# Melodramatic, over-the-top songs. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489 "2018-01-12T20:57:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/61 "2018-01-13T23:46:59Z")
I’ll say pretty much any rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/62 "2018-01-14T00:01:12Z")
M > [@Biggirl](#): > > Oh wait! I thought of a man over-the-top melodramatic song. [Harry Nilsson’s Without You.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lvLYTC3nAo) Actually written by Badfinger. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/63 "2018-01-14T00:18:31Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > [Angel of the Morning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzGMEfbnAw), Juice Newton Sorry, but for the full Rush of nausea you’ve got to go back to the original by [Merrilee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24rYz9QAvdQ). Whether it’s over-the-top bombast or excessive angst, I flip the dial real fast when Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” comes on the radio. _“We’ve gotta hold on to what we’ve got. It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not.”_ Couldn’t agree more. > [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > Nights in White Satin. > Cause I Love You > Cause I Love You dammit. > Ohhhhhhh. [The antidote](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aLpwtaLDw8). ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/64 "2018-01-14T01:08:41Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I think we are losing the plot here a little. None of these Billy Joel songs are over-the-top melodramatic. And while Honey is pretty sappy, it isn’t bombastic. Focus, people! I think it might be a lost cause. Three-quarters of the songs mentioned in this thread don’t fit the OP. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/65 "2018-01-14T01:48:32Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Debby Boone-- “You Light Up My Life” > Michael Bolton–well, anything, really, but “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” > > And it’s going back a long, long way, but you can’t beat Gene Pitney’s [“I’m Gonna Be Strong”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtBabso8OBA) for over-the-top, chest-beating vocals. Great voice, though. > [@nelliebly](#): > > Oops! Biggirl beat me to it on Bolton. No, no, no. Y’all have missed the best Michael Bolton entry in this category: [A Dream Is a Wish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Y9cR89KkQ) My all-time favorite over-the-top Bolton performance. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/66 "2018-01-14T01:53:59Z")
John Farnham, [You’re The Voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbkOZTSvrHs) Actually the albums _Whispering Jack_ and _Age of Reason_ both have a lot of these big ideas expressed in song. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/67 "2018-01-14T02:26:06Z")
What, no Tom Jones? _My, My, Delilah Why, why, Delilah_ ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/68 "2018-01-14T02:36:45Z")
Practically all of Springsteen’s vocals are ridiculously over the top- but they were particularly hilarious in “We Are the World.” That said, a lot of my favorite songs are over the top. Here’s Ian Gillan of Deep Purple at his best/worst/both. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4wAPTsjhrjM/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHUBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDzEFOxFZniBAZYfyWdf5xt_KncNg "Deep Purple - Child in Time (Official Video) [HQ]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wAPTsjhrjM) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/69 "2018-01-14T04:15:05Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > What, no Tom Jones? > > _My, My, Delilah > Why, why, Delilah_ ACK! That’s what I came here to mention. I think Clapton’s “Bell Bottom Blues” is a great tune, but when he goes “Do you wanna see me crawl across the floor…Do you wanna see me down on my knees?” and even the chorus (as well as the anguished way he sings it) flirt dangerously with flat-out melodrama. A low-key kinda melodrama, (in muted tones, say) would qualify Janis Ian’s “At 17” and Streisand’s “People”. How about a “catchy, upbeat” kind of melodrama with the Supremes’ “Stop in the Name of Love”? Do we really need to go down the Connie Francis road? Or is she more “maudlin”? Or how about the most excruciatingly annoying “hearty, fiesty” type of melodrama with 4 Non-Blondes’ “What’s Up?” (“I SAID-A YEAH, YEAH, YEAH X 100…”) William Shatner’s spoken-word rendition of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” can get a little thespian-y. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/70 "2018-01-14T04:39:58Z")
“We Don’t Need Another Hero” by Tina Turner \* It’s all or nothing!\* ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/71 "2018-01-14T05:16:34Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I think it might be a lost cause. Three-quarters of the songs mentioned in this thread don’t fit the OP. I agree. It’s OK. I don’t mind if dopers are into posting sappy songs they don’t like. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/72 "2018-01-14T05:53:20Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I agree. It’s OK. I don’t mind if dopers are into posting sappy songs they don’t like. Oh, if we’re OK on just plain sappy now, I’ll add “Seasons in the Sun” Terry Jacks (Jacques Brel song schmaltzed to the max by Rod McKuen) “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” Paper Lace (also guilty of inflicting “The Night Chicago Died”–the EAST SIDE of Chicago) “Brandy” Looking Glass “One Tin Soldier” The Original Caste ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/73 "2018-01-14T07:09:22Z")
Wildfire! ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/74 "2018-01-15T17:38:43Z")
Oh man, I just love over-the-top songs!! This thread is making me grin wider with every song I recognize. Two more that come to mind: “Unbreak My Heart” Toni Braxton and “I Want it That Way” Backstreet Boys. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/75 "2018-01-15T17:44:12Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I was going to post [The Rose](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxSTzSEiZ2c) but hearing it again made me realize it was its placement in the movie that made it seem overly dramatic. Wind Beneath My Wings is a much better example. Or “Stay With Me” which was the B side of the The Rose 45. Yes, I’m old. STAY WITH ME BABY I CAN’T GO ON WITHOUT YOU!! ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken_1)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/76 "2018-01-15T18:12:43Z")
‘Ace of Spades’ by Motorhead! ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/77 "2018-01-15T20:25:30Z")
Does The Band’s “It Makes No Difference” qualify? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/78 "2018-01-15T22:44:25Z")
[Wind of Change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ), Scorpions: whistling, cheesy music, cheesy video. . .it’s got it all. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/79 "2018-01-16T16:44:54Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > [Wind of Change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ), Scorpions: whistling, cheesy music, cheesy video. . .it’s got it all. I LOVE that song! I’m changing my middle name to Bombastic. > [@Shoeless](#): > > I’m surprised that, this far into the thread, I’m the first to mention Springsteen’s “Born In The USA”. He definitely should have gone with the low-key “Nebraska”-style version of that one. If you’re lucky enough to get tickets to Springsteen On Broadway, I think he does it that way there. The album version fits in with the others, like No Surrender. Someone on the boards mentioned that he likes the Wall of Sound idea and I hadn’t thought of it before, but no wonder I love him like I do the aforementioned “River Deep Mountain High” and similar. REO Speedwagon and Styx are also contenders. ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/80 "2018-01-16T18:23:09Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Morris Albert’s _Feelings_ was way overplayed in the day, but it fits this category. I hope to never hear it again. Sorry, have to present it [one more time.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHwHs2wgxdU) Barth really nailed this version, however. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489.md?page=5)