A few months ago I posted my musical equivalent of a bag of Ruffles potato chips - songs that I can listen to ten times in a row. On this swell Saturday, I'll reveal my musical equivalent of a deep fried Twinkie - my favorite guilty pleasure songs. Please don't judge too harshly.
Photograph: I've always giggled at Nickelback, and I find this song particularly amusing. Those boys from Canada try so hard to rock while singing about the girliest of subjects: looking at old photo albums. Still, the chorus is incredibly catchy and I could listen to Chad Kroeger's voice all day long.
Lips Of An Angel: One of my favorite memories of this year so far was driving to Long Beach to look at bridesmaid dresses with my beautiful sister in law and belting this song together. (I still think she and my brother should have used it for their first dance.) The most awesome thing about Hinder's ballad is that lead singer Austin Winkler is supposed to be whispering to his ex-girlfriend while his current girlfriend is in the next room, yet he practically screams, "It's really good to hear your voice, saying my name it sounds so sweet."
Rich Girl: I'll be the first to say that I'm not a fan of Gwen Stefani's voice. Or her clothing line. Or her dance moves. But she sure can write a catchy song. "Rich Girl's" great beat and happy vibe almost make me forget that Stefani is desecrating one of musical theatre's greatest hits.
How Can We Be Lovers: While most of my grade school chums were swooning over the New Kids on the Block, I was singing along to Michael Bolton. Being an innocent little fourth grader, I had no qualms about belting out the following lyrics: "How can we be lovers if we can't be friends? How can we start over when the fighting never ends? How can we make love if we can't make amends?" It was my favorite song on the whole tape.
Proud To Be An American: I know it's cheesy, but I do get a little misty whenever I hear this song. Especially if it's accompanied by fireworks.
Wanted: Dead Or Alive: My brother introduced me to this song when he serenaded my parents with it every night during his senior year of high school. You can always count on Bon Jovi to deliver ridiculously dramatic lyrics and this song has some gems. My favorites include "Sometimes you tell the day by the bottle that you drink and times when you're alone and all you do is think" and "I've been everywhere, still I'm standing tall. I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all." Plus Richie Sambora's harmonies are brilliant.
She's So High Above Me: Remember the band Fastball? That's what I thought. But I still love this song. I used to warble "She's so high above me, like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite" to my roommate Holly because she slept on the top bunk. Clever, no?
Love Shack: How can you not love a song with lyrics like, "Hop in my Chrysler, it's as big as a whale and it's about to set sail!" Plus the "Bang, bang, bang on the door" finish is easily one of my favorite pop music finales.
What's Left Of Me: I hated the boy band craze of the late nineties. And of all the boy bands, I hated 98 Degrees the most. So I was shocked to discover that this rather lovely little ditty was performed by none other than Nick Lachey. Yes, the lyrics are inane ("I'm half the man I thought I would be, but you can have what's left of me" doesn't exactly make me swoon), but it's a truly pretty song.
So there you have it. What are your guilty pleasure songs?
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5 comments:
Hey Jenny, thanks for sharing these -- you have some real gems here. I'm particularly glad to see Nickelback (are they hard or light rock? I can never be sure!) and She's So High. Wow. I'll never forget that chorus; it took me quite a while, but I eventually trained myself to hit those high notes perfectly. Quick note: I think Tal Bachman sang She's So High, not Fastball.
Here's a few extras:
Goo Goo Dolls - Name
Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
Any Third Eye Blind song
Matchbox Twenty - 3 A.M.
Travis - Know Nothing (catchy pop...)
Deacon Blue - A Is For Astronaut
The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup
A-Ha - Take On Me
Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels (i love the little string plucks in the verse)
Sugerhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (the only rap song i like)
Nice picks, guys. I forgot all about "Everything You Want." I love that song! And my favorite part of "Rapper's Delight" is the lengthy description of a bad meal at a friend's house. It's the only song I know that uses the word "kaopectate."
And I decided that I needed to add Lenny Kravitz's strangely literal cover of "American Woman" to my list.
Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
California Love - Dr. Dre and Tupac
First off, the correction is correct: Tal Bachmann did sing "She's So High."
Nickelback is irredeemable, sorry to say. Also, Third Eye Blind is a great pick. Where legitimate ability is concerned, they are the musical equivalent to little league baseball. But where catchiness is concerned, they are the musical equivalent to whatever the catchiest thing you can think of is.
My current guilty pleasure of all is "Hey There, Delilah" by the Plain White T's. Overly simple, too many blatant attempts at being clever, and a horrendous band name to boot. But I love it.
Which leads me to the further willing recognition that "Hate Is a Strong Word" (one of the worst songs I've ever heard lyrically) is there because of the catchy guitars. And further, just about anything by Fall Out Boy, who I know for a fact that I absolutely should not like, I like.
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