It was harder than expected to choose just one song from each decade. Turns out I have far more embarrassing songs in my music library then I would care to admit. I like to tell myself I have a good taste in music, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good terrible pop song now and again. When I drove back to Trinity from my house after Trinity Days I listened to Ke$ha the entire ride and I don’t regret a thing. And although they may not measure up to Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, this world would be a desolate place without the music of Pitbull or Britney Spears.
1970s
December, 1963 (Oh What A Night) - The Four Seasons
My dad blasts Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the BeeGees, Bruce Springsteen and Simon and Garfunkel around Thanksgiving so for some reason I associate this song with turkey dinners and football games but regardless, this song is absurdly catchy and also a shameful indulgence.
1980s
Take On Me- A-Ha
For some reason that is beyond me, I once decided this song would be a perfect choice for karaoke. Why I thought I could hit that high note, I honestly don’t know, but to this day I tell myself that I did a decent enough job, just so I can sleep at night.
1990s
Tubthumping- Chumbawama
Whenever you are having a bad day, never fear. Just hop in your car, roll down the windows and belt your heart out to this song, because “I get knocked down, but I get up again, they’re never gonna get me down,” is hands down the most motivating self-pep talk I’ve ever heard.
A Thousand Miles-Vanessa Carlton,
The 2000s and beyond were a gold mine of guilty pleasure songs (Probably, as my dad would say, because the quality of music has gone downhill, but anyone who says Akon, Sean Kingston and Jesse McCartney aren’t musically gifted are lying to themselves).
This one was a toss-up between Crush by David Archuleta and A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton, but just like in season 7 of American Idol, David Archuleta was the runner-up. A Thousand Miles was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2003 Grammy’s and if it doesn’t lift your spirits and make your heart flutter every time you hear the piano intro, you are inhuman. And who could forget the deepest most philosophical lyric of all time, “If I could fall into the sky/ do you think time, would pass me by?”
2010s
What the Hell - Avril Lavigne
This one is quite embarrassing but so incredibly satisfying to aggressively sing along to. Avril Lavigne is every teenage girl's spirit animal.
