163: Tell Me Your Troubles and Doubts

163. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds {#1; 2/85}[iTunes? Yes]
I'm pretty easy. If you want me to like your song, there are three easy ways to get me on your side. 1) Hand-claps. I love hand-claps in songs. 2) A well-timed "Hey!" or "Hey, hey!" And, C) Throw in a good "la-la-la" or "na-na-na." If you put these three things in a song, I am most likely going to like it.

I had finished the first draft of the HondoJoe Top 200, and "Don't You Forget About Me" was on the outside looking in, one of a large number of songs that I deemed worthy of consideration, but not quite good enough to make the list.

And then, one day, I heard it on the radio. It starts out with a great, "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" I found myself singing along through most of the song. And then there's that ending: "La! La-la-la-la. La-la-la-la. La-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la!" How can you not sing along? It was then I decided that, yes, this song had to make the Top 200!

(If Simple Minds had thrown some hand claps in there, we might not be talking about this song until the Top 100.)

I know for many people this song brings to mind the movie The Breakfast Club. Me, not so much. (Although I never understood why Judd Nelson didn't have a better career.) (Ally Sheedy? Never understood why she had as much of a career as she did.)

Another thing I like? Musical questions. And I like the musical question: "As I walk on by, will you call my name?"

Will you call my name?

COMING UP NEXT: Sing along with Audrey Hepburn!