20 MusicWeek 18.05.12
PREVIEWIVORNOVELLOAWARDS J
EVENTS BY PAUL WILLIAMS
ust what makes the perfect pop song? As the cream of the songwriting
and music publishing communities gather in central London on Thursday (May 17) for the 57th annual Ivor Novello Awards, now seems as good time as any to
Peter Gabriel
I was a huge Otis Redding fan, so (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay would be up there. I saw him in the Ram
Jam club in Brixton in 1967 and to this day it was the best live show I’ve ever seen.
DAVID ARNOLD
I Saw The Light by Todd Rundgren. Simple but incredibly hooky chord sequence; simple but incredibly hooky
vocal line and a great lyric. A pop song that makes you feel happier both during and after hearing it. Glorious.
Don Black
24 Hours from Tulsa written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by Gene Pitney. When I’m
driving I always pull over when I hear 24 Hours From Tulsa. Why? Great melody, superb Hal David lyrics, flawless production. Then again I could say the same for Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves and You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.
Guy Chambers
Heart of Glass by Blondie. This song has everything – driving beat, addictive bass line, cool synths and, of
course, the voice of Debbie Harry who is still the greatest front woman ever. The lyric is bittersweet so the song is never cheesy; the breakdown is classic, understated New York nonchalance; the melody is sugar-coated; harmonic changes unusual but not jarring - all these elements come together to make a perfect pop song.
Labrinth
You know, when Off The Wall comes on people go crazy, so I’ll say Rock With You from Michael Jackson’s
Off The Wall album. Amazing. Sir Tim Rice
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. An example of a perfect pop song: brilliant lyrics and a melodic tune. It sounds
boring, but I truly believe that there are hundreds of perfect songs, so ultimately it is too difficult to just choose one.
Steve Winwood
What’d I Say by Ray Charles. In its time, it was a big crossover record. It has Ray Charles’ fantastic voice,
energy and the repetition of certain lines creates an amazing tension. Again, it blends different styles of jazz rubbing together with pop and early elements of rock and roll.
Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs
It’s You Can’t Hurry Love. I love that song. It really takes me back to being a kid; I think it was in a holiday, and I
remember it being something to do with sitting by a pool. Whenever I hear it, it smashes my head backwards into that thing about that pool - and being a kid disco dancing.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
For me it’s Mickey by Toni Basil. Actually it’s a cover, the original is called Hey Kitty but Hey Mickey is the way
it should be done. It’s got some adult lyrics thrown in there and it’s lusty and impatient and stompy and I love pop songs like that.
Sharleen Spiteri
Probably Heart Of Glass – that’s a great pop song. It’s classic. It never dates. Blondie wrote a lot of great pop
songs. I was a very early Blondie fan but I never went blonde – when you are this dark it is never easy, you canna do it, it doesn’t work.
Plan B
Woman On A Mission by Gabriella Cilmi – big tunes,
big pop song.
Pete ROBERTSON of The Vaccines
God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. It’s the stock
answer but it is probably the best. It’s kinda perfect; perfect sonically, lyrically it is perfect. The opening line is perfect. A great statement.
Emile Sande
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, probably.
Imagine by John
Lennon. I think the perfect pop song is something that you almost instantly remember all the words to, and hooks your heart as well as
your ears. Paloma Faith
The best pop song in the world ever?
Maybe Dolly Parton’s 9 To 5.
www.musicweek.com
THE PERFECT POP SONG?
ponder this most difficult of questions. On hand to try to fashion
an answer are some of the UK’s most successful songwriters – many of them past Ivors winners themselves – who have been quizzed by the event’s organiser the
Will Young
I Will Always Love You is a pretty perfect pop song – first time round with Dolly Parton singing and
second time round with Whitney. Both versions – they are pretty much perfect.
Dan Gillespie of The Feeling
I still think my favourite ones are slightly more sophisticated than the really straightforward
pop stuff but God Only Knows (Beach Boys) is a great pop song. It is just beautifully written I think.
Katie Melua
I am going to go with Spaceman by Babylon Zoo.
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors (BASCA) about their thoughts on the perfect song. The answers below are as
varied as the panel of songwriters who provided them – with those responding
ranging from veterans such as Don Black, Sir Tim Rice and Steve Winwood through to Eighties icons like Martin Fry and Kim Wilde to contemporary names including Emeli Sandé, Plan B, Labrinth and Paloma Faith.
Martin Fry
Just My Imagination by The Temptations. Perfection doesn’t exist but this comes close. Produced beautifully by
Norman Whitfield. Wistful and romantic in all the right places. This song somehow surpasses all expectations. It’s better than the sum of its parts. That’s one of the great mysteries of song writing. What makes something great?
Mary Hopkin
A perfect pop song should deliver a simple message with a melody that endures and lyrics that resonate with the
listener. Among the most perfect in my opinion are the many popular songs of the 1930s written by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and our own Ivor Novello - songs which have survived the fleeting
trends of decades and still work their magic.
KT Tunstall
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