It’s not that I don’t like pop music. I am, after all, a Beatlemaniac and a fan of classic Motown. Clearly, I like music with the potential to climb the charts.

The thing is, I’d like a little intelligence to come with my pop music. “Ooh, baby baby” will only get me so far. And that distance is extremely short.

There have been and are more than a few pop artists who’ve written incredibly intelligent music. Songcraft, arrangements, instrumentation, vocals … it’s all there in every song. Trouble is, this music doesn’t appeal to the masses. Or, radio stations refuse to play it because it might turn off their base audience and cost them ratings. And by “ratings,” I mean advertising revenue.

So, it’s up the music fan to go on a quest to find intelligent pop music, or “Intellipop,” as I like to call it. The best place to look is usually a college radio station. They don’t have to worry about advertising, so they’re free to stretch out and play smarter music. (Yeah, I said it.)

Consider me your college radio DJ. Some of these tunes I learned about from college radio. Some I learned about in record stores. Still others came via word of mouth, which remains the best way to learn about new music.

So, without further ado, here are a few examples of top-tier pop music.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tUlgUWaKSVnpD1Lr2mgKz?si=X7y_UKoDRHC_8cuPaF9Z5Q&pi=V7DP4Wu5SMG9S

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed, please contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com