In Search Of The Perfect Pop Record: Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"

Each week, Picture & Conversations is going on a search. A quest, if you will, for the holy grail for pop fans like myself. The perfect pop record is out there; but can I find it? Join me as I go In Search Of The Perfect Pop Record. To understand my definition of perfection, check this post.

Perfection in pop music requires a certian blend of things. Strong hooks, strong musicality, great beats and instrumentation, a unique sound and look must be combined with heart and soul.

Lady Gaga burst onto the scene with a somewhat silly pop song called "Just Dance" that blended many of those things. It doesn't look like much on the surface, but when you dig deeper into that song and rest of Gaga's output you find some of the strongest pop songwriting of the decade. No better place to start than her single "Bad Romance" from her most recent disc, The Fame Monster.

"Bad Romance" has more hooks than I hardly know what to do with. A rebel cry opens the track, and then a nonsense phrase beats it's way into your brain. You try to resist, but she wants your "love, love, love/I want your love" and then it's onto a pre-chorus, a chorus, the "ra ra ah ah ah gaga oh lalas" another verse stuffed with Hithcock references and then sweeping into the chorus again. The first half of the bridge sneaks into the full bridge/chorus that sinks it's teeth into your tender ear with a well place swoop (and French!)

Who cares what the lyrics are, who cares what anybody is saying. Your brain is under the control of "rah rah ah ah ah roma ro mama gaga oh la la" and you like it. WANT YOUR BAD ROMANCE!


The amazing part is that this is a story behind this song. It's about being in love with your best friend, and it's brings a level of heartache to this brilliant composition. It's a blend of heart and machine, and that's what makes it possibly perfect.

In Search Of The Perfect Pop Record: "Like A Prayer" - Madonna

Each week, Picture & Conversations is going on a search. A quest, if you will, for the holy grail for pop fans like myself. The perfect pop record is out there; but can I find it? Join me as I go In Search Of The Perfect Pop Record. To understand my definition of perfection, check this post.

Madonna is one of the premiere pop artists of all time. Her contributions to music are widespread, and in her songs are some of the most brilliant pop moments of all time. "Like A Prayer" is, in my mind, the ultimate moment of her career.

One doesn't have to grow up in a religious home to know the power of a massive choir, but I'm sure it factored into Madonna's use of the Andrea Crouch Choir in this record. From the opening guitar riff, to the hushed reverence of the choir "ooh"ing behind the verses, to the beat, the entire song is a hymn to the spiritual ecstasy of feeling love course through every fiber of your being.

But it's when Madonna cries "let the choir sing" and the chorus raises once more with the massive wave of harmony crashing over the listener that the true power of this track is revealed. The song continues on for a good two minutes after, but it could go on for years. It wouldn't matter - you have become one with the song and have joined the choir. I have wept in my car driving down the highway when this song comes on and I'm in the right mood.

This record is also a testament to how a perfect record cannot be improved. The album and video mix are perfection, that is the perfect pop record. The mix from Madge's greatest hits package The Immaculate Collection features a breakdown towards the end. It ruins the momentum of the song and makes it seem dated. Furthermore, covers by techno outfit Mad' House and the cast of Glee, while decent performances, do nothing to improve this song. The only comparable version is Madonna's own acoustic variation from the Hope For Haiti Now benefit. But only the original can be in the running for Perfect Pop Record.

Watch the video here.

In Search Of The Perfect Pop Record: "You Don't Own Me" - Lesley Gore

Each week, Picture & Conversations is going on a search. A quest, if you will, for the holy grail for pop fans like myself. The perfect pop record is out there; but can I find it? Join me as I go In Search Of The Perfect Pop Record. To understand my definition of perfection, check this post.


When I started thinking about perfect pop records, I knew I had a lot of music to comb through. From the girl groups in the early days of rock 'n' roll through the techno pop of today, pop music has gone through changes in instruments and recording processes. But one thing remains: The Hook. Today we will take a look at an old single; but with a hook and story as fresh as this morning's donuts.

Lesley Gore is one of the original girl singers. Her first single, recorded as a 16-year-old, was the bouncy number one "It's My Party." The year was 1963. That same year she released her second album, Lesley Gore Sings Of Mixed Up Hearts, which included the feminist anthem "You Don't Own Me" - a 1964 number two song.

"You Don't Own Me" is possibly one of the Perfect Pop Records. It has a sweeping chorus, with lyrics that matter. In an era in which young girls were expected to be no more than arm candy when out and to keep their opinions to themselves, these lyrics were practically unheard of:

Please, when I go out with you
Don't put me on display,
'Cause
You don't own me
Don't try to change me in any way
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay

It's a feminist anthem - a girl's coming out as a person, not an object to be owned. In fact, it's often considered the start of the modern women's lib movement. But as important and revolutionary as the lyrics are, is it perfect pop?

The record opens with a deep, dark piano. Lesley's voice is held up by either background singers or a layering effect, creating a somber and mood-driven effect. The string kick in for the chorus and stay for much of the track. It starts in a minor key, then lifts to the major key at the chorus. It's a classic pop trick, one that makes this single a quietly strong song.

"You Don't Own Me" was covered by Joan Jett, Dusty Springfield and Bette Midler. It's interesting that Lesley, the bubbly little girl who cried when Judy stole her boyfriend on "It's My Party", would go on to record this song better than the ballsy gals like the Devine Miss M and Ms. Blackheart. Of course, even more interesting is the fact that Lesley, Joan and Dusty are all lesbians. Is the gay mafia earning royalties from this?

"You Don't Own Me" is a great pop song with great history, but is it THE Perfect Pop Record? I think we should explore a few more before we bestow that distinction yet.

I'm Back! ...And In Search of The Perfect Pop Record

Hi, kids! It's been a while, I know. I thought a new season of American Idol would spur me into a writing frenzy. It did not. This season sucked giant donkey balls, so I quit watching.

Meanwhile, I've kept my ears open for fresh, cool music to share with y'all. I still felt the need to post deep in my soul, but I needed something to post about. So when Christina Aguilera posted her new single from her upcoming electronica-tinged disc Bionic, I got excited.

The single cover for "Not Myself Tonight" is fantastic. It is one of the coolest single covers since Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." But the song... eh, not so much. Produced by Palow Da Don, it has a passing resemblance to his masterpiece "Forever" by Chris Brown. But it's so boring, I can't even remember what it sounds like right after listening to it. It's quite disappointing; I was hoping for a phenomenal return from the Dirrty diva.

Which led me to my new feature: In Search of The Perfect Pop Record. I already have several candidates, and I'm hoping for my readers to suggest a few more. Here are the requirements for A Perfect Pop Record:

*Enjoyable Hooks: The Record has to get stuck in your head after just a listen or two. You must find yourself singing it at the grocery store, weeks after you heard it last. But you can't want to kill yourself because it's stuck in your head.

*Succinct Production: The Record can't have an extra note anywhere. It must be exactly the right length, not ten seconds too long or too short. You can't add anything, you can't take anything away.

*Extraordinary Resilience: The Record cannot be readily improved, but it must be open to interpretation. It has to be able to be covered and remixed but still keep you coming back to the original, even while enjoying the new version. It has to be able to show up on American Idol, be used a Broadway play or be featured in a commercial for tampons and still make you want to hear it.

*Enduring Popularity: Pop music is a genre, yes. But pop is short for popular, so the Record has to have a following. Whether it's widespread appeal or a small-yet-fervent fanbase, people have to hear it and love it.

*It has to be a record: There are great pop standards, and we may explore them during our search. But a great song like "The Man I Love" has been recorded so many times, we would have to pick the definitive recording to be The Perfect Pop Record. Like an Immortal (or a Hollaback Girl), there can only be one.

No matter the official genre names (pop-punk, electro-pop, bubblegum pop, teen pop, hip-pop, country-pop) if it fits the above category, it could be The Perfect Pop Record. Suggestions are suggested. Check back every Monday for a new candidate as we go In Search of The Perfect Pop Record.

PS: Trashy Thursdays are also returning! Because how will we recognize Perfect Pop unless we spotlight it's shadow side?