10 Amazing Pop Songs By Rock Artists

In the grand tradition of rock and roll, going pop seems to be one of the biggest taboos in the business. Since we already have the idea of selling out to worry about, why would you have bands wanting to take a chance on a song that would no doubt alienate a good portion of their fanbase? Well, if you walk that tightrope just right, you're able to bridge the gap and have millions of people loving your song.

First of all though, we have to take into consideration what constitutes a pop song in this situation. Even though there are genres like pop punk that hype up their crossover tendencies, you have to do something more than just a gimmick. These are the songs that were intended to be crossovers to a pop audience and end up going over surprisingly well.

At the same time, these also have to be looked at as a risk for the artists in question, being the moment where they would either sink or swim in terms of crossover potential. If these didn't work out, there was a good chance that these acts were going to fall flat on their face and fade into obscurity, yet somehow ended up being some of the biggest songs of their career. They may not have their fangs out like usual, but the hooks more than make up for it.

When you look at the career trajectory of David Bowie, it makes sense that he would get around to straight pop sooner or later. Considering the man practically invented different genres unto himself and made some of the most forward looking rock music in the world, it was only natural that the mainstream would come to him eventually. If he was going to go pop though, he was going to do it on his own terms.

Around the time that Bowie got the idea for Let's Dance, he drafted in funk legend Nile Rogers to help craft the song. With a bunch of chords that are normally reserved for jazz music, Bowie brought elements that are nowhere near the sound of pop and turned it into something that begged to be played on the radio. He hadn't forgotten his rock roots though, with guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan being on hand to craft some tasty guitar licks in between the verses.

Granted, is this song a bit of a product of its time? Absolutely, especially with that glossy production and the many different synths at work on the backing track. Given Bowie's pedigree though, this is one of the few songs that manages to make it to the other side of the spectrum anyway. Although you can definitely nail down the time and place that this song came from, it's still a great track when you take all of the '80s hangups away.