S&D: Sophistipop

I always wondered if they'd been listening to Ghetto Heaven (skip to 1:07):

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

Was reminded today of this weird-ass song that (if I'm remembering correctly) signalled the end of the New Kids' imperial phase, and I hear a trace of sophistipop in the delivery of the chorus. Of course, the whole song is a Frankenstein's monster of influences--"Penny Lane," definitely; Roxette's "Joyride" possibly--but I kind of love that this influence managed to seep into the premier boy band of the Poppy Bush Interzone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTo3N73hpPg

Ooooh -- I'm here for this defense!

"Joyride" was released about nine months later, no?

Hmm, probably. I didn't check my dates. Either way, I'm oddly fascinated by this song (and don't otherwise care about NKOTB one way or the other).

Appalling and undeserved victory lap/nostalgia both then and now.

I'll accept that the chorus is a better ABBA pastiche than the verse is a Beatles pastiche.

bets new kids song.

i would take all BETS on it being the BEST new kids song.

It's okay at best, dunno about "appalling," which suggests a Hague-worthy crime. "Appalling" is "I'll Be Loving You Forever" or "Hangin' Tough."

I guess I'm tougher on them when they're trying to be "ambitious".

The lyrics are dreadful, I’ll give you that.

Is that a quotation of "Eleanor Rigby" at 0:39? #onethread

Aiming for the Beatles, falling a great distance short of "Say You, Say Me".

they had an awesome dream

Appalling and undeserved victory lap/nostalgia both then and now.

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, August 24, 2022 10:08 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think about this song all the time for that very reason. It is hilarious to me that they recorded a reflective autobiographical paean to their storied history and wild success...and it's basically just about their previous hit album which was released like a year and a half earlier.

I wish every band's New Jersey included a song like this, tbrr.

I wish the NKOTOB's "Tonight" were included on Bon Jovi's New Jersey tbh

It's okay at best, dunno about "appalling," which suggests a Hague-worthy crime

I dunno, I liked his work with PSB and New Order

Jokes aside, I never knew this song existed. It is weird to hear

wow this song is insane. it's not good but it is fascinating

i don't think sophisti-pop is the right word though, it's all bizarre 60s psych-pop pastiche, totally different vibe

Weird vibes. Felt like a Bad Lip Reading song edited together from clips of different New Kids videos. But no, they actually learned choreography on (asbestos-filled?) sets with rain machines to lip-sync to this song. This is crazy. I feel like I'm going to come down with a fever. Thank you.

Also, Alfred take back what you said about I'll Be Loving You (Forever)

Agree with ufo, it's more "Sowing the Seeds of Love" than "Advice for the Young at Heart". I'd only call the latter sophisti-pop

yeah that's a good comparison

I wish every band's New Jersey included a song like this, tbrr.

― Beautiful Bean Footage Fetishist (Old Lunch)

Well this came to mind, which also falls into the category of, "Song from a boy band's followup to a major album, where someone involved was clearly listening to Sgt. Pepper's":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zwKKXE18MM

I'm also in the defence of "Tonight", more so the censored Adidas shirt.

B-b-BUT Take That's "Shine" is far better

Also I figured out ages ago that Jordan Knight being on the song makes him possibly the first person born after the 60s to do a late 60s Pepper pop whatever pastiche. I can't think of another until Betty Boo's Let Me Take You There in 92.

Here's one from 1991: "A Funny Place (The World Is)" by Mitsou (born 1970):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzLN5hcA3Dk

Written by the much-older Ivan Doroschuk of Men Without Hats fame, the secret bridge between Mitsou and Voivod.

This is new to me but what a good'un. I was expecting something more like Dear Jessie (which I really like too).

This is the only sophisti-pop dedicated thread I can find. Anyway, the only real mention I can find of Shabason, Krgovich & Harris's Philadelphia is on Craig D's 2020 EOY list and that's a travesty because it's really lovely. Very much the ambient end of sophisti-pop but hangs together beautifully as an album.

https://shabasonkrgovichharris.bandcamp.com/album/philadelphia

New one, "At Scaramouche", is great too. Particularly enjoying "In the Middle of the Day"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgcT_Q0t2rU

https://shabasonandkrgovich.bandcamp.com/

https://i.imgur.com/eeBuRM1.png

pretty tempted to eat At Scaramouche

I ended up really loving that Mitsou song btw. Some inflections of Dowling Poole/Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld in there imo

the Shabason & Krgovich hits so many of the right buttons for me...prefab sprout / destroyer / ECM / some very Hisaishi-like city pop synth tones. so much goodness both in the production and songwriting.