Men Without Hats – Pop Goes The World (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

“Pop Goes the World” is a song recorded by Canadian new wave/synthpop group Men Without Hats. It was released in October 1987 as the lead single from the album of the same name. The song reached Number 1 in Austria, and No. 2 in Canada and Sweden while peaking at Number 20 in the United States.

The song very generally tells a story of “Johnny” and “Jenny,” the two members of a musical group called “The Human Race” (the members’ instruments of choice vary throughout the song, though Johnny is primarily a guitarist and Jenny is a bassist) on their quest for fame in the industry, though at one point the lyrics note that they come to the realization that they could make “more money on a movie screen.”

The “Edited Dance Mix” is exclusive to the North American release of the 12″ single. It is listed incorrectly on the record sleeve as “Extended Dance Mix”.

SIDE A:
Pop Goes The World (Dance Mix) 7:47
Pop Goes The World (Edited Dance Mix) 4:42

SIDE B:
Pop Goes The World (Dub Mix) 6:28
Pop Goes The World (Album Version) 3:38

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1987 Pop Goes The World U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #20
1987 Pop Goes The World U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #27

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mercury ‎– 888 859-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Mixed By – Men Without Hats, Paul Northfield
Other [Management] – Paul King
Producer – Men Without Hats, Zeus B. Held
Written-By – Men Without Hats

NOTES:
Mastered at Sterling.
A2 credited as “Edited Dance Mix” on label.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Schiit Mani
Soundcard:
ESI Juli@ XTe Audio Interface
Monitiring:
Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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Trekkie313
Trekkie313
September 8, 2019 3:28 am

I swear you’ve uploaded this before!

Roxy
Roxy
July 4, 2019 7:24 am

error 404…. 🙁

musicdivasf
musicdivasf
June 26, 2019 2:02 am

Quite funny that I see this post since I was just listening to them and will actually see them next week with Howard Jones.

I’ve enjoyed this single growing up and kinda looking forward to seeing them on tour.

Thanks Dj PaulT

Goodguy
Goodguy
Reply to  musicdivasf
June 27, 2019 10:50 am

Make sure to check out the merchandise table to see the hats they’re selling on this tour. Another band not living up to their name! 🙂

OMAR
OMAR
June 25, 2019 2:07 am

Thanks Paul.

River
River
June 24, 2019 9:37 pm

I remember holding the Moonbeam 12″ when it first came out but deciding to wait for a possible cd single release instead which didn’t happen here in the states. So if you’re ever searching for a long lost obscurity to rip, I’ll echo that one as well. Thanks for your tireless efforts, they are much appreciated!

Goodguy
Goodguy
June 24, 2019 7:13 pm

I swear, Paul. Sometimes I think you’re in cahoots with these bands, what with MWH touring right now. Great timing! 😉

I love this era of MWH, including Moonbeam too, but hope you can go even deeper with the later era Hey Men 12″. I don’t have that, nor the 90s Mercury CD singles (not that you can help with those).

negative1
June 24, 2019 6:07 pm

hi paul,

thanks for posting some Men Without Hats, I will be seeing them for the first time
later this summer.

i’ve been a fan on and off with their music, and though this came near the end
of their popular music, it did make a small dent in the charts.

glad to see they are still around, and that people are still finding their music.

later
-1

-= Sisters Of Mercy =-
-= Sisters Of Mercy =-
June 24, 2019 5:18 pm

such an underrated song! In my opinion, it’s at least as good as Safety Dance!

Great share!

thank you

Daniel
Daniel
June 24, 2019 2:37 pm

Thank you Paul. I love this song. It has a lovely tune. It’s fine to get all these mixes in your usual crystal clean sound.

Song And Dance
Song And Dance
June 24, 2019 1:46 pm

Awesome Paul! I love that song and I do love the dance mix. I’m looking forward to listening to your rip as soon as I got home.I’m still enjoying the weather on the river banks of the Rhine. It’s still almost 30 degrees (86 F) at half past eight in the evening!
Btw, I went to a Nik Kershaw concert last Wednesday. It was so awesome! He was in great form and played 23 songs in two hours. It was the first time I saw him play and I wonder why. I do love his music.

KangaRoo808
KangaRoo808
June 24, 2019 1:42 pm

Thank you, Paul! This is a sweet surprise on monday!

Fred
Fred
June 24, 2019 1:37 pm

Thanks for the post, Paul! This song (album and regular radio edit) stuck in my head as a catchy song that was so reminiscent with 88 Lines About 44 Women (instrumentation wise). I always felt a bit cheated with these mixes…much slower tempo, odd vocal placements, and the dub mix references their earlier songs both in vocals and instruments, etc.

But, this is a neat 12″ to have and nice to listen again to these mixes that never get any airplay on any flashback shows.

Thanks again!

Jeff
Jeff
June 24, 2019 1:02 pm

You’re a mind reader yet again Paul!! Over the weekend I thought about these guys, first with this song and then their thrilling “Where Do The Boys Go?” Karen is going to flip because she LOVES this song. I love it too, but she is gaga over it! Thanks for adding another one of their hits here. Oh and Paul, you really do something magical with the sound quality. I just marvel at your rips. The amount of perfection is outstanding.

Have a nice day!

Jeff

DJ Veteran
DJ Veteran
June 24, 2019 12:40 pm

A very unique mix considering the dance mixes don’t quite follow the rhythm of the single mix but still was quite a club favorite for its short duration as I played this record a number of times.

Thanks for making available.