Poll

What is the greatest pop song ever?

ABBA - Dancing Queen
43 (78.2%)
Starship - We Built This City
12 (21.8%)

Total Members Voted: 55

Voting closed: July 29, 2023, 07:06:56 PM

Author Topic: The greatest pop song ever  (Read 7509 times)

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Offline TAC

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #105 on: October 24, 2017, 06:18:45 PM »
Not sure what is so great about Africa.


Toto is the biggest tease band in the world. Such great musicians, yet their music blows.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #106 on: October 24, 2017, 06:27:04 PM »
Asking what isn't so great about Africa results in a much shorter answer:

Nothing!

Offline Big Hath

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #107 on: October 24, 2017, 10:20:59 PM »
My kid says this weekend, "Dad I heard this cool song; do you know it?" and plays "Africa".  :)

awesome
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #108 on: October 24, 2017, 11:33:22 PM »
"Nostalgia is just the ability to forget the things that sucked" - Nelson DeMille, 'Up Country'

Offline Anguyen92

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #109 on: October 25, 2017, 12:27:44 AM »
If we are talking about Toto's Africa, can we talk about Men At Work's Down Under?  I just feel it's like Australia's anthem or something.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #110 on: October 25, 2017, 06:58:14 PM »
If we are talking about Toto's Africa, can we talk about Men At Work's Down Under?  I just feel it's like Australia's anthem or something.

Love that song. The first "favorite songs list" I ever made in 1982, that was near the top.

Offline IDontNotDoThings

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #111 on: October 31, 2017, 04:09:39 AM »
If we are talking about Toto's Africa, can we talk about Men At Work's Down Under?  I just feel it's like Australia's anthem or something.

I'm pretty sure it gets played so much here that it's legally considered one.  :lol


...or something like that anyway
ドリームシアターはあまり好きではありませんが、ペンと紙を持っていたので、なんてこった。

Offline MrBoom_shack-a-lack

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #112 on: July 11, 2019, 04:44:45 PM »
*Bada-bump*

Where is More Than a Feeling by Boston?
This quote was left alone collecting dust and I feel a quality song like that needs some respect. It might not be the greatest song evaa but it's a damn great one!
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Offline Crow

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #113 on: July 11, 2019, 05:13:05 PM »
The only real answer is Bad Romance

Offline The Walrus

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #114 on: July 11, 2019, 05:31:49 PM »
Africa is the greatest song ever recorded.
From a Mega Man Legends island jamming power metal to a Walrus listening to black metal, I like your story arc.
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Offline pg1067

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #115 on: July 11, 2019, 05:33:27 PM »
I have often wondered wondered what compressive strength Rock 'n Roll has so that you can build an entire city on it, but when compared against ABBA ... that's like comparing MC Hammer with MJ.

Since someone bumped this thread, I'm a gonna comment on this two year old post!

Is it not true that once needs an MC Hammer in order to build a city on rock and roll?
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Online King Puppies and the Acid Guppies

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #116 on: July 11, 2019, 09:46:14 PM »
Take On Me - A-Ha.

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I don't know how I missed this comment the first time around, but this might be it for me.
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #117 on: July 11, 2019, 10:22:33 PM »
Louie Louie.
"Nostalgia is just the ability to forget the things that sucked" - Nelson DeMille, 'Up Country'

Offline Sebastián Pratesi

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #118 on: July 11, 2019, 10:59:33 PM »
"Tell it like it T-I-IS" by The B-52s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZOSOpaXbrQ

Offline The Curious Orange

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #119 on: July 12, 2019, 02:54:16 AM »
I came on here to say Love Shack by The B52s is clearly the best pop song ever written, only to find the previous poster had nearly the same idea!

Of the two choices, I voted Abba, but We Built This City is also a great pop song, despite being almost universally hated.
"And if love remains, though everything is lost,
We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost..."

Offline Cruithne

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #120 on: July 12, 2019, 04:21:23 AM »
The thing I really have against Dancing Queen is not the song itself, it's how people react to it... can they not hear it's a maudlin tale of someone watching someone else dancing with bitter envy? The whole thing sounds like it's meant to be a wistful, melancholic lament yet people get up to dance enthusiastically to it like it's in a major key and all bouncy and fun.

Argh!

Not sure what is so great about Africa.

Africa sounds like it was written as a dare and has a bloody brilliant chorus. What's not to love?

Also, there is that simple joy of watching Steve Lukather's face in the video as he tries to suppress his pain. I'm not sure if Lukather ever followed through on his threat to run down Hollywood Boulevard naked if it was a hit...

Online Orbert

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #121 on: July 12, 2019, 06:47:56 AM »
The thing I really have against Dancing Queen is not the song itself, it's how people react to it... can they not hear it's a maudlin tale of someone watching someone else dancing with bitter envy? The whole thing sounds like it's meant to be a wistful, melancholic lament yet people get up to dance enthusiastically to it like it's in a major key and all bouncy and fun.

Um, what?

It's a song about letting loose, going out, and dancing.  The singer is encouraging the listener (presumably a 17-year-old girl) to go out and just do it.  Find the right club with the right music, find your king, and dance.  You can dance, you can jive.  Everybody can see that.  You are the Dancing Queen.

Offline Sebastián Pratesi

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #122 on: July 12, 2019, 11:11:43 PM »
I came on here to say Love Shack by The B52s is clearly the best pop song ever written, only to find the previous poster had nearly the same idea!
:metal

Even more recent songs like "Pump" and "Love in the year 3000" are really cool.

Offline SwedishGoose

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #123 on: July 13, 2019, 03:01:38 AM »
The two greatest pop songs ever written are Sunset Grill, and Boys of Summer.

I can't stand The Eagles, but Don Henley is brilliant!

Don Henley has written some amazing songs..... New York Minute is my choice

Offline WildRanger

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #124 on: July 15, 2019, 03:18:45 PM »
I would say Dancing Queen is easily the best ABBA song and one of the best pop tunes ever.




Offline WildRanger

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #125 on: July 15, 2019, 04:02:54 PM »

Offline DoctorAction

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #126 on: July 15, 2019, 04:24:36 PM »
Take On Me - A-Ha.

 :heart
I don't know how I missed this comment the first time around, but this might be it for me.

This song. This band. I think they're actually my favourite band ever. Tied with Maiden.

But in this poll, ABBA obviously. They're the best pop band in history. Fuck the Beatles. ABBA rules.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.

Offline The Curious Orange

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #127 on: July 16, 2019, 08:13:42 AM »
Even more recent songs like "Pump" and "Love in the year 3000" are really cool.

"Eyes Wide Open" is the best song on that album.
"And if love remains, though everything is lost,
We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost..."

Offline ytserush

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #128 on: July 24, 2019, 04:31:45 PM »
I'll got with Toy Matinee's Last Plane Out. (Though I'm noticing a bunch of Beatles tunes swimming in my head at the thought of this...)

Offline dparrott

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #129 on: July 27, 2019, 08:46:22 PM »
Don Henley has written some amazing songs..... New York Minute is my choice

Boys Of Summer is perfection.
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Offline SystematicThought

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #130 on: July 27, 2019, 10:23:30 PM »
Boys Of Summer is perfection.
There's something about Boys of Summer playing in mid to late August, driving down the highway at sunset with the windows open and the open road ahead of you. Fits perfectly.

Fun Fact:
Quote
In an interview with Knoxville.com, Neil Giraldo, Pat Benatar's guitarist and husband, says that Henley came in the studio while he was in the process of recording the song "Love Is a Battlefield" using an up tempo beat, and asked Giraldo if he could steal the sound for use in his song, "The Boys of Summer", to which Giraldo gave his permission. Both "Love Is A Battlefield" and "The Boys of Summer" rely heavily on the Linn LM-2 drum machine.

Also, I didn't realize Tom Petty's guitarist Mike Campbell wrote an early demo for Boys of Summer, showed it to Petty, who decided it didn't fit the sound of the record they were working on, Southern Accents. Jimmy Iovine, famous producer and co-creator of Beats Headphones, suggested Campbell show it to Don Henley, who reworked it a bit and put lyrics to it. Thus we have Boys of Summer.
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Offline Sebastián Pratesi

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Re: The greatest pop song ever
« Reply #131 on: July 30, 2019, 01:30:41 PM »
"Eyes Wide Open" is the best song on that album.
I haven't listened to that one. Thanks for the suggestion! (And sorry for the delay.)