Top 40 hits that didn't suck
 

Inspired by 'The Official "Music Was So Much Better in the Glorious Days of Yore" Thread', I'd like to start a discussion of top 40 hits released anywhere between 1930 and now that were actually very good. I'm not the biggest fan of mainstream music, but now and again, something really good did attain a high degree of popularity. Except, not everyone in here seems to think so... Which is why I'm interested in making this thread!

EDIT: Due to reasons and such I'm pointing out that I'm really thinking of the singles charts. Album charts are a whole other breed, especially these days where rather non-mainstream albums can chart well due to that being the sort of listener public that actually still buys albums.

Rules:

Either
A) Post one or more top 40 tracks from whatever year, that you think are legitimately good or great tracks. not just music you can just about endure. Youtube links are more than welcome, but please use spoiler tags if you post a whole bunch, just so the page doesn't become a bitch to scroll through.
B) Compalin about how mainstream music sucks and how it always has.

A link to a pretty good site to get an overview over the hits of various years, although it stops at 1998: Top 40 Hits - 1930-1998

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A couple random picks of my own. I love all of these songs:

Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight (#19 in 1981)


Carly Simon - You're So Vain (#1 in 1973)


Carole King - I Feel the Earth Move (#1 in 1971)

b&!

It was a number one hit in Finland in 2007. What's the issue here?

Phil Collins fans have no place calling something boring.

Leave it to the Fins to do something like that. I thought you were just joking!

Charts get really weird sometimes these days because the numbers are a lot smaller than when people still bought CD's, which means sometimes a track or album hits the charts despite being far from something you'd think of as a mainstream hit song.

I doubt it would have charted if people still actually bought albums widely.
I looked it up and the above track was specifically on the album charts, which is different from singles charts.
Singles charts was more what I was thinking of, but I should have specified that (fixed!).
Anything could end up on an album chart in this day and age, since music nerds are the only people really buying albums anymore.

In my defence, I think that was his only non-boring song.

That actually hurts your case.

"this video is not available"

???

Edited.

And another

No you didn't.

I recognize the Gnarls Barkley song, but I've never, ever heard the Kanye track before. Both seem decent to me, even though rap music isn't really my thing.

The Kanye song is from Yeezus, his only record worth listening to (and even then, half of it is skippable). Blood on the Leaves was the bigger hit from that record.

Ok so you're not actually recommending that I go and check out the album?
I'm always happier when I don't have a backlog of hip hop recommendations that I feel like I have to sit through.

Well, you just said that you weren't into rap or hip hop so I wouldn't have recommended it to you, but it is worth a listen to get an idea of how G-Eazy fans learned that hip hop can be industrial and that Kanye isn't inherently garbage.

I mean, if you are looking for solid hip hop recs I can send you a PM.

Incorrect.



#bang

Also, there's too many Top 40 songs that were and are great.

The only acceptable form of Phil Collins is early Brand X.

Robert Palmer - Johnny and Mary



Mind you the mime in the clip is annoying as ****. Good song though.

That is a pretty good pop song. And "All That She Wants" is an even better pop song.

I'm not really looking for hip hop because I feel like I've listened to a lot - both mainstream and underground, and in all sorts of different vibes - but I still don't really like anything aside from M.I.A.
Danny Brown was allright too, but I don't plan on getting any of his albums.

But if you feel like you have something so interesting and out of left field that you think it will change my mind... by all means give it a shot!

Ah, so that's what you meant. I wondered if you were referring to late Genesis.

Ok I like that one too, I guess. That's 2 Phil Collins solo career tracks I find to be quite non-boring.

And yes, there are a lot of good top 40 songs, which is exactly what I want the grumpy "all mainstream music sucks" people to see ;)

Well these are all pretty interesting imo. Ranked in order of creativity.

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Deep Puddle Dynamics - The Taste of Rain...Why Kneel
Moor Mother - Fetish Bones (really out there hip hop, but really heavy so might not be your thing)
Buck 65 - Square
El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
JJ DOOM - Keys to the Kuffs
Injury Reserve - Floss

I'll give them a chance. Being a world class philistine when it comes to hip hop, I might not like any of it.

Batlord's butt?

Pharrell - Happy

Pharrell is a talented guy and that was a great pop track. Nice theme, fun, gets people's heads bopping. Good track imo come at me bros.

I approve.

It got way overplayed but ja, good tune. Almost posted it myself.

I mean, for reelz?

I think the Madonna track is allright. I used to have the CD a long time ago.

btw she was so hot in that aeroplane scene

toxic is arguebly the best pop song of all time tbh

OMFG I would wreck that **** any time period other than underage Britney or bald Britney.

Bald Britney was cute. It suited her imo.

I've really grown to adore Melanie.

Not so much. Looked it up on Google images in case I was wrong and I found these...


http://picture-cdn.wheretoget.it/4fvkoy-i.jpg

https://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l...mq48o1_500.jpg

I am drawing a blank aside from these, which are eternal favorites:

That second literally made me LOL.

.

Still would :eek:

Totally with you on this one!