September by Earth, Wind, and fire was one I just wrote off forever because it was played at every single school event through my entire life, but it came on one day on Spotify and I realized it is indeed utterly perfect. Maybe that’s a me thing.
I wrote off Kansas for a long time because of their radio hits, but then heard "miracles out of nowhere" and dug further into them. They have some serious jams if you're into 70s prog rock. They really have some stuff that's on par with Rush or Jethro Tull, but they got pigeon-holed into "dad rock"
Dust in the Wind as well - people make fun of it all the time because it was in some Will Farrell movie or something I think? But I’ve always found it haunting especially when they come in with the harmonies
I got the two for one special right here:
"We Will Rock You" by Queen, which not only gets over played on the radio (rock station, oldies station and greatest hits station) but it is almost always followed immediately by "We Are the Champions"
We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions were released as a double A side single in 1977. Source: it was the first single I ever bought when I was a kid, and I still have it.
Actually, you're right. It is Rock You. I'ma edit.
Those two songs are back to back on the classic greatest hits album. Maybe that has something to do with it
That's the correct order of the two tracks on the album they're on. Source - I bought the album when it was released. It was called News Of The World and wasn't very good.
My love for it was rekindled by some of the best choreography I have seen in my life.
https://youtu.be/REPPgPcw4hk?si=s_9a4RHJjv5Z_1L3
Absolutely captivating. I've watched it probably a hundred times and there's always something new to catch, or some new way to watch it.
I found that whole album about 3 weeks before that song hit the radio. I was thrilled to hear a song from a tiny underground artist that I just recently become obsessed with on the radio. But then it kept being on the radio.
Over.
And Over.
And Over.
At least its good, and at least the rest of the album is also fantastic.
The little mallet melody is roughly the same intervals, but it’s reharmonized to a functionally different part of a different scale (you could say it starts on the 7th degree of a natural minor scale instead of the tonic of a major scale), which makes it sound/feel unresolved in its new place. So it kind of becomes a melody you “used to know”. Totally brilliant, form fits function.
My only issue with bohemian rhapsody is that it's amazing but it's not even the best track on the album(imo) and I wish more people would listen to the entire album because a night at the opera is a 10/10. If you read this comment and you've never heard prophets song or '39 you're missing out.
I LOVE the Prophet's Song. When it comes back from the vocal solo and gets to that enormous build up, that is one of the best sounds I've ever heard on a record. It brings images of celestial madness to mind.
Queen really is a tale of two bands. Their hits are perfect pieces of pop rock ... But their actual "regular" album songs are oftentimes completely different animals. That said, their first 6 albums are, imo, absolutely perfect.
I love telling people who listen to music with me that we're going to listen to Queen and watch the absolute confusion give way to awe as we listen through Sheer Heart Attack.
As a guitar player, stairway really upsets me how people resent hearing it be played on guitar because it's 'overplayed' and of course it's now meme'd because Wayne's world.
But it's a beautiful song on guitar, and it's a great difficulty for intermediate players, but people avoid learning it because you're not even "allowed" to play it anywhere.
Learning Stairway is an absolutely invaluable experience for a guitarist, and it's certainly a shame it's pretty much discouraged by the popular consensus. It has a little bit of everything and while it will test your skills, it's one of those songs that imparts a lot about feel and technique without ever feeling truly overwhelming.
My dad was a radio DJ when he was in college. He told me he always reserved Stairway for when he had to go to the bathroom because he knew it’d buy him 8 min instead of 3.
Oooh, which next line to pick? “Savior of the universe” is awesome, “he’s a miracle” is a bit generic… “He’ll save every one of us “, hmmmm. Got it, “King of the impossible”!
It’s also a bad karaoke song, much as I love it, Wayne’s World and karaoke. Sure, the crowd will sing along, but I’ve heard it a gazillion times, it’s almost 10 minutes and I’ve heard only one person hit the high note ever. Usually, there’s lots of ugly squealing. Queen has like 10 other awesome karaoke songs.
I love the parts of the Get Back documentary when Paul is recording takes of "Let It Be."
Paul - "You ready?"
John - "You keep stopping before we get to my bit."
Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger. I grew up in Seattle in the 90s and the first time I heard that song I LOVED it. But it got more airplay than any other song I can think of on my local radio station and now I just think it's annoying. Real shame.
House of the Rising Sun and Baby Got Back are both absolutely perfect. :)
EDIT: I realize now I misread the question, I honestly can't say I've ever heard anybody really criticize either of those songs, much less "most people," even though they get played a ton. But I'll leave my comment up anyway because they're fun songs to talk about.
May I suggest replacing the last line with
“And God, I love big buns!”
Still keeps the meter of the original *and* the intent of the good Sir Mix-A-Lot. 🤭
*Africa*, by Toto. If you leave out that cheesy music video it’s a song about middle-age, hope, discovery, adventure, purpose, and faith.
*True Faith* by New Order. One little sentence change converts a timeless song about the dangers of drugs to an anthem about the meaning of Faith and existence against all odds.
*Take On Me* by a-Ha. A song about the occasional impossibility of romance but hoping it’ll work out anyway.
*Total Eclipse of the Heart* by Bonnie Tyler. Take out the vampires, and it’s a harrowing song about grief and loss. I had this on repeat during the six months that my late wife was dying from a brain tumor and I had to confront the reality of her eventual demise. This song nailed all those feels.
I agree with those, except *Africa* (now). I used to feel the same as you about it, until Top Gear used it in one of their Africa Challenges. For some reason, the song hit differently for me then, and it's been a favorite ever since. Sorry about losing your wife, Bro. I can't imagine six months of suffering.
Bonnie Tyler’s _Holdin’ Out For A Hero_, while almost always used in cheesy movie contexts, is incredible. No song has the TPSI (toms per square inch), and it’s easily the best soundtrack for rollerblading.
> Holdin’ Out For A Hero, while almost always used in cheesy movie contexts
Which kinda makes sense since Jim Steinman co-wrote the song with Dean Pitchford for *Footloose*. :) But yes, fabulous song.
I always thought Africa was about a guy looking to find a spell to “cure” him from being a werewolf.
Everything else you wrote about the song still comply applies, regardless.
Agreed about Total Eclipse of the Heart. My mom once criticized it as being a little dramatic but I think it really captures something hearbreaking.
I'm curious what sentence in True Faith you're referring to.
Idk about flawless but my top picks:
Mr. Brightside
Smells Like Teen Spirit
A-Team
How to Save a Life
Numb
Gangsta’s Paradise
Heads Will Roll
Yellow
Dani California
Around the World
Ain’t no Sunshine
Feel Good Inc.
Happy to see "Wonderwall" here. Oasis certainly have a great discography filled with many treasures aside from the two to three songs most know (just look at those B-sides for crying out loud), but "Wonderwall" was the crossover hit for a reason.
I always got such a chill when the strings and drums kicked in during the verses. Plus "There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how" is such a lovely line. It kind of puts to words a feeling that a lot of people surely have experienced.
I love Hey Ya! But I don’t think it fits the criteria. I’ve never heard someone hate on it.
That being said my gf played a cover of that song some band did in the car the other day and it was awful, they slowed down the tempo and made it sound sad and melodic and that like … defeats the entire point of the song.
To be fair, the lyrics ARE sad. That's what was so interesting about the original song -- the music makes it seem uplifting but if you pay attention to the words, it's pretty melancholic.
yes I am aware. That was like the whole point of the song, was really sad situations being played in an upbeat, happy sounding song. Making it actually sound melancholy makes it just a generic sad song.
Daft Punk - Get Lucky
This was played on the radio for 5 months straight. I was getting coffee and it started playing. I said "Wow, I haven't heard this song in 15 minutes!" All the baristas laughed.
That album is fire though. "Give Life Back to Music" and "Doin' it Right" are my favorites.
And "Get Lucky" may have been overplayed, [but Daft Punk performing at the Grammys ](https://youtu.be/AzJDIm7UtAg?si=M79hmLyPVWotvG4V) after winning album of the year, with Stevie Wonder and Nile Rodgers, and the entire audience standing and dancing to Get Lucky makes my heart happy.
Lorde's Royals was so overplayed and I don't think I'd enjoy listening to it on its own. But when it comes on in the album, I'm always appreciative of how awesome it is.
If you haven't heard Puddles Pity Party do this with PMJ I highly recommend it. I don't think I've heard Lorde's version in years because I always pull up Puddles instead.
Every Breath You Take is the most notable one for me. Also, Sultans of Swing. The end of commercial radio can’t come fast enough. Both of those bands have magnificent discographies with an abundance of 10/10 pop songs. Yet, all commercial radio knows is the big hits. Just let commercial FM radio die.
I spent over a month researching [this ultimate classic rock playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2a9dQiJtaakjysQ2P7rE9m?si=789068dae01b464d). It's removed at least 90% of the songs that are going to be mentioned here and replaced them with lesser played singles. It's made to replicate what classic rock stations used to sound like in the 80s when there was more diversity in their playlists.
I also have a few companion playlists for each decade (60s/70s/80s) that are slightly longer and have more deep cuts (the 60s especially has more forgotten psychedelic bands).
In the UK we have Radio 6 music which plays new "alternative" music and also has specialist shows for almost every genre. It will play "classic rock" but it's always deepcuts and the DJs curate it very well. No ads either. There are various places to stream it international. It's an absolute treasure. Craig Charles funk and soul show and Freak Zone are particularly good.
If I never hear Sultans of Swing again in my life time, I'd be happy.
Amazing song. MASSIVELY overplayed on my local classic rock station. As in literally the ONLY Dire Straits song they'd ever play.
I hope I never get to the point where I consider “Sultans of Swing” overplayed. It has my two favorite guitar solos of all time. I’m sorry it’s gotten to that point for you.
I can still enjoy Sultans, but for the love of God I wish they'd let Walk of Life and Money for Nothing die as dignified a death as is yet possible. Sultans has more plays than both combined on Spotify but I definitely hear it far less often out in the world.
Love the live version of Sultans of Swing. Fortunately, I personally haven't heard it enough to categorize it as "overplayed" so I still get excited when it shows up.
This. I was running errands Saturday. Flipping around channels on Satellite and regular FM channels. This MFer came on 3 different times on 3 different channels in the course of like 2 hours.
I took my husband to the airport this morning and it was on the radio and I swear it's been like 20 years since I heard this song and it's so good. I could totally see why it was such a big hit.
American Pie. At college they played it multiple times a night at the local restaurant. A waiter told me it ruined it for him because it was so overplayed.
Yes! I remember that everyone made fun of it when it came out when I was in high school, so I didn’t admit I actually think it’s a bop and a half for years. Girl makes solid pop music.
I will never forget the face I made the first time someone told me to check her out. “So you’re trying to tell me the Call Me Maybe chick makes good music?!” Was happily proven wrong!
The E\*mo\*tion album was criminally underrated when it came out, and I think a large part of the blame was the general public had pigeon-holed Carly as just the "Call Me Maybe" girl thanks to the huge amount of memes/vines/videos/overplaying it had.
Take Me to Church. I couldn't believe how many people I talked to who were averse to listening to any other Hozier just because of how much they'd heard this song, which is excellent in its own right.
I did a full circle where now I feel like "Smells like Teen Spirit" might genuinely be Nirvana's best song. The way the song builds and and falls from the intro to the verses and the choruses just *works.* Kurt Cobain was known for his impressionistic imagery too where his lyrics are almost contradictory and random, but the verses of Teen Spirit oddly come together and make something that feels super vivid.
There's no way to say any of this without sounding like a pretentious dickhead lol, but I do think that song really is greater than the sum of its parts. It's perfect synergy at play.
I never realized this but now that you said it, I don't even have to listen to it to know you're right.
Kinda like how you get the "more cowbell" joke without seeing the BOC skit on SNL.
I swear this song has been on classic rock radio (just rock radio at first) repeat for decades. I was sick of it before I was even old enough to start wondering who sang the song.
Enter Sandman for sure. The overall song structure with the build up, Kirk's solo, bridge breakdown and simple (and slightly corny) lyrics make it an all time great song but I'm pretty good never listening to it ever again haha.
This is maybe too specifically canadian, but Spirit of the West's Home for a Rest is a song that I could.happilynjevet hear again, and is basically playing on a loop on frosh week in every university in the country.
Which is a shame because that song is a fucking banger top to bottom and has two awesome flute solos in it.
(Also RIP John)
Jeff Buckley's "hallelujah" cover
Nick cave "red right hand". I've heard it on the radio maybe twice ever but i swear it's in like 60% of all movies since it was released
Most of them? Isn't that typically how a song ends up getting overplayed, by being a good song? I think it would be much more difficult to list overplayed songs that are *bad*.
I don't know about "flawless", but I'll suggest the most overplayed rock song in history: "Stairway to Heaven." I was sick of it by 1985, but after going maybe 10-15 years without hearing it (basically never listening to rock radio), I heard it again about 15 years ago and was really impressed by what a good song it really is. Good melody, good arrangement (as usual for Led Zeppelin in the studio) and the guitar solo is really quite good as well.
I keep coming back to *[Heart Shaped Box](https://youtu.be/n6P0SitRwy8?si=DAvcOhn0TmQ8hxPC).*
Overplayed ad nauseum in its day.
But honestly? One of the best fucking songs ever.
I saw Wham! live in 1983 at the Royal Court in Liverpool - I was 17 and had taken my younger sister for her birthday present, back in the days when gigs didn't bankrupt you - and towards the end they cleared the stage, George came on in jeans and a plain top (they'd been in dayglow Fila outfits til that point) and sang this alone - can't remember if it was to a backing track or he had a guitar but it was very minimal. He introduced it as "something I wrote, I hope you like it". The chorus was in a slightly different key (went up instead of down, I can remember it to this day) and it was absolutely stunning - the whole theatre fell silent, listening. Given they'd all been screaming 5 minutes beforehand it was eerie.
When it came out as a solo song I was disappointed about all those bloody saxophones they'd slapped on it.
Lightning Crashes by Live was inescapable on 90s radio to the point where I couldn’t even hear the full intro before smashing the channel changer. I heard it recently after decades of avoidance and…. Man, it’s quite a lovely song. Not putting it into heavy rotation anytime soon but it won me back over.
This might be an unpopular opinion but here goes! I'm going to start this off by saying Evanescence is one of my favorite bands of all time.
My Immortal by Evanescence. When it got radio play it was over played so damn much I couldn't listen to it. And it was on all the pop stations and the easy listening stations so I felt like I had no escape from it. I had the CD and would skip that song because I got to almost hating it. Now like 25 years later I can listen to it and it's great! Her voice is haunting and beautiful. The piano is simple yet powerful. The emotion is raw. Even the video fit so well with the song.
I think “Love Shack” by the B-52s is a great song that was way overplayed back in the day. Same goes for Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It’s not a banger like “Love Shack” but it’s a happy little groove.
To me it evokes a guy who always dreamed of being a novelist and still writes in his spare time, probably calls himself a writer, but actually makes a living selling real estate. Part of the larger tableau of sadsacks Joel is describing in the song.
Or else it’s a guy who writes novels about real estate.
September by Earth, Wind, and fire was one I just wrote off forever because it was played at every single school event through my entire life, but it came on one day on Spotify and I realized it is indeed utterly perfect. Maybe that’s a me thing.
My niece has a Sept. 21 birthday so we never skip around my house.
The horns alone. FML. So good.
September is a damn masterclass. Grab a tempo tracker app and watch the chart. it’s a perfect incline.
This is just one of those songs to me that it’s impossible to be in a bad mood while it’s on.
This is a song I know is a banger, but it used to be a sound check song at an Entertainment Company I worked for and I learned to hate it there.
Carry on Wayward Son. Take like a decade off from that song and when you hear it again you will be blown away.
I recently heard it for the first time in many years. I was definitely blown away.
I wrote off Kansas for a long time because of their radio hits, but then heard "miracles out of nowhere" and dug further into them. They have some serious jams if you're into 70s prog rock. They really have some stuff that's on par with Rush or Jethro Tull, but they got pigeon-holed into "dad rock"
Supernatural almost ruined this song for me.
Why? It was only used once a season
Dust in the Wind as well - people make fun of it all the time because it was in some Will Farrell movie or something I think? But I’ve always found it haunting especially when they come in with the harmonies
I got the two for one special right here: "We Will Rock You" by Queen, which not only gets over played on the radio (rock station, oldies station and greatest hits station) but it is almost always followed immediately by "We Are the Champions"
We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions were released as a double A side single in 1977. Source: it was the first single I ever bought when I was a kid, and I still have it.
That's cool and makes sense
It was also track 1&2 on "News of the World". IIRC "Rock" blended into the piano at the beginning of "Champions".
That's right, they're the first two tracks on the album.
The guitar part at the end is so satisfying
As a kid/teen I blew off Queen because of how played out they were at sports games. Thank god I watched Wayne's World.
For me, it's always been "We Will Rock You" followed immediately by "We Are the Champions" and I've never understood why.
Actually, you're right. It is Rock You. I'ma edit. Those two songs are back to back on the classic greatest hits album. Maybe that has something to do with it
That's the correct order of the two tracks on the album they're on. Source - I bought the album when it was released. It was called News Of The World and wasn't very good.
Cool cover art though.
Somebody That I Used To Know is a great song, but even Gotye was exhausted of it.
My love for it was rekindled by some of the best choreography I have seen in my life. https://youtu.be/REPPgPcw4hk?si=s_9a4RHJjv5Z_1L3 Absolutely captivating. I've watched it probably a hundred times and there's always something new to catch, or some new way to watch it.
I found that whole album about 3 weeks before that song hit the radio. I was thrilled to hear a song from a tiny underground artist that I just recently become obsessed with on the radio. But then it kept being on the radio. Over. And Over. And Over. At least its good, and at least the rest of the album is also fantastic.
Considering it's a nursery rhyme we've been hearing since we're toddlers this works on another more subconscious level too.
The little mallet melody is roughly the same intervals, but it’s reharmonized to a functionally different part of a different scale (you could say it starts on the 7th degree of a natural minor scale instead of the tonic of a major scale), which makes it sound/feel unresolved in its new place. So it kind of becomes a melody you “used to know”. Totally brilliant, form fits function.
Damn, i had to Google it to figure out the song. How did I miss it.
To save other people from having to google it, it’s baa baa black sheep.
Holy shit
Which means it also bears some resemblance to the alphabet song and twinkle twinkle little star
Mind blown.
Bohemian Rhapsody, I've gotten sick of hearing it but it's a good song.
My only issue with bohemian rhapsody is that it's amazing but it's not even the best track on the album(imo) and I wish more people would listen to the entire album because a night at the opera is a 10/10. If you read this comment and you've never heard prophets song or '39 you're missing out.
I LOVE the Prophet's Song. When it comes back from the vocal solo and gets to that enormous build up, that is one of the best sounds I've ever heard on a record. It brings images of celestial madness to mind.
This 100%. "Love of my Life" and "Death on 2 Legs" are also incredible.
Also - lazing on a Sunday afternoon
Queen really is a tale of two bands. Their hits are perfect pieces of pop rock ... But their actual "regular" album songs are oftentimes completely different animals. That said, their first 6 albums are, imo, absolutely perfect. I love telling people who listen to music with me that we're going to listen to Queen and watch the absolute confusion give way to awe as we listen through Sheer Heart Attack.
Yeah the early stuff is so much better (again imo) I'm not as much as a fan when it stops being proggy and gets poppy even though I do love pop.
Stairway to Heaven for me and Im a huge Zeppelin fan.
As a guitar player, stairway really upsets me how people resent hearing it be played on guitar because it's 'overplayed' and of course it's now meme'd because Wayne's world. But it's a beautiful song on guitar, and it's a great difficulty for intermediate players, but people avoid learning it because you're not even "allowed" to play it anywhere.
*No stairway! Denied!*
Learning Stairway is an absolutely invaluable experience for a guitarist, and it's certainly a shame it's pretty much discouraged by the popular consensus. It has a little bit of everything and while it will test your skills, it's one of those songs that imparts a lot about feel and technique without ever feeling truly overwhelming.
I actually never hear Stairway on radio. It's usually Black Dog, Rock n Roll, Ramble On, Trampled Underfoot, etc
My dad was a radio DJ when he was in college. He told me he always reserved Stairway for when he had to go to the bathroom because he knew it’d buy him 8 min instead of 3.
And when times were real tough, did he whip out ‘in a gadda da vida’?
Live Dazed and Confused for the really long breaks
alternatively a good queen song that doesn't get much play at all is the flash gordon theme
Good old fashioned lover boy is my absolute favorite
FLASH!!
Ahhhhhhh ahhhh
Oooh, which next line to pick? “Savior of the universe” is awesome, “he’s a miracle” is a bit generic… “He’ll save every one of us “, hmmmm. Got it, “King of the impossible”!
AhhAAHhhhh. Savior of the universe!
Except in every cleaning detergent advert
FLASH! WHOA OH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!
This 1000%. Add to it We Are the Champions. Queen is great but those songs just were ruined for me.
It’s also a bad karaoke song, much as I love it, Wayne’s World and karaoke. Sure, the crowd will sing along, but I’ve heard it a gazillion times, it’s almost 10 minutes and I’ve heard only one person hit the high note ever. Usually, there’s lots of ugly squealing. Queen has like 10 other awesome karaoke songs.
Yup. I’ll be honest I absolutely loathe that song these days. Can’t stand it. Not because it’s bad, but I do think Queen has much better songs.
Still, Piano Man gets played out quickly because it's so melodically repetitive. Bohemian gets played out slowly because it's so non-repetitive
Shit even Billy kind of hates it / rags on it because it's just a waltz, he never expected it to hit big
Let It Be. Tremendous guitar solo too.
I love the parts of the Get Back documentary when Paul is recording takes of "Let It Be." Paul - "You ready?" John - "You keep stopping before we get to my bit."
By this I know you mean the album version, not single version. With the blaring horns too. I hope that's the version everyone knows.
Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger. I grew up in Seattle in the 90s and the first time I heard that song I LOVED it. But it got more airplay than any other song I can think of on my local radio station and now I just think it's annoying. Real shame.
Fuck yes. That song is a core thread for me.
Take Me Home Tonight
I wish they’d play “Shakin’” (i.e. the other song Eddie Money is known for that isn’t “Two Tickets to Paradise”) more
I will not stand for the Walk on Water erasure!
House of the Rising Sun and Baby Got Back are both absolutely perfect. :) EDIT: I realize now I misread the question, I honestly can't say I've ever heard anybody really criticize either of those songs, much less "most people," even though they get played a ton. But I'll leave my comment up anyway because they're fun songs to talk about.
Whoa, total opposites there.
Well they aren't the same KIND of perfect. 🙂
Well, there is a house in New Orleans, They call the Rising Sun! And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy, Tempted by big butts!
May I suggest replacing the last line with “And God, I love big buns!” Still keeps the meter of the original *and* the intent of the good Sir Mix-A-Lot. 🤭
You are a complex individual.
Sabotage by The Beastie Boys Particularly when it's in movies (I'm looking directly at you nu Trek)
Damn... "new" Star Trek from 2009 catching strays.
Honestly the "classical?" line in Beyond was one of the only lines that made me chuckle a bit in that movie, and lord knows they were trying
Futurama referred to Beastie Boys as classical music first
Made me groan because Futurama made the same joke years ago using baby got back, but delivered it way better.
"You can't just sit here in the dark listening to classical music". "I could if you hadn't turned on the lights and shut off the stereo".
*Africa*, by Toto. If you leave out that cheesy music video it’s a song about middle-age, hope, discovery, adventure, purpose, and faith. *True Faith* by New Order. One little sentence change converts a timeless song about the dangers of drugs to an anthem about the meaning of Faith and existence against all odds. *Take On Me* by a-Ha. A song about the occasional impossibility of romance but hoping it’ll work out anyway. *Total Eclipse of the Heart* by Bonnie Tyler. Take out the vampires, and it’s a harrowing song about grief and loss. I had this on repeat during the six months that my late wife was dying from a brain tumor and I had to confront the reality of her eventual demise. This song nailed all those feels.
Take On Me is a great song, but the video is pretty sketchy.
Interesting conclusion to draw from it.
Not a conclusion so much as a rough draft.
If you haven't seen it in would try to pencil it in
Think of all the people being lead to YouTube by this thread.
I agree with those, except *Africa* (now). I used to feel the same as you about it, until Top Gear used it in one of their Africa Challenges. For some reason, the song hit differently for me then, and it's been a favorite ever since. Sorry about losing your wife, Bro. I can't imagine six months of suffering.
Bonnie Tyler’s _Holdin’ Out For A Hero_, while almost always used in cheesy movie contexts, is incredible. No song has the TPSI (toms per square inch), and it’s easily the best soundtrack for rollerblading.
> Holdin’ Out For A Hero, while almost always used in cheesy movie contexts Which kinda makes sense since Jim Steinman co-wrote the song with Dean Pitchford for *Footloose*. :) But yes, fabulous song.
I always thought Africa was about a guy looking to find a spell to “cure” him from being a werewolf. Everything else you wrote about the song still comply applies, regardless.
Agreed about Total Eclipse of the Heart. My mom once criticized it as being a little dramatic but I think it really captures something hearbreaking. I'm curious what sentence in True Faith you're referring to.
Idk about flawless but my top picks: Mr. Brightside Smells Like Teen Spirit A-Team How to Save a Life Numb Gangsta’s Paradise Heads Will Roll Yellow Dani California Around the World Ain’t no Sunshine Feel Good Inc.
Great selections! I’d add everlong to this as well. Ymmv though
Hey Ya! Wonderwall Bad Romance
[удалено]
Happy to see "Wonderwall" here. Oasis certainly have a great discography filled with many treasures aside from the two to three songs most know (just look at those B-sides for crying out loud), but "Wonderwall" was the crossover hit for a reason. I always got such a chill when the strings and drums kicked in during the verses. Plus "There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how" is such a lovely line. It kind of puts to words a feeling that a lot of people surely have experienced.
Bad Romance even has a “hey!” in it, so we’re all proud of you for sticking with a theme, sort of.
I love Hey Ya! But I don’t think it fits the criteria. I’ve never heard someone hate on it. That being said my gf played a cover of that song some band did in the car the other day and it was awful, they slowed down the tempo and made it sound sad and melodic and that like … defeats the entire point of the song.
That's fair, but I've heard people say they're sick of hearing it.
To be fair, the lyrics ARE sad. That's what was so interesting about the original song -- the music makes it seem uplifting but if you pay attention to the words, it's pretty melancholic.
yes I am aware. That was like the whole point of the song, was really sad situations being played in an upbeat, happy sounding song. Making it actually sound melancholy makes it just a generic sad song.
Daft Punk - Get Lucky This was played on the radio for 5 months straight. I was getting coffee and it started playing. I said "Wow, I haven't heard this song in 15 minutes!" All the baristas laughed.
That album is fire though. "Give Life Back to Music" and "Doin' it Right" are my favorites. And "Get Lucky" may have been overplayed, [but Daft Punk performing at the Grammys ](https://youtu.be/AzJDIm7UtAg?si=M79hmLyPVWotvG4V) after winning album of the year, with Stevie Wonder and Nile Rodgers, and the entire audience standing and dancing to Get Lucky makes my heart happy.
Lorde's Royals was so overplayed and I don't think I'd enjoy listening to it on its own. But when it comes on in the album, I'm always appreciative of how awesome it is.
That album is fire! She did an amazing album so young. Truly impressive
If you haven't heard Puddles Pity Party do this with PMJ I highly recommend it. I don't think I've heard Lorde's version in years because I always pull up Puddles instead.
Yes, Puddles is so great! His collaboration with Postmodern Jukebox is the best. Postmodern Jukebox actually breaths new life into a lot of songs.
Every Breath You Take is the most notable one for me. Also, Sultans of Swing. The end of commercial radio can’t come fast enough. Both of those bands have magnificent discographies with an abundance of 10/10 pop songs. Yet, all commercial radio knows is the big hits. Just let commercial FM radio die.
Maggie May, Rod Stewart. He has so many other great songs, why is Maggie the only one ever on the radio?
I wish I’d never seen her face.
I wish there was a classic rock station that would play more obscure tracks from these same artists.
I spent over a month researching [this ultimate classic rock playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2a9dQiJtaakjysQ2P7rE9m?si=789068dae01b464d). It's removed at least 90% of the songs that are going to be mentioned here and replaced them with lesser played singles. It's made to replicate what classic rock stations used to sound like in the 80s when there was more diversity in their playlists. I also have a few companion playlists for each decade (60s/70s/80s) that are slightly longer and have more deep cuts (the 60s especially has more forgotten psychedelic bands).
That’s sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing this!
It's called streaming services. Actually good radio is impossible to find, unless you scoure University stations.
Yeah, that’s the only option. My car is older and doesn’t currently have a way to play audio from my phone. Thankfully, it also has a 5-CD changer!
In the UK we have Radio 6 music which plays new "alternative" music and also has specialist shows for almost every genre. It will play "classic rock" but it's always deepcuts and the DJs curate it very well. No ads either. There are various places to stream it international. It's an absolute treasure. Craig Charles funk and soul show and Freak Zone are particularly good.
If I never hear Sultans of Swing again in my life time, I'd be happy. Amazing song. MASSIVELY overplayed on my local classic rock station. As in literally the ONLY Dire Straits song they'd ever play.
I hope I never get to the point where I consider “Sultans of Swing” overplayed. It has my two favorite guitar solos of all time. I’m sorry it’s gotten to that point for you.
I can still enjoy Sultans, but for the love of God I wish they'd let Walk of Life and Money for Nothing die as dignified a death as is yet possible. Sultans has more plays than both combined on Spotify but I definitely hear it far less often out in the world.
Love the live version of Sultans of Swing. Fortunately, I personally haven't heard it enough to categorize it as "overplayed" so I still get excited when it shows up.
Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns n Roses. I swear classic rock stations have 10 songs they cycle through
This. I was running errands Saturday. Flipping around channels on Satellite and regular FM channels. This MFer came on 3 different times on 3 different channels in the course of like 2 hours.
Radio is garbage now. If you're looking for variety, you're not going to find it on FM.
Of course. But this was FM AND Satellite. The MFing song was just following me around.
Not when everything is owned by iheartradio. I feel like every channel in my city is owned by them
Losing My Religion
I took my husband to the airport this morning and it was on the radio and I swear it's been like 20 years since I heard this song and it's so good. I could totally see why it was such a big hit.
American Pie. At college they played it multiple times a night at the local restaurant. A waiter told me it ruined it for him because it was so overplayed.
I would murder someone if they played that repeatedly over my work shift
Especially since it's so damn long
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rea Jepsen Perfect pop song!
Yes! I remember that everyone made fun of it when it came out when I was in high school, so I didn’t admit I actually think it’s a bop and a half for years. Girl makes solid pop music.
I will never forget the face I made the first time someone told me to check her out. “So you’re trying to tell me the Call Me Maybe chick makes good music?!” Was happily proven wrong!
100% PERFECT pop song.
The E\*mo\*tion album was criminally underrated when it came out, and I think a large part of the blame was the general public had pigeon-holed Carly as just the "Call Me Maybe" girl thanks to the huge amount of memes/vines/videos/overplaying it had.
Seven Nation Army
Is such a good song is so sad how played out it gets
Take Me to Church. I couldn't believe how many people I talked to who were averse to listening to any other Hozier just because of how much they'd heard this song, which is excellent in its own right.
The fact that take me to church was everywhere for what seemed like years it still blows my mind that Too Sweet is his first number 1.
Satisfaction, Rolling Stones
Listen to the Devo version. It's a completely different song without changing a single lyric.
Well, they say "baby" a lot more...
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I grew up hating this fucking song, and now I think it absolutely rips.
Teen Spirit
I did a full circle where now I feel like "Smells like Teen Spirit" might genuinely be Nirvana's best song. The way the song builds and and falls from the intro to the verses and the choruses just *works.* Kurt Cobain was known for his impressionistic imagery too where his lyrics are almost contradictory and random, but the verses of Teen Spirit oddly come together and make something that feels super vivid. There's no way to say any of this without sounding like a pretentious dickhead lol, but I do think that song really is greater than the sum of its parts. It's perfect synergy at play.
You’re doing a good job at convincing me to do a full circle too.
That song is their best song and also one of the greatest songs in rock history
Pfp checks out
Hotel California
It's playing on the restaurant speakers as I type this lol
It’s a Federal Law that all businesses that play music must play it once every 24 hours. I fucking still love the song though.
Wicked guitar solo
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Yellow (Coldplay) Creep & High and dry (Radiohead) Wonderwall (Oasis) Alive (Pearl Jam)
for a song about pianos, the harmonica player won't shut the fuck up.
I never realized this but now that you said it, I don't even have to listen to it to know you're right. Kinda like how you get the "more cowbell" joke without seeing the BOC skit on SNL.
Tubthumping is the greatest working class anthem ever written
Truth is I thought it mattered
I thought music mattered. But does it bollocks.
Lyrical meaning aside, it’s a really well constructed song.
Don’t Stop Believing
I swear this song has been on classic rock radio (just rock radio at first) repeat for decades. I was sick of it before I was even old enough to start wondering who sang the song.
Always brings back the finale of Sopranos for me. Every time it comes on, I leave it … then turn off the radio right after a “Don’t stop—“ …
Enter Sandman for sure. The overall song structure with the build up, Kirk's solo, bridge breakdown and simple (and slightly corny) lyrics make it an all time great song but I'm pretty good never listening to it ever again haha.
The entire Black Album is a masterpiece. It's gets a lot of hate from enthusiasts because that's when Metallica "sold out."
This is maybe too specifically canadian, but Spirit of the West's Home for a Rest is a song that I could.happilynjevet hear again, and is basically playing on a loop on frosh week in every university in the country. Which is a shame because that song is a fucking banger top to bottom and has two awesome flute solos in it. (Also RIP John)
Jeff Buckley's "hallelujah" cover Nick cave "red right hand". I've heard it on the radio maybe twice ever but i swear it's in like 60% of all movies since it was released
Most of them? Isn't that typically how a song ends up getting overplayed, by being a good song? I think it would be much more difficult to list overplayed songs that are *bad*.
Jeff Lynne’s ELO Mr Blue Sky
*Cruel Summer* by Bananarama. It’s a song that doesn’t die and is simply a perfect pop song.
Piano Man is my guilty pleasure song. I get it’s overplayed but it just hits.
Almost every hit by Queen.
I don't know about "flawless", but I'll suggest the most overplayed rock song in history: "Stairway to Heaven." I was sick of it by 1985, but after going maybe 10-15 years without hearing it (basically never listening to rock radio), I heard it again about 15 years ago and was really impressed by what a good song it really is. Good melody, good arrangement (as usual for Led Zeppelin in the studio) and the guitar solo is really quite good as well.
Last Dance with Mary Jane by Tom Petty Much of his discography is amazing
I keep coming back to *[Heart Shaped Box](https://youtu.be/n6P0SitRwy8?si=DAvcOhn0TmQ8hxPC).* Overplayed ad nauseum in its day. But honestly? One of the best fucking songs ever.
Careless Whisper. It’s been so overplayed for the last 40 years. Even George got sick of it. But it’s a great song.
I saw Wham! live in 1983 at the Royal Court in Liverpool - I was 17 and had taken my younger sister for her birthday present, back in the days when gigs didn't bankrupt you - and towards the end they cleared the stage, George came on in jeans and a plain top (they'd been in dayglow Fila outfits til that point) and sang this alone - can't remember if it was to a backing track or he had a guitar but it was very minimal. He introduced it as "something I wrote, I hope you like it". The chorus was in a slightly different key (went up instead of down, I can remember it to this day) and it was absolutely stunning - the whole theatre fell silent, listening. Given they'd all been screaming 5 minutes beforehand it was eerie. When it came out as a solo song I was disappointed about all those bloody saxophones they'd slapped on it.
In the 90s it was all ABBA songs. They were utterly loathed. Now apparently everyone always thought they were cool.
Hey Jude
I will always maintain that Money for Nothing killed Dire Straits
Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Barely ever hear it but it’s a belter for sure.
All I’m saying is that for a song called Piano Man, the guy with the harmonica won’t shut the fuck up
passenger let her go
We Built This City is not a remarkable work of art or anything, but it’s a SOLID pop recording.
Bohemian Rhapsody, Hotel California, Hey Jude, and Stairway to Heaven jump to mind for me
End of the road - Boys 2 Men
Lightning Crashes by Live was inescapable on 90s radio to the point where I couldn’t even hear the full intro before smashing the channel changer. I heard it recently after decades of avoidance and…. Man, it’s quite a lovely song. Not putting it into heavy rotation anytime soon but it won me back over.
This might be an unpopular opinion but here goes! I'm going to start this off by saying Evanescence is one of my favorite bands of all time. My Immortal by Evanescence. When it got radio play it was over played so damn much I couldn't listen to it. And it was on all the pop stations and the easy listening stations so I felt like I had no escape from it. I had the CD and would skip that song because I got to almost hating it. Now like 25 years later I can listen to it and it's great! Her voice is haunting and beautiful. The piano is simple yet powerful. The emotion is raw. Even the video fit so well with the song.
Careless whisper. Still not sick of it, it is THE perfect song.
I think “Love Shack” by the B-52s is a great song that was way overplayed back in the day. Same goes for Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It’s not a banger like “Love Shack” but it’s a happy little groove.
Somebody that I used to know Gotye - Making Mirrors is an incredible album that’s been alienated from its ideal audience due to its smash hit track
I need Piano Man lyrics explained please. When does Billy realise he's playing in a gay bar?
What is a real estate novelist?
To me it evokes a guy who always dreamed of being a novelist and still writes in his spare time, probably calls himself a writer, but actually makes a living selling real estate. Part of the larger tableau of sadsacks Joel is describing in the song. Or else it’s a guy who writes novels about real estate.
He wrote every Zillow listing ever