Poptime

Herein, I collect and count down my favorite pop, rock, r&b and hip hop singles released between the time I was born (1/74) and right this minute. Ordering is pretty loose and arbitrary until I reach the top 10 or so, when rankings will really mean something.

I'm limiting myself to things that have actually charted in the Billboard Hot 100 (or Billboard subcharts or foreign equivalents when applicable). Otherwise, trying to narrow a list down to 101 songs would be border on impossible.

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  1. Artist: Split Enz
    Song: Message to My Girl
    Year: 1984
    Highest Chart Position: #12 (AUS Singles Chart)

    Split Enz produced a lot of great pop songs after Neil Finn joined and was given the lion’s share of creative control, “I Got You” and “History Never Repeats” among them.  But “Message to My Girl” was really the first indicator that there was something extraordinarily special about his talent as a songwriter. 

    How many of the best love songs you’ve heard are about the word “love” itself, but never even once mention it?  Finn knows the listener is no dummy, and knows the way the song dances around using the word is the same way couples dance around the word at that point in the relationship.  It’s really a minor masterpiece.

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