I resisted the urge to write about my Spotify Wrapped at the end of December and early January. Is it interesting that I listened to Green Day more than any other artist on Spotify last year? (I listened to a lot of cool, complex, obscure music… but the stats reveal a simple truth: I ran dozens of times in 2024, more than ever before in my life, and Green Day is my favourite running music.)1
I have been reflecting on the song that was my ninth most played on Spotify in 2024, because its ranking was a great surprise. I don’t know any of the artist’s other songs nor is it the type of music I’d normally play. Apparently I played “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus dozens of times in 2024. Because it’s extraordinary.
To my ears, it’s a perfect pop song.
Let’s get this out of the way: the term “perfect” is preposterous, I know, and yet I am going to use it repeatedly in this (highly subjective) context. My definition of perfect doesn’t mean flawless or greatest or favourite. “Flowers” is perfect because the song is exactly what you expect it to be – and that expectation doesn’t change or diminish after repeated listens. You hear it once, maybe twice, and you immediately understand the message, you get hooked on the melody, you bop your head to the beat. Every element — the vocal performance, the musical arrangement — serves the song’s singular purpose. Nothing is out of place. That’s perfection.
“Flowers” is 3:21 of nearly continuous lyrics, which I imagine is standard for pop songs these days. (I honestly wouldn’t know.) Miley’s message of empowerment and solitary happiness is, frankly, refreshing and exhilarating. (Or are lots of modern pop songs about this subject and I just don’t know?) The lyrics could easily veer into cliché, yet they don’t. Case in point, the brilliant chorus:
I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in the sand
Talk to myself for hours
Say things you don't understand
I can take myself dancing
And I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
By these metrics, what other songs are perfect, then?
I immediately thought of a completely different song, stylistically and musically, yet with similar themes of defiance and self-reliance. My favourite find of 2024 — which somehow didn’t crack my Spotify Wrapped 100 — was “Everything Is Free” by Gillian Welch. A perfect song.
Welch is a critically adored Americana artist who’s been releasing albums for nearly 30 years. “Everything Is Free” is not a pop song – it’s not even popular, with 18.6 million streams on Spotify compared to “Flowers’” 2.3 billion2. (“Flowers” came out in 2023, “Everything Is Free” was released in 2001.)
Ironically, Gillian Welch’s beautiful folk song is about the new economic reality of being a musician in the digital age3. As a lyric-focused listener, I’m in awe of how tight the writing on “Everything Is Free” is. Every word is purposeful, deftly chosen, finely woven into a greater whole. The message is clear and concise.
I can get a tip jar
Gas up the car
And try to make a little change
Down at the bar
Or I can get a straight job
I done it before
Never minded working hard
It's who I'm working for
My point here is that “Everything Is Free” is perfect by the exact same criteria as “Flowers.” Everything in the song serves the message, and that message is captivating. It might seem easier to convey a message when there are only a couple guitars and a couple voices, as in Welch’s tune, but I’d argue that makes it harder. There’s more onus on the lead vocals and the melody to support the lyrics; there’s nothing else to keep your attention. The hook is the message. The message is the hook.
According to Wikipedia, “Flowers” had three songwriters, one of whom was Cyrus, plus two producers, so there were five people ensuring the song is a hook-laden, modern pop masterpiece. That’s its purpose. “Everything Is Free” is telling a different tale, serving a different purpose. Both songs are perfect for being exactly what they set out to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Consistency and simplicity are the key ingredients to a perfect song. [Chef’s kiss]
I set myself the challenge of finding nine more “perfect” songs, in addition to “Flowers”. I added the criteria that they had to be upbeat, popular songs, hence the exclusion of “Everything Is Free” in this playlist. (More about that in a later post.)
I think I picked a great ten tunes, but I’d love to know what you think. What are your “perfect” songs?
See? I wrote three sentences on it, and I’m already bored!
2.3 billion streams in less than 2 years!
It’s weird to think that 2001 was already the digital age for music, since Spotify didn’t debut for seven more years. But it was – teenaged me was downloading pirated music before 2001.