Songs with an awesome "a capella" bit right before the last chorus

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Surprised I'm not able to think of more examples of this offhand, this is one of my favorite tropes in pop music

I put "a capella" in quotes because there's often drums or bass or something, but often everything else drops out. Doesn't have to be before the last chorus either, I just put that in because that's usually where it is. Here are two examples:

Gentle Giant - Free Hand (live)
https://youtu.be/vMrYSTzqFI8?t=3m45s

Yasuyuki Okamura - Young Oh! Oh!
https://youtu.be/D58OAZ0VkAg?t=3m1s

You???

frogbs, Monday, 20 March 2017 14:16 (seven years ago) link

love this part in 'never been any reason'

dynamicinterface, Monday, 20 March 2017 14:27 (seven years ago) link

You're My Only One by Cadallaca, the great 90s Corin Tucker Sarah Dougher album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q_rBu6vp_w

kornrulez6969, Monday, 20 March 2017 14:47 (seven years ago) link

Pumpkins to thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBiuJ4Pc0po

Silverfuck (around 6.10: bang bang you're dead)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhvrvVGh2hY

XYU (around 4.00: AND IN THE EYES OF THE JACKAL I SAY KABOOM)

Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 20 March 2017 15:04 (seven years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNjrBUzXDJk

Dan Worsley, Monday, 20 March 2017 15:23 (seven years ago) link

Repeated the trick on 'Don't Bring Me Down' too.

Dan Worsley, Monday, 20 March 2017 15:24 (seven years ago) link

Raspberries' "Overnight Sensation" pwns this

Οὖτις, Monday, 20 March 2017 15:57 (seven years ago) link

the "transistor-radio" mix punch in at 3:05 (which, granted, is not strictly a cappella since the guitar is still out front in the mix) is one of my favorite pop music moments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s82ho7w9X6Q

Οὖτις, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:00 (seven years ago) link

There haven't been many posts to this thread and it is still shameful and embarrassing that En Vogue hasn't been posted yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIuYQ_4TcXg

Rachel Luther Queen (DJP), Monday, 20 March 2017 16:01 (seven years ago) link

Bboys "sloop john b" is a great one

AlXTC from Paris, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:11 (seven years ago) link

Bboys "sloop john b" is a great one

AlXTC from Paris, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:11 (seven years ago) link

the "transistor-radio" mix punch in at 3:05 (which, granted, is not strictly a cappella since the guitar is still out front in the mix) is one of my favorite pop music moments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s82ho7w9X6Q

oh yeah that's nice

There haven't been many posts to this thread and it is still shameful and embarrassing that En Vogue hasn't been posted yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIuYQ_4TcXg

good one but I can only think of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOqb_UzJSUQ

frogbs, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:22 (seven years ago) link

^^ meant to say, that's a good one, quote function is kinda weird if you're quoting multiple things I guess

There haven't been many posts to this thread and it is still shameful and embarrassing that En Vogue hasn't been posted yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIuYQ_4TcXg

good one but I can only think of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOqb_UzJSUQ

frogbs, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:23 (seven years ago) link

lol @ me

with En Vogue I can only think of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOqb_UzJSUQ

frogbs, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:23 (seven years ago) link

multixpost to myself, they also did it on 'Rockaria!' too, probably on other stuff I've missed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfK8t4j7I64

Dan Worsley, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:26 (seven years ago) link

omg frogbs, that is the best

Rachel Luther Queen (DJP), Monday, 20 March 2017 16:29 (seven years ago) link

lmao

Οὖτις, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:29 (seven years ago) link

Pumpkins to thread

"The Everlasting Gaze" came to mind first.

billstevejim, Monday, 20 March 2017 16:30 (seven years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OiSEr1-LYk

Dan Worsley, Monday, 20 March 2017 18:18 (seven years ago) link

Are we counting only distinct "bits," and not a capella renditions of the chorus, followed by the full band kicking back in for the final go-round? I'm thinking of the robot doo-wop group that shows up in Eric Carmen's "Make Me Lose Control" to deliver their pinched, alien, fascinating version of the chorus before BIG COLLINS-STYLE DRUMS call the rest of the arrangement back into existence. I'm sure the intended effect is something similar to the "Sloop John B" bridge, but compositionally it's a different animal.

tales of a scorched-earth nothing (Doctor Casino), Monday, 20 March 2017 18:28 (seven years ago) link

more pumpkins :)

5:12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jryXCyvzDUQ

2:46

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWJYaep-0sg

flappy bird, Monday, 20 March 2017 18:33 (seven years ago) link

/Pumpkins to thread/

"The Everlasting Gaze" came to mind first.

I think every SP1 album has at least one of these... drawing a blank on Adore, though.

flappy bird, Monday, 20 March 2017 19:57 (seven years ago) link

An absolute doozy here from the former Coil man: https://youtu.be/gbgX58t7WrY

an uptempo Pop/Hip Hop mentality (imago), Monday, 20 March 2017 21:59 (seven years ago) link

2:49

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afrdo2qneoI

Gavin, Leeds, Monday, 20 March 2017 22:01 (seven years ago) link

Think there are a couple of others on O & O actually.

Gavin, Leeds, Monday, 20 March 2017 22:04 (seven years ago) link

The bit at 2:29 is the best. It's only one bar, but I love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAn3JdtSrnY

DJI, Monday, 20 March 2017 22:10 (seven years ago) link

Ah, thought of another example: The Tangent - "In Darkest Dreams", which actually does this in the context of a prog epic (~18 mins in)

https://youtu.be/Cfzchg1VNtk?t=18m6s

frogbs, Wednesday, 22 March 2017 21:19 (seven years ago) link

Not completely a capella [has tambourine] and super obvious but 'Dance To The Music'

MaresNest, Wednesday, 22 March 2017 21:26 (seven years ago) link

nah that's exactly what I'm looking for

frogbs, Wednesday, 22 March 2017 21:29 (seven years ago) link

I'm not really the first person to include this by The Doobie Brothers, am I?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ljExHrDLY

Rachel Luther Queen (DJP), Wednesday, 22 March 2017 21:37 (seven years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-3LuhQ5plU

MaresNest, Wednesday, 22 March 2017 21:56 (seven years ago) link

Heard this at the dentist yesterday. Does have some bass with the a capella bit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuN6gs0AJls

that's not my post, Thursday, 23 March 2017 04:52 (seven years ago) link

Joan Jett - I Hate Myself For Loving You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPkTGm4RtVM

Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL5spALs-eA

illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 23 March 2017 10:19 (seven years ago) link

Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Bon Jovi - You Give Love a Bad Name

Both with percussion but yeah.

Sushi and the Banchan (Spectrist), Friday, 24 March 2017 15:21 (seven years ago) link

1:55 or so. I know ppl hate her/this schtick but whatever this song is good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYvABfWf6cM

Οὖτις, Friday, 24 March 2017 15:31 (seven years ago) link


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