# Suggest Upbeat Singalong Pop Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082 "2007-12-24T01:57:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/1 "2007-12-24T01:57:42Z")
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’ Over to you… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/2 "2007-12-24T02:43:09Z")
“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. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/3 "2007-12-24T02:54:18Z")
Found it! “Always Something There to Remind Me” - Naked Eyes ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/4 "2007-12-24T03:44:48Z")
_“Gilligan’s Island” “The Beverly Hillbillies” “Green Acres”_ ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/5 "2007-12-24T03:54:21Z")
[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. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/6 "2007-12-24T04:40:17Z")
[QUOTE=Bambi Hassenpfeffer] “Love is a Battlefield”, Pat Benatar [/QUOTE] 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. (I spent my adolescence in Denver. I’m allowed.) ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/7 "2007-12-24T04:45:11Z")
[QUOTE=MadPansy64] 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? [/quote] I apologize for having interpreted “upbeat” as “uptempo.” And it certainly is uptempo. > [@](#): > > Not even if immediately followed by Donna Summers (??) “I Will Survive.” Maybe especially not when followed by a Donna Summers song. Gloria Gaynor. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/8 "2007-12-24T04:47:14Z")
Bob Seger? “Old Time Rock & Roll”! ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/9 "2007-12-24T04:50:22Z")
“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) ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/10 "2007-12-24T04:50:54Z")
“Take on Me” - A-ha “Alive and Kicking” - Simple Minds “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” - Scissor Sisters “Quicksilver Lightning” - Roger Daltrey “Love U More” - Sunscreem “Let’s Go!” - Wang Chung That last one is probably my favorite running song. Doesn’t get more upbeat than that. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/11 "2007-12-24T05:01:38Z")
[QUOTE=Bambi Hassenpfeffer] I apologize for having interpreted “upbeat” as “uptempo.” And it certainly is uptempo. Gloria Gaynor. [/QUOTE] :smack: Thanks – I was afraid it wasn’t Donna Summers, but I couldn’t think of who else it might be. ---
**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:** [December 24, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/12 "2007-12-24T13:28:05Z")
Dancing Queen Waterloo One Night in Bangkok ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/13 "2007-12-24T13:32:22Z")
_Walking on Sunshine_ ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/14 "2007-12-24T15:10:56Z")
Ah, man! I was gonna say that! Actually, this thread could be titled, “Bad 80’s Rock” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/15 "2007-12-24T16:25:44Z")
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. Love me two times Love her madly Roadhouse blues for some. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/16 "2007-12-24T16:55:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \ ***Bambi Hassenpfeffer** > > I apologize for having interpreted “upbeat” as “uptempo.” And it certainly is uptempo. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/17 "2007-12-24T17:11:51Z")
“Walking on Sunshine” - Katrina and the Waves “Echo Beach” - Martha and the Muffins “Walk like an Egyptian” - The Bangles All up-tempo, all can make people dance like escaped loons. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/18 "2007-12-24T17:41:00Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Actually, this thread could be titled, “Bad 80’s Rock” 😃 [/QUOTE] Nah, we can include 70s stuff too: “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 … and many more. ---
**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:** [December 24, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/19 "2007-12-24T19:29:55Z")
In the spirit of the season, there’s: Jingle Bell Rock Rocking Round the Christmas Tree Little Saint Nick ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082/20 "2007-12-25T05:05:24Z")
“Soak Up the Sun” - Sheryl Crow [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-upbeat-singalong-pop-songs/431082.md?page=2)