# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/81 "2018-01-16T18:45:37Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I can’t, off the top of my head, think of any men who belong here. Yeah, rarely done. [Here’s a standout candidate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHcF1aJhJbc) though, albeit not exactly in the Celine Dion genre. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/82 "2018-01-16T18:46:43Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > Meatloaf: [I Would Do Anything for Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGalkLRdlOs) (But I Won’t Do That) > [@NDP](#): > > We could pretty much list every song Jim Steinman’s done and call it day for this thread. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > It pales in comparison to [“Paradise By The Dashboard Light”.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11MzbEcHlw) > [@AHunter3](#): > > Yeah, rarely done. [Here’s a standout candidate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHcF1aJhJbc) though, albeit not exactly in the Celine Dion genre. Hmm, we seem to have a consensus! ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/83 "2018-01-16T19:18:33Z")
**Biggirl** , I’ve got a deep cut that you’re really going to love, by Falco (of _Rock Me Amadeus_ fame). It’s got everything: 1. Heavy synth 2. Wailing with chest pounding-esque gestures 3. Cheesy German(/Austrian) talk/singing verses 4. Angelic backing chorus 5. Rain sound effects plus a TV report that tells you the plot (if you speak German) 6. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Plus a bonus cliffhanger (?) ending… Could be the best ever! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Urw-iutHw5E/maxresdefault.jpg "Falco - Jeanny (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urw-iutHw5E) ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/84 "2018-01-16T19:27:35Z")
Duuuudes!!! This whole thread and only one mention, and that in passing, of the queen of bombastic songs, Dame Shirley Bassey??? Goldfinger! Diamonds are Forever! Moonraker! And (I can’t link to it, because I’m at work) an amazingly Basseyish version of P!nk’s “Get This Party Started”. Check it out on YouTube - it’s an awesome cover (if you like Bassey’s style) and the vid is OMG wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/85 "2018-01-16T19:47:59Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Duuuudes!!! This whole thread and only one mention, and that in passing, of the queen of bombastic songs, Dame Shirley Bassey??? > > Goldfinger! > Diamonds are Forever! > Moonraker! > > And (I can’t link to it, because I’m at work) an amazingly Basseyish version of P!nk’s “Get This Party Started”. Check it out on YouTube - it’s an awesome cover (if you like Bassey’s style) and the vid is OMG wonderful. Winner winner, chicken dinner! Whenever any of her songs come up, whether on the radio or just in conversation, I automatically, _involuntarily_ find myself doing “Shirley hands” (whereby I hold out my hands and alternately clench and make claw fingers). Second place has to be Meatloaf, with his hanky clenching. Kelly Clarkson is definitely in the running. She’s become a real whinger. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/86 "2018-01-16T19:53:03Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Bobby Goldsboro’s [Honey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKAeeGnAYBo). > > Just a \*little \*over-the-top, methinks. Sort of like the call Bob Uecker used to make “_Juuuuust_ a bit outside.” How about some old glurge like “To Dream The Impossible Dream”. It’s progress in that crap like that would never fly today. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/87 "2018-01-16T20:10:08Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > **Biggirl** , I’ve got a deep cut that you’re really going to love, by Falco (of _Rock Me Amadeus_ fame). It’s got everything: > > 1. Heavy synth > 2. Wailing with chest pounding-esque gestures > 3. Cheesy German(/Austrian) talk/singing verses > 4. Angelic backing chorus > 5. Rain sound effects plus a TV report that tells you the plot (if you speak German) > 6. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! > > Plus a bonus cliffhanger (?) ending… > > Could be the best ever! > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urw-iutHw5E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urw-iutHw5E) Oh my god. ---
**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 16, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/88 "2018-01-16T21:56:23Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > **Biggirl** , I’ve got a deep cut that you’re really going to love, by Falco (of _Rock Me Amadeus_ fame). It’s got everything: > > 1. Heavy synth > 2. Wailing with chest pounding-esque gestures > 3. Cheesy German(/Austrian) talk/singing verses > 4. Angelic backing chorus > 5. Rain sound effects plus a TV report that tells you the plot (if you speak German) > 6. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! > > Plus a bonus cliffhanger (?) ending… > > Could be the best ever! > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urw-iutHw5E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urw-iutHw5E) It’s like the Downfall of bombastic songs! ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/89 "2018-01-16T21:58:22Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > How about some old glurge like “To Dream The Impossible Dream”. It’s progress in that crap like that would never fly today. Again, that’s a musical theatre song, which really shouldn’t be eligible in a thread like this. The whole point of it is to serve the dramatic structure, so outside of theatre it _will_ seem over-the-top, much like an actor who’s not able to switch between acting for the stage and acting for the screen. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/90 "2018-01-20T16:24:27Z")
I just heard a contender: Disturbed doing a cover of “[The Sound of Silence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4).” ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/91 "2018-01-20T17:17:52Z")
“The Warrior” by Patty Smythe ---
**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 20, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/92 "2018-01-20T17:20:28Z")
Most anything by Rick Astley. **Fire** , Arthur Brown ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/93 "2018-01-21T06:32:25Z")
How about some Aerosmith ballads, especially from their '80s-'90s comeback period? Like, I dunno - “What it Takes”?, which was co-written with the guy who wrote the previously mentioned Bon Jovi song. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/94 "2018-01-21T09:00:58Z")
Coming late to this thread I am genuinely surprised that there is nothing from No Doubt. Over-wrought melodramatic lyrics full of shallow angst, all gurned and hand-wrung by Gwen Stefani with the emotional depth of paper. I only know their hits, so my answer is ‘No Doubt’s Greatest Hits’. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/95 "2018-01-21T11:09:43Z")
The 1998 animated film _Quest for Camelot_ featured a song called “The Prayer.” In the movie , it was sung by Jane Seymour’s character (but not by Miss Seymour). Over the closing credits, it was an English-and-Italian duet between Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. He gets up to about a high C in that, which strikes me as a little bombastic. Another performer/over-the-top song choice is Josh Groban with “[del]How Great Thou Art[/del] You Raise Me Up.” And, as much as I love the man, I’d be disingenuous if I omitted Steve Lawrence’s rendition of “A Portrait of My Love.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/96 "2018-01-21T11:18:31Z")
Let’s not forget Gary Puckett with his brace of bombastical hits: “Young Girl,” and “Woman (Have You Got Leaving On Your Mind?)” Honestly, that dude might have been better off dating guys. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/97 "2018-01-21T12:01:00Z")
Try looking a little further afield: [Edith Piaf: L’Accordéoniste](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhu-0IBZm5s) [Edith Piaf: Je ne regrette rien](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKPvx38D4GM) [Jacques Brel: Ne me quitte pas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_bq5mStroM) [Gilbert Bécaud: Et maintenant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU6KBaUufks) ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/98 "2018-01-21T12:59:20Z")
Elvis Presley’s American Trilogy. I love it because I am a big Elvis fan, but man is it overdramatic! ---
**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 23, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/99 "2018-01-23T21:27:36Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > How about some Aerosmith ballads, especially from their '80s-'90s comeback period? Like, I dunno - “What it Takes”?, which was co-written with the guy who wrote the previously mentioned Bon Jovi song. Yes, good pick!! “Crying” is another one that gets very dramatic. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489/100 "2018-01-23T21:42:46Z")
\*You’re wondering who I am (secret secret, I’ve got a secret) Machine or mannequin (secret secret, I’ve got a secret) With parts made in Japan (secret secret, I’ve got a secret)… Domo arigato… Mr. Roboto… domo. Domo.\* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-over-the-top-songs/806489.md?page=6)