Hey! It's Power Pop
New 40-Song Playlist Featuring Songs With "Hey" In The Title
Hey!
No word better encapsulates the urgent, sometimes desperate need for attention so often displayed in power pop songs. Whether used to attract the attention of a stranger at a club or a radio DJ, a word of warning or a heartfelt plea, it’s a powerful exclamation that has adorned the titles of some truly great tracks.
Funny enough, a few of the songs that inspired this playlist don’t actually have the word “Hey” in the title—but it’s a crucial part of each track’s vocal hook. “Carrie Anne” by The Hollies is a British Invasion pop rock classic while “Gotta Get Away” by The Blues Magoos is one of my favorite psych pop/garage rock songs of all time. And Beck’s “Girl” is probably the closest he ever came to a straight ahead power pop song.
Cuing off of the The Hollies and The Blues Magoos, I set the stage for this latest 40-song playlist with two ‘60s proto-power pop touchstones.
Although Canadian baroque blues rockers The Guess Who are best known for “American Woman” these days, their 1965 song “Hey Ho”—originally released as Chad Allan and the Expressions with “GuessWho?” used on the cover as a publicity stunt—has a lot of power pop DNA.
And, of course, Small Faces were one of the bands Pete Townshend cited when he coined the term “power pop” in 1967 to describe The Who’s latest single, “Pictures of Lily.” Small Faces’ 1966 hit “Hey Girl” is a great example of what Townshend was talking about when he famously said:
Power pop is what we play—what the Small Faces used to play, and the kind of pop the Beach Boys played in the days of 'Fun, Fun, Fun' which I preferred.
From there we bounce across the decades and all around the rock and roll globe.
The featured tracks include “Hey Jealousy” by The Gin Blossoms, “Hey DJ” by Paul Collins Beat, “Hey Now!” by Couple, “Hey Hey” by The Wellingtons, “Hey Little Anne” by The Whiffs, and The Shivvers’ live take of “Hey Deanie.” We close things out with Van Duren’s cover of The Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog”…because, of course we do.
But, hey—that’s only scratching the surface. Listen on Spotify or YouTube and let me know what “Hey!” power pop tracks you would add in the comments.
If Spotify isn’t your thing…
Power Pop Lovers
Love. There may not be a universal definition for power pop, but most fans of the heavily-debated rock sub-genre can agree that songs about love (or luv) are a persistent trope. From infatuation to consummation and countless variations on those many-splendored themes, guitar-wielding tunesmiths have long been hooked on heartbreak.
The Pursuit of Happiness! Love seeing them getting a little love!
"HEY! ...Don't you...don't you...have an idea..." (Title track "Have an idea" by The Heats, 1980). John Borack lists this album a top 50 of all time. On Spotify, etc. New album released in October.