I’m going to say no to Cherry Pie. I hated it when it first came out, and I hate it now. IMO, it has no business with so many of the other songs being submitted for discussion. Vulgar, puerile pop metal.
MacArthur Park?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD-zTwi3_GU&t=3s &1
I was thinking of Flowers by Miley Cyrus.
It might not make it on the list, but I know that I’d like to see American Pie on the list.
Some cool facts about the song that I posted in another thread several months back:
- Apparently the Straight Dope was one of the rare places where Don McLean tipped his hand a tiny bit about the meaning. It’s rare to hear about a Chicago Reader article being quoted.
- The backing tracks were done in almost one take; the vocals were spliced together from 24 different takes.
Regarding that smokin’ band, Ed Freeman, the producer, said:
“I wanted to capture the sound of a band that was really cooking, and for that I made a deliberate choice to not use a bunch of studio musicians who could act like a metronome and turn on like a faucet, without any feel. Instead, the people we used were good musicians but ones with not a whole lot of studio experience who, instead of doing a series of overdubs, would play together and provide us with an organic performance.”
…
"Had we rehearsed the song with seasoned studio players, we would have gotten about three takes out of them before they fell asleep. They wouldn’t have needed to play it a hundred times. However, to get Don integrated into the band we did need to do that.
And regarding Don McLean’s vocals:
"My nickname at the time was Slash, because I wanted so many cuts — I was a monster when it came to editing tape. Now, when I listen to ‘American Pie’, I know where all of the vocal edits are, but there’s only one where I actually smell a rat. One word is made up of three syllables and they come from three different takes. That’s how picky I was about it, and I have to say that I was helped immeasurably in that regard by Tom Flye.”
That is why I find it to be so great!!!
How about Beethoven’s Ode to Joy?
Ninja’ed by Tibby 12 hours ago.
And for just a fun clean song that I can’t imagine not liking (unless overplayed): The Girl from Ipanema.
How about “Satisfaction”? Anyone have a problem with “Satisfaction”?!
Dissenting voice. Don’t like the band, don’t like the song.
Also, I really don’t like Year of the Cat. Automatic channel change when it comes on.
Have you seen a United Airlines commercial? If so, you’ve heard it, or at least enough of it to recognize it.
It don’t give me no satisfaction!
(just joking, I like that song.)
Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
My wife hates that song. Not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because to her, it’s the ultimate earworm - she can’t hear it without it being stuck in her head for a week. Sometimes I hum a bar when she annoys me.
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling - the Righteous Brothers.
I read the OP and thread title but not the thread. Words like all and none are extremely powerful words. My answer to the thread title is no. All you have to find is one person who disagrees and it throws out the OP.
That said, there are some excellent songs where many, or most of us, would agree are good.
I’m not a fan of Satisfaction and would probably skip it. Dock of the Bay…not a favorite, but I think I’ll generally let it play.
I suppose that’s good enough to pass the OP’s benchmark. I don’t think a song needs to be a favorite, just something that someone can passingly enjoy.
Gah, no. In fact, I’ll pre-emptively nix absolutely everything Sinatra.
Here’s another suggestion: Over the Rainbow
That’s why I posted it. Not one of my favorites, but it is one Mrs. Martian’s favorites and has a terrific but tragic backstory.
I’ll agree it’s a banger, but I would be surprised if this is a song we can "all” agree is good, because it’s kind of out-there. As a side note, for anybody who didn’t know, Godley and Creme were members of 10cc, so if you like either but aren’t aware of both, you should check them out.
My contribution to this thread would be “Sweet Caroline”. What’s not to love? But a few days ago I saw a massive thread on social media with many people talking about how it’s trash, which makes me pessimistic as to whether there can be any song that we “all” agree is good. Unless the OP intended “we” to be the participants in this thread.
Sweet Caroline! Yes.