Has Any Music Ever *BURSTED WITH JOY* to the Same Extent as Early Beatles Songs Such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me?"

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― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 16:49 (twenty years ago)

ABBA!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 16:51 (twenty years ago)

BIS

― Michael Burble, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 16:51 (twenty years ago)

No. People should stop making music now.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

Yes.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

Yes.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

What are examples? I understand the impulse to say ABBA, but I'm not sure that their joyful bursts pack the same whallop.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

phil spector productions, all of them.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:27 (twenty years ago)

Lots of Louis Armstrong & the Hot Five tunes.

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:27 (twenty years ago)

"Shake Your Coconuts," Junior Senior

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

"Huddle Formation," Go Team!

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:31 (twenty years ago)

"I Get Around" is a good contender.

― PB, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:32 (twenty years ago)

"Disco Inferno," Trammps

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

"Tutti Frutti," Little Richard

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

"Hot Hot Hot," Buster Poindexter

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

"Mr. Bluesky", ELO

― darin (darin), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:36 (twenty years ago)

The Rolling Stones, "Jumping Jack Flash"

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:37 (twenty years ago)

The Beatles' "Twist & Shout"

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:37 (twenty years ago)

I do not agree with "Disco Inferno."
I do not think "I Get Around" packs the same whallop.
Phil Spector might be a good call, but certainly not all of his productions (like not "YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING," for example!).

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:37 (twenty years ago)

"Tutti Frutti" and "Jumping Jack Flash" certainly burst, but I think it's a different kind of bursting. I mean, Negative Approach is bursting, too.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:39 (twenty years ago)

you're like Geir with extra b.s. sometimes, Tim.

ZZ Top, "Legs"

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:40 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, thanks, dick.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:41 (twenty years ago)

(How am I supposed to get work done while trying to think of songs that "burst"? This is ridiculous....)

― PB, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

it's true!

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

I mean, I think YOU"RE full of B.S. if you refuse to acknowledge that I was talking about a particular kind of bursting with joy that has NOTHING to do with "Legs" by ZZ Top.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

they're white, horny and wear suits. Is it the drum machine?

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:43 (twenty years ago)

The Contours -- "Do You Love Me"

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:44 (twenty years ago)

And yeah, it does have something to do with MELODY and "Tutti Frutti" and "Jumping Jack Flash" ain't got it. Sorry. (Doesn't mean I don't like 'em a lot.)

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:44 (twenty years ago)

hee hee yeah, this ain't like geir at all.

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:45 (twenty years ago)

"Help" also seems to burst, but I'm not completely sure it's with joy....

"Wouldn't it Be Nice?" bursts after the initial music box guitar bit......

― PB, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:45 (twenty years ago)

And there's no grain of truth whatsoever in Geir's MESSAGE, right?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

Examples off the top of my head:

"Charly" - The Prodigy
"Play In The Sunshine" - Prince
"Love Comes Quickly" - Pet Shop Boys
The final chorale of "The Creation"
"I'm A Believer" - The Monkees
"Give It Up" - The Goodmen
"Music Sounds Better With You" - Stardust
"To Be Real" - um... what's her face
"I Feel Love" - Donna Summer
"Turn The Beat Around" - Vicki Sue Robinson
"Walking On Sunshine" - Katrina & the Waves
"The Lovecats" - The Cure
"Somewhere Out There (pt 2)" - Orbital

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

Paging Herr Mozart.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:48 (twenty years ago)

Freddy Cannon -- "Where The Action Is"
John Fred & His Playboy Band -- "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)"
The Hollies -- "Bus Stop"

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:48 (twenty years ago)

"Love At First Sight" by Kylie Minogue
Several songs from the U.S.E. album

― Jeff Reguilon (Talent Explosion), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:50 (twenty years ago)

"Wouldn't it Be Nice?" bursts after the initial music box guitar bit......

This was my first thought.

― sleep (sleep), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:50 (twenty years ago)

Walking on sunshine

This should also double as a Music That Should Be Fucking Burned For Eternity thread

― -rainbow bum- (-rainbow bum-), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

didn't Cheryl Lynn do "To Be Real," Dan?

Other picks:

Otis Redding, "Love Man"
Al Green, "Tired of Being Alone"
New Order, "Perfect Kiss"

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:52 (twenty years ago)

born slippy
one more time
romeo

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

I think the bursting with joy quality you're talking about has to do with the fast tempo, the tight harmonies, and the tension and release of the turnaround parts ("I can't hide / I can't hide / I can't hide") plus the peppy lyrics. It's easy to list stuff that has an equal amount of energy but much tougher to think of stuff that's so lyrically upbeat, particularly post-Beatles. And there's plenty of joyful pre-Beatles pop but much of it is slower in tempo or more sparsely arranged which reduces the "bursting" quality a bit. Buddy Holly or the Everly Bros seem joyous to me but they're both a bit more laid back in a way that the joy sort of slowly oozes or radiates out rather than bursting.

Anyway, here are some thoughts:
Dave Clark Five - Catch us if you Can, Bits & Pieces
some Four Seasons songs
The Turtles - She'd Rather Be With Me, You Baby

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

Pointer Sisters, "I'm So Excited"
Rick Astley, "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Dead Or Alive, "You Spin Me Right Round"
many a SAW production, really

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

That probably should have been "Glad All Over" rather than "Bits & Pieces".

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

Divine Comedy - My Lovely Horse
Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
Hal - Play The Hits

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

Walter steps up w/ the reasonable post.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:57 (twenty years ago)

Sweet - Ballroom Blitz, Slade - C.O.F.T.N., many many T-Rex tracks, etc.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love
Poison - Nothing But A Good Time
Kool & The Gang - Celebration

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Now you're pushing it, tho.

x-post

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:59 (twenty years ago)

http://ourworld.cs.com/WeezelX/rs/dancing.jpg

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:00 (twenty years ago)

Letter to an Occupant - New Pornographers

― darin (darin), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:01 (twenty years ago)

Queen - Don't Stop Me Now

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:04 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 346 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

How about almost every song on Albert Ayler's New Grass. Pure ecstatic joy.

(I didn't read any of this thread, by the way.)

― RabiesAngentleman, Thursday, 24 April 2008 16:27 (seventeen years ago)

Scooter

― gnarly sceptre, Thursday, 24 April 2008 17:22 (seventeen years ago)

I'll echo the dudes who mentioned the Everly Brothers. In fact, it seems as if the bursting-with-joy sound of early British Invasion is due in large part to "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Bye Bye Love."

― QuantumNoise, Thursday, 24 April 2008 17:27 (seventeen years ago)

"Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes (from A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector)

― o. nate, Thursday, 24 April 2008 17:40 (seventeen years ago)

Inner City - Good Life

― Lolpez, Friday, 25 April 2008 18:28 (seventeen years ago)

four years pass...

http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/BU/The_Phi_Mu_Washboard_Band_-_8_Mamma_Dont_Allow.mp3

― crütis what we aim for (unregistered), Saturday, 8 September 2012 18:32 (thirteen years ago)

Andrew WK.

― Poliopolice, Saturday, 8 September 2012 18:57 (thirteen years ago)

"uptight (everything's alright)"

― billstevejim, Saturday, 8 September 2012 20:44 (thirteen years ago)

Mmmbop.

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:20 (thirteen years ago)

Jackson 5.

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:20 (thirteen years ago)

Pretty much all 70s Stevie Wonder.

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:20 (thirteen years ago)

Love Shack.

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:21 (thirteen years ago)

Groove Is In The Heart.

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:21 (thirteen years ago)

KEEP THS CUSTOMER SATISFIED!

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:31 (thirteen years ago)

And, you know, shitloads more.

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:31 (thirteen years ago)

Early Beatles holds that same factor as Nirvana at their best. Something that transcends the sum of its parts.

― This Is... The Police (dog latin), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:53 (thirteen years ago)

bbut factors are by definition the sum of their parts

― you lost me at "chill" (Matt P), Saturday, 8 September 2012 21:55 (thirteen years ago)

XTC - "Burning With Optimism's Flame" is like Beatles^2

― He revs the language like a hypersonic superbike. (bernard snowy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 22:03 (thirteen years ago)

(literally: XTC strike me as being a buncha squares, at least once they kicked out Barry Whatshisname)

― He revs the language like a hypersonic superbike. (bernard snowy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 22:04 (thirteen years ago)

Animal Collective - Who Could Win a Rabbit?

― Moka, Sunday, 9 September 2012 01:55 (thirteen years ago)

seven years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeGdJgWXJ6Q

― stop trying to make fetch the bolt cutters happen (unregistered), Friday, 29 May 2020 03:53 (five years ago)

No. People should stop making music now.
― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, July 19, 2005 12:52 PM bookmarkflaglink

― I am a free. I am not man. A number. (Neanderthal), Friday, 29 May 2020 04:45 (five years ago)

this song immediately came to mind when i saw the thread title:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GssZV7H5Tw

― alpine static, Friday, 29 May 2020 05:09 (five years ago)

"Da Doo Ron Ron"!

― Sam Weller, Friday, 29 May 2020 09:18 (five years ago)

Beatles - Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
Lesley Gore - Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 29 May 2020 21:11 (five years ago)

The Impressions, "We're A Winner"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLMRzDFMvEo

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 30 May 2020 16:19 (five years ago)

strat looks good on curtis

― budo jeru, Saturday, 30 May 2020 19:23 (five years ago)

kylie minogue

― crystal-brained yogahead (map), Saturday, 30 May 2020 20:19 (five years ago)

one track i've probably listened to over a hundred times, maybe two hundred, in the past few years is "escapade" by janet jackson. it is all the joy berries, an essential distillation of the joy of life, the blues, transcendence, ecstasy passion and pain and transforms me for at least a few seconds literally every time i listen to it.

― crystal-brained yogahead (map), Saturday, 30 May 2020 20:22 (five years ago)

oh man that tripping daisy track is great, never heard that before

― crystal-brained yogahead (map), Saturday, 30 May 2020 20:27 (five years ago)

there's a lot of emotions in this tbh but it's cathartic in like a joyful way i think. ghostface at his best is high joy vibration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYx7uzzlhzY

― crystal-brained yogahead (map), Saturday, 30 May 2020 20:30 (five years ago)

five years pass...

Uh, there are like 500 Northern Soul songs that do this. It’s why I love the genre so much!

― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 2 December 2025 19:51 (two months ago)

^^otm

― The Luda of Suburbia (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 2 December 2025 19:53 (two months ago)

ike & tina, "river deep mountain high." absolutely hair-raising. can't even catch my breath for the emotion when i attempt to sing along.

― andrew m., Tuesday, 2 December 2025 21:18 (two months ago)

cornier answer: "joy," silverbullit aka citizen bird

― andrew m., Tuesday, 2 December 2025 21:18 (two months ago)

"sense," "life of riley," lightning seeds

― andrew m., Tuesday, 2 December 2025 21:19 (two months ago)

Lmao at OP's list of the top Beatles songs that contains some of their worst songs.

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Tuesday, 2 December 2025 21:44 (two months ago)

it's not that bad - I'm a big fan of "All My Loving" and "Please Please Me"

― c u (crüt), Tuesday, 2 December 2025 21:50 (two months ago)

I love both those songs! You have to be Paul McCartney to think that Hey Jude and Hello Goodbye are top 10 Beatles songs.

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Tuesday, 2 December 2025 21:54 (two months ago)

tbf Hey Jude being top 10 is far from an unpopular opinion!!

― c u (crüt), Tuesday, 2 December 2025 21:58 (two months ago)

fwiw here's the top 20 from the actual ilx Beatles poll:

1 A Day In The Life (Points: 717, Votes: 25, NumberOnes: 6)
2 Strawberry Fields Forever (Points: 703, Votes: 26, NumberOnes: 3)
3 Tomorrow Never Knows (Points: 590, Votes: 24, NumberOnes: 2)
4 Dear Prudence (Points: 543, Votes: 22, NumberOnes: 3)
5 Ticket To Ride (Points: 537, Votes: 21, NumberOnes: 1)
6 Happiness is a Warm Gun (Points: 512, Votes: 20, NumberOnes: 3)
7 For No One (Points: 495, Votes: 20, NumberOnes: 0)
8 I Am The Walrus (Points: 472, Votes: 22, NumberOnes: 0)
9 I'm only sleeping (Points: 445, Votes: 18, NumberOnes: 0)
10 Hey Bulldog (Points: 434, Votes: 19, NumberOnes: 1)
11 We Can Work It Out (Points: 432, Votes: 18, NumberOnes: 0)
12 And Your Bird Can Sing [19= Anthology 2 version] (Points: 415, Votes: 17, NumberOnes: 1)
13 In My Life (Points: 389, Votes: 19, NumberOnes: 0)
14 Penny Lane (Points: 370, Votes: 16, NumberOnes: 2)
15 Paperback Writer (Points: 369, Votes: 16, NumberOnes: 1)
16 You Never Give Me Your Money (Points: 366, Votes: 15, NumberOnes: 2)
17 She Loves You (Points: 360, Votes: 14, NumberOnes: 0)
18 Rain (Points: 355, Votes: 14, NumberOnes: 1)
19 Long Long Long (Points: 347, Votes: 13, NumberOnes: 1)
20 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Points: 329, Votes: 16, NumberOnes: 0)

― paper plans (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 2 December 2025 22:11 (two months ago)

cmd-f "Tighten Up", nada, wtf

― hey man, smell my finger, then another finger, then cigarette (WmC), Tuesday, 2 December 2025 22:42 (two months ago)

I Just Can’t Stop Dancing

― Modollno Kahn (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 3 December 2025 00:12 (two months ago)

tbf Hey Jude being top 10 is far from an unpopular opinion!!

― c u (crüt), Tuesday, December 2, 2025 4:58 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

It may be popular with normies, but I would think ilx would be better, which apparently it is based on the ilx top 20 tipsy posted.

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Wednesday, 3 December 2025 16:51 (two months ago)

I think some of the early Rolling Stones songs have the same youthful joyful giddiness to them - I'm thinking in particular of their cover of "Mercy, Mercy." There's a particular quality that I think the original post is trying to get at, of the musicians seeming like they are joyful just to be performing the song, whatever it is. Like the essence of the line from "Shine a Light," "make every song you sing your favorite tune." I also hear it in "Another Saturday Night" by Sam Cooke.

― Lily Dale, Wednesday, 3 December 2025 18:19 (two months ago)

joyfully in an awful way

― andrew m., Wednesday, 3 December 2025 19:31 (two months ago)

Some Motown songs from this period have a similar contagious feeling of excitement , eg the Miracles “Mickey’s Monkey” also 1963.

― o. nate, Wednesday, 3 December 2025 19:36 (two months ago)

needle in a haystack, for eg

― fpsa, Thursday, 4 December 2025 02:20 (two months ago)

"Mickey's Monkey" a perfect example.

― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 4 December 2025 02:50 (two months ago)

Also 1963, "The Monkey Time," written by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Major Lance.

― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 4 December 2025 02:51 (two months ago)

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