What the fuck is pop music, anyway? I mean, I know it’s short for popular music, and I know in terms of marketing it’s usually geared towards a younger audience, but how do you distinguish pop from rock? What’s pop-rock, what’s pop and what’s rock? What about pop punk or psychedelic pop? It’s fucking confusing, I tell you. So this week I’ve asked some friends and associates to suggest to me what they would consider to be the best pop song most casual music fans have never heard. It sounded like an easy enough question, but I ended up with a pretty disparate group of songs.
I can see how these songs could appeal to a general audience (I tested them out on Nicci and she liked them all), how they are focused more on songcraft than unique artist or avant-tendencies, and how the beats and rhythms are more in-line with my own idea of what “pop music” is supposed to sound like. So, for what it’s worth, I think these are all pop songs. You tell me what you think.
Furthermore, I know this is organized in the familiar 10-to-1 countdown format I normally use for Top Ten lists, but this is not a ranked list. You dig? Good.
The Top Ten Pop Songs You’ve Probably Never Heard
Honorable Mention:
– Xylos – “Not Enough” – This one was offered up by my friend Nat, whose roommate Nikki plays keyboard on it. He also says it was used in a Wonder Bread commercial. In my mind, there’s nothing more “pop” than Wonder Bread. Am I right, folks? [Listen to “Not Enough”]
– Henry Gross – “Shannon” – You might remember the name Paul Levinson from prior Swan Fungus blog entries. He is the cult legend and principal songwriter who recorded an amazing private-press folk/pop/psych masterpiece called Twice Upon A Rhyme. Paul mentioned that this is his favorite pop song written by someone other than himself. I know Paul is a huge LOST fan, so I wonder if the character Shannon has at all influenced his opinion of this song. Probably not. It’s a great tune. Thanks for the recommendation, Paul! [Listen to “Shannon”]
10. Cryan Shames – “Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith & Jones” – My friend and former coworker Robinson suggested this tune, which definitely rocks more than some of the other entrants included on this list. And yet, it clocks in at just over two minutes and contains one of the catchiest melodies you’ll ever hear. [Listen to “Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith & Jones”]
09. The Girls – “Jeffrey, I Hear You” – The amazing LJP recommended I find and fall in love with this song as soon as I possibly could, and when Lisa tells me to do something I make damned sure I do. My first thought upon hearing this song is that it sounded like a less-glam Zolar X. In fact, until Lisa told me that this was her favorite unknown pop song, I was going to include a track by Zolar X. I decided to go with this song instead because — now that I’ve listened to it a few times — I’m totally digging it. [Listen to “Jeffrey, I Hear You”]
08. Dave Milone – “I Wanna” – I hope Dave doesn’t mind that I’ve chosen a demo of one of his songs to use on this list. I’ve known the guy for almost a decade now (that’s a scary thought…I’m getting old) and have happily watched him rise to prominence with his band Radio 4. Every band Dave’s played in has been fantastic, from the gritty rock behemoth of Teenbeaters to his current group. Back in 2004 Dave was playing a lot of solo shows around New York and I would go support him and record and photograph the shows for him. In return he’d e-mail me demos of his own tunes and some old Teenbeaters demos while I was away at college. He also e-mailed me a great recipe for opium tea once. Anyway, I always thought this was one of his three best songs, and definitely the best “pop” song. [Listen to “I Wanna”]
07. The Fairways – “Don’t Call Me Dear” – The instant this song started playing Nicci said, “You don’t listen to music like this.” I wish I remembered how I learned of this record. I’m pretty sure it was related to the Electrical Audio forum, but it could just as easily have been an Aquarius mail order e-mail list. This is one of three modern songs on the list. The album was released in 2004. In keeping with the definition of pop music, though, this song definitely is definitely a throwback to classic upbeat, simplistic songwriting and instrumentation. [Listen to “Don’t Call Me Dear”]
06. Monroe Mustang – “Elephant Sound” – This tune, on the other hand, most definitely came from the Electrical Audio forum. It’s one my “run mix,” songs I play when I’m out for a run that will keep me feeling inspired and upbeat so I’m compelled to run faster. It works. It’s totally an artsy rock song, but compared to pretty much everything else I listen to it’s poppy. Don’t laugh. My friend Mark likes to tell me that my favorite style of music is “anything without a melody.” This one should prove him wrong. [Listen to “Elephant Sound”]
05. Paul Levinson – “Looking For Sunsets (In The Early Morning)” – When I asked Paul to suggest a song for this list he was kind enough to steer me towards Henry Gross’ “Shannon,” which earned an honorable mention spot on the list. He prefaced his choice by stating that it was his favorite pop song not written by himself. So of course I had to ask him which of his songs he thought the best pop song. He immediately responded that it was this one. For those of you who have inquired about obtaining a copy of Twice Upon A Rhyme (and there are many of you!) Paul has also sent word that a vinyl reissue is in the works! It will be available in the US, UK and Japan very, very soon. Stay tuned for more details…[Listen to “Looking For Sunsets (In The Early Morning)”]
04. Jacques Brel – “La Chanson de Jacky” – Isreal from The Cargo Culte submitted this as his favorite unknown pop gem. Well, actually he said that Sissy Spacek’s “John, You’ve Gone Too Far This Time” was his favorite pop song, but he said that would be too abstract a choice. Instead, he offered some Jacque Brel. Some of you might recognize the Scott Walker cover of this tune, which is outstanding. Isreal states that although he loves the Walker version, “with lists like these you need to go to the source or else you end up looking like a chump who doesn’t know the score.” We read your blog, Isreal. We know you know the score. Keep on keepin’ it real. [Listen to “La Chanson de Jacky”]
03. Brian Protheroe – “Pinball” – Another Robinson pick. That guy knows his classic pop music really, really well. Whenever we have record listening parties he always pulls five or ten records out of his bag that I’ve never heard of and instantly add to my “want” list. Without a doubt, Pinball is now on my list of records I need to keep an eye out for. I love the separated left/right vocals as the song fades out at the end. It’s like a pinball machine! In short, this is a great pop song. And I’d never heard before! Oh, and disregard the last 25 seconds or so. I think whoever ripped that MP3 might have screwed up. Unless that’s the real outro, in which case…whoops! [Listen to “Pinball”]
02. C.A. Quintet – “Blow To My Soul” – I think this was the first incredibly rare record I ever laid my hands on. I couldn’t afford the hefty (that means over $2,000) price, but holding a sealed original copy of this was a very cool moment. At the time I had no idea what the music even sounded like, but I imagined it had to be good for people to be willing to shell out big bucks to obtain a first pressing. A lot of the album is more psychedelic than this tune, and the first half of the album contains a few lengthier tracks, but right before the record ends this brief, barely two-minute-long ditty knocks you out. [Listen to “Blow To My Soul”]
01. Jerry Solomon – “First Date” – I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of Solomon’s EPs are 7″s offered for sale before. They appear to be, amazingly, more rare than his insanely collectible LPs. “First Date” is the A-side on this single, and it’s backed with “For All Eternity”. You could call this is a straight-up rock number, I suppose. It was recorded in 1966 and it’s a few BPM shy of being a perfect song to do the twist to, with a cool little surf-inspired guitar solo. I never went to a sock hop, but if I did I’d expect “First Date” to be played at some point during the evening. I think it’s a pop song. I’m about 90% sure it’s a pop song. What say you, reader? [Listen to “First Date”]
