Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/30/1998
Run Time: 42:50
Men Without Hats broke big with their 1982 debut,
Rhythm of Youth. Though they never maintained that level of success, their third album
Pop Goes the World was a smart, well-crafted, woefully underrated offering. The album chronicles the quest for and backlash of fame on songs like the title track, on which Ivan sings "Johnny and Jenny had a crazy dream/See their pictures in a magazine." Perhaps it was a way of dealing with the band's sudden success/failure, particularly on
"Lose My Way" and
"The Real World.." Thankfully, a wild sense of humor and a heartbreaking poignancy keeps the album from becoming too serious. Additionally, each song is vastly different: there are some lullabies (
"Moonbeam"), some anthems (
"Jenny Wore Black"), and some dirges (
"Bright Side of the Sun" -- which is criminally short, adding to its power). Cartoonish but dark, this album marries wide-eyed innocence with cynicism in its recurring themes (celebrity, loss, rejuvenation, the vastness of our world) and characters (
Jenny and
Johnny, who are credited with bass and guitar, respectively). It takes a few listens to fully absorb the stories and lessons interwoven in
Pop Goes the World's synthesizer-driven, somewhat goofy, sometimes somber cuts. Though there are some quirky aspects to the album (from the intro with a beckoning voice like that of
Newcleus' helium-driven
"Jam on It" to an intro to
"Walk on Water" that sounds like a faraway voice on a hissing vinyl album), nothing seems gimmicky. Overall, the album is solid, smart, haunting, and complete.
~Bryan Buss, All Music Guide
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