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The harmonization of the chorus of David Bowie's single Ashes to Ashes is simply inept - turgid, glutinous, suffocating (against the meaning of the words). From 1:00:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMThz7eQ6K0
But actually the harmonization is pretty bad throughout, there is a sense of the whole thing collapsing under the weight of sheer thickness of texture .
At times, indeed, it is almost as bad as Brahms (heh).
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Contrast what good harmonization can do: The chorus of The La's on the phrase, which is also the song's title: There she goes - this is the only thing that makes the song memorable, and the only thing that makes the chorus good is the way that the harmony opens out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZXLLMbJdZ4
(Actually, the way that the lead singer moves into falsetto as the melody rises is another positive element.)
Or Duran Duran's Girls on Film - when, again, the title-chorus is good almost purely because of the harmony (from 0:50):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWYA9BvxMso
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Conclusion: Good pop songs are not just about melody and rhythm - but harmony sometimes comes into it too: just think of the Beach Boys or The Beatles.
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