100 powerpop songs by NON-powerpop artists

Kudos for including the Hooters!

As with all "lists" there's more than a little room for debate...
Minus points for Paul McCartney, The Kinks, OK Go, Dave Edmunds, The Who and Beatles - These are ALL Power Pop bands!
But no worries - you can replace them with some of these songs that you missed :-) :
Jules Shear - Listen to What She Says
Styx - Gone Gone Gone
Kenny Loggins - Nobody's Fool
They Might Be Giants - Answer
Replace your Hall & Oates song with "Dreamtime - Daryl Hall" which is pure 100% power-pop goodness!
Bun E. Carlos - Him or Me
Creeper Lagoon - Under the Tracks
Elvis Costello - The Other Side of Summer
Hanson - Something Going Round
Jeffrey Gaines - Nursery Rhyme
Rhett Miller - Our Love

But that's just my opinion. I haven't watched your 100 Power pop artists video yet to see if any of these are on your list, but I doubt it....

Great fun watching your video and you even had a few songs I never heard before so thanks.

Great list, but "Jesse's Girl" sounds pretty much like every other power-pop song that Rick Springfield ever recorded. He even bleeds into one other artist on this list: "I've Done Everything For You" by Sammy Hagar. So not sure what he's doing on this list.

Death Cab for Cutie sucks ass (not like some of the other bands you listed aren't crap, either). YOU LOST IT.

Geez, Pete described 'Pictures of Lily' as POWER POP, yet you chose another Who song that is less so.

Tom Petty on top of your list, seriously??

Good work!

Great collection! It's melodic pop - no need to fence it in to the power pop camp.

I'd argue that "Big Me" by Foo Fighters is more typical of a power-pop song than "Learn to Fly." But great list!

Is there a list of these artists and songs somewhere? Thanks!

Wow! This is a great selection. I may have to make this into a playlist.

You seem to be confused as to what power-pop actually is. At least 1/4 of this list either isn't power pop or are songs from bands that were (The Only Ones, Dave Edmunds) or went power pop for at least a full album (Hole).

Also, points off for including pre-1970 songs. The genre was inspired by the jangle pop from the 1960s — songs that influenced the genre cannot actively be listed as songs of the genre.

Edit: This doesn't take away from the picks themselves. There's some truly fantastic songs on here, and I appreciate how wide your musical knowledge clearly is. I don't want my comment to come off as aggressive because I didn't mean it that way.

Always one person thinks they have to leave a comment because that person is a walking, talking dictionary of music. This is a list of great, catchy pop tunes. Alot of drive, great vocals and endless energy. Thank you for putting this together for us to enjoy.

Ok. I'd add All Kindsa Girls, as the Real Kids weren't a power pop band.
Kid withe the Replaceable Head I consider power pop. Wait a Minute (or others) from the 1st Wipers LP.
Loads more that will come to me, I'm sure. Maybe Frantic Romantic or Shake Some Action if only cos the bands changed massively afterwards, but were fairly power-poppy at the time.
Great concept though.

"Friday Let Me Down" by Hall & Oates (1981) is a Power Pop classic. Thanks for creating this list, I love this stuff. I hear several songs which I must own.

Incredible list!
You’ve highlighted power pop elements! Well done.

Whoa ! Huey Lewis with “Some of my lies are true” ! Like, quintessential! Never heard it — great find hiding in plain sight!

The transition from 19 to 18 — masterful !!

Was hoping to see Sherbs - The Skill here. Love that song.

Great list. Nice work.

How is it charitable to call The Searchers an influence on Power pop? Those albums they released in 1979-1981 are legit power pop albums in my opinion.

Fun list. There are artists that always had power pop as PART of what they did. I think Tom Petty and Hoodoo Gurus fall in that camp. I think of the Gurus "I Want You Back" off their first release and "Carry On" off their latest.

Great list. Some more ideas:

Paul Stanley - Wouldn't you like to know me
Squeeze - Another nail in my heart
Téléphone – Au Cœur De La Nuit
Flyboys - I couldn't tell
World Party - Is it like today?
Teenagers Fanclub - Sparky's dream
G.G. Allin - 1980s Rock 'n Roll
Radio Birdman - Didn't tell the man
DMZ - Guilty child
Redd Kross - 1976
Queen - Long Away

Oh and for Sammy Hagar I would have chosen Bad Reputation 🤘🏻

Wow, The Pretty Things get first mention!!! Cross Talk is a great forgotten 80's new wave/power pop album, and it is quite bitter too being a divorce album.

Great stuff. Some others I'd include are Over and Done by Status Quo, Since You've Been Gone by Rainbow, Burnin' for You by BOC and Only One Too by Jewel.

great list... i missed "ourdoor miner" by wire

Hate those awful copyright restrictions. Great video

Shout out for including Jani Lane. Extremely talented guy! Great list!

This list! I love it. I know probably only half of these.

I always thought it's in your eyes Phil Collins sounded like power pop

I'll feel a whole lot Better is one of the greatest songs ever written


The sting😢 song should have been a Huge hit

Do it again the kinks - awesome choice that's my favorite kinks song

38 special definitely have some power pop elements esp the song if I'd been the one

In many cases, the best or, at least, most tolerable songs I've heard from some of these artists...I would add 'Long Away' by Queen

Great list - but can you really call 60s tunes "power pop"? Kind of like calling Jesus a Christian.

For Tom Petty I'd rate "Change of Heart" even higher on the power pop scale.

third time lucky : foghat. three times in love : tommy james. thanks for having bad time by grand funk on your list. thanks also for having the who, the kinks, the byrds, the searchers, the easybeats on your list, too. this is a really comprehensive list. thank you.

U need to hear "grab the wheel" by MILLY

Fun Fact: Dwight Twilly sang backing vocals on "American Girl" since they both were on the same record label back in the mid 70's. Then Tom sang backing vocals on Dwight's song "Girls" in 84. Two guys helping each other out.

Wish there was a list I could print out. Power Pop forever

Great list. Surprised to see Sammy but not Van Halen. Surely something like "Jamie's Cryin'" would fit the parameters? Rock on.

Much of this is Alternative falling under various subgenres of Alternative including Garage, Punk, Madchester, Grunge, Indie, etc.

Funtastic list!

38 Special?? Sheesh. Journey???

M.O.T.O - it tastes just like a milkshake