LIST: 50 Best Singles Released Since 1971 #10

10. “Girlfriend,” Matthew Sweet, 1991

Matthew Sweet, once upon a time, was a one-man guitar-power-pop factory. I don’t know where he went, because I stopped paying attention when his latest album was completely terrible, but he put out a good four or so albums in a row that were just jam-packed with this stuff, and it was great while it lasted.

The video got major rotation back in the day, due to the amazing song, and also the still-novel-at-the-time anime images that accompanied it. The album, also called Girlfriend, is full of great songs, and I highly recommend you acquire it.

Favorite Lyric: “I didn’t know nobody/ And then I saw you coming my way.”

Favorite Musical Moment: The mid-song guitar solo. Still one of my favorites. Sweet, if I’m remembering correctly, played all the guitars on this album, and he was an underrated pop string-bender back then and still is today.

Would It Make Good Karaoke? I don’t think so. It’s a great song, but it’s unlikely to get a bar buzzing.