Which Songs Can You Identify Almost Immediately Upon Hearing Just a Note or Two?

[XB70]

We've all been there before. You change stations on the radio, hear a note or two, and immediately know what song it is!

It might be the song's beginning, an instrumental break in the middle, or the end as the song trails off, but you know it without a doubt, right now.

Given the age range on this forum we should come up with quite a variety, but think of just a few of the classics most of us probably recognize quickly: the opening guitar note of Take It Easy, the first organ note of Freebird and the vocal that starts Wipeout are just three examples.

So, which songs are on your list?

 

[moribundman]

I instantly recognize 'Sweet Home Alabama' -- and I don't even care for it.

 

[k1xv]

"Satisfaction",
"House of the Rising Sun"
"Light My Fire"
"Whole Lot of Shakin Goin On"
"Great Balls of Fire"
"I Wanna Hold Your Hand"
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony"
"Also Sprach Zarathustra" (remember the movie "2001 A Space Oddysey?)

 

[Locomotive]

Louie,Louie
Stairway to Heaven
Space truckin
Smoke on the water
man in the box

 

[outrun]

I like this old song, who was it? so I can buy it

Don't laugh, just found out Neil Diamond in the artist for Sweet Caroline

who sings:

title: "ride like the wind" [maybe?}

paraphrased lyrics: "and i got such a long way to go, to make it to the border of mexico."

 

[michaelc80]

Shambala-3 dog night
Bohemian Rhapsody-Queen
Just about anything by the Eagles
Any Way You Want It-Journey
Another Day In Paradise-Phil Collins
American Pie-Don McLean
Carry On My Wayward Son-Kansas
Magic Carpet Ride-Steppenwolf
Born To Be Wild-Steppenwolf
Walking On Sunshine-Katrina and the Waves
We Will Rock You-Queen
At The Hop-Danny and the Juniors
Come Go With Me-Del Vikings
My Ding-A-Ling-Chuck Berry

I could go on and on....

 

[michaelc80]

quote:

---

Originally posted by outrun:
I like this old song, who was it? so I can buy it

Don't laugh, just found out Neil Diamond in the artist for Sweet Caroline

who sings:

title: "ride like the wind" [maybe?}

paraphrased lyrics: "and i got such a long way to go, to make it to the border of mexico."

---

Christopher Cross-Ride Like The Wind

It is the night, my body's weak
I'm on the run, no time for sleep
I've got to ride, ride like the wind
To be free again

I was born the son of a lawless man
Always spoke my mind with a gun in my hand
Lived nine lives, gunned down ten
Gonna ride like the wind

And I've got such a long way to go
To make it to the border of Mexico
So I'll ride like the wind
Ride like the wind

Accused and tried and told to hang
I was nowhere in sight when the churchbells rang
Never was the kind to do as I was told
Gonna ride like the wind before I get old

 

[Papa Bear]

"Red River rock" Johnny & the Hurricanes
"At the Hop" Danny & the Juniors
P.B. (still groovin' to the '78's)

 

[Papa Bear]

80 gig to 160 gig is nothin'....Remember when they went from 4 track to 8, now THAT was a technological breakthrough !!
P.B.

 

[Papa Bear]

michaelc80...now you got the Del Vikings playing in my head....and it won't stop !! wah.wah.wah.....wah.
P.B.

 

[GeaugaFletcher]

At a properly chosen moment, The Rite of Spring.

 

[mikemc]

One of my all time favorites is 'Waiting on a friend' by the Stones. The opening guitar chords are hard to miss and I have to stop whatever I'm doing and turn up the radio.

 

[mechtech]

Hearing one note isn't enough.
Hearing one note while sung by a specific artist, or played on a certain instrument with a certain timbre and duration can make a song instantly recognizable.

 

[Tree Hugger]

"She's not there" The Zombies
"Pretty Flamingo"
"One two three" Wilson Pickett

 

[NJC]

Had to dig through some songs for this. Besides one thousand others, here's a few:

- Spinning wheel, Blood sweat and tears
- If I fell, Beatles (first "note" is John singing "if")
- Still got the Blues, Gary Moore
- People get ready, Rod Stewart; Jeff Beck guitar
- Sour Suite, Guess Who (maybe)
- Ventura Highway, America
- Ashes to Ashes, David Bowie

[ March 12, 2006, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: njc ]

 

[ekpolk]

"The Sultans of Swing", Dire Straights 1978.

It was sort of an "in" party song way back when I was a high school senior.

Great karmic timing on this thread -- about two nights ago, my wife and I were eating at the local "Logan's" steak place, and sure enough I heard it -- about two notes of the Sultans, and I had it ID-ed.

 

[eljefino]

Niel Young: Keep on rockin' the free world
Green Onions (particularly on the ballpark organ)
YMCA
National Anthem

Duran Duran: Rio
Devo: Whip it

Lots of disco... lots of repetition, easy to pick up in the middle, hard to forget.

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

---

Originally posted by eljefino:
{snip} Lots of disco... lots of repetition, easy to pick up in the middle, hard to forget.

---

Another memory from 1978: hoping and praying that Disco would eventually go away, perhaps taking polyester leisure suits along with it. I hoped this, while at the same time, harboring a lingering fear that Disco might just stay forever (meaning perhaps that this existence was actually just an ugly illusion where in reality, I had already died and gone to where St. Peter is NOT waiting to check you in. . .

 

[XB70]

Ekpolk, when you first heard Sultans of Swing back in 1978, did you think Knopfler's voice sounded a little like Dylan's?

 

[pepper32]

Baker Street: Gerry Raferty