Song: Superstar
Artist: Carpenters (not written by any Carpenters member)
Year: 1971
Album: Carpenters
Comments: An absolute lesson in supporting the melody with hooks that are secondary but could be the leads. And of course, there's no voice like Karen Carpenter's--no purity, no power, like hers.
Song: And You and I studio version live version
Artist: Yes
Year: 1972
Album: Close to the Edge
Song: The Cinema Show studio version
Artist: Genesis
Year: 1973
Album: Selling England By The Pound
Comments: Drop-dead gorgeous. Cuts through every resistance and penetrates to the soul.
Song: Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Artist: Elton John and Kiki Dee
Year: 1976
Album: [a stand-alone single]
Comment: Stunning, perfect melody and production--showing Elton John's brilliance as a song writer.
Song: She's Always a Woman (<--a lovely live version from 1978)
Artist: Billy Joel
Year: 1977
Album: The Stranger
Comment: As much as I try not to appreciate Billy Joel, very few can construct a pop song as he can. This is a gem among gems.
Song: Awaken (Listen to studio version first; get the headphones--so spectacular. Also, check out live versions from 1977 and from 2003.)
Artist: Yes
Year: 1977
Album: Going for the One
Comment: This is the finest piece of music composed and recorded since Handel. Running a very close second is--again--Close to the Edge by Yes.
Song: Wuthering Heights
Artist: Kate Bush
Year: 1978
Album: The Kick Inside
Comment: Unforgettable voice. Surely one of the most beautiful and original melodies, too.
Song: Video Killed the Radio Star
Artist: The Buggles
Year: 1979
Album: The Age of Plastic
Comment: On this page, I used to list this song as the #1 pop song.
Song: Shadows of the Night
Artist: Pat Benatar
Year: 1982
Album: Get Nervous
Comment: Flawless rock song, start to finish. Will stand the test of time for decades and decades. And Pat probably has one of the most powerful rock voices ever.
Song: Take on Me
Artist: A-ha
Year: 1985
Album: Hunting High and Low
Comment: This song doesn't have over a billion views on YouTube for nothing. I wouldn't argue against it being the pop song of the 20th century. Certainly riff of the century.
Song: In Between Days
Artist: The Cure
Year: 1985
Album: The Head on the Door
Comment: I'm not a big Cure fan, actually, but a few of their songs are incomparably exquisite. Sometimes this is my very favorite song ever. (Find moron's cover of it on Spotify! (To be) released on September 16, 2025.)
Song: Walking on Sunshine
Artist: Katrina and the Waves
Year: 1985
Album: Walking on Sunshine
Comment: Maybe the most singable song ever--you can't help walking on sunshine when you sing it.
Song: Always on My Mind
Artist: Pet Shop Boys (not a PSB original)
Year: 1987
Album: Introspective
Comment: Pet Shop Boys are master pop-music craftsman, and this is them at their best.
Song: 1979
Artist: Smashing Pumpkins
Year: 1996
Album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Comment: I remember the first time I heard this: I happened to tune into the Grammy Awards show. This song was nominated for song (record) of the year. I heard it and other nominees, such as Celine Dion. I thought to myself, "This song is the winner, hands down." I was wrong. Take that back: the Grammys got it wrong.
Song: Chick Magnet
Artist: MXPX
Year: 1996
Album: Life in General
Comment: Memorable bass opening; fast, clean drumming; perfectly conceived production; strong from beginning to end.
Song: Tubthumping
Artist: Chumbawamba
Year: 1997
Album: Tubthumper
Comment: About as catchy as a song can be. Perfectly selected production elements.
Song: Neutral Ground
Artist: Pierce Pettis
Year: 1998
Album: Everything Matters
Comment: Such a gorgeous, beautiful, gorgeous, beautiful song .... some days flirts with #1 on my list.
Song: The Tick Tock Treasury
Artist: Joy Electric
Year: 2003
Album: The Tick Tock Treasury
Comment: I'm a long-time JE fan and consider many of their songs to be excellent conceptions.
Song: Hey Ya
Artist: Outkast
Year: 2003
Album: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Comment: A brilliant, unique composition--and a funny video. I first heard the song while watching the forgettable movie "Flight of the Phoenix" (2004) on DVD. The song, which arrives about midway through the film, stopped me cold (ice cold). I rewound the DVD several times to listen to the song.
Song: Polyrhythm
Artist: Perfume
Year: 2007
Album: Game
Comment: Kind of like Tears for Fears fast-forwarded a decade-and-a-half or two through Japanese electro-pop. Addicting production: avoid!
Song: Time to Pretend
Artist: MGMT
Year: 2007
Album: Oracular Spectacular
Comment: Neo-psychedelic pop brilliance with hooky-grungy keyboard philosophy that makes me wonder if they're a long-lost (but way more talented) relative of moron.
Song: Viva La Vida
Artist: Coldplay
Year: 2008
Album: Viva La Vida
Comment: The album is sonically stunning, for a year or two straight getting heavy rotation in my CD player.
Song: Umbrella Beach (many other fantastic songs on this album, such as The Tip of the Iceberg)
Artist: Owl City
Year: 2009
Album: Ocean Eyes
Comment: Owl City's later albums are very good, no doubt, but Ocean Eyes is electronica at its best, second to none, more delicious than Pet Shop Boys and Joy Electric and not, respectively, so empty or glum.
Song: Streets
Artist: Kensington
Year: 2014
Album: Rivals
Comment: Has that classic yet timelessly memorable big pop-rock anthem delivery.
Song: Verge
Artist: Owl City
Year: 2015
Album: Mobile Orchestra
Comment: More from the over-the-top brilliant Adam Young. (I didn't think it possible that anyone could supplant Joy Electric in my synth-pop heart.) Hyperbole will fail, so I won't even try.
Song: Ride
Artist: 21 Pilots
Year: 2015
Album: Blurryface
Comment: Tyler Joseph is a generational songwriter and producer.
Current favorite? Three-way race between Cinema Show, Awaken, and Always on My Mind.
Note: The originality and the craftsmanship and the overall sonic experience set these albums way above the rest, but some may find occasionally offensive lyrical content.