Pop Gets In Your Head: Part 5
STAYING POWER
Here are some pop songs that I believe have real, genuine staying power. Now remember, this doesn't mean they are impervious to the onset of "if i hear that one more time i will fucking jhgdjghkhjgxcfd," because in truth, even the best song too many times in a row can be a problem*(see extensive SIDEBAR below). And this is JUST THE BEGINNING -- NOT TOP 5 LISTS (or 7)!
EXEMPLARY (but NOT definitive or highest-ranked) POP SONGS** WITH STAYING POWER (no order):
1. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
this is categorically and indisputably one of the greatest songs ever written. it is spot-on in both its simplicity and choice of indulgences (by which i mean - where it breaks from it's restraint). opening with a heart-rending lyric and strings sinking in just as it ends, it knows that by capping off at just over *2 minutes* we will have to play it over and over and over again for the anguish of the endless "i know, i know, i know...." moment.
2. Into the Groove - Madonna
i didn't labor over my selection here. personally, i find this song to be one of the few that reliably gets me dancing. I attribute this to a couple really well executed tropes: opening call to arms ("and you can dance...for inspiration...come on") followed by immediately introducing the chorus featuring intense dance beat that actually works with the hook. My only criticism is the bridge ("live out your fantasies here with me...etc") because frankly until you hit "now I know you're mine" it's like it's just a placeholder for the bridge that should have been. Nonetheless it doesn't completely blow -- it's FINE -- and the rest of the song makes up for it. Bonus points for successfully writing a great dance song about dancing.
3. Crazy In Love - Beyonce
because i am still in the "i never need to hear that song again" place, i almost didn't include it. i have wondered if the New Fresh Feeling it had back when it first came out was officially about it's Fresh New Sound and now that it's not fresh and new anymore...well, you know. but i actually stand behind this song. I think the energy of the hook is palpable even on repeat listenings. and i think that if i heard it at a club, i'd still be psyched to dance to it, despite my ringtone-induced fatigue.
4. Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
i don't even have to defend this. from the opening riff you know this song is a keeper. the structure is awesomely executed: low, building verse followed by incredibly intense and explosive bridge "people always told me..." that leads smack into the fully gratifying chorus. this song has multiple hooks that work, and most importantly, that work TOGETHER.
5. I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
Another dance song about dancing! However, in this case, I think of it less as a successful dance song (into the groove gets you going in a really different way -- this song doesn't even have a dance beat, per se) and more as that special gift from the 80s (though rarely so perfectly executed as by whitney here): a song that makes you feel Really Fucking Intense about the Need to Dance. AGAIN, this song features genius LOW, intense, building verse into BIG rousing, gratifying chorus. Bonus points for successful fake-out moment (quiet, breather moment -- "and when the night falls...my lonely heart *CALLS*" -- one word brings us all the way back up to full-on chorus!)Plus the "don't you wanna dance, say you wanna dance" break FAR surpasses the shitty Into The Groove bridge.
6. Lust to Love - The Go-Gos
This is one of my favorite Go-Gos songs, yet again for the intensity/build it provides. I gotta leave work now, so i'm cutting this explanation short. but the go-gos are masters at pop tropes, and the guitar solo in this song is perfect. that's all for now. deal with it.
The jury's out on:
7.(?) Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Only time will tell if this truly qualifies. i know we're all sick of it for the moment, but my gut says yes - this will be a classic.
POP SONGS** THAT DESERVE HONORABLE MENTIONS (but i just can't bring myself to allow them on a list of EXEMPLARY anything)(no order):
1. Foolish Beat - Debbie Gibson
2. Yearbook - Hanson
examples of POP SONGS** that I once thought had MAJOR STAYING POWER but was wrong (no order):
(PLEASE NOTE: SOME OF THESE SONGS BASICALLY BLOW AND SOME ARE PRETTY GREAT. JUST SAYIN' THEY'RE NOT QUITE THE "CLASSICS" IT SEEMED THEY MIGHT BECOME, AT ONE POINT.)
1. Umbrella - Rihanna
2. Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
3. Dangerously In Love - Beyonce
4. No More Drama - Mary J. Blige
5. Electric Youth - Debbie Gibson
6. Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely - Backstreet Boys
*SIDEBAR: this, incidentally, is a subject worthy of an entire other post. what songs can be listened to literally the most times in a row? the two that top my personal all-time-most-listens-in-a-row list are between the bars by elliott smith and ain't no sunshine by bill whithers. it probably comes as a surprise to NONE that I wasn't listening on repeat just for the sheer goodness of the tracks, but for their affirmation of the misery of that present moment. still, this says something major about the quality of the two songs. both remain on my top 100 of all time, the latter in my top 5. it is probably also worth noting that i rarely want to hear between the bars at this point. something about the approximately 150 listens in a row after my first major breakup at age 15 really made it less appealing later on. can any song really withstand that? this gives me an exciting new idea: pop song death match.
**POP: for clarity, again, I am not using pop to refer to a specific genre, but rather songwriting that employs a combination of "popular conventions" -- to be expanded upon at another time. This can include songs from MANY genres.
Here are some pop songs that I believe have real, genuine staying power. Now remember, this doesn't mean they are impervious to the onset of "if i hear that one more time i will fucking jhgdjghkhjgxcfd," because in truth, even the best song too many times in a row can be a problem*(see extensive SIDEBAR below). And this is JUST THE BEGINNING -- NOT TOP 5 LISTS (or 7)!
EXEMPLARY (but NOT definitive or highest-ranked) POP SONGS** WITH STAYING POWER (no order):
1. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
this is categorically and indisputably one of the greatest songs ever written. it is spot-on in both its simplicity and choice of indulgences (by which i mean - where it breaks from it's restraint). opening with a heart-rending lyric and strings sinking in just as it ends, it knows that by capping off at just over *2 minutes* we will have to play it over and over and over again for the anguish of the endless "i know, i know, i know...." moment.
2. Into the Groove - Madonna
i didn't labor over my selection here. personally, i find this song to be one of the few that reliably gets me dancing. I attribute this to a couple really well executed tropes: opening call to arms ("and you can dance...for inspiration...come on") followed by immediately introducing the chorus featuring intense dance beat that actually works with the hook. My only criticism is the bridge ("live out your fantasies here with me...etc") because frankly until you hit "now I know you're mine" it's like it's just a placeholder for the bridge that should have been. Nonetheless it doesn't completely blow -- it's FINE -- and the rest of the song makes up for it. Bonus points for successfully writing a great dance song about dancing.
3. Crazy In Love - Beyonce
because i am still in the "i never need to hear that song again" place, i almost didn't include it. i have wondered if the New Fresh Feeling it had back when it first came out was officially about it's Fresh New Sound and now that it's not fresh and new anymore...well, you know. but i actually stand behind this song. I think the energy of the hook is palpable even on repeat listenings. and i think that if i heard it at a club, i'd still be psyched to dance to it, despite my ringtone-induced fatigue.
4. Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
i don't even have to defend this. from the opening riff you know this song is a keeper. the structure is awesomely executed: low, building verse followed by incredibly intense and explosive bridge "people always told me..." that leads smack into the fully gratifying chorus. this song has multiple hooks that work, and most importantly, that work TOGETHER.
5. I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
Another dance song about dancing! However, in this case, I think of it less as a successful dance song (into the groove gets you going in a really different way -- this song doesn't even have a dance beat, per se) and more as that special gift from the 80s (though rarely so perfectly executed as by whitney here): a song that makes you feel Really Fucking Intense about the Need to Dance. AGAIN, this song features genius LOW, intense, building verse into BIG rousing, gratifying chorus. Bonus points for successful fake-out moment (quiet, breather moment -- "and when the night falls...my lonely heart *CALLS*" -- one word brings us all the way back up to full-on chorus!)Plus the "don't you wanna dance, say you wanna dance" break FAR surpasses the shitty Into The Groove bridge.
6. Lust to Love - The Go-Gos
This is one of my favorite Go-Gos songs, yet again for the intensity/build it provides. I gotta leave work now, so i'm cutting this explanation short. but the go-gos are masters at pop tropes, and the guitar solo in this song is perfect. that's all for now. deal with it.
The jury's out on:
7.(?) Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Only time will tell if this truly qualifies. i know we're all sick of it for the moment, but my gut says yes - this will be a classic.
POP SONGS** THAT DESERVE HONORABLE MENTIONS (but i just can't bring myself to allow them on a list of EXEMPLARY anything)(no order):
1. Foolish Beat - Debbie Gibson
2. Yearbook - Hanson
examples of POP SONGS** that I once thought had MAJOR STAYING POWER but was wrong (no order):
(PLEASE NOTE: SOME OF THESE SONGS BASICALLY BLOW AND SOME ARE PRETTY GREAT. JUST SAYIN' THEY'RE NOT QUITE THE "CLASSICS" IT SEEMED THEY MIGHT BECOME, AT ONE POINT.)
1. Umbrella - Rihanna
2. Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
3. Dangerously In Love - Beyonce
4. No More Drama - Mary J. Blige
5. Electric Youth - Debbie Gibson
6. Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely - Backstreet Boys
*SIDEBAR: this, incidentally, is a subject worthy of an entire other post. what songs can be listened to literally the most times in a row? the two that top my personal all-time-most-listens-in-a-row list are between the bars by elliott smith and ain't no sunshine by bill whithers. it probably comes as a surprise to NONE that I wasn't listening on repeat just for the sheer goodness of the tracks, but for their affirmation of the misery of that present moment. still, this says something major about the quality of the two songs. both remain on my top 100 of all time, the latter in my top 5. it is probably also worth noting that i rarely want to hear between the bars at this point. something about the approximately 150 listens in a row after my first major breakup at age 15 really made it less appealing later on. can any song really withstand that? this gives me an exciting new idea: pop song death match.
**POP: for clarity, again, I am not using pop to refer to a specific genre, but rather songwriting that employs a combination of "popular conventions" -- to be expanded upon at another time. This can include songs from MANY genres.