I Will Follow Him, Little Peggy March – Album: I Will Follow Him (1963)
I Will Follow Him is one of my favorite 60’s songs, but I had never listened to the rest of the album before. Like many others, I heard the song for the first time during the credits Spree. The catchy tune and romantic lyrics caught my ear, and it was added to a couple of my playlists.
The rest of the album holds up, with the upfront devotion of I Will Follow Him being traded for a more timid, fearful sense of romance. It all blends very nicely together and keeps a consistent quality throughout.
Overall, 8/10.
Tiptoe Through The Tulips, Tiny Tim – Album: God Bless Tiny Tim (1968)
Despite the fact that Tiptoe Through The Tulips is mostly known now as a scary song that people use in the back of horror-related things, it’s really a sweet song.
Tiny Tim’s musical style certainly isn’t for everyone. With his signature falsetto, and almost childlike demeanor in most of his songs, the feeling that comes with his song can certainly be strange. Some can be unsettling and somewhat weird, and some are flat-out strange, but they’re all enjoyable. My personal favorite is The Coming Home Party. Also, if you’re a fan of Tally Hall you may enjoy the song The Other Side, it sounds like they may have taken inspiration from him.
Overall, this album has earned a 7/10 from me. I’m not sure I’ll listen to it again, but it wasn’t a drag to listen to.
American Pie, Don McLean – Album: American Pie (1971)
I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t heard this song at least once. And even if you haven’t, you probably still know the chorus. At nearly nine minutes long, it’s a miracle it charted, but that just goes to prove just how good this song is. It’s infectious.
Have you ever heard an album so good it makes you rethink your opinions about a genre? That’s what this was for me. Beyond a handful of songs, I was never big on folk or country, to no fault of the genre. But… wow, this album is incredible. The songs are smooth, the writing is pretty, and McLean’s voice blends with every other element perfectly. No song is as long as American Pie, but they all can hold their ground.
I have to say it, 10/10.
Cars, Gary Numan – Album: The Pleasure Principal (1979)
Now for a lesser-known song, at least, to people my age and other students. Which, personally, is a big shame. It’s just fun and futuristic-sounding.
This album is very synth-heavy and very electronic sounding, so if you’re not into that, I wouldn’t recommend it. If you have even a passing like of those things, however, or like new-wave music in general, I 100% recommend it. Numan’s voice is rough around the edges but contrasts well against the smooth uses of the synth throughout the whole album.
Though not every track stands up to Cars, my favorite tracks are Metal, Observer, Conversation, and Me, I Disconnect from You (Live).
A solid 8/10 for me, purely because of the amount of purely instrumental songs, it’s very rare that I go for that.
Tainted Love, Soft Cell – Album: Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981)
Tainted Love by Soft Cell is quite possibly one of the most famous covers ever, typically being listed alongside songs like Whitney Houston’s cover of I Will Always Love You and Cyndi Lauper’s cover of Girls Just Want To Have Fun. (Also, yes, both of those songs are covers!)
Admittedly, I may have gone into this album with hopes set a bit too high. It sticks out to me as pretty odd that I didn’t particularly care for it. It seems to tick so many of my boxes but there’s simply something I find… unharmonious about it. It seems almost too busy, and I think I’d like most of the elements on their own, but I’m not all for them together.
I’m going to give this album a 5/10. I’m sure some people love it, I am just not one of them.
I Ran (So Far Away), A Flock Of Seagulls – Album: A Flock of Seagulls (1982)
I was raised on I Ran (So Far Away), because it’s one of my mom’s favorite songs, so I have high expectations.
The songs are atmospheric, and every song, especially Don’t Ask Me, sounds like they could be played over the credits or a climactic scene of a well-loved movie. The instrumentals are unique and captivating. The music from the rest of the album stands its ground, but all have a distinctly different sound to the single.
Overall, 9/10, I will continue to listen.
Rock Me Amadeus, Falco – Album: Falco 3 (1985)
Yet another song that gained a fresh new wave of notoriety because it was featured in something that stars Joe Keery, oddly enough.
I don’t really have a way to classify the lyrics or how they’re written, because the whole album- except a few lines here and there- is in German. The instrumentals and general mood are pretty fun, but not quite my music taste. To be completely honest, I don’t have much to say about this one.
7/10.
Barbie Girl, Aqua – Album: Aquarium (1997)
Everyone knows this song. I’m even more confident about this one than American Pie. If you’ve somehow lived under a rock for the past ten months (and presumably your entire childhood), and haven’t heard this song by some miracle, go listen to it now. Stop reading this and enjoy yourself.
The only album on this list that I’d heard before (in its entirety, at least). I used to be addicted to it when I was a child, and I’m happy to say it still holds up.
It’s very energetic and just as bubbly as I remember. It sounds distinctly futuristic, but in the way people portrayed the future in the 90s and 2000s, with smooth, bold shapes and sliver jumpsuits and all that jazz.
Obviously, my taste in music has changed a lot since I was a child, so I doubt I’ll actively listen to any of these songs other than Barbie Girl (and maybe Roses are Red), but the album’s all about equal quality, but I’m only going to say the rest of it doesn’t quite match Barbie Girl because it’s a song that’s hard to beat.
Overall, a solid 9/10.
Stacy’s Mom, Fountains of Wayne – Album: Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)
This album starts strong with the first thing you hear is the lyric: “killed by a cellular phone explosion.” Either way, this album is really, really good. I went into it with… lower than average expectations, admittedly, but I ended up laying on my back and staring at the ceiling, this album is that good. Also, as someone who doesn’t know anything about instruments, but listens to a lot of music, I adore the drums and guitar in this album. I don’t have the vocabulary to talk about the drums, but they’re incredible.
I didn’t expect the album most known for Stacy’s Mom to have songs that make me form movie scenes in my head and have a bit of an emotional kick to them, but wow, it sure does. Another thing it has is a country song just sort of plopped in the middle of the album. Honestly, Hung Up On You is the weak point in the album for me, but I do think that the lead singer does a good job with his country vocals.
I will say that I think the first half of the album is better than the second, but starting with songs like Mexican Wine and Bright Future In Sales would have been hard to beat either way.
Honestly? Another 9/10. And another long moment where I wonder what my music taste is, truly.
Pumped Up Kicks, Foster The People – Album: Torches (2010)
Truthfully, this album didn’t grab me. Other than Pumped Up Kicks and Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls) I don’t have very many thoughts on this album. Some of the songs, like Life on the Nickel and Miss You remind me slightly of Glass Animals’ How To Be A Human Being, which is always a good thing in my book.
7/10. Good, just not for me. Doubt I’ll listen to it again.
Somebody That I Used To Know, Goyte – Album: Making Mirrors (2011)
Of course, no list of one-hit wonders would be complete without this song. I’m decently confused about this album, I can’t really tell how I feel about it. It’s good, but there are some songs that I really didn’t enjoy listening to, but there are definitely some, like Somebody That I Used To Know that I do genuinely adore.
The music is very good, and I enjoyed most of it, but I can’t quite put how I feel about it into words. It’s a very strange feeling that I don’t quite understand.
??/10. Good? I’m pretty sure?
However you feel about these albums, it’s worth checking out albums that have songs you like on them. You never know, they might be even better than could have thought.
