# Catchy songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976 "2005-05-22T19:00:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/1 "2005-05-22T19:00:27Z")
I’m trying to make a CD for driving in the car, and I really want very catchy, hook-filled songs. They don’t _have_ to be pop, but upbeat is good. I’ve just been sifting through my piles of MP3s, and coming up short. Lots of KMFDM in here, Razed in Black, Assemblage 23… catchy in their own right, but not… quite… what I’m looking for. You know? Sure you do. I want something that when you hear it, it stays with you. Instantly engaging. So far, the only things I’ve been able to dredge up is this meagre list: _Naked Eye_ - Luscious Jackson \*Feel Good Inc \* - Gorrilaz \*Lovely Day \* - Bill Withers _Universal Traveller_ - Air (just because it’s one of my favourites right now) _Cherry Lips_ - Garbage And two J-Pop tunes (\*Kocci wo Muite \* from CCS and \*Be My Angel \* from Angelic Layer, for anyone interested) I don’t want to fill the whole thing up with J-Pop ('cos you know… I _could_). I want catchiness, hooks… think of Blur’s album Parklife. I love bands like Air, Stereolab, Pet Shop Boys, Garbage… I’ll give any band a chance. They have upbeat songs, too, but I just feel braindead - I can’t think of any right now. Tell me your most engaging tunes! Repeats of any of the bands I listed are fine, too. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/2 "2005-05-22T19:05:36Z")
Aheh… added _Ladyfingers_ - Luscious Jackson. Smiths/Morrissey suggestions also extremely welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/3 "2005-05-22T20:52:06Z")
I think you’d do better with other Bill Withers songs, namely Ain’t No Sunshine or Use Me. In fact, anything off his second album is brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/4 "2005-05-22T23:28:44Z")
“You’re the one for me, Fatty” by Morrissey is pretty catchy. I find “Only” off of the new NIN to be pretty damn infectious, too. Let’s see … “Standing Still in Time” by Neuropa … “Living in Oblivion” by Anything Box … Dismantled has a nice new cover of “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul. That’s all I can come up with off-hand. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/5 "2005-05-22T23:56:08Z")
More in the way of J-pop - Utada Hikaru’s _Simple and Clean_, and _Colors_. If you don’t mind Rat Pack, Sinatra’s _More_ and Dean Martin’s _Besame Mucho_ are catchy as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/6 "2005-05-23T00:30:28Z")
Two that’ve had their hooks in me the past few days: Bulldog Mansion - _Happy Birthday To Me_ (Korean pop) Reanimator - _Move Your Dead Bones_ (techno) The latter is way, way too hilariously upbeat for a song about necromancy. Anything by Jack Johnson would probably fit the bill too. ---
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/7 "2005-05-23T01:31:05Z")
ELO’s “Don’t Bring Me Down.” I have it on repeat on my car’s cd player. I’ve also got a bunch of those \*Super Hits of the 70’s \* albums and they’ve got a lot of fun, hook-filled songs. Oh, and “Time Warp.” Gotta love your Rocky Horror. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![spiralscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@spiralscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spiralscratch)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/8 "2005-05-23T08:06:05Z")
Ash’s “Girl From Mars” is quite catchy. Gotta be one of the best pop songs ever. What about Outkast’s “Hey Ya”? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/9 "2005-05-24T00:40:10Z")
As usual, I’m late to the thread, but here are a few other thoughts: Psychic TV: “Infinite Beat” “I C Water” “Godstar” “Roman P” Anubian Lights: “Valiant Thor” (and pretty much anything else off the “Explaining the Unexplained” album) Hawkwind: “Silver Machine” “Robot” “Orgone Accumulator” Wimme: “Texas” Nik Turner: “Opa-Loka 2000” “Audio Energy” A Midnite Choir: “Happy Hour in Hell” “Amelia” “The Drunken Elephant March” Stellastarr: “My Coco” Diamond-Fist Werny: “Snowfallingthrusmoke” The Standard: “Baptiste” Green Pajamas: “Kim the Waitress” The Dresden Dolls: “Missed Me” “Coin-Operated Boy” ---
**Author:** ![Zanaffar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9d8465/32.png) [@Zanaffar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanaffar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/10 "2005-05-24T06:45:13Z")
Let me see… Non J-pop: “The Things That You Say That You Do” and “New Song,” both by Dressy Bessy “Bombing at the Midnight Showing” by From Bubblegum to Sky J-pop: “1999” by Akino Arai “Instant Music” by The Pillows “K2G” by Puffy AmiYumi “Mijikai Kousatsu” by Swinging Popsicle And you can’t forget “Groovy” from the CCS soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/11 "2005-05-24T12:03:57Z")
The Time of Your Life–Green Day Down on the Corner–Creedence Clearwater Revival Dancing Queen–ABBA ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/12 "2005-05-24T16:11:15Z")
_She Drives Me Crazy_ Fine Young Cannibals _Girls Just Want To Have Fun_ Cyndi Lauper Put the top down and sing along. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/13 "2005-05-24T16:21:35Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > _Naked Eye_ - Luscious Jackson **Luscious Jackson** ’s '_City Song_ or **Madonna** ’s ‘_Ray of Light_’ > [@](#): > > \*Feel Good Inc \* - Gorrilaz **Len** ’s ‘_Steal My Sunshine_’ or **Flash & The Pan** ’s ‘_Hey, Saint Peter_’ > [@](#): > > _Universal Traveller_ - Air **Air** ’s _‘Surfing On A Rocket’_ (Just 2 tracks below on Walkie Talkie) or **Stereolab** ’s _‘Transporte Sans Bouger’_ > [@](#): > > _Cherry Lips_ - Garbage **Tom Tom Club** ’s _‘Wordy Rappinghood’_ or **Saint Etienne** ’s _‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’_ or **Le Tigre** ’s _'TKO_’ & '_Deceptacon’_ or even **Kirsty MacColl** ’s _‘Walking Down Madison’_ ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catchy-songs/304976/14 "2005-05-25T03:57:41Z")
**Dreaming of You** – The Coral