1001 Greatest Pop Songs Of All Time - #24 - Ready To Go by Republica

Alyson: Whisper it gently if it helps, but that whole Britpop thing, is was kind of rubbish wasn't it? I mean, it left behind, what Alright, Common People and some decent Oasis tunes - but nothing else, and even those songs aren't exactly being whipped out over and over again for people to enjoy. It's no surprise to me Pop was back in the ascendancy by the end of 1996 - let's face it, people felt good, and looked good, and wanted to feel JOYOUS, and what was there to soundtrack it - Cast? Ocean Colour Scene? Sleeper? Come ON...

Besides, it was hardly POP was it? It was hardly joyous life affirming music that pumped out of stereos in 1995 for the most part, not a lot set for the heart of the dance floor. In fact, out of the whole morass of a "scene", there's only one song, to me, that fairly and squarely sits on this list, and that is the spiky, exciting, headrushing thrills of Ready To Go, by Republica. Now Claire and I had a very long argument since she didn't think this song was Pop, so let me state my case. Band fronted by former model, containing pointless other blokes, but committed to soaring, tuneful nightlife themed thrills? So far, so Blondie surely? Ready To Go is a song of rare, amazing choreography, bouncing along on the rhythms of the wide eyed clubber, about to embark on a night of mayhem. It's a song about expectation, nervous excitement as your pals and you storm out of the house in terms of thrills and clubs. That sounds a lot like Pop to me. Besides, there's no fade out, the song ends sharply and abruptly, never losing it's fizz, or it's momentum. The aggressive vocals shout and cascade all over you, until you can't help but shout along. That's not sing, but SHOUT. And if you are like me, you have, let's face it, been ready to go, from the rooftops, shout(ing) it out. A perfect line, the magic of the night summed up pefectly. If you've never had a night out in a city, full of people, and truly believed you and your friends are the centre of attention, you haven't lifed. And I know when I thought that, felt that, Republica were playing in my head, over and over again. Frankly, what could be more Pop?

I don't know a lot about Republica, and researching them would probably not make me love this song any more (I know the lead singer is called Saffron, and she had proper red hair) and that's about it. Ready To Go will always be a feeling to me, an emotion, a place, the heart stopping moment between drunkeness and sobriety where the whole world stops, and only you remain, as head of the planet. And what, surely, could Pop better represent.

Truly, and simply, amazing