Eater

[small h]

13 minutes ago, Anthony Bonner said:

I mean. It is a pretty damn good pop song. 

It is! I dunno about the best, but it's up there.

[backyardchef]

25 minutes ago, Anthony Bonner said:

I mean. It is a pretty damn good pop song. 

It's no "God Only Knows"

[MitchW]

16 minutes ago, small h said:

It is! I dunno about the best, but it's up there.

The video was fun.

4 minutes ago, backyardchef said:

It's no "God Only Knows"

What is?

[backyardchef]

32 minutes ago, MitchW said:

The video was fun.

What is?

Probably nothing.... but as much as I enjoy humming Carly Rae in the elevator, I can think of lots of other pop songs ahead of it line for the best.....

 

Care of Cell 44

Hey, Carrie Anne

The Tracks of My Tears 

Dawn (Go Away) 

Up On The Roof

Dancing in the Dark

Say A Little Prayer

Edited January 24, 2024 by backyardchef

[Sneakeater]

I don't want to start a fight, but if all your choices are from a 10-year period that corresponds with your youth or adolescence it's suspect as criticism.

[Sneakeater]

Not to mention that if we're limiting this to Anglo-American pop songs, we really ought to say so, and not pretend that nobody else's pop music counts.

Edited January 24, 2024 by Sneakeater

[backyardchef]

15 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

I don't want to start a fight, but if all your choices are from a 10-year period that corresponds with your youth or adolescence it's suspect as criticism.

I'm glad all my songs don't fit that definition. 

[backyardchef]

11 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

Not to mention that if we're limiting this to Anglo-American pop songs, we really ought to say so, and not pretend that nobody else's pop music counts.

I wasn't the one that said "Call Me Maybe" was the best pop song. I didn't set any parameters, I just named pop songs that were far more deserving of a listen. If you want to stretch definitions, argue about arbitrary context that you make up as you go and rebut things no one said, knock yourself out. 

Edited January 24, 2024 by backyardchef

[backyardchef]

18 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

I don't want to start a fight, but if all your choices are from a 10-year period that corresponds with your youth or adolescence it's suspect as criticism.

Some of the songs I mentioned were before I was born, so my adolescence must've started before I was born.

[backyardchef]

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space

A Postcard to Nina

Je T Aime Moi Non

Left of the Dial

Living Life

True Love Will Find You In The End

Fast Car

Sorrow Tears and Blood

We Built This City on Rock and Roll

Edited January 24, 2024 by backyardchef

[Sneakeater]

6 minutes ago, backyardchef said:

Some of the songs I mentioned were before I was born, so my adolescence must've started before I was born.

Yeah, I didn't THINK you were that old!

[Sneakeater]

3 minutes ago, backyardchef said:

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space

A Postcard to Nina

Je T Aime Moi Non

Left of the Dial

Living Life

True Love Will Find You In The End

Fast Car

Sorrow Tears and Blood

We Built This City on Rock and Roll

Still need some Gerswhin, Porter, Harry Warren, and Weill!

[backyardchef]

Just now, Sneakeater said:

Still need some Gerswhin, Porter, Harry Warren, and Weill!

Accurate

[Anthony Bonner]

These are all pretty great pop songs.  "Is Call Me Maybe" one of the best pop songs of its era? Absolutely. (actually 2012 is a pretty incredible year in pop a decade plus in hindsight)

[Wilfrid]

2 hours ago, AaronS said:

the metal coverage went from ok to bad over the last few years.

I used to read it for metal and electronic because I generally wasn't going to hear about that kind of stuff anywhere else.

[MitchW]

2 hours ago, backyardchef said:

Probably nothing.... but as much as I enjoy humming Carly Rae in the elevator

I thought I was referring to God Only Knows...

[small h]

Drop the Pilot

I Saw the Sign

Different Drum

Red Rubber Ball

Take on Me

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

It's Too Bad

Saturday Night

When Will I Be Loved

Like a Prayer

[Sneakeater]

Still need some Gershwin, Porter, Harry Warren, and Weill.

[backyardchef]

7 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

Still need some Gershwin, Porter, Harry Warren, and Weill.

Always. 

[Sneakeater]

That's Berlin.

[Wilfrid]

4 hours ago, Sneakeater said:

Still need some Gershwin, Porter, Harry Warren, and Weill.

ABBA?

[Sneakeater]

Deciding whether they’re Anglo-American. 

[Wilfrid]

Nope, greatest pop songs of all time. Anglo-American was an oratorical afterthought. 

[Sneakeater]

But seriously, you can't say "greatest pop songs of all time" without some kind of qualifier.

Unless you're deeply familiar with all Asian, African, Latin American, and indeed all European pop music.

(Flagging @mongo in case he's around.)

[Sneakeater]

Just to pull an example out of my ass, there's this whole genre of Italian singer-songwriter pop music that I didn't even know existed until I stumbled upon Paolo Conti.   So now, instead of knowing nothing about it, I know almost nothing.

But the little I know -- one Paolo Conti compilation album -- is great.

And that's EUROPEAN:  not nearly as remote from me as, say, Central Asia.  Do they even have pop music in Central Asia?  I have no idea!

How am I in a position to make unqualified assertions about "the best pop songs"?