Musical palate cleanser, perfect pop edition

Have you ever thought about how hard it has to be to craft a great pop music song?  Catchy melody, lyrics that resonate, a memorable hook, all in less than three minutes – if it were all that easy, anyone could do it.

Here’s one of my all time favorites:  Dusty Springfield’s “Don’t Forget About Me”, from her classic Dusty in Memphis.

My crappy computer speakers don’t really do this baby justice.  It’s impeccably recorded.  There’s so much great going on here, from the propulsive bass line and the slinky guitar work to the way the horns and back up singers lift the chorus.  And of course topping off the whole thing are Dusty’s incomparable, throaty vocals.  Really, the whole thing is just perfect.

See what I mean?