TOP 30 Best Bubblegum BALLADS!
Bubblegum Dancer counts down the best bubblegum
ballads ever written!
_________ __ _
#30 :: Miss Papaya – Please
Don’t Leave Me Tonight
Miss Papaya sings her cheesy ballad from her 1998 album
“Pink”. The song itself is quite pretty, and I like how she
has continued to use sexual innuendos even in this ballad (“never
knew that your loving could touch me oh so deep”). For me,
Linnea’s Papaya voice doesn’t do this song justice, and it would
have been better if she had sung it with her normal vocals.
Please Don’t Leave Me Tonight therefore falls at #30 on my
list.
#29. :: Combayah – Free
A ballad is usually an artist’s way of showing how good they are at
singing as they challenge their range and tuning best. “Free”
is the ballad of Combayah’s album “Fantasy Dreamworld” from 1998,
and the vocalist Batizba does a good job. I like the power in
the chorus and the message that this song conveys.
# 28. :: Yummie – 7 Seas
When I first heard this song, I actually didn’t like it at
all. But “7 Seas” is actually a very beautiful song and was a
favourite of the group members. The song has a beautiful
message that we can all relate to, and Qute’s vocals are good,
though I think more harmony behind her may have improved this
song. I love the bridge part of this song, it is very
strong.
#27. :: Smile.dk – Nothing’s Missing (For Once In My
Life)
This was the token ballad release from Smile.dk’s 2008 album “Party
Around The World”. Both Hanna and Veronica’s singing
abilities are outstanding, and they really shine in this
song. I like the instruments used, and the bridge up to the
chorus is outstanding.
#26. :: Rollergirl – Eternal Flame
Rollergirl covers The Bangles beautiful love song of the same name
in her album “Now I’m Singin’…And The Party Keeps On Rollin’”
(2000). While I do like The Bangles version more, Rollergirl
sticks to the original and while she doesn’t make it better, she
doesn’t make it worse either. She also released a dance mix,
which I do not like. “Eternal Flame” is one of the most
beautiful love songs of all time.
#25. :: The Fireman – Flames Of Love
This is one of the more creative ballads and The Fireman does a
great job sticking to their cheesy, fire-inspired image. The
lyrics are hilarious “when you put out a fire, when you drive your
big red truck”… The music is actually (surprisingly) very pretty,
and I don’t think the cheesy female vocals do this song justice
(just like Miss Papaya’s ballad). However, the concept works
well, and since this song is very pretty it earns position #25 on
my list.
#24. :: Crispy – Love Is Waiting
This is an eerie track with a haunting melody that will echo in
your head forever. At first I didn’t like Crispy’s ballads at
all, Mette’s vocals don’t seem to suite slow music in my
opinion. However, on that note I praise “Love Is Waiting” for
its originality as a bubblegum ballad. It’s one of the more
spooky songs, and on an album with cheesy candy-coated dance
anthems, this song stands out.
#23. :: Bubbles – Fall In Love
By the time the Bubbles girls released this song they were maturing
as teenagers, and their vocal talents were growing stronger.
This is one of my favourite songs from “Inbetween” (2002) and is
absolutely beautiful. The girls voices mesh together
perfectly.
#22. :: Banaroo – Coming Home For Christmas
Some of the most beautiful songs written are christmas related, and
as you can see, I have included a lot on this list. “Coming
Home For Christmas” is my favourite from Banaroo’s Christmas World
album. It’s a very pretty ballad with a strong chorus and
nice verses.
#21. :: BeFour – Hand in Hand
I can only assume that BeFour and Banaroo’s music is written by the
same people, and the flavour of “Hand In Hand” is very much like
Coming Home For Christmas. However, I feel that it is just a
little bit better, in both song writing and singing talent.
From all of the German bubblegum pop groups, I actually think
BeFour are the best singers and their English pronunciation is
better. “Hand in Hand” is a lovely song with a gorgeous
message.
#20. :: Ch!pz – Christmas Time Is Here
This is Ch!pz’s only ballad release and is (naturally) Christmas
related. It was included on their Present:Past:Future album,
on Part II. I like this more than Banaroo and BeFour’s song,
and I think the singers do a very good job – especially the
girls. Chipz truly captures the mood of christmas in this
song.
#19. :: Creamy – It Can Happen To You
The girls of Creamy are very talented vocalists and released some
very pretty ballads. I feel that “It Can Happen To You” is
their strongest, and is about a girl who is lucky to have found
love and ensures the audience that it can happen to them too.
#18. :: Djumbo – Made To Love You
This may be a little bit faster than most of the ballads here, but
I still think it falls into the ballad category. “Made To
Love You” is a very pretty song and one of the highlights from
Djumbo’s debut album Jump from 2005. The girls vocals are
gorgeous, and I really love the mix of English and Dutch in this
song.
#17. :: Rebecca – Love Is The Hand
Rebecca from England recorded this beautiful song for her 2000
album “In My Dreams”. “Love Is The Hand” is a love song about
her wanting her dream guy to come rescue her. Rebecca has one
of the prettiest voices I have heard, and this song really does her
justice. I can’t imagine anyone else singing this song
better.
#16. Machoman – I Will Always Love Me
A more comical ballad from Machoman, this is more of a parody of a
love song as it is about how Machoman will always love
himself. The singer behind this project, Britt Eliskov, does
a great job and while the song is extremely cheesy, I still take it
seriously as a ballad as it is indeed very pretty. You’ll
love Machoman too after you hear this.
#15. :: Smile.dk – Counting On You
“Counting On You” is my favourite ballad from Smile.dk, and it’s no
surprise that it was written for their 2000 album “Future Girls”
which in my opinion is their best. Veronica’s lead vocals are
absolutely perfect, and we really get an idea of how amazing these
girls’ voices really are. I love the “counting” concept of
this song, and the clever lyrics (“it’s like an equation, it’s
causing frustration).
#14. :: Tiggy – Falling
“Lock the door and show me that you want me” – the first sentence
of this song is incredibly strong, and you can instantly tell that
this will be a great song. Tiggy has one of the best voices
in bubblegum, and it’s only in ballads like this that we really
appreciate her true vocal talent as she tends to send in a more
high-pitched nasally voice for her upbeat music. “Falling” is
a beautiful song about falling in love that has a perfect
arrangement that flows great from start to finish.
#13. :: Evelyn – One More Try
This is actually one of my all time favourite songs by Evelyn and
was released on her second album “I Wanna Dance,” which is very
rare. The production is wonderful and works well with
Evelyn’s deeper voice. I love the “whistling” sounds in this
song.
#12. :: Passion Fruit – Do You Remember
Passion Fruit’s “Do You Remember” was released on their debut album
“Spanglish Love Affairs” in 2000. This is the saddest and
most dramatic bubblegum ballad I have ever heard. Two of the
Passion Fruit members died on a plane crash shortly after this
album was released, and the message in this song is eerily
appropriate. An incredibly powerful ballad that has earned
its place at #12.
#11. :: QT – Stranger
QT was one of the first ever bubblegum dance projects, and was more
of a musical experiment into a number of different styles.
Some people have dubbed her the “Celine of Bubblegum” due to the
many ballads on her album. “Stranger” is a beautiful love
song about falling in love with a stranger. Duets are not
common on Bubblegum releases, and I feel that both QT and the male
vocalist did an amazing job with “Stranger”. Another notable
mention by QT is “Candles,” though I feel that her duet “Stranger”
is the best.
#10. :: Toy-Box – Teddy Bear
Anila and Amir were very proud of “Teddy Bear”, and promoted it as
a single and on the radio, even making a music video.
However, being a bubblegum ballad, its success was limited, and
therefore “Teddy Bear” did not receive the recognition it
deserves. I love this song, it is one of the cutest love
songs ever written. Anila’s vocals really shine in this song,
it’s undoubtedly one of Toy-Box’s best releases.
#9. :: Crispy – Always On My Mind (Swedish
Version)
The original version of Always On My Mind was never one of my
favourites as the production wasn’t very strong. For the
Swedish release of The Game (1998), Crispy completely re-produced
the song, adding harmony to Mette’s vocals as well as extra backup
parts, and more detailed instrumentals. “Always On My Mind”
is one of the catchiest bubblegum ballads, and has a great message
that I’m sure everyone can relate to.
#8. :: Aqua – Turn Back Time
One of Aqua’s most famous songs, though a song that most people
don’t recognize as Aqua, “Turn Back Time” was Aqua’s first
breakthrough single in the UK, and was featured on the movie
soundtrack to Sliding Doors. Labelled as a “one hit wonder”
with their single Barbie Girl, Aqua shocked the world when they
released Turn Back Time, proving that they are indeed an incredibly
talented band.
#7. :: Tiggy – Give Me
Charlotte Vigel is an amazing vocalist, and “Give Me” is the one
song by her that actually gives me goosebumps. This is an
exceptional example of song writing and singing, and Tiggy hits the
notes perfectly. She sings without the help of backup or
harmony, which is incredible, and all of the verses flow
beautifully together. The song is simply produced, with piano
and synths, that gives the song a dramatic feel and works well with
her album’s fantasy theme. This is easily one of the best
bubblegum ballads ever.
#6. :: A-Moe – Forever In My Mind
A-Moe’s release “Beauty and the Beast” in 2005 came as a big
surprise and can be described as a mix of Bubblegum dance and death
metal. “Forever In My Mind” is a haunting vocal performance
by Natalie Davadi. I think there is a little bit of auto
tuning that gives her vocals a “trance-like” feeling.
“Forever In My Mind” is an incredibly powerful song, and one of the
most memorable bubblegum ballads of all time.
#5. Aqua – We Belong To The Sea
Released on their second album “Aquarius” in 2000, Aqua once again
proves that their music writing talents go far beyond catchy dance
music. “We Belong To The Sea” is an uplifting, beautiful song
with exceptional vocals by both Lene and Rene. The song’s
style can even be compared to that of the ocean itself – flowing,
relaxing, and calm – yet incredibly powerful. Lene really
shines in this song, and it will always be a favourite of mine.
#4. :: Blue 4 U – The Cage
A less known group, Blue 4 U are best known for their single “The
Furby Song”. They released an album “The Blue Experience” in
1999 that included a number of great songs. In my opinion,
“The Cage” is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.
It has a very strong message about escaping from “the cage” (a
metaphor for a difficult and challenging life) and has a raspy,
very “real” production about it that makes you feel like it was
really sung and written from the heart. This song has a lot
of meaning, and at 5:50 it is very long, but once I start listening
– I can never stop.
#3. :: Fast Food Rockers – I Love Christmas
This was the Fast Food Rockers’ last ever release, and in my
opinion not only their best track but THE best Christmas song ever
written. It may not be a “real” ballad, as it has beats, but
I couldn’t create a list about beautiful songs without mentioning
“I Love Christmas”. The girls’ vocals are truly beautiful in
this song, and you’ll find yourself smiling no matter what your
mood. The lyrics are cheesy, just like the Fast Food Rockers
like it, but they fit perfectly. “I Love Christmas” sums up
the spirit of Christmas perfectly. This is an another example
of a flawless masterpiece, and it should have been a huge hit for
the Fast Food Rockers.
#2. :: Aqua – Aquarius
Aqua’s second album “Aquarius” is absolutely riddled with amazing
ballads, and the title track “Aquarius” is a perfect example.
Lene’s voice is absolutely incredible in this song, and the
beautiful instrumentals that accompany her compliment her give me
chills. I hope that Aqua returns to their roots and records
another song as amazing as Aquarius for their new album this
year. There’s absolutely nothing negative to say about this
song – it’s pure perfection. As always, Aqua does it
best. It’s no wonder they’re the best known.
#1. Aqua – Goodbye To The Circus
“Goodbye To The Circus” represents the end of Aqua, and their
promise that they will one day be back. I think this is the
most beautiful bubblegum ballad ever written, and the fact that
they kept their promise and did indeed return (even modeling their
initial return after this song by dressing up as circus
characters), makes this song even more special. It was a
tough decision choosing between Aqua’s “Aquarius” and “Goodbye To
The Circus”, but because of this special meaning, I feel that
Circus wins. “Goodbye To The Circus” is an absolute
masterpiece. With expert production and the most beautiful
vocals from Lene and Rene, I feel that “Goodbye To The Circus”
deserves the title as the best bubblegum ballad ever.
