But I began to wonder. What elements would the perfect pop song have to have? I came up with a list of three elements, with which you may or may not agree:
1. It has to be catchy and easy, with a melody that seems familiar and yet is fresh and original. This is tricky -- the perfect pop song, when stuck in your head, does not drive you to madness (See "Achey-Breaky Heart," "That'll Be the Day," "Mickey," etc.).
2. It can't be about anything much, lyrics-wise. No politics, no doom, no gloom, no Cats in the Cradle, Bricks in the Wall, &c. This is tricky, too -- it can't be utter nonsense (See "Stand" by R.E.M., "Mmm-Bop" by Hanson, "Hey-Ya" by Outkast).
3. Because of the combination of elements 1 and 2, it withstands repeat listenings, for years and even decades. There are plenty of truly great songs which I pray never to hear again before I go to my grave ("American Pie," "Old Time Rock 'N Roll," and pretty much whatever else is playing on your local classic rock station).
So what's my choice for the perfect pop song? Well, it isn't "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." Not that there's anything wrong with that.
My pick is a song you've never heard before called "Fati Mata" by this guy Sam Mangwana, a Congolese superstar and one of the old masters of a musical style called soukous. I know what you're thinking -- The Blogger is being deliberately obscure, perhaps seeking to impress with his globalist tastes. I swear I'm not (I have a more mainstream runner-up, which I'm going to hold in reserve).
So why Fati Mata? It fits my three elements. Groovy without seeming like a fever dream, innocuous in content ("Your kind of love/It ain't pretty/It ain't nice"), and it's got legs. I've had it in rotation in my music collection since the mid-90s and am not sick of it yet. In fact, it still lifts my spirits when it comes on. I could listen to it all day.
Give it a listen and tell me what you think of my choice. Then tell me your pick for the perfect pop song, along with the reasoning behind your selection.
10 comments:
Sorry, Fati Mata did nothing for me. I struggled to make it into the second minute. At that point my eyes glazed over but I pushed on so I could hear the whole thing and know whether it was going to go anywhere or not. It did not, in my opinion. So my pick? I haven't really given it much thought yet, but 2 come to mind right away. The Black Horse and The Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall and Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson. The Black Horse gets me moving every time and No No, No, Nonono gets me singing and stays with me. Bubble Toes goes places. I like that rhythms do fun things and tempo picks up and things change. And of course the La-da-da-da-da-da La-da-da-da-da-da-da.. catchy and fun. Another test they pass is my kids get caught up in them as well.
The other day my friend, who constantly piggy-backs on my iTunes collection, asked me "how come you have so may Reggae songs?" The question kind of stumped me, I never thought about it. But I really wanted to answer her question, besides, I got curious myself, why do I like Reggae so much...and suddenly I remembered a feeling that I have when I hear Reggae. It hit me, the answer was so simple—it makes me happy. Isn't what music supposed to do—make you feel happy? Well, generally speaking? Reggae evokes this sweet happy feeling that I cannot explain, some kind of fancy chemical reaction goes on in my brain, and I feel all happy...
So, D, on to your question. No wonder Molly isn't feeling your happiness, it is because each person's happy place is different. I kind of hear where you are coming from with Fati Mata, but I won't call it my favorite either. It's pleasant though.
BTW, thanks a lot for the "Mickey" reminder, I can't get the darn thing out of my head—so annoying!
Andy and I have had many conversations about this. We even have a name for it: Celestial Pop. It's pop that seems to come from heaven, or the muses, or whatever. It is elevated above the teeming refuse of mass pop, and it definitely meets your criteria. We have a few upon which we both agree: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by the Police; Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac; Where The Streets Have No Name by U2; Penny Lane by the Beatles; and Something So Strong by Crowded House are the ones that come right to mind. To those, I would also add my personal Celestial picks: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel; It's My Life by No Doubt (a case where the cover is better than the original); And She Was by The Talking Heads; There She Goes by The La's; Tenderness by General Public; September by Earth, Wind, and Fire; and No Ordinary Love by Sade.
I could wax on, but now I want to go listen to some of these. And I forgot to add Your Move by Yes, Just Like Heaven by The Cure, Ahead By A Century by Tragically Hip -- man, I could keep going here...
A perfect pop song? Geeez - not askin' much are you?
Lately, we have been happily expanding into new musical territories and re-visiting old ones and I would say that the bounciest, singingist song stuck in my head lately is The Kinks' Come Dancing. It is old and timeless and fun and nostalgic and everyone can sing to the refrain (though Maxx prefers Peace Be Upon Us by Sheryl Crow)and can relate to the culture of youth that Old Ray sings about.
Having said that, our new issue of Paste arrived today and I think there may be a few perfect pop songs on there, at least for weirdos like me. Honeyhoney's Little Toy Gun is bouncey and fun in a Pink Martini sort of way but is also obscurely troubling. Val Emmich's Get On With It re-visits dance hall angst in a retro Billy Idol-esque way. (Speaking of Billy, Dancing With Myself ranks up there for pop songs in my book, though I'm not sure it passes the repetition test.) And She & Him do this very interesting Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers meets 1950's girl band thing in Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
These may all fade... last issue it was Cloud Cult and the Weepies that caught our attention. You can listen to stuff and get a free trial at http://www.pastemagazine.com/ We love it.
I listened to a little of that song you posted...I was not particularly moved..but then again I had just got done listening to and watching this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=artK5RbwSr0
After listening and watching I am sure you will understand.
Son of Gilly Tatro
I gave Fati Mata another try. I think it could grow on me.
Wow, you guys are good! The Blogger is way behind in life, but he has every intention of following up on all of your suggestions. Perhaps we few can, if we stand united, create the ultimate playlist which will make our women swoon and give our children all ADHD. Stay tuned.
Son of a Gilly.
That was cruel and unusual.
My favorite comment: Milli Vanilli + New Kids X Geraldo = This.
Son of Gilly - men should never wear eye liner. Except Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. I can't imagine how their producer managed to make that song 4 minutes long without dying of boredom.
Anyway, while you are checking out suggestions - give Cloud Cult's Journey of the Featherless a listen. It may not quite meet all of your criteria but is clever and lyrical and you won't feel that your time has been wasted.
Luna
I have to disagree with you on point number two. If it's not about anything much, it's just more fluff that keeps getting churned out. To be a really great pop song, it should have some depth of meaning to it, showing that the person who wrote it was thinking about sharing a message and perhaps trying to improve the world and not just about making a bunch of money from it.
It must also have an aspect that sets it apart from the constant barrage of crap that comes over the radio. It could be rhythm, a cool guitar solo (Hotel California), a modal melody, whatever, as long as it isn't fluff set to a I, IV, V, I pattern.
I have a couple of modest examples here. This one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjO_VXHxsRw&feature=related I find fascinating for its rhythm and interesting vocal technique. It sounds like it's about something cool, though I have no idea what he's saying.
This one meets your requirements 1 and 3, but carries a powerful message. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bummsNPxcjE&feature=related
For those who are a bit rusty on their Spanish, here's a reasonably good translation: http://www.geocities.com/tlg_00/translate/mana_desapariciones.html
What do you think?
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