Best pop song of the 20th Century

ddraver
ddraver Posts: 26,348
edited February 2023 in The cake stop
(remember this is for fun!)

Rules - Must have been a genuine pop-song that had some notoriety. Your niche indy band won't cut it.

Go!

Source (with "spoilers")
We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver
«1345

Comments

  • For 20th C, I’d go with “Everybody Wants To Rule The World “ - Tears for Fears. Perfection.
    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited February 2023
    Flipping hell that's the second time today! Sorry WS!

    Excellent choice for such a thread though...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,687
    edited February 2023
    This'd be my late 20th-century choice. That opening, and that voice. And very poppy.

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

    Damn. Oi. You've changed the title.

    I'm going to pretend you haven't and post another favourite 20th-century pop song (it was top of the charts in the US for 10 weeks)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoHBeGlRLvE&t=1s
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,687
    Hey, how about reverting to the 20th-century, @ddraver, and having a new thread for what you meant to post.. ? 😉

    Given that most of us here were teenagers in the last century...
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,687
    If you actually want notoriety, 'Relax' fits the bill reasonably.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    We did a choral version of this and we could never get it to sound like anything other than an awful dirge.

    (our problem...)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,939
    edited February 2023
    I don't know if this qualifies...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfGDvDGE7zk&ab_channel=maumau1968

    I'm not at all religious, in fact quite anti, but this is just so good and perhaps still would be if they sang any other words to it.

    EDIT When I start to think about it, there's just too many to choose from, I'd also pick "God only knows" by the Beach Boys
    "Without you" by Nielson.


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • Pop song?

    What a Fool Believes.

    This century, No Good Advice.
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 58,158
    Maybe a controversial choice.
    https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,236
    edited February 2023
    Objectively it’s probably got to be a Beatles song.

    Yesterday or let it be or here comes the sun or something like that.

    My personal favourite is obviously Barbie Girl by Aqua.

    https://youtu.be/ZyhrYis509A

    Absolute banger. (If ya think it’s soft you’re not playing it loud enough)
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,687
    If you're mentioning The Beatles, it would be remiss not to mention:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s

    That's as poppy as you can get.
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 5,834
    edited February 2023
    Famously used as the F1 theme tune for so long...

    https://youtu.be/FhgFtXESdPk
    ================
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,236
    Stevo_666 said:

    Maybe a controversial choice.
    https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU

    I just think of meatspin when I hear this now.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,687

    Famously used as the F1 theme tune for so long...

    https://youtu.be/FhgFtXESdPk


    Amazingly, I've never heard that in context. It's a corker as a whole... structure/shape, good groove, and vocal instrumental/vocal skill. The only shame is the fade-out, which I think is one of the biggest cop-outs of pop music.
  • Best Beatles pop song is a category in itself.

    I'll follow the sun
    Blackbird
    Any single from 63-65
  • Does Led Zep Stairway to Heaven count as pop ?
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  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,593
    Sorry, can't play. Too many potential winners and musical taste is very mood dependent. My pick in 10 minutes will be different to my current pick.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,193
    edited February 2023
    pblakeney said:

    Sorry, can't play. Too many potential winners and musical taste is very mood dependent. My pick in 10 minutes will be different to my current pick.

    Yep, it's the variety that makes things interesting and there are so many good songs for various reasons, lyrics, instrumentals, emotional connection, moment in time...Trumpets spoil a good song though with their three button valve things.
  • Stevo_666 said:

    Maybe a controversial choice.
    https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU

    Stalwart of my Spotify "One Hit Wonders" training playlist!

    What's the controversy? I'm not really up on such matters. I'm a music "tart" really. I have no loyalty. I just either like stuff or I don't.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,215
    pblakeney said:

    Sorry, can't play. Too many potential winners and musical taste is very mood dependent. My pick in 10 minutes will be different to my current pick.

    Agree with this but went into my most played playlist on Apple Music and it is a toss up between Vincent by Don Maclean and Through The Barricades by Spandau Ballet which are actually the two I would have picked from without looking.

    Wonderful Life by Black and Love on the Rocks by Neil Diamond are also up there.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,593
    Pross said:

    pblakeney said:

    Sorry, can't play. Too many potential winners and musical taste is very mood dependent. My pick in 10 minutes will be different to my current pick.

    Agree with this but went into my most played playlist on Apple Music and it is a toss up between Vincent by Don Maclean and Through The Barricades by Spandau Ballet which are actually the two I would have picked from without looking.

    Wonderful Life by Black and Love on the Rocks by Neil Diamond are also up there.
    Based purely on this metric then my response is Mirror In The Bathroom by The Beat.
    Strangely, not one I would have thought of. 🤔
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 58,158

    Objectively it’s probably got to be a Beatles song.

    Yesterday or let it be or here comes the sun or something like that.

    My personal favourite is obviously Barbie Girl by Aqua.

    https://youtu.be/ZyhrYis509A

    Absolute banger. (If ya think it’s soft you’re not playing it loud enough)

    And I thought mine was controversial...
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • If you're mentioning The Beatles, it would be remiss not to mention:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s

    That's as poppy as you can get.

    Went to see the brilliant ABBA Voyage show in London recently- highly recommend!


  • Blondie - Dreaming- what a track and take a look at the energy of Clem Buerke drumming!

    https://youtu.be/TU3-lS_Gryk
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 58,158

    Stevo_666 said:

    Maybe a controversial choice.
    https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU

    Stalwart of my Spotify "One Hit Wonders" training playlist!

    What's the controversy? I'm not really up on such matters. I'm a music "tart" really. I have no loyalty. I just either like stuff or I don't.
    It was probably what Pete Burns did to himself with plastic surgery in the years after. Ended up looking like a siamese cat with clingfilm stretched across its face.
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Does Led Zep Stairway to Heaven count as pop ?

    No.
  • Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Maybe a controversial choice.
    https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU

    Stalwart of my Spotify "One Hit Wonders" training playlist!

    What's the controversy? I'm not really up on such matters. I'm a music "tart" really. I have no loyalty. I just either like stuff or I don't.
    It was probably what Pete Burns did to himself with plastic surgery in the years after. Ended up looking like a siamese cat with clingfilm stretched across its face.
    With two kids at Uni (2nd and 1st years) I have to say that this all sounds quite tame!

    I was fearful there may have been some issues of the sort that have scuppered the "1970s DJs" themed fancy dress parties in terms of social acceptability.
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 58,158

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Maybe a controversial choice.
    https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU

    Stalwart of my Spotify "One Hit Wonders" training playlist!

    What's the controversy? I'm not really up on such matters. I'm a music "tart" really. I have no loyalty. I just either like stuff or I don't.
    It was probably what Pete Burns did to himself with plastic surgery in the years after. Ended up looking like a siamese cat with clingfilm stretched across its face.
    With two kids at Uni (2nd and 1st years) I have to say that this all sounds quite tame!

    I was fearful there may have been some issues of the sort that have scuppered the "1970s DJs" themed fancy dress parties in terms of social acceptability.
    I've got a kid a uni as well but I've not seen anything like Pete Burns in his later years for quite a while...

    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    Maybe a controversial choice.
    https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU

    Stalwart of my Spotify "One Hit Wonders" training playlist!

    What's the controversy? I'm not really up on such matters. I'm a music "tart" really. I have no loyalty. I just either like stuff or I don't.
    It was probably what Pete Burns did to himself with plastic surgery in the years after. Ended up looking like a siamese cat with clingfilm stretched across its face.
    With two kids at Uni (2nd and 1st years) I have to say that this all sounds quite tame!

    I was fearful there may have been some issues of the sort that have scuppered the "1970s DJs" themed fancy dress parties in terms of social acceptability.
    I've got a kid a uni as well but I've not seen anything like Pete Burns in his later years for quite a while...

    Eek! Younger W&G is at Manchester, where pretty much anything seems to go amongst the locals. Elder W&G is at Durham, where things are perhaps a little more "reserved" as there aren't really many locals. The whole town seems to be the Uni.