So how do we feel about pop? Yes, I mean the lightweight throwaway variety, the bag of sweets, the box of popcorn, the fizzy drink. Built for the immediate impact, the bang in your face, the instant hit. And perhaps for a sugar crash afterwards.
This new Ladyhawke single is such a beast in my humble opinion. I love it, Caroline loves it, the kids love it. We all love it. I nearly posted the video, but that criminally changes the amazing guitar at the end into another chorus.
Pop? Yes please!
thisisnothappening.net 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKhjaGRhIYUI've linked my nominee for perfect pop ‘Pass This On’ by The Knife. Its a double whammy of award winning video too. This, for me, is perfect pop and you get a free trannie chucked in for good measure.Boom.
This is a massively wide spectrum that we are looking into. I think there are some great pop songs out there that are made by pop for pop. On the other hand I think you guys are more along the lines of a perfect pop song by people that read NME. In that regard we can’t forget about Metronomy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PnOG67flRA
That Metronomy track is a tune. Stacey loves that. She used to make Silvia dance to it all day … though Silvia much preferred Row Row Row the Boat if you ask me.Please let the record show that I do not read the NME.For me a perfect pop song shouldn’t be ‘throw away’, it should still leave a mark. Im not all snob, I don’t mind throw away, I still love the late 90’s R&B pop classics. I still think ‘Getting Jiggy With It (os is it ‘Wid’?) is up there! I just want a bit more and feel you don’t have to compromise integrity for hooks.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f87OQkzWQikAnd an out and out pop song that defied convention by it’s genre and also happend to change the face of music as we knew it …http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg&ob=av2n
Youtube is banned at work, the nasty bastards. But the wonder of Google tells me that this is the one that’s been rinsed on 6Music last week as their record of the week. I very much like this track, and Ladyhawke’s last album. The only problem I have is that the chorus reminds me of the chords from Tragedy by the Bee Gees. No bad thing (I’m a closet fan), but it’s in my head now. As for Metronomy, that is an amazing record. Still sounds great, and will continue to do so.
As for some of my perfect pop songs, I could be here all week, but here’s a few I can think of as I have 5 spare minutes: God Only Knows: http://www.youtube.com/embed/BC_UILNwWrcErasure – A Little Respectwww.youtube.com/watch?v=5pwzy-oVx7kPulp – Babies:www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1LE9s8RxYgBlur – End Of A Century:www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuYUmnny0pUand one of the finest one-hit wonders of all time (though obviously he produced a lot of stuff for others). New Radicals – You Get What You Give:www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE
Mmm. Joey, yours and my definition of pop is not the same thing. Nirvana’s rock music, man. Out and out. No way is it pop. I mean, yes it’s pop music as in anything’s pop music, but I’m talking about POP as a genre – throwaway catchy 3 minute songs. And yes, Nolan, I take your point about something like Ladyhawke appealing to the NME reader (*spit*).Of course, anything could be pop and I guess Babies and End of The Century could be classed as pop songs. But I dunno. I’m thinking more of Kylie or Robyn or Girls Aloud or definitely Erasure (yes!) and hell, even Ladytron when they’re at their poppiest…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTTwlAT_AwU&ob=av2e(Destroy Everything You Touch – Ladytron)Robyn (Dancing On My Own):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcNo07Xp8aQ&ob=av2eAnd come on, this is AWESOME:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBPtP4t2J1k&ob=av2e(Biology – Girls Aloud)
Yeah not sure I’d class Nirvana as pop. Ever. But definitions are there to be broken I suppose. David, if that’s the direction then definitely there’s loads of stuff that I like that’s pure pop. You can’t really go much better than stuff like Robyn – Every Heartbeat, Kylie – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, Madonna – Holiday, Prince – Alphabet Street, Haircut 100 – Love Plus One, Abba – Waterloo, Elton John and Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Human League – Don’t You Want Me and Electric Dreams…. I could go on for ever really. But I draw the line at Girls Aloud. Good pop it may be, but it’s also shite (well-produced) dross.
I think of ‘Pop’ as a ‘catchy single’. Anything that sells loads of singles /gets loads of radio airplay I think of as Pop. I guess I always think of pop as being genre-non-specific.If we speak of ‘Pop’ as being mainstream chart stuff (which kind of contradicts my previous point!) then I agree with your examples Brother Hornsby. Erasure ‘Respect’ is a great call. I was more of a ‘Stop’ man myself. Crackers International EP, WOW! I remember that Xmas so well. I think i was listening to Public Enemy, Slayer and Erasure round that time. I was well confused.
Erasure and Pet Shop Boys – massively underrated pop genii.
Amen to that.West End Girls is one of the tunes of the 80s for me!
Would love to have seen them back in the day, around 1997 or 98. And I’d like whatever Chris Lowe has in his team in the morning. He doesn’t look any different from how he was in 1989.