The song Andy Warhol called “the greatest pop record ever written”
The struggle with one-hit wonders is that they’re the perfect version of precisely what they are. This may seem positive, but it opens up an endless list of questions about the musician behind the genius: how did they create such a great song, and why were they unable to replicate it? In the art world, Andy Warhol was anything but a one-time achiever, but the music that soundtracked his days at The Factory told a different story.
Warhol’s work in the music industry was transformative not only for the art industry but also for how it traversed various musical genres and conventional boundaries. Starting in jazz, Warhol became a prophetic spearhead of telling bold musical statements through the power of pop art and comic, bright, and whimsical compositions.
Once one of the most sought-after artists in music, Warhol’s musical tastes were somewhat eclectic, with his days in The Factory being filled with the endearing sounds of artists ranging from Dickie Lee and Martha & The Vandellas to The Kinks. He also apparently enjoyed his share of rock ‘n’ roll classics, though precisely what these were has long been speculated, with many saying he dabbled in some of the biggest names from The Rolling Stones to The Beatles.
Warhol was fascinated by celebrity culture, so it’s no surprise that he also enjoyed the music that he often found himself in close proximity to. Though many sounds pervaded the expansive space of The Factory and Warhol crossed paths with some of the most renowned trailblazers you could think of, like The Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan, the song that the artist allegedly listened the most to was actually ‘Sally Go Round The Roses’ by The Jaynetts.
In fact, it’s said that Warhol listened to this song repeatedly and even once called it “the greatest pop record ever written”. Naturally, this has led many to speculate as to why the esteemed artist would favour such a record over the huge variety of pop and rock songs he became exposed to, but it seems likely that its simplicity and endearing hook may just be the answer.
‘Sally Go Round The Roses’ provided a unique spin on an old nursery rhyme with arrangements provided by Artie Butler. The song was The Jaynetts’ only hit song, which only adds a layer of intrigue to its arrangements. As the only song Warhol apparently listened to while working on his early pop art, ‘Sally Go Round The Roses’ exudes a particular simplistic positivity characteristic of the 1960s counterculture movement.
Warhol’s storied life and career are well-documented, and yet there remains a substantial amount of enigma surrounding the artist. Though he worked on a series of high-profile projects, his fixation with The Jaynetts’ one-hit wonder might shed a little light on who he was beneath the enigmatic surface. Though a complicated character, his gravitation towards ‘Sally Go Round The Roses’ could speak to his more straightforward interests when it came to easy, unfiltered pop tunes.
