I’m looking for what you might described as ‘rollocking’, upbeat pop songs that you can sing along and boogie to.
A few examples of the kind of thing I’m after (yes, I know these are quite disparate, but hopefully they’ll give you an idea of the range of songs I’m interested in):
Dire Straits - 'Walk Of Life’ (the archetypical example, I’d say)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - ‘Bad Moon Rising’
Billy Joel - ‘Only The Good Die Young’
Divine Comedy - ‘National Express’
“Stray Cat Strut” - The Stray Cats
“I Love Rock & Roll” - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
“The Heart of Rock & Roll” - Huey Lewis & The News
“We Built This City” - Jefferson Starship
I have one more but can’t think of it at the moment.
[ul][li]“99 Luftballoons” or “99 Red Balloons” by Nena[/li][li]“Tubthumping”, Chumbawumba[/li][li]“It’s All Been Done” and “One Week” from The Barenaked Ladies[/li][li]“Every Heartbeat” from Amy Grant (terrible from an artistic standpoint, but it’ll stick in your head for days[/li][li]“Mr Jones”, Counting Crows[/li][li]"Don’t Stop"and “Go Your Own Way”, Fleetwood Mac[/li][li]“Bizarre Love Triangle”, New Order[/li][li]“Longview”, “Basket Case”, and “When I Come Around”, Green Day[/li][li]“Flagpole Sitta”, Harvey Danger[/li][li]“London Rain”, Heather Nova[/li][li]“Gloria”, Laura Branigan[/li][li]“Our House”, Madness[/li][li]“Love is a Battlefield”, Pat Benatar[/li][li]“Straight Up”, Paula Abdul[/li][li]“It’s the End of the World as We Know It” and “Pop Song 89”, R.E.M.[/li][li]“Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”, Shania Twain[/li][li]“Can’t Get Enough of You, Baby” and “Walking on the Sun”, Smash Mouth[/li][li]“Friday I’m In Love”, The Cure[/li][li]“I’m Gonna Be”, The Proclaimers[/li][li]“Blister in the Sun”, Violent Femmes[/li][li]“Buddy Holly”, Weezer[/li][li]“Making People Normal”, “I’m a Slut”, and “Action and Drama”, Bis[/li][li]“Here and Now”, Letters to Cleo[/li][li]“Hold On”, Wilson Phillips[/li]
[/ul]
I call this category my “scream-along songs”, because they demand to be sung at top volume. I can think of a bunch more, but most of them are not in English. If you want non-English examples, I can name a couple.
I’m not trying to be snarky. I’m really truly am not, but day-um! What part of “upbeat pop singalong” did you not understand? Have you ever actually listened to the song? IIRC, that song is not only not even sort of “upbeat” it was written for and about her deeply dysfunctional relationship with (??) Nick Geraldo. I’ll agree to it being a pissed-off, drunk, my lawyer-is-a-pussy, love-sucks, bellow-at-the-top-of-your-lungs anthem, but not “upbeat” sing-along. Not even if immediately followed by Donna Summers (??) “I Will Survive.” Maybe especially not when followed by a Donna Summers song.
My nomination for the OP is Dobie Grey’s “Drift Away”, but I will concede that is more of mellow happy stoner-esque sing-along song than upbeat sing-along.
If you grew up in on The Front Range, the ultimate upbeat sing-along is Bob Seger’s “Get Out of Denver.” Cheerful, perky, fast melody, with the hopeful message that escaping that gawd-awful overgrown cow-town is possible.
“The Tide is High” Blondie
“ABC” The Jackson 5
“Love Shack” The B-52s
“I Want Candy” Bow Wow Wow
“Fat Bottomed Girls” Queen
“Rapper’s Delight” The Sugar Hill Gang (not everyone can sing along, but most everyone likes to try, at least)
Imagine a group of baby-boomers, 12 each, “fresh” from a round of golf, several beers, crammed into an eight passenger Fiat Van with golf clubs careening through the streets of Cannes, France. We pop in the Doors Greatest Hits in the cassette player. We know them all, every word.
No need to apologise. Your interpretation is the one I intended. Some of my examples (‘Walk Of Life’ and ‘Bad Moon Rising’) aren’t particularly upbeat in the other sense.
So, yes, I mean ‘uptempo’.
Thanks for the suggestions, I’ve added a few to my list of definites and a few more I’m not so familiar with I’ll give a listen on YouTube or similar.
“Beach Baby,” First Class
“December 1963 (Oh What a Night),” the Four Seasons
“Joy to the World,” Three Dog Night
“Love Train,” the O’Jays
“Undercover Angel,” Alan O’Day
“Making our Dreams Come True (Laverne and Shirley Theme)” Cyndi Grecco
“Nice to Be With You,” Gallery
“Brand New Key,” Melanie
“Rock the Boat,” Hues Corporation