If there’s one thing you learn about hit songs while doing this podcast it’s to ‘never underestimate the power of a good hook - at any cost’
From songs in our archive like LEN’s Steal My Sunshine, to Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend, and even songs we’ve covered this season like Backstreet Boys’ I want it That Way or Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit; It’s proven time and time again that intelligible lyrics are quite simply not one of the key components of a good pop song - as long as some combination of words sound good on a beat - who cares what they are!?
Reminder - Howie D LITERALLY told our host Ruby Carr to her face that Backstreet Boys purposely kept lyrics in I Want It That Way that didn’t make any sense. Why? For the vibes, duh.
And it’s certainly not just lucidity of thought that can be sacrificed at the altar of catchy hooks and anthemic refrains - and warning - I’m about to sound like a total grandma right now - But Have You Heard Some of Those Lyrics?
Yes, I know I’m not really telling you anything you don’t already know, but it’s actually kind of perversely funny to think about so much of the subject matter across all genres of music that we will happily sing or hum along and vibe to, thanks to the power of the killer hook.
One such example is of course the topic of today’s episode - Snoop Dogg and Pharrell’s 2004 Hit ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ - A Number 1 hit on the hot 100 pop songs for three of its outstanding 30 weeks - with lyrical content so questionable - it has not one but TWO radio edits - a normal one which cuts out swears - and an Extra Clean version for everything else… but we’ll get into that. This is the story of Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's Drop it Like It's Hot!
Written by Clayton Taylor for iHeartRadio Canada
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