Top of the Pop I

I recently challenged myself to compile the greatest pop songs. Over the next few days/ weeks/whenever i update, I will be those songs, which appear over 3 mixes of 15 songs each. No artists are repeated, and certainly some things are left off that I wish I had included, but I'm pretty happy with the finished product.

Mix 1- Sing Along You Know the Words
1- Dusty Springfield- Son of a Preacher man
The patron saint of blue eyed soul on her longest lasting hit, a simple love song about a girl who is tough to love and a preacher's kid. And we all know how preacher's kids turn out. Wonder what they were doing on the pews after youth group?

2- Rod Stewart- Maggie May
Before becoming a Vegas covers clown, Stewart's goal was to be a legitimate rock and roll icon which he could have easily accomplished had he stuck with the things that made his first album great. What seems like a simple love song is actually a complicated break up song about a guy who is giving up on a woman who not only is way too demanding, she also isn't very pretty. And maybe she's old enough to be his mom? That's kind of creepy.

3- Queen- Don't Stop Me Now
Freddie Mercury can make anyone on the dancefloor love him, boy or girl. This is the quintessential Queen song, as well as the band's mission statement. Somewhere there's a moral about what all this partying leads to, but this song shows that thinking about consequences is totally square.

4- The Kinks- Lola
There are a few elements that all but guaranty pop success- memorable lines, sex, a sense of humor, and simplicity. This is by far the simplest song about being seduced by a transsexual I can think of.

5- The Foo Fighters- Everlong
Certainly among the best songs of the 90s from one of the best bands of that decade, this song emerged when Dave Grohl still had a shadow to escape and basically catapulted the Foo Fighters from 'side project' status to 'great'. Plus the music video kicks all sorts of ass which definitely helps.

6- Thin Lizzy- The Boys are Back in Town
Too many words are jammed in too small a space. The subject matter is cheesy at best. The hooks and whispering make this song decidedly un rock and roll for something with so many killer riffs. And I am sure there is no 'Dino's Bar and Grill' in Ireland. But try not to wail along on the air guitar and play rockstar.

7- Sly and the Family Stone- Everyday People
Every other song about race and prejudice sounds forced and pretentious compared to this.

8- Neutral Milk Hotel- King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1
Almost all indie pop from the past decade wishes it was this song or from this album, and rightfully so. In a few years, after some yet unheard of band becomes the biggest thing ever and claims the Decemberists were their primary influence all the hipsters will come out of the wood work and Neutral Milk Hotel will be to the future what the Replacements and the Pixies were to the early 90s' Nirvana fans.

9- The Beach Boys- Wouldn't It Be Nice
TV has led me to believe this is exactly what every woman wants: a man who insists on talking about commitment before tucking them in at night.

10- Fleetwood Mac- The Chain
Rumours is one of my favorite albums and not just because of the backstory. More it's because of how bipolar it all is while all being beautiful. 'The Chain' is by far the angriest result of the breakups that made the album so intriguing, and it was also written half by Stevie Nicks and then half by Lindsey Buckingham. You can hear the passion in their voices. The sort of passion that says, essentially, "If i didn't have to work with you right now, you would be dead to me."

11- Carly Simon- You're So Vain
Like the last track, this song can't escape it's backstory. But interestingly enough no one really knows who the 'you' is. I always heard it was Warren Beatty which is a pretty good guess considering at the time he was essentially the same person as his character in Shampoo. Mick Jagger does the back up vocals which is pretty awesome.

12- The Turtles- Happy Together
Essentially the same song as 'Wouldn't It Be Nice.' Wikipedia says the song is 'quintessential 60s era American feel good pop,' but I can't help but notice how it sounds like everyone in the song is going to break down and cry any minute.

13- Jimmy Eat World- Sweetness
Unlike Neutral Milk Hotel, JEW's day in the sun is long gone and we're probably already witnessing the tail end of their contribution to pop rock with emo bands riffing less off them and more off... whoever. I don't know, and I don't really care to know. But for a few glorious summers this song and the others from Bleed American proved the perfect cure for the overblown rockers like Creed. And for that our radios are thankful.

14- Elton John- Tiny Dancer
The hardest decision I had making these mixes was which Elton John song to include. The finalists were this and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the latter being my personal preference between the two. But I've still got nothing but good things to say about this. Bernie Taupin's lyrics and Elton John's musicianship belong together, a fact made as clear by their attempts at success separate from each other as it is by the successes they had together. Nevermind the stupid jokes about tony danza.

15- Frank Sinatra- My Way
It was all I could to do to not end every mix I ever made with this song.