Favorite Parts of Songs

I had an idea for a topic today, as I was listening to music...

What are your favorite parts of a song? Not so much for the lyrics, as for the music itself. And not even necessarily your favorite song, but any that has a certain portion you love to hear - the most common reason would probably be because of a great solo, but also think of cool transitions, like a shift in tempo, a new instrument coming in, etc. Kind of like the part that you look forward to, when you're listening. I know I'm doing a poor job of setting this up, so let me just share some of mine:

Led Zeppelin - The Rover - 3:13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JybkqBGrVs

Led Zeppelin - Bring It On Home - 1:40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz4gRjI-HRA

Pink Floyd - Time - 2:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYiahoYfPGk
The entire intro leaves me in anticipation of this part.

Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls - 1:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOnw1JMw7yA

Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter - 3:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYIUgdD9gj8
I found this piece of trivia from the Songfacts site: At about the 3:04 mark, when Merry Clayton sings the high note on "Murder," you can hear Mick Jagger in the background saying "Whoo!" - after reading this and noticing it, I now always listen for it in the song!

I'm sure I can think of more, which I'll add...
What about you?

with a lot of the songs in the "charts" today,my favourite parts are usually the end of the song

Well, I'm old school, so two oldies off the top of my head.

I LOVE the sitar (sp) part in George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord." It was such a new sound at the time, but that's my favorite part of that song. I wish he would have used it more.


Also, I love the guitar solo at the end of "Hotel California." I saw the Eagles live about 10 years ago, and they played the newer version with a regular guitar. I love the song, but it wasn't the same as the original without the electric guitar.


TIS

From Frank Sinatra's "It Was a Very Good Year" when the violins start playing. Gives me chills.

Good one SC. I like that part too. It is so dramatic fitting in with the entire theme of the song. Powerful stuff!



TIS

Jimi Hendrix guitar solo in the middle of "All Along the Watchtower" - cool how the sound goes from one channel to the other.

Joe Cocker's scream in "With a Little Help From My Friends"

Van Morrison - Live, "Caravan" from "The Last Waltz" - end of of song ..."Turn It Up Now!" and he keeps it going with, "gimme one more time" about 10 times.

From the musical "Les Miserables", Colm Wilkinson's last note on "Bring Him Home"......"Bring....Him...Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmme"

Speaking of Hendrix, can't forget The Star Spangled Banner. Awesome stuff.


Oh, and the instrumental part of Layla. How can you not crank up the sound? Beautiful!!!



TIS

Billy Joel's "Movin' Out"..."he's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac-ac-ac-ac-ac-ac, you oughta know by now..." I love that part!

Yes, good one Mark. I love Billy Joel!

A couple more:

From Simon & Garfunkle's, "I Am A Rock". I could pick many songs by S&G because there lyrics are always so poetic.

I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.
If I never loved I never would have cried.


Oh, and although not my favorite S&G song, "The Boxer"....."Li di di, li di di di di di di, li di di" You get get my drift. I like that part very much.


TIS

With Simon & Garfunkel and Billy Joel in mind, I am reminded of how, when hearing of a hometown or beloved area is mentioned in a song, the effect that mention has on the crowd listening to it.

Two particular songs come to mind:

Billy Joel's "Miami 2017" mentions many of New York's areas, and one "live" version of the song was on an album. It was chilling to hear the crowd roar in appreciation as the loved areas were mentioned....

"We held a concert out in Brooklyn" (the crowd roars)....

"They sent a carrier out from Norfolk,
And picked the Yankees up for free" (again, at just the mention of the Yankees, the crowd roars)

"They said that Queens could stay,
They blew the Bronx away,
And sank Manhattan out to sea". (the crowd goes ballistic).

And then, in "America" by Simon & Garfunkel, the mere mention of the New Jersey Turnpike brought a tremendous wave of cheering (from their free concert in Central Park about 1982). Imagine hearing 200,000 voices rising in loud unison at the mention of a parkway!!

This type of good-natured cheering always gives me goosebumps when hearing it.

I know what you mean SC. As far as that same S&G song, "America", these lyrics, are sentimental to me.

Michigan seems like a dream to me now"
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw


I think I saw the concert in Central Park on tv some years back.

TIS

I was at the concert, TIS. I'm not joking when I say that one of the biggest ovations from the entire concert was at the mention of hearing the term, "New Jersey Turnpike".

What a wonderful song that is!

Here's the most famous rendition of Billy Joel's wonderful song "Miami 2017" showcasing the cheering I was talking about:




There's a later rendition, done after September 11th, that is eerily symbolic. You can find that on YouTube, but I warn you it is VERY difficult to watch now.

That is very nice SC. To be honest, that's one BJ tune I can't say I am real familiar with but I do like it. Hearing the song and the audience reaction makes me want to see BJ in concert someday. I can imagine how exciting it was for you to actually be there.

TIS

I found this live version SC.


I've never heard of that song until today. I like it.

Oh, absolutely, love that part!! I got my friend into classic rock and told her to look up this song, but she came across what you've mentioned, with acoustic guitar - and I told her she had to hear it on electric. Thanks, TIS, now I've gotta go listen to it again.

Hotel California is one of the greatest, and one of my favorite songs ever. But if I had to name a favorite guitar solo, it would have to be Freebird. Freebird just has so many great memories for me, mostly hanging out in a bar with my college buddies, probably fairly drunk, lighter held high, part of a crowd loudly requesting "Freebird!" of the cover band on the stage.

Oh yes, Freebird, another one of my favorites.



TIS

here are a few of my picks, out of millions of my favorite songs..

Megadeth - Wake Up Dead, the part at 3:00 - 3:46

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kSvN1dQjxc


Ministry - Stigmata, the part at 4:57 - 6:20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxaPj19VnRA


Killing Joke - Asteroid, the part at 3:02 - 3:21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGZ0sYcmkAk


Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss, the part at 4:03 - 5:38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPUe1nv4gIk


Nirvana - Very Ape, the part at 0:01 - 1:07

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgl6cOpQf40

Hendrix could fill up my entire list. He specialized in big finishes. Among his best big finishes:
"Bold as Love" (Axis Bold as Love).
"Johnny B. Goode" (Hendrix in the West).
"Killing Floor" (video clip from R&R Hall of Fame).
"Purple Haze" (Stages).
"Lover Man" (Hendrix in the West).

Plus: the sax/rhythm break in "Funky Broadway"; the mellotron part in the Moodies' "Legend of a Mind," the end of "Heat Wave,"...

This is gonna sound funny but I like the end of Cleveland Rocks where they say Ohio Ohio Ohio.

The piano/instrumental part of "Layla"

The electric guitar solo (!) at the end of The Carpenters' "Goodbye to Love"

The saxophone solo at the end of a little-known Mary Hopkin song called "Sparrow"

Signor V.

I played that song to death, Mig.

"I got some records from World War Two,
I play 'em just like me granddad do,
He was a villain and I am too,
Oh, CLEEVE-land rocks, CLEEVE-land rocks."

The chorus of Lyin' Eyes by the Eagles:

You can't hide your lyin' eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lyin eyes

The opening of "Summer Wind."

The last Glory, Glory Hallelujah of Elvis's "American Trilogy."

The final verse of "My Way," For what is a man, what has he got . . . Elvis's cover in the Aloha from Hawaii concert might be even better than Sinatra's.

God, a million others.

Just heard one today. Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry", along with the chorus of course "Kick 'em when there up, kick 'em when they're down." Great song!!



Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry



TIS

Hearing The Four Tops belt out that first chorus of "Baaaaby I Neeeeed Your Lovin'..." is sheer musical bliss; the way they combine sounds with the female backup group The Andantes (especially on the "Got" and "Neeeeed") is Heavenly...

Yep! I grew up around Motown. Love it.

Speaking of the Four Tops, I just heard I Can't Help Myself today (one of my favorites). So fun to sing along to "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch"


TIS

John Coltrane's solo on All Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_1Pa6vE14c starts around 6:16

Jimi Hendrix's ending solo on Bold as Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGqPzrNypzw starts around 2:52

Billy Gibbon's second solo chock full of pinch harmonics on LaGrange
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3RLIU7T39I -starts around 2:30

The "whispering/chanting" part of "God Is" by the James Cleveland Choir- starts around 3:15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GauUHGDiTXk&feature=related

Stevie Wonder's vocal solo on "Joy Inside my tears" starts around 3:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeAyN35EjQA

Stevie Wonder's vocal solo on "As" in which he copies Howling Wolf's vocal style before transitioning smoothly back to his own natural tenor. Starts around 3:50 and goes back to his normal voice around 4:25.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQfWJNWe3I

Lilo,

One of our L.A. stations is having a "Motown Weekend" today. I've heard Stevie, Supremes, Four Tops. I am really enjoying it. I think I'd love that sound even if I wasn't from Michigan. It's very distinctive.


TIS

The final verse of "You Don't Know Me," by Ray Charles. Ray sings of unexpressed love with the big band in the background. Sad and beautiful.

Oh, you give your hand to me,
And then you say, "Goodbye."
I watched you walk away,
Beside the lucky guy
Oh, you'll never ever know
The one who loved you so.
Well, you don't know me . . .

(you don't love me, you don't know me)

Well stated sugar pie, honey bunch.

Just a couple more off the top of my head:

1. Pink Floyd's "The Wall" when the kids start singing,"We Don't Need No education..." One of my favorite Rock songs.

2. Led Zepplin's "Black Dog" - I like it's loud and boisterous beginning. Makes you wanna get up and dance or bang your head or something. LOL Love it!! Plant's voice is one of a kind.

Hey hey mama said the way you move,
Gon' make you sweat, gon' make you groove.

3. Coming from someone who does not like C&W, and really don't own any CW music, if I had to pick one person I really didn't mind thru the years, it would be Johnny Cash.
A Boy Named Sue comes to mind. Particularly the very last line.

And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him...
Bill or George, any damn thing but 'Sue'! I still hate that name

TIS

I love Phil Collin's "In The Air Tonight", with its awesome drums.

Oh yes, another good one SB. I love that song. Didn't it debut on Miami Vice???



TIS

It was used in the train scene during "Risky Business", I know that. It was used in Miami Vice, too, but I don't remember which came first! But it does make me think of Don Johnson, before his physical decline.

For some reason Miami Vice wasn't real popular here. I didn't know anyone who watched the show and I didn't either. But yea, Don Johnson was hot!!!!!! Haven't seen him recently or since his last tv show....Nash Bridges.


TIS

He's blown up like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float. I think my favorite role of his was as Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer". He was great - and hot!

Oh yea!! He was steaming!!! LOL I forgot the name of his female co-star, but she was perfect for the part too. If I'm not mistaken, she's blown up like a balloon too.

TIS

I think that was Judith Ivey, and they were very good together. I haven't seen her in quite a while.