Girls to be criminally underrated in terms of songs about asses. It was one of the originals dammit!

[spiny norman 0]

Bicycle Race's highpoint has to be the bike bell section in the middle of the song. Absolutely awesome.

 

For a pure, unadulteratedly cheesy pure pop, my pick would be Material Girl. If we're looking at it from Inc's definition, I'd say Hey Jude.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Man, you go into a thread thinking you can finally contribute something to a Music topic, and it goes right out the window.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Surely in pop, the lyrical content is as important as the tune. Sure, it's catchy as fuck, but a song so blatantly about buggery can't be populist.

Who says pop cannot be subversive, too? Third Eye Blind had a very big hit with "Semi-Charmed Life," a song about speed freaks and oral sex.

[Kinetic 0]

Surely in pop, the lyrical content is as important as the tune. Sure, it's catchy as fuck, but a song so blatantly about buggery can't be populist.

Who says pop cannot be subversive, too? Third Eye Blind had a very big hit with "Semi-Charmed Life," a song about speed freaks and oral sex.

And that's totally attributable to the fact that the song is catchy. I mean, shit, Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side" was his biggest hit and the single version actually contains the phrase "giving head." Anything can fly under the radar if you have a catchy tune.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Michael Jackson sucks.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Yeah, Jackson post-Thriller is no great shakes. Who cares.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

"Billie Jean" may contain the single most catchy bassline ever recorded, and the chorus ain't bad either. The video really makes the song a classic though.

[Guest Flyboy]

Michael Jackson sucks.

Take that back.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

I'll go ahead and say The Smiths' "This Charming Man"

A song about a gay sex with an older man isn't strictly pop, is it?

It's catchy as fuck. What it's about is immaterial, as far as the pop argument is concerned. That it's about gay sex with an older man makes it all the more likable.

Just like "Lola" from The Kinks is basically about falling in love with a transvestite. Not your typical song format, but it gets the job done.

[1234-5678 0]

I think "Cryin" by Aerosmith was pretty damn good for a "Pop" song.

[razazteca 0]

I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson.

The King of Pop is a freak and nothing past the Bad album is worth talking about. I could find some South Park pictures to illistrate my point but I am too lazy right now.

[Red Baron 0]

not defending him or anything, but when you can get a perfect pop song, look at Eminem. He can make a bad song, cliche, repetitive single, and people get hooked on the song. Well marketed genius.

[1234-5678 0]

True. "Lose Yourself" is up there with the greatest pop songs ever.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson. I know I'm not reading a thread on pop music with no reference to Michael Jackson.

The King of Pop is a freak and nothing past the Bad album is worth talking about. I could find some South Park pictures to illistrate my point but I am too lazy right now.

You think he's weird!? Woah, you must be like the only one.

 

Congrats. Retire now and live entirely on your originality.

 

UYI

[Guest Van Mundegaarde]

On the jackson issue, while it's true that Bad and Dangerous are below the level of Off the Wall and Thriller, they both offer their share of excellent moments, Dangerous being one of the most unfairly disregarded albums I've heard; the half produced by Teddy Riley being particularly good-- and "Give in to Me"? Please, that shit roolz ya'll...

 

But after those four albums, agreed... a waste of otherwise good oxygen that man.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Michael Jackson is no longer a musician, but yeah, he deserves a mention.

 

2004's is First of the Gang to Die.

[spiny norman 0]

I nominate Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U, come to think of it. Brilliant, beautiful, heartwrenching.

 

I'll stick with that choice too.

[Guest croweater]

I am yet to find nothing I dislike about "Hey ya" and so consider that a bloody good pop song.

 

"I Just can't get you out of my head" is as catchy a cold and much more funky.

 

"Billie Jean" of course as well as a lot of other MJ songs (Don't stop till you get enough, the way you make me feel.)

 

Basically any of The Beatles early stuff aswell.

 

But I'll have to go for Hey Ya, because I'll be damned if I can find anything bad about it.

[spiny norman 0]

I know this isn't the fault of the song, but Hey Ya became too overplayed for it to be in contention for me.

 

The Way You Make Me Feel is Jackson's best song (speaking of which, what about Janet? Her late 80s/mid 90s stuff is awesome).

 

And later Beatles are so much better than early Beatles. There's no debate needed over that. If you believe differently, you are a twit. That's right, a pregnant goldfish (did you know a pregnant goldfish was called a twit?)

[Guest Ex WDI Member]

Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me

 

So simple in the lyrics and guitar, but still catchy as fuck. And after hearing it once, everyone knows the words.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

[Guest croweater]

I know this isn't the fault of the song, but Hey Ya became too overplayed for it to be in contention for me.

 

The Way You Make Me Feel is Jackson's best song (speaking of which, what about Janet? Her late 80s/mid 90s stuff is awesome).

 

And later Beatles are so much better than early Beatles. There's no debate needed over that. If you believe differently, you are a twit. That's right, a pregnant goldfish (did you know a pregnant goldfish was called a twit?)

Oh, I agree 10000000000% (and that's a lot of percents) about the later Beatles being MUCH better than the earlier stuff. I was just talking about it in relation to my definition of "pop" music.

 

The Beatles were great to begin with but everything from Velvet Revolver onwards is just fucking brilliant and only gets better.

[razazteca 0]

Kanye West is the current flava of the month.

[TSA09 0]

A good pop song either needs a good video(post 81), a catchy hook, easy to learn lyrics, or a good beat. Sometimes all are needed, sometimes none are needed.

 

That said, good pop songs are like Michael Jackson ' "Remember the Time", "PYT", and "Rock With You" by Michael Jackson.

 

Good boybad pop is "Step by Step" by NKOTB or "If It Isn't Love" by New Edition.

 

But anything that sells or gets heavy airplay is pop music, so you can call Metallica's "Enter Sandman" a pop song, granted it is harder than normal, with its never ending airplay.

[The Man in Blak 0]

The Beatles were great to begin with but everything from Velvet Revolver onwards is just fucking brilliant and only gets better.

...

 

...

 

 

 

Actually, I think there's a credible argument for the Beatles' "first" pop song being their best: "Please Please Me" exemplifies the form, has the all-encompassing hook introduced with the harmonica, brings the call-and-response in the chorus, pulls out a very singable two-part harmony in the verse, and compresses it all into a song that doesn't touch three minutes. Plus, the lyrics are catchy and, as a bonus, are sufficiently edgy for their time. It's a solid pick.