My 10 Favorite Powerpop Songs

As you may have guessed by now I’m an extreme fan of power pop. This list was hard to write…I kept changing most of it… but I knew the top choice and worked from there.

I just gave my self ten choices or I would have gone on and on. A lot of artists and their songs were left off…such as Todd Rundgren, The Cars, Sloan, The Lemon Twigs, The Flamin’ Groovies, The Shivvers, The Jayhawks,  and too many more to mention.

10. The Ride – Twisterella– 1992 – I found this a few months back and have been listening to it ever since.

9. The Records – Starry Eyes– 1979 – Great song. Starry Eyes would end up being The Record’s best-known song. Robert John “Mutt” Lange produced their debut album for The Records.

8. The La’s – There She Goes– 1990 – A very good power pop song that has no verses…It just repeats the chorus four different ways four different times…but that doesn’t matter.

7. Cheap Trick – Voices– 1980 – One of my top Cheap Trick songs. Robin Zanders voice sounds great in this Beatlesque song.

6. The Who –Pictures of Lily– 1967 –  When this song came out Pete Townshend coined the name “power pop” and this song is about the childhood…lusts…of a boy.

5. Raspberries – Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)– 1974 – An epic song by the Raspberries. Not their most popular…that would be “Go All The Way” but this encapsulates everything power pop is about. Bruce Springsteen on Overnight Sensation: It’s one of the best little pop symphonies you’ll ever hear.

4. Big Star – The Ballad of El Goodo – 1972 – The tone of the guitars, harmonies and the perfect constructed chorus keeps me coming back listen after listen.

3. Badfinger –No Matter What– 1971 – The only band to make this list twice. Why? because this song defines the crunchy power pop of bands like Cheap Trick to come.

 2. Tom Petty – American Girl– 1977 – The Rickenbacker, the hook, and a Byrds sounding track.

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  1. Badfinger – Baby Blue – 1972 – The number one song was the easiest decision of the list. The rest were changed a few times…this one for me is a no-brainer. This song is the perfect power pop song…strong vocals, Crunchy Brit  guitar, great hook,  and great melody

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

38 thoughts on “My 10 Favorite Powerpop Songs”

  2. I love reading Best of Lists…
    Nice to see Cheap Trick in here with Voices. Zander is brilliant(and still is). Dream Police is one fine damn album. So good!

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    1. Yes it is…and I like their early eighties album One On One with She’s Tight and If You Want My Love. They fell off of the Beatles and Badfinger tree.

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      1. That’s a great record! I continued to buy all there stuff and was disappointed with what came out as The Doctor! I was glad to see them get another shot in 88!
        There last few records have been really quite good

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  3. Badfinger was the first group I thought of when I saw the title. Good call on “There She Goes.” I always think of “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” along the same line. Freedy Johnston has a good version out there.

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  6. Good list!! HArd to narrow it down so much though, as I’m sure you found. I have to go out in a short bit but am going to try to come back to it to listen to the three, or maybe 4 I don’t know on there. “Voices” is my favorite song by Cheap Trick, and you never go wrong with the band named after you 🙂 ,Badfinger.

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    1. The 90s was a rebirth of power pop in a way. The Gin Blossoms and others. So many I left off. This list could have been 50 easy.
      The seventies had great ones that hit and were never heard from again.

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      1. Two that come to mind that could have been on my list for “power pop” would be the similarly named The Smiths and The Smithereens, although narrowing it down to just 1 song by either would be difficult… just as narrowing the list down to 10 bands is too.

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      2. I know the one by the Smiths that would be the one on the list for me anyway… “How Soon Is Now?”

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  9. I’m not a huge fan of power pop, really just have tried The Cars. However, I do really enjoy both Badfinger songs and the Ballad of El Goodo encouraged me to check out Big Star and I’m indeed liking their tunes! Perhaps I’ll sprinkle a Big Star melody in Volt Vulture (oh, right, context. The post before my Twilight Zone discussion talks about ‘Volt Vulture’)

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    1. I’m going to check your blog out this week. I’m looking forward to it. The Hinoeuma (Vic) commented and asked if I saw your post…and that post is right up my alley.

      I mostly do music but I also cover TV shows, movies, books, events, or anything pop culture.

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      1. Me too, mostly movies though. I make movies as a hobby; I also like to think myself as a good storyteller. Occasionally I delve into comics, lost media, video games and television.

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  10. Good list! I don’t know the #10, although I know you’ve posted it before. Big Star, The La’s, and The Records are my favourites on your list.

    I probably would have gone for the 1990s a little more – it’s a little nebulous what counts as power pop, but I might have included Weezer’s ‘Say It Ain’t So’ or some Teenage Fanclub.

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    1. Yea I didn’t represent the nineties too well except for that one. You are right…it’s up in the air with power pop…so many can qualify.
      Yea also Jermey suggested September Gurlz instead of Ballad of El Goodo from Big Star…and yea that makes sense but I just picked my favorite one. Weezer came close.

      Thanks for reading.

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  11. Great list! And you were quite moderate selecting two of your songs only!😆

    Spontaneously, I’m mostly drawn to Tom Petty, The Who and Badfinger – in part because I know these tunes. But I also like the other tracks you chose.

    Given you dig power pop, do you know The Rembrandts? I own their eponymous debut album from September 1990.

    In case you don’t know it, you should check it out. I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it!

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    1. Yea I wanted to add another Badfinger lol…but I thought enough was enough.

      Oh the Rembrandts…they did the Friends theme right? I loved their sound! I don’t know their albums…I need to listen to it. I will do that.

      Thanks for reading Christian…this one was fun to do.

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  14. Baby Blue is also my fave Badfinger song. But, I’m also very fond of “Day After Day”. Love “American Girl”. “Voices” I just barely remember. I’m familiar with the La’s “There She Goes” but, I fell in love with Leah Nash’s version with Six Pence None The Richer. The rest…I’ve never heard.

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    1. The most beautiful song on the list is The Ballad of El Goodo. If I could have written any song on that list it would have been that one…and Baby Blue,

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