ups Honestly, I hear 'Cheerleader' about 5 or 6 times a day at work and I'm having trouble recalling whether it has a topline hook. It's the sung chorus that sticks out the most when I hear it in my head.
'What Do You Mean' - yes there's a little bit of call and response between Biebs and that twiddly synth on the chorus, but I'm not sure how much it compares or counts, since it's more of a production embellishment than a segment away from the vocal that people would sing if asked to recall the song.
'Worth It' - definitely counts, and catchy because it sounds reminiscent of about 20 other things.
'Lean On' - yeah alright I'll give it to ya, even though it's more of a cool squirly noise than a melody
'Goin Down For Real' - not familiar with this one but it's definitely one.
'One Last Time' not sure - maybe? kind of trance, although the refrain is almost identical to the chorus line
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Friday, 27 November 2015 14:41 (eight years ago) link
Not to hop too heavily on the Biebs train, but "Sorry" is a clear example as well. I can barely remember how the rest of the song goes, but the little instrumental hook during the chorus, that I remember
― thom yorke state of mind (voodoo chili), Friday, 27 November 2015 14:51 (eight years ago) link
I think the takeaway from the weird bieber dominance here is that nowadays u can find instrumental hooks mostly in "the drop"
Also is topline not a misnomer - I believe that term refers to the main vocal melody?
― pre millennial tension (uptown churl), Friday, 27 November 2015 15:05 (eight years ago) link
topline is the main melody, vocal or instrumental
― welltris (crüt), Friday, 27 November 2015 15:10 (eight years ago) link
yeah, you might be right. what should i be saying? one-note line? vamp? wordless hook?
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Friday, 27 November 2015 15:10 (eight years ago) link
Well, since everyone knows what you're talking about I guess it doesn't really matter. I feel no need to derail… But "instrumental hook" makes sense to me.
― pre millennial tension (uptown churl), Friday, 27 November 2015 15:37 (eight years ago) link
DJ Snake does it with all his tunes, the Alunageorge one and Turn Down For What? both have instrumental hooks (well, cut-up vocal snippets as melody) as the chorus.
Alex Adair Make Me Feel Better is a legit hit and has a cool (marimba?) hook but maybe too much of a club track. Barbra Streisandm Gecko or Sigma Nobody To Love too?
― Siegbran, Friday, 27 November 2015 15:46 (eight years ago) link
It's more tropical house than anything really - it's kind of interesting because the chorus is essentially the topline melody again, but sung.
Yeah, so I'm not sure it counts, since it's not quite a distinguishable melody from the vocal. Yeah that noise is DJ Snake's trademark. Not sure if I've heard Alex Adair track yet or the others.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Friday, 27 November 2015 15:57 (eight years ago) link
Uptown Funk
― Frederik B, Friday, 27 November 2015 17:34 (eight years ago) link
how bizarre - omc
― flappy bird, Friday, 27 November 2015 17:36 (eight years ago) link
rap beats seem like the obvious answer, although often the instrumental hook is the only melodic element and it never stops, so i guess it's not quite the same thing. thinking of tracks that milk a super-catchy hook for everything it's worth like 'new slaves', 'i don't like', 'hard in da paint', etc
― expertly crafted referential display name (Jordan), Friday, 27 November 2015 19:28 (eight years ago) link
UOENO has one of the catchiest tunes in current hip hop. Not sure if it counts as chart pop in the UK or not tho.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Friday, 27 November 2015 21:06 (eight years ago) link
not that that's a stipulation of course.
there are def a lot of hip hop examples. then again more recent stuff by Future and Young Thug feels a bit like the melodic elements are definitely there, but they're withdrawn into a relatively subtle production style. I only really notice them on third or fourth listen, and then I get hooked.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Friday, 27 November 2015 21:10 (eight years ago) link
Anything MUSSAONDABEAT does the job.
― Jonathan Hellion Mumble, Saturday, 28 November 2015 04:22 (eight years ago) link
That synth part of "What Do You Mean" IS the part I always get stuck in my head!
Feel like the dominance of EDM in pop music the last few years more than makes up for the non-EDM songs that don't have instrumental hooks. It never even occurred to me that it was lacking because I can recall so many EDM-type songs on the radio with strong instrumental hooks.
― Vinnie, Saturday, 28 November 2015 15:44 (eight years ago) link