What is the Catchiest Hook of All Time?

[Farmer John]

I'd have to go with the 'sh-bop sh-bop's in "I Only Have Eyes for You"

[96583UP]

definitely 'Where in the World Is Carmen San Diego?' from the song 'Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?'

[BurtReynolds]

Mmm-bop

[Farmer John]

Please be serious everyone

[epilogue]

Please be serious everyone

Seriously, I can't hum yours. But I fucking know Up's and Burt's like I know my own birthday!

[Farmer John]

Catchiest and also Greatest Hook of All Time

Not the Kars 4 Kids song

[Jorge]

I've pondered this before, and a huge part of catchiness is simplicity. Therefore "Baby Shark" is an obvious answer. But "Baby Shark" is very annoying, so if we add the criteria that it has to be good, I would say something like the "la la la"s in Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" fit the bill.

[Jorge]

Not the Kars 4 Kids song

Come to think of it, this has a lot in common with "Baby Shark". Narrow melodic intervals hovering around the same 3–4 notes, repetition, minimal instrumentation, child vocals.

[wease]

Thankfully, Baby Shark was after my kids were little. So I’m not familiar with it.

[Ello Sailor]

probably ABBA's Dancing Queen.

[Farmer John]

Which part is the hook, specifically?

[Ello Sailor]

You can dance, you can jive
Having the time of your life

But the whole damn thing is a hook, basically.

[Matters]

Ah ah ah ah, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive

Good, good, good, good vibrations

[Farmer John]

Another possibility is that electronic horn hook in the verses of Steely Dan's "Peg" (played by Tom Scott on a Lyricon)

[i got bugs]

YMCA easily

[Bammer]

I would say something like the "la la la"s in Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" fit the bill.

Also very fitting considering the discussion topic of this thread!

[Ello Sailor]

Jorge raises a good point about simplicity and repetition. A hook that stands alone in a vacuum.

But I still think that ABBA has the best hooks when you introduce context and resolution. Boney M is also a dark horse in this race. Don't you dare @ me.

[lvc]

Ducktales...

You can't even read the word without hearing the hook. TV theme song writers knew a thing or two.

[daft twat]

Ducktales...

You can't even read the word without hearing the hook. TV theme song writers knew a thing or two.

This might be right, actually.

What about that Blue song from 25 years ago?

I’m blue, I would beat off a guy, I would beat off a guy, I would beat off a guy.

[liebzz]

I was going to say Kokomo, reason being it’s a song I despise specifically because once you hear the hook you can’t get out of it for weeks. I can’t even listen to that song once or happenstance at the grocery store without being doomed.

Damnit, even writing this about the song has the damn thing in my head.