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The 30 All-time Popular Songs Almost Telephone Drama

When Adele and Drake knuckles it out on the Hot 100 side by side calendar week, it'll be more than only a clash between streaming versus downloading, or still another example of Drake's dreams been crushed by a woman. Both "Hello" and "Hotline Bling" find common ground in romantic duress revolving around the telephone, the erstwhile about missed connections with an ex via home phone, and the latter nearly missed connections with a soon-to-be-ex-something via cell phone.

This fascination isn't new, of course: Pop music'southward relationship with the phone is a long and sometimes sordid thing. Neither obsolete technology nor ever-evolving modes of communication has stopped the device from beingness a central plot bespeak in dozens of hits. The phone has helped romance smolder — whether protagonists are whispering sweet nothings over a country line while twirling a rotary phone cord, leaving declarations of love on answering machines, or slyly sexting from an iPhone 6 — simply it's also functioned as a vessel for heartache, in times when messages are ignored or nobody picks upwardly. Every bit these 30 songs reveal, although the device itself has changed over the years, the phone's importance to relationships has stayed remarkably constant — and thus remained a lyrical staple.

"Chantilly Lace," Big Bopper (1958)
It'southward distressing to realize that men accept been using the same lame lines to woo women for decades, merely communicating them via varying degrees of attempt every bit engineering science has enabled. In "Chantilly Lace," the Big Bopper is chatting on the phone with his gal, obliquely and idly complimenting her ass, her voice, and her face, while peppering their conversation with "baby"s and "dear"s. But the work put in over the phone isn't getting him anywhere IRL: She orders him to be on fourth dimension when picking her upwards for a date, and though he claims to exist broke, it'due south clear she won't be paying a cent when they get out.

"Beechwood 4-5789," The Marvelettes (1962)
Phone call the romantic instigator of this Marvin Gaye–co-written motown melody the proto-Beyoncé: This assuming adult female not only drags a shy guy onto the dance floor, she then flirtatiously gives out her phone number and coos, "I'd similar to brand yous mine." Best of all, she placates his ego by framing information technology up like information technology'southward his idea: "You tin can call me upwardly and have a date any quondam time." Brilliant!

"634-5789 (Soulsville, U.s.A.)," Wilson Pickett (1966)
This promise-springs-eternal soul hitting feels like a very early on, chaste version of a personal ad. A crew of female vocalists repeatedly sings Pickett's digits, while he encourages those looking for "huggin'" and "kissin'" to requite him a call.

"Party Line," the Kinks (1966)
Political party lines — a phone connexion shared by multiple people or households — were notorious for their lack of privacy. This is deplorable to the Kinks, who are unable to become proper intel on a mysterious adult female who always seems to be chatting when they dial in: "Is she big, is she small? / Is she a she at all?" Farcical mayhem might ensue, but we suspect it might exist easier if they but ask who she is directly instead of making insulting judgments about her theoretical appearance.

"Telephone Line," Electric Light Orchestra (1976)
When a human relationship ends and you lot don't have closure considering an ex won't answer your calls, you can either dwell on the unknown or move on with your life. For those who adopt the old approach, there's ELO's soft-glow orchestral-popular hit "Telephone Line." All the song'southward protagonist wants is one more chat with a faraway love; instead, his telephone call isn't answered, which inspires an epic wallow overflowing with the sort of emotional gloom and doom that makes it stick in your listen.

"Hanging on the Telephone," the Nerves (1976)
The lovelorn protagonist of the Nerves' ragged ability-popular precious stone is the kind of psycho hose creature for whom restraining orders are invented. He's calling his ex incessantly from a phone booth virtually her house, asks to see her in person though it's clear the relationship is over ("I'd like to talk when I tin can show you my affection"— ew) and ends the song by demanding, "Hang up and run to me." Uh, sure, creepster, I'll be right over. All that said, what a great song!

"Love on the Phone," Foreigner (1979)
Long-distance relationships: When you lot're together, things are hunky-dory; when yous're autonomously, uncertainty and longing rear their ugly heads. And so the couple depicted in Foreigner's synth-prog romp "Dear on the Telephone" is all also relatable to anyone who's put themselves through this emotional hell: The man is repeatedly staving off a phone-based breakup, instead trying to convince his beloved that things will be perfect once they're united by more than only a country line.

"Call Me," Blondie (1980)
While the lyrics of Blondie'southward signature hit are wildly chill nearly the future of a burgeoning dearest affair, both the pulsating disco-popular vanquish and Harry's song delivery urge her potential beau to driblet her a line. It's an anthem for women who know what they desire — and have no qualms about asking for it, albeit very coolly.

"867-5309/Jenny," Tommy Tutone (1981)
Tommy Tutone's New Wave trifle has all the makings of a rom-com: The lovesick main character has spotted Jenny's digits on some random wall and is trying to muster upward the nerve to phone call her. The potential meet-cute ends in that location, nonetheless, because he's already let his imagination run wild about their theoretical relationship and proclaimed that he "need[s] to make you mine." Laissez passer.

"Mr. Telephone Man," New Edition (1984)
First heartbreak sticks with yous forever, especially when it's handled in a disruptive, draconian way. Just inquire New Edition: Although they insist throughout the bubblegum R&B lament "Mr. Telephone Man" that their "baby wouldn't hang upwardly on me," at that place'due south also much evidence to the contrary. They keep hearing a click that'due south not a line glitch, while her sister, a "strange man," and fifty-fifty the operator are all conspiring to block advice. Take the hint and lose her number.

"I Just Chosen to Say I Love You," Stevie Wonder (1984)
Leave it to Stevie to ready the bar insanely high for romantic telephone gestures — so loftier, in fact, that even today's text-merely zealots would option up the phone for this. No special occasion needed — Wonder was just hanging out and figured he'd call upward his beloved to let her know he cares. This guy.

"Answering Machine," the Replacements (1984)
Answering machines are relics that go hand-in-hand with the days when, y'know, people actually talked on the phone. Nonetheless, the agony described in this Replacements song is completely timeless: Sometimes you do desire to hear the voice of someone you miss, and the possibility of having to leave a message instead is downright excruciating. That the song dead-ends with a looped sample of a computerized operator intoning, "If you lot demand aid, if you need help …" adds insult to injury.

"Lost Your Number," Nu Shooz (1986)
Technology has made the premise of this vocal obsolete on many different levels. Freestyle pioneers Nu Shooz desire to use a pay phone to dial up their new obsession, but have lost the scrap of paper with their phone number — a catastrophic loss that would kill the relationship before it started. At present you lot could probably creep online a little and send a Facebook message instead. How romantic.

"Talk Dirty to Me," Poison (1986)
Those nice young gentlemen in Toxicant never specify how "dirty" their phone conversations get, just we can safely presume they'll involve R-rated ways to make late-dark tour stops that much more bearable. The "Talk Dirty to Me" video is far more than problematic, however, as it features Bret Michaels ringing up what appears to be a teenage daughter, who breathily tells him, "I desire to put my easily all over you lot." In today's world, this gesture would get him doxxed and put on full blast across social media. Back and then, it only ran upwardly the phone bill for his hotel room.

"The Telephone Call," Kraftwerk (1987)
If you've dated (or married) someone emotionally stoic, you know that even the smallest overt romantic overtures are a Large Bargain, things to exist cherished when they happen. That'due south certainly the biggest takeaway from this percolating synth-pop jam from the masters of the genre. The recurring sample of someone dialing a rotary phone is used to prop upwardly adorkable lines such every bit, "I call you upwardly from fourth dimension to time / To hear your voice on the telephone line."

"Star 69," R.E.M. (1994)
The pre-caller-I.D. standby *69 — used to dial dorsum the last person who called you — was the bane of whatsoever prankster's existence, the surefire fashion to go caught misbehaving. As this buzzsawing, lighthearted R.E.K. track underscores, punching in *69 is indeed an first-class style to verbal revenge on a not-then-smart cheat who wants to drag an innocent into a massive criminal enterprise.

"Spiderwebs," No Doubt (1995)
Long before iPhones fabricated it super like shooting fish in a barrel to block the numbers of annoying suitors who couldn't take a hint, No Doubt was doling out tips on how to ghost while sidestepping messy emotional confrontation. It's foolproof, really: Screen your calls and let them go to voice mail service. Of course, in this age, leaving a vocalism mail is a damn fools' errand.

"The Phone call," Backstreet Boys (2001)
"The Call" begins with a phone conversation betwixt one of the Boys and his girl that'due south cutting short due to a low cell battery and bad reception. Spoiler alert: This intro foreshadows a similar scene afterwards in the song, when he has the same conversation right before he sneaks off and cheats on her with someone he just met. (Naturally, she eventually finds out — this is a BSB vocal, so the moral undertones are difficult to shake.) At least the lying lout is racked with guilt over how much that fateful telephone call derailed his relationship and his life.

"Hung Up," Madonna (2005)
At get-go, "Hung Up" is shockingly out of grapheme for Madonna: She spends the first one-half of the Confessions on a Dance Floor single glued to the telephone hoping her dude will call. Thankfully, our Madge remembers that she would destroy him with one swift stiletto dropkick and dumps the scrub, letting him know he'll regret information technology later on. Revenge is a dish Madonna serves best.

"Beeper," Count & Sinden feat. Kid Sister (2008)
It's weird to be nostalgic for primitive technology, but there'south absolutely something charming near the days of pagers and beepers, when text-flirting was far less fraught with subtext. As with anything, withal, people institute a style to be jerks anyway: On "Beeper," Kid Sister shuts a guy down considering he crudely disrespected her by paging "69." Rude.

"Video Phone," Beyoncé feat. Lady Gaga (2009)
Bey'south self-confidence is such that she isn't afraid of having sexy-time videos of her floating effectually on her guy'due south telephone — in fact, she encourages him to rewatch the provocative clips, seemingly immune to the fact his bros could also be watching. Cogitating of voyeurism? Nah, mayhap it's that he knows she'd finer end him if the clips got out.

"Text Me," R. Kelly (2009)
Raunchy text letters have largely replaced booty calls, which is kind of a shame: Few things are more seductive than the sound of a homo vox expressing longing. Put information technology out of your mind that Kellz is maxim these things (shudder), as he does raise a good indicate with his memorable cut: Sexts are but the aperitif to the phone call — which, in the most indulgent scenario, is only foreplay for an in-person rendezvous.

"LOL :)," Trey Songz feat. Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy (2009)
Of course, these text messages are either completely heart-rolling or enticing, depending on your feelings towards the sender. This song illustrates how quickly textual seduction tin can go adjoining-on-embarrassing levels of cheesy ("Sent that lil' face with the tongue 'cause I'm nasty" is really 1 of the lines hither, I mean, c'mon).

"Telephone," Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé (2009)
Okay, so at least information technology wasn't a Post-it breakup, merely yet: Ending it with Lady Gaga via telephone is an practise in futility. She'due south going to blame y'all for being needy and ignore your pathetic call barrage — all while sipping Champagne and dancing upwards a storm in the club with freakin' Beyoncé.

"Call Me Perchance," Carly Rae Jepsen (2011)
Carly Rae Jepsen acutely nails the vulnerability it takes to give someone your telephone number out of the blue. Certain, she keeps things light enough to brand the digit transaction feel similar no big deal, but part of what made people love this song is that its glimmers of hope mirror the optimistic butterflies that creep in after meeting a potential paramour.

"Payphone," Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa (2012)
It's unclear why, in the year 2012, Maroon five were using a pay phone to relieve a relationship. Is someone going effectually swatting Adam Levine's iPhone out of his paw every fourth dimension he goes to make a phone call? (An inside joke among Phonation bros, no doubt, that Blake Shelton took too far.) Did Levine simply desire to show that he really cares, since pay phones aren't even piece of cake to find? Either way it's a moot signal, since the relationship seems sunk by cocky-loathing, regret about past indiscretions, and half-baked accusations. Way to waste your big romantic pay-phone gesture on a lost cause. Ya burnt, Levine!

"Auto Phone," Julian Smith (2014)
Zack Morris's oversize portable phone has no peer in terms of ridiculousness — even though the gigantic, clunky car phones that were a luxury item in the '80s are a shut second. This robotic electropop spoof mocks the high toll of calls ($2 a minute!) and how utterly not-useful these contraptions were: The vocal's father figure puffs up with pride over being able to call his friends to meet up for doughnuts.

"Text Me in the Morning," Neon Trees (2014)
The morning-later on-debauchery text commutation is a frightening thing. Will last night's telephone history be a train wreck when examined in the sober light of day? Will you find out about bad decisions from someone else? Did you tell your crush yous loved him? In the instance of the latter, if Neon Trees is involved, you can rest assured that they won't agree this sloppy-drunkard admission confronting you. After all, they're respectful folks who actually care if you're okay: "When all the other boys just want your sex / I simply want your texts in the forenoon."

"Hullo," Adele (2015)
On one hand, Adele's "Hello" might be about her navigating awkward conversations while making amends for breaking an ex's middle. On the other, maybe the song is one extended overreaction to the fact that she can't become him on the damn phone. Perchance using a state line instead of a flip phone will assistance?

"Hotline Bling," Drake (2015)
"Hotline Bling" is the classic tale of the sulking human being-child who can't handle the fact that the globe doesn't revolve effectually him. Later he moves away, his old girl stops late-night booty-calling him, which makes the poor baby feel rejected. To hide his hurt feelings, he tut-tuts that she's no longer a "skillful girl" because she starts going out more than, dresses provocatively, and is even (gasp) mayhap hooking upward with some other guy. Quick annotation to Drake: The phone works both ways, buddy, perhaps you could have turned this thing around if you chosen her for once instead of playing the "yous've changed" carte du jour when you're the 1 who moved away and all. I know you lot're busy and all, just, similar …

The 30 Best Pop Songs About Phones