4 Recession Pop Songs That Will Literally Never Go Out Of Style

So it’s Monday (or whatever) and you’re thinking about recession pop again. What else is there to life right now than reminiscing on the frankly questionable music a lot of us were listening to in high school? Here’s a secret: nostalgia for recession pop is actually totally normal and cool and doesn’t need to be included as an entry in the DSM-5. And I’ve got the proof right here.

“Shots” — LMFAO ft. Lil Jon

While Lil Jon’s trajectory in life has chilled out some since he featured on “Shots,” LMFAO’s other 2009 party rock anthem still has merit as a recession pop staple. True, it’s rendered more or less unlistenable nowadays for those in a particular generational bracket (I got 25 seconds in before I started tasting metal). But I fear going back in time and erasing “Shots” from existence could start a devastating chain reaction resulting in an unrelenting nuclear winter. Or something. Better not risk it.

“Whatcha Say” — Jason Derulo

Jason Derulo’s 2009 hit “Whatcha Say” featured an unexpected sample from Imogen Heap’s 2005 single “Hide and Seek.” In between “Hide and Seek” and “Whatcha Say,” SNL dropped the “Dear Sister” skit in 2007, parodying the finale of The O.C., which transformed into the wildly popular “Mmm Whatcha Say” meme. Layers upon layers like a tiramisu. Anyway, “Whatcha Say” is still a standard of recession pop, what with its surprisingly perfect sample and just the right vibe for high school dances.

“Boom Boom Pow” — Black Eyed Peas

And lo, the angel Fergie spake unto the masses, “I’m so three thousand and eight, you so two thousand and late.” The Black Eyed Peas were the premiere purveyors of recession pop, and 2009 was a very good year. Their album The E.N.D. was released, which also featured the hits “Rock That Body,” “Imma Be,” “Meet Me Halfway,” and “I Gotta Feeling.” The album was the second-best selling of 2009 worldwide, but it wasn’t without several copyright lawsuits. Still, with time comes the gnarled witch hands of nostalgia which squeeze us all until, through the rose-tint just before we black out, we see “Boom Boom Pow” descending from heaven in rapturous welcome.

“Poker Face” — Lady Gaga

Let’s talk about Lady Gaga as the harbinger of recession pop, shall we? If you ask me to describe recession pop, 2008-era Lady Gaga appears in my mind immediately like a haunting specter. Yeah, I like “Bad Romance” as much as the next Millennial, but that came in 2009 when Gaga dropped the rebranded The Fame Monster. “Poker Face” though, now that’s a song. That intro, that beat, those flagrant innuendos standing a hair’s breadth away from sexual harassment, the chorus. Was anyone going to tell me she was saying “fuck her face” in the chorus or did I just have to find that out on my own 17 years later? Not to mention the bridge where it sounds like she’s saying “just like a chicken, the casino.” Overall, “Poker Face” is truly a masterful recession pop anthem and that’s a hill I’m willing to and have frequently died on.

Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage