Take On Me is the most perfect pop song ever

[Cheesymonster]

Fantastic video too.

I will die on this hill.

God yes, my favourite Bond song. Manages to be uptempo and desolate at the same time. Gives me goosebumps.

Yes good point. God Only Knows us perfect but in a different way to Take On Me. There is a real sense of yearning in Take On Me but it is so joyful.

I’ll nominate Birdhouse in your Soul by They Might be Giants and The Village Green Preservation Society by the Kinks.
So many good songs mentioned on this thread. But for me anything written by Ray Davies is perfect!

Echo Beach by Martha and the Muffins is not the most perfect pop song. But it always makes me smile. Maybe a different thread idea ?

@MoonriseKingdom both stunningly good songs

Living Daylights is better.
How about

• Magic by Pilot
• Wide Eyed and Legless by Andy Fairweather-Low
• Nothing Rhymed by Gilbert O'Sullivan

Erm

@Blackcatpanther common people and Human are really great songs- I played someone Human the other week and they genuinely didn't know it was Human league- such a great song

I had to pull over in my car, the first time I heard Take On Me.

I loved the video still

West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys and Come Away With Me by Norah Jones also caused me to pull over and listen fully upon first hearing.

But surely that would be Spandau Ballet's Gold

Here's a few more from me that I think are incredibly well crafted songs- I work in music industry so know some fab 'pop' songs that sadly never really made it big - but these are all pretty well known and will be on many of you lovely peoples radar

Human- Human league
Bryan Adams- Heaven -
U2 - with or without You
Carole king- Too Late
Lightening Seeds- Pure and Simple
Pulp- common people
Kinks- Days
The Animals- we gotta get out of this place
10cc - I'm not in Love
Sweet- Ballroom Blitz
Joni Mitchell- Big Yellow Taxi
Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army
Pet shop boys - west end girls

And of course - the Beatles strawberry fields forever -

@Crikeyalmighty give us your picks of the lesser known ones please. I’ll kick things off with The Adventures, Broken Land. 😊

@GellerYeller prefab sprout have such amazing songs-and paddy writes such great lyrics - they a real go to for me!

@Crikeyalmighty his voice. Gorgeous. I love The Sound of Crying and If You Don’t Love Me(wasn’t it produced by Stephen Hague of Pet Shop Boys and New Order fame)? Just fab regardless.

I have been an A-ha fan forever. Thank you to this thread for introducing me to this new version. Fabulous!
What I love too though is how many of our work choir songs have appeared in this thread as great pop songs. We have been going only 18 months or so but have sung so many of those listed here already. We have just finished recording God Only Knows to raise money for our work charity of the year. I'm going to suggest the acoustic Take on Me as one of our next!

@GellerYeller

I would also have on a 'lesser known ' list - although if you are really into music you will probably know the songs - I've left off anything that's more 'rock'

Joy Division- love will tear us apart

Motors- Airport

The Associates- Party fears two

The Korgis- everybody's got to learn sometime

Tears for Fears- Mad World

XTC - mayor of simpleton

ToddRundgren - I saw the light

Al Stewart - year of the Cat

Black-wonderful life

Suzanne Vega- Luka

Genesis- Turn it on Again

Bangles- walk like an Egyptian

Jane Wiedlin - Rush Hour

That makes me really want to know what you think of these perfect pop songs:
Days - The Kinks
Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
We are Young - Fun.

@Crikeyalmighty I am into music, got several of these on my playlist mentioned upthread!
Bring on the rock(apologies to the AHa fans, I love Manhattan Skyline).

@AmaryllisChorus I had Days on my previous list!

Somewhere only we know- great song, love it

I don't know the last one if I'm honest - will check it out- maybe I was breeding or something at the time- lol!!

@GellerYeller that's good to know- it seems to have gone out of fashion beyond 'wallpaper background' for many younger women- my friends are mainly early 40s and have (in my opinion) lousy taste- a lot of post 2000 stuff sounds to me like automated nursery rhymes. But yep, that's the stuff that sells- luckily I work in catalogue - so my knowledge post 2008 is rubbish!!

@user73 THANKS. That was great

@Crikeyalmighty I’m old but I’ve got one DC that loves pure pop and another that worships Nirvana, Joy Division, The Cure and Stevie Nicks. They both thought Suzanne Vega stole Fall Out Boy’s song the first time they heard her on Radio 2 😂

@GellerYeller she was really great live too- saw her just last year- your DC won't go far wrong with a bit of Stevie Nicks, Cure etc- !! Are they a goth girl!!

I would say so but not to her face 😂.