Perfect Pop Songs

"Manic Monday" The Bangles 

Not much from the last 30 years.  Says something about us. Or did 'pop' music die 30 years ago? 

We used to call pop music stuff that wasn't 'hard'.  For instance the Archie's, Monkees etc were Pop. The kinks and yardbirds, police were Rock.

"Not much from the last 30 years."

How about Katy Perry and Last Friday Night? It does not get much poppier than that.

@bdp24 ,

"Are we to consider well-selling Classical albums Pop music?"

I would. At least certain variants. Here in the UK Classic FM chart often has themes from, wait for it, computer games and films in it. Even their top 300 Hall of Fame features some very well known music. Often much to the purists disdain. Everyone here in the UK will remember Nessun Dorma (World Cup theme 1990) and Freddie Mercury's collaboration with Montserrat Caballe Barcelona (1992 Olympic Games theme).

https://halloffame.classicfm.com/2020/


@desktopguy,

"Every time I hear this, I fall into a spell (song-as-drug):"


That’s a great point about the trance effect. I think the average music listener is drawn to pop before all else just for this reason. They want to move and they want to escape their immediate reality, of only for 3 minutes or so.

Certain records with this quality seemed destined to be instant worldwide hits upon release.

The obvious 2 ones that I can think of were the following.

The Police : Every Breath You TakeThe Bangles : Eternal Flame

@slaw,

The hypnotic Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke has somehow achieved the near impossible by replacing the also brilliant Four Tops version as my favourite.

The Left Banke Walk Away Renee
https://youtu.be/9_QVUfZv92U