popular song

noun

1. a song that is written to have an immediate and wide appeal and is usually popular for only a short time, but that sometimes is of a sufficiently high quality to become part of the permanent repertoire of popular music and jazz. Compare standard ( def 12 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of popular song¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Along the way she’s picked up various high-level awards and commendations, including the Library of Congress’ Gerswhin Prize for Popular Song, which you’d be tempted to think has felt something like revenge for an artist with a famously complicated relationship with the rock ’n’ roll establishment.

From Los Angeles Times

The single “New Girl,” which had been released three years earlier on the band’s 1996 album “Destruction by Definition,” “almost had to become like an encore song because it became such a popular song,” Navarro said.

From Los Angeles Times

As Sheryl Crow snarls her way through “If It Makes You Happy,” the music video for one of her most popular song shows her trapped inside an L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

After his conviction, a popular song based on “The Battle Hymn of The Republic” — “The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley” — sold more than a million records: “My name is William Calley / I’m a soldier of this land / I’ve tried to do my duty and to gain the upper hand / But they’ve made me out a villain / They have stamped me with a brand / As we go marching on …”

From Los Angeles Times

The band’s most popular song, “Baby I’m a Botanist,” has about 18 versions, Sanchez said, because he’s always improvising new lines while the basic premise stays the same: A plant lover falls in love with a botanist.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• pop