[Closed] What’s the best pop single of all time?

CBA to wade through the whole thread, but if you didn't say Like a Prayer then you were worng.

Thanks for playing, though

Great thread. Teenage Kicks? Wasn't that the one John Peel played twice in a row? Had a line from it on his gravestone.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1578522/John-Peel-gets-Teenage-Kicks-epitaph.html

I'd agree with Come on Eileen by Dexy's

Or American Pie by Don McLean except it's possiblt too long for a pop single.

Or for me, probably not a popular choice but one that was playing all the time during a teenage summer - Lindisfarne - Run For Home. From the days when pop music was only on TV once a week.

Or Johnny B Goode

Common People - Pulp

What no Duran x2?

It's Billie Jean

Qua qua da diddley qua qua

T'pau Heart & Soul is one of my all time faves, Ian Brown's F.E.A.R has been an earworm all week after hearing it on the radio on Monday, but I think it would have to a track off Fleetwood Mac's 40-year old Rumours album, that is brimming with amazing tunes...

An all time classic, made famous by the guitar riff that has been used by F1 coverage for decades, but the rest of the tune is great too IMO.

no one mentioned Good Vibrations yet?

I'd put Ian Brown's F.E.A.R down as one of the "cleverest" tracks lyrically that's ever been made ..
Funny you mentioned Rumours ..was playing that in the car on Friday evening ..first time in years .
The best Buckingham guitar solo has to be at the end of the Tango In The Night title track though ?

Best thread in yonks.

(Apart from the hippy/60’s shite) 😉

Not that familiar with Tango In The Night, just googled it, pretty intense guitar solo (a bit too manic for me personally). They wrote so many classic tunes going through from the 1960s (eg. Albatross) to at the the end of the 1980s (eg. Everywhere), such a talented group of musicians and it's so debatable whether their complex personal lives helped or hindered their work! 🙂

I'm going to break the rules and add Ian Brown's F.E.A.R too, it is such a clever yet simple tune, with a very soothing melody. What made me laugh is after hearing it on Monday, I thought I recognise that... It's sampled in the theme tune for Codemasters' F1 2010 and I had no idea! 😆

I only wish he had done a better video that compliments the tune, it would lend itself so well to something like martial arts or racing, for example.

I love F.E.A.R - it’s off his best solo album as well! It did pretty well at the time too.

I Feel Love - Stone cold classic pop for me. Innovative, fresh-sounding and memorable.

God Only Knows has to be a big contender too. I think it is perfect tbh.

Billie Jean - just awesome IMHO. It always makes me get up and dance.

I swear I wasn’t dancing to this on my way back for my lunch at work yesterday. 😆

And no I’ve sang along to this with my management colleague at work 😯

You Get What You Give
New Radicals.

Hit
The Sugarcubes

Cars
Numan

Can only be Trio- Da Da Da

Transvision Vamp - can't remember the name of the song.

Made my lads go weak at the knees. 🙂

When Teenage Kicks is too long! 1:39 of pop goodness.

The Buggles surely with a shout.

rone - Member

Common People - Pulp

Good call.

no one mentioned Good Vibrations yet?

Yes. I thought the whole greatest pop song ever was voted for by a world wide cast of music critics and Good vibrations came out tops.

Of course, being STW we laugh in the face of expert opinion and for my part I would go with John Peel and vote for the Undertones and "Teenage kicks"

Ketchup Song by Las Ketchup.
Baby one more time - Britney

Edit - sod off John Peel, none of your reminiscing here, just pop music.

Drops mic...

Tainted love - Soft Cell
Don't you want me - The Human League

Pulling muscles from the shell by squeeze

Le Freak and Another Girl Another Planet are totally excellent.

Tough to choose between these two...

Ultimately the best of anything emotive depends on the individual.

AHA, take on me is one of my all time faves for a pop song. The way it starts is immense 😆

Also for the same reason,

Seems like a good excuse to watch this again, and again...

This is the best thing to come out of pop in the last 20 years.

Dunno if this has been suggested, but it's right up there for sure

Popular music you say? Well out on a bike ride this morning I heard this blasting out of a stable block (not sure what the horses thought).

Don't know if this counts as it was never really a single, nor well known (although the group is / went on to be), but this is 1:25 of perfect pop. Verse 1, verse 2, chorus, guitar solo, end.

This thread needs more Bangles

An earworm that haunted me for a while earlier this year, which happens to continue the theme of actors in videos...

T-Rex is a good shout, but I'd go for Get It On...

Such an amazing, timeless track. Dunno if it's [i]the best pop single of all time[/i], but there certainly aren't any better ones.

How can you suggest a Carly Rae Jepsen track that isn't Call me maybe?

How can you suggest a Carly Rae Jepsen track that isn't Call me maybe?

I know, it isn't even her best work!

How can you suggest a Carly Rae Jepsen track that isn't Call me maybe?

That reminds me,

Needs more 80's.

I think this is better than nearly everything posted on this thread and the sentiments are spot on 😀

Been a big genesis fan, ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that I didn't really understand any of their work, it was too artsy, too intellectual...it was on Duke where uh, Phil Collins' presence became more apparent... I think Invisible Touch is the group's undisputed masterpiece, its an epic meditation on intangibility at the same time it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding 3 albums.

Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford you can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmenship and sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Take the lyrics to "Land of Confusion", in this song, Phil Collins adresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980's, about monogomy and commitment, the song is extremely uplifting...their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as uh, anything ive heard in rock.

Phil Collins solo career, it seems to be more commercial...and therefore more satisfying in a narrower way. especially songs like, In The Air Tonight and Against All Odds.

I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist! This is sussudio, great, great song, a personal favorite.

[url=

Say no to Genesis kids 😆

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas original version of Heatwave.

Pop. Passion. Magic!

[url=

There's no way I could pick the best pop song ever, so just throwing one of my faves into the mix - indie pop...

Been a big genesis fan, ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that I didn't really understand any of their work, it was too artsy, too intellectual...

Why don't you get a job Al? You stink!

Have we done this one?

Possibly

or even

but everyone knows it's really Sally Cinnamon.
🙂

upshift should've listened to Stormzy 😆

I might have nicked that entire quote from the film American Psycho 😆

The great suggestions keep on coming.

Sally Cinnamon, 21 June 2017.

Me singing along with the Roses and more importantly my son James. Apologies, I am very, very, very flat!

That many people singing along - that must make it pop right...?

Surely, this must be a contender?

Or this one...

The more time you have to think, the more songs come to mind! 😆

Only played Prince a lot in the last few years - so many good records.

Just noticed someone had posted Twistarella by Ride as well, cracking EP that.

More B-52s...

And what about M.C.?

Tears for fears - Ewtrtw

Before they started sucking:

Ooh ..did someone say Tears For Fears..
Woman In Chains , Everybody Wants To Rule The World , Shout ..take your pick ..my fav...Laid So Low (tears roll down)..not sure if it was a single though

Word Up is a good shout.

One of those tunes (like Get It On actually) that you could play in almost any club, anywhere and it'd go off.

upshift -
I might have nicked that entire quote from the film American Psycho

Excellent work! 😀

Another classic...

Although some might say at least Hotel California is a better contender.

Although some might say at least Hotel California is a better contender.

It all depends on what mood you're in, as to which song is best, but Hotel California does it for me in every mood!

There are 3 answers

And bonus Girls Aloud (whoever produced these last two knew what they were doing)

Some very fine suggestions, my offerings

some belters here. I'll just add

One of the best threads in yonks.

Some stunners along the way eh, who doesn’t remember listening to them..

More perfect pop genius...

Or....

😀

OP Should change the thread title to your favourite half a dozen pop songs 😀

You can never have too much perfect pop, surely?

😀

With my love of British 80’s & 90’s indie I think I have to suggest: