Back in the 1980’s, I had a girlfriend who said she hated rock music, but liked pop music. What she meant was this: she hated sit-down-and-listen music but she liked stand-up-and-dance music. And she made me appreciate silly pop songs.
My pop-loving girlfriend introduced me to a band called The Housemartins. And here’s a video by them:
Housemartins (Happy Hour)
It’s a forgettable sort of happy pop song. Except for one thing. One of the members of the Housemartins was Norman Cook. He later recorded some songs under the name "Fatboy Slim." And here’s a video he did (starring Christopher Walken).
Fatboy Slim (Weapon of Choice)
Is that pop music? Nope. You dance to pop music. You listen to rock music.
But let’s go back to pop. My pop-loving girlfriend liked Kate Bush.
Kate Bush (Cloudbusting)
Is that Donald Sutherland in the video? Probably not.
Pure Pop: The La’s (There She Goes)
I love this song. And they’re from Liverpool, so they’re Beatle-esque or Scousy.
Pixies (Here Comes Your Man)
There she goes again followed by here comes your man (definitely pop):
Another pure pop song. Nice guitar work.
Posies (Dream All Day)
I could never remember the difference between the Pixies (from Boston) and the Posies (from Seattle). Here’s a Posies song:
I have to insert a non-pop song. Here you go:
Patti Smith (Horses)
A great song, but definitely not pop.
It’s almost Christmas, so here are a couple of Christmas-themed songs:
David Bowie/Bing Crosby (Little Drummer Boy)
The Pogues (Fairytale of New York)
Here are the words for Fairytale:
It was Christmas eve, babe
In the drunk tank.
An old man said to me: won't see another one.
And then they sang a song
A rare old mountain tune
I turned my face away and dreamed about you.
Got on a lucky one,
Came in eighteen to one.
I´ve got a feeling.
This year´s for me and you.
So happy Christmas,
I love you baby.
I can see a better time,
Where all our dreams come true.
They got cars big as bars;
They got rivers of gold;
But the wind goes right through you,
It´s no place for the old.
When you first took my hand on a cold Christmas eve,
You promised me Broadway was waiting for me.
You were handsome. You were pretty.
Queen of New York City. When the band finished playing they yelled out for more.
Sinatra was swinging, all the drunks they were singing,
We kissed on a corner, then danced through the night.
And the boys from the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out for Christmas day.
You´re a bum, you´re a punk.
You´re an old slut on junk.
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed.
You scumbag, you maggot,
You cheap lousy faggot.
Happy Christmas your arse I pray God it´s our last.
And the boys of the NYPD choir's still singing Galway Bay,
And the bells were ringing out,
For Christmas day.
I could have been someone.
Well, so could anyone.
You took my dreams from me,
When I first found you.
I kept them with me babe;
I put them with my own,
Can´t make it out alone:
I´ve built my dreams around you .
And the boys of the NYPD choir's still singing Galway Bay,
And the bells are ringing out,
For Christmas day.
Jimi Hendrix (Red House)
Not a pop song. A sit-down-and-listen song.