Playlist: Power Pop Kiss
New Power Pop Playlist Featuring Songs With "Kiss" In The Title
Do you remember your first kiss?
I’m talking more about the next step after “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” than wanting to “Go All The Way.” Those brief moments of innocent bliss in a secluded corner at a school dance, behind the bleachers during the big game, or walking home after class.
The kind of kisses that drove a lot of ‘50s rock and roll songs like “Till I Kissed Her” by The Everly Brothers, “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, and “Kiss Me Quick” by Elvis Presley. In the early ‘60s, girl groups probably did it best with tracks such as “Give Him A Great Big Kiss” by The Shangri-Las, “Kiss Me” by The Shirelles, and, of course, “Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals.
The Beatles were more coy about it than some of their influences and early ‘60s peers.
While kissing features prominently in a couple of beloved Fab Four tracks, the word “kiss” doesn’t actually appear in the titles. This includes “All My Loving” (Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you / Tomorrow I’ll miss you”), and “I Should Have Known Better” (I never realized what a kiss could be / This could only happen to me).
“All My Loving” was the first song The Beatles played during their Earth-shattering debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. That broadcast drew 73 million viewers, officially launching The British Invasion—and decades of power pop that followed.
The Beach Boys took a different approach, reinterpreting the lyrics to The Crystals hit from the guy’s perspective:
When we danced, I held her tight
Then I walked her home that night
And all the stars were shining bright, and then I kissed her
The innocent spirit of all those songs—along with countless others—became the foundation for a lot of great power pop and adjacent music that followed from the ‘70s to today. So, I spent a few hours hunting down 40 of my favorites.
I hope you find a few new favorites or have the chance to get reacquainted with “kiss” songs you might have forgotten about. If you like the playlist, please give it a like, share, and follow on Spotify and/or YouTube.
Please remind the algorithm that Remember The Lightning exists…
Great list. Would Prince’s “Kiss” be considered power pop? It fits the mold, IMO. 🙂
Ah, school dances and songs about kissing. It all seemed so safe and innocent (on the surface!). Then psychedelic rock came along and overnight we were supposed to follow Alice, go all the way, and light someone's fire. It's weird to look back on how quickly things moved on from kissing. It must have been a challenge to be a parent back then!