Perfect Pop Songs

Richard Dreyfuss did pretty good with this during "Mr. Holland's Opus." Dedicated it to his hearing-impaired son.

 

perfect pop song: the la's. there she goes.

 

My first girlfriend in college broke up with me and I’ll never forget this song playing in her dorm room as she lowered the boom. December 12, 1992. Not that I remember or anything.

“Let’s go down to the water’s edge and we can cast away those doubts...”

This song haunted me for about a year. I’d hear it come on but I wouldn’t ever turn it off.

She was the one who got away. Until a phone call two years later led to one of the most unforgettable moments the 20-year-old me ever had...

 

Thank you, Spotify.

 

Here's one you haven't heard in a while. SiriusXM's "The Spectrum" channel (28) sometimes plays a solo acoustic version that also kicks.

 

Late to your table but this is from the "comedy pop album" I listened to as a kid... yes, hello to The Kingston Trio!

 

My all-time favorite Chicago song:

 

I hadn’t heard this song in years, then I found it again. I know Laura Branigan has bigger hits, but this one I’ve come to enjoy immensely.

 

They have a dozen better songs, but this is one of their best with the orchestra backup. First time I saw them live at the Universal Amphitheater, this was the album that anchored that show, and they had the strings stage right and stage left. I thought it was some of their lower-level work. This is a band that was dominated by the the lead guitar of Terry Kath and the horn players. The strings added very little and turned them from jazz rock to soft rock. My opinion, obviously.