the greatest pop song ever?


apropos of absolutely nothing, i just listened to the song "five o clock world" by the vogues for the first time in perhaps 20 years. i heard it on a really good lexus (levinson) sound system and have concluded that it's arguably the greatest pop production ever--the damn thing's incredible. in the space of a quick two minutes you get 12 string guitar, marimba, horns, incredible drumming and a really wild honky-tonk piano, all on top of those weird doowop harmonies. add to the mix a really tight melody and sorta meaningful lyrics and you have something that makes phil spector look unambitious and timid.

also from left field, i've been touting a song called "i can see you" by someone or something called june and the exit wounds as the single most beautiful tune ever written. as far as i know, it's only been released on a sampler by parasol records (an indy label out of urban il). this song sounds like some lost brian wilson masterpiece and is well worth finding for those in search of audio nirvana.
loomisjohnson
"Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard, hands down. Also: runner up: "Private Idaho" by the B-52s. IMHO.
Whichever has sold the most records. That's what pop music is all about. Once the answer is found, no further debate is required.

However, finding a definitive answer is problematic due to RIAA certification rules.

Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" is the unofficial winner having reported selling 25 million copies since 1955, but it does not qualify under current RIAA certification rules.

The present official RIAA winner is Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" with 11+ million sales.