PhillyPOP #8 | Unconventional Love Songs, 1953-2024

WHAT IS PHILLYPOP? PhillyPOP is a meetup group for discussing popular music–it’s like a book club for playlists. Every month we all listen to a playlist, then we meet in person to talk about it. Each playlist has a theme, and attendees are encouraged (but not required) to contribute songs that fit the theme as they understand it. It's a great way to connect with local music superfans and hear stuff you wouldn't have otherwise. You can find more info about us on our profile page, where you can also follow us to be notified about future events. (You may also notice a checkbox marked "Keep me updated on more events and news from this event organizer" when you RSVP, but I recommend following the profile page instead, which will email you every time I schedule a new event.)

NEXT EVENT: Well it's February and we're a music discussion meetup, so we gotta talk about love songs, right? But straight "love songs" is way too easy for a playlist theme--it's the #1 music topic across most genres by far. And as the great Tina Turner used to say (and we wholeheartedly agree), "we never do nothin' nice and easy." So on the last day of the year's most romantic month, we'll pay tribute to some of our favorite undercover love songs that offer... I guess you could call them "unconventional" takes on the subject.

Now obviously one can define "unconventional" in many ways, and our starter playlist reflects a variety of departures from the hetero-romantic paradigm, including:

• Giving your son an unusual name for protection ("A Boy Named Sue")
• Avoiding a mugging by proclaiming your love of local culture ("Dreadlock Holiday")
• Comparing love to biological warfare ("Love Like Anthrax"),
• Serenading your favorite piece of musical equipment ("I Can't Live Without My Radio"), and
• Letting your ratchet BFF know you truly love her like a sister ("Best Friend")

We hope you'll make this one your own, so anything that strikes you as unconventional is fine with us as long as you steer clear of the usual sappy suspects. A lot of the fun of this one will be arguing that certain songs that are not widely seen as love songs should in fact be considered as such. Submit up to ten tracks for the playlist via the "Contact" link below (under the "Organized by" header) or email them to [email protected].

FUTURE EVENTS:

• March 2026 -> PhillyPOP Goes to the Movies: Film & TV Soundtracks
• April 2026 -> Songs About Jobs and Work

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