Songs that have brief musical references to other tunes in there..

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But that’s a lyrical reference not a musical one, sorry misread the thread title.

✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 4 January 2018 20:38 (six years ago) link

Snoop was quoting a Tupac line as well

President Keyes, Thursday, 4 January 2018 20:44 (six years ago) link

new noise : ta for the nudges re Foetus.
of course i knew of the Batman theme, but when it comes to lyrics i rarely join the dots.
and even if i had noticed those lyrics i would not have realised.
that said i am pretty sure there is a massive Elton John rip during one of the songs on the live album, MALE.
'Puppet Dude' perhaps ?
been years since i ventured into that part of the archive.

mark e, Thursday, 4 January 2018 21:39 (six years ago) link

yeah "puppet dude" is a semi-cover of "rocket man" (iirc... it's years since i heard it). more than a "brief musical reference" though.

new noise, Thursday, 4 January 2018 22:02 (six years ago) link

"moonlight in vermont" by captain beefheart quotes "come out" by steve reich

wait what

admittedly this isn't such a "musical" reference... the captain sings "come out to show them" (quoting reich's piece) a bunch of times right as the song morphs into "old time religion".

new noise, Thursday, 4 January 2018 22:06 (six years ago) link

Ray Manzarek worked the riff from "House In The Country" by Blood, Sweat & Tears into his "LA Woman" solo.

Never Learn To Mike Love (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 4 January 2018 23:13 (six years ago) link

Didn't Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" have a bit of Hendrix's "Third Rock From the Sun" in it, or am I thinking of another song? I know someone included Third Rock somewhere.

nickn, Thursday, 4 January 2018 23:35 (six years ago) link

The Prodigy's wretched "Baby's Got A Temper" brings back the Breeders sample from "Firestarter" to highlight Keith Flint declaring that he'll "once again ignite the skyline."

Newb Sybok (Doctor Casino), Friday, 5 January 2018 00:05 (six years ago) link

Listen carefully to the line "And Dan came in from Jersey" in Aimee Mann's "I've Had It" and you can hear a celeste or some such tinkly instrument play a motif from Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run".

Bloody Snail, Friday, 5 January 2018 00:18 (six years ago) link

Frank Zappa "Flakes" has Adrian Belew doing a great Bob Dylan impression (complete with harmonica solos) but no idea what Dylan song it is parodying if any specifically (my knowledge of '70s Dylan is far from comprehensive)

AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 5 January 2018 01:58 (six years ago) link

dean wareham's "emancipated hearts" references "the little drummer boy"

reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 5 January 2018 04:25 (six years ago) link

Frank Zappa "Flakes" has Adrian Belew doing a great Bob Dylan impression (complete with harmonica solos) but no idea what Dylan song it is parodying if any specifically (my knowledge of '70s Dylan is far from comprehensive)

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau)

he quotes lionel hampton's "midnight sun" in "nanook rubs it" though

bob lefse (rushomancy), Friday, 5 January 2018 04:37 (six years ago) link

Sonic Youth's "Winner's Blues" has a shoutout to Carole King's "Sweet Seasons" ("sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you got still the blues") and of course the whole song pretty much has the same melody

The Beatles' "Paperback Writer" has John and George singing "Frère Jacques" behind Paul's lead vocals during the last verse

"Jingle Bells" has been mentioned already, but it's also a popular coda to other Christmas songs including Nat King Cole's take on "The Christmas Song" and Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Snippets of classic xmas songs seem to show up frequently in newer ones in general.

Bowling for Bitcoins (Lee626), Friday, 5 January 2018 12:16 (six years ago) link

Yeah, and "Lonely This Christmas" too.

Mark G, Friday, 5 January 2018 14:07 (six years ago) link

Joni Mitchell's Chinese Café completely interpolates Unchained Melody into, even crediting it as a medley.

in twelve parts (lamonti), Friday, 5 January 2018 14:21 (six years ago) link

Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?
I noticed it was the bit that the Swans cover left out

Stevolende, Friday, 5 January 2018 14:41 (six years ago) link

XTC's Leisure quotes from Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer's Lazybones

MaresNest, Friday, 5 January 2018 14:42 (six years ago) link

just posted in the roland kirk thread, he does a bit of "hey jude":

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

bob lefse (rushomancy), Friday, 5 January 2018 14:47 (six years ago) link

the Four Seasons cover of Jake Holmes' "Genuine Imitation Life" also incorporates the entire "Hey Jude" long fadeout. Didn't bother John Lennon who praised the album it was from.

"Fifty Cents" by Dios (Malos) segues into the "i wanna cry" end second of the Beach Boys' "You Still Believe In Me" for 35 seconds before reverting to the 3rd verse

Bowling for Bitcoins (Lee626), Friday, 5 January 2018 15:00 (six years ago) link

Aimee Mann again from "Whatever:" first track "Long Shot" has a little guitar bit with a quote from "Up the Junction." Think Tilbrook played it!

ellaguru, Friday, 5 January 2018 23:20 (six years ago) link

usher's "u got it bad" briefly interpolates maxwell's "fortunate"

dyl, Friday, 5 January 2018 23:26 (six years ago) link

"williams blood" by grace jones goes into "amazing grace" at the end... i feel there must be a load of songs that do this one.

new noise, Saturday, 6 January 2018 01:23 (six years ago) link

another example of that is 'i want it that way' by the backstreet boys, which is exactly the same vocal melody as bruce springsteen's 'atlantic city'

also uses the piano part from the hook of Spandau Ballet's "True"

I Occasionally Post on ILX (2x5), Saturday, 6 January 2018 02:33 (six years ago) link

Tori Amos - caught a lite sneeze with the NIN reference

"Made my own pretty hate machine"

kolakube (Ross), Saturday, 6 January 2018 22:14 (six years ago) link

It's been posted on ILM before but the main melody for Kraftwerk's Tour de France is lifted wholesale from the beginning of Paul Hindemith's Sonata For Piano and Flute.

MaresNest, Saturday, 6 January 2018 22:34 (six years ago) link

First thing I thought of was the bridge on FKA Twigs' "Two Weeks", which lifts the chorus from "All out of Love" by Air Supply.

Roz, Sunday, 7 January 2018 02:46 (six years ago) link

Destroyer to thread. Let's begin with "The Bad Arts-" 'You've got the spirit - don't lose the feeling' from Joy Division's "Disorder"

Migdalia Amygdala (Dr. Joseph A. Ofalt), Sunday, 7 January 2018 04:40 (six years ago) link

"Adam's Song" by blink-182 references "Come As You Are" in one of the verses ("I took my time, I hurried up / the choice was mine I didn't think enough")

flappy bird, Sunday, 7 January 2018 05:18 (six years ago) link

the dirtbombs' version of 'no expectations' throws in some 'sympathy' and some 'hey jude'

mookieproof, Sunday, 7 January 2018 06:46 (six years ago) link

"Hollaback Girl" has that brief lyrical and melodic reference to "Another One Bites The Dust".

LeRooLeRoo, Sunday, 7 January 2018 07:03 (six years ago) link

Ben Folds Five - 'Philosophy' incorporates Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue in the solo near the end of the track

raise my chicken finger (Willl), Sunday, 7 January 2018 13:10 (six years ago) link

Joni also sings the first line from the US national anthem during the title track from Don Juan's Reckless Daughter.

in twelve parts (lamonti), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 11:14 (six years ago) link

Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?
How did I never notice this before? :0

dorsalstop, Wednesday, 10 January 2018 11:32 (six years ago) link

'Submarine' by Black Grape references the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life' in the 2nd verse

raise my chicken finger (Willl), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 15:02 (six years ago) link

I don't know if it's on purpose but Siobhan Donaghy's "Medevac" quotes "Running Up That Hill" near-exactly (the "if I only could" part before the chorus)

algorithm is a dancer (katherine), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 16:14 (six years ago) link

Yet another Aimee Mann: "Could've Been Anyone," includes a musical quote from the beginning of The Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man." And it is, of course, played by McGuinn.

Monster fatberg (Phil D.), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 17:06 (six years ago) link

Swing out sister breakout --> West End Girls bassline at the beginning

pre millennial tension (uptown churl), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 17:10 (six years ago) link

Didn't Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" have a bit of Hendrix's "Third Rock From the Sun" in it, or am I thinking of another song? I know someone included Third Rock somewhere.

The Amboy Dukes quoted it in "Journey to the Center of the Mind", and I seem to recall Santana quoting it on some live album. And the Replacements did the same during their 2013 Toronto reunion set.

Scape: Goat-fired like a dog! (Myonga Vön Bontee), Wednesday, 10 January 2018 17:13 (six years ago) link

_Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?_
How did I never notice this before? :0

Me neither. Good catch.

This is perhaps not a reference per se but I just noticed so I am putting this here:
“Love the One You’re With” has a descending harmony backing vocal that is similar to the one later used during the chorus of Elvis’s “Burning Love” (originally recorded by Arthur Alexander, as was “Sharing the Night Together”, FYI) The Isley’s live version, which was released after “Burning Love” was a hit, seems to reincorporate this vocal more prominently.

Before Hollywood Swing (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 January 2018 04:20 (six years ago) link

Ah, it was also foregrounded on earlier Isley’s studio version.

Before Hollywood Swing (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 January 2018 04:25 (six years ago) link

Back to that other recent birthday boy who also liked lightning bolts who was mentioned in the OP: In “The Jean Genie” David Bowie does a “Ooh-wooh” reminiscent of Howlin’ Wolf in “Smokestack Lightning.”

Before Hollywood Swing (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 January 2018 04:43 (six years ago) link

El perro del mar - walk on by quotes massive attack - unfinished sympathy

"Like a soul without a mind, in a body without a heart, I'm missing every part"

kolakube (Ross), Thursday, 11 January 2018 05:07 (six years ago) link

The part in Big Boi's Shutterbug where the music stops and everyone starts singing "BACK TO LIFE, BACK TO REALITY" is great

josh az (2011nostalgia), Thursday, 11 January 2018 08:30 (six years ago) link

Did we mention the snippet of "In the name of love" in "Love on your side" ?

Mark G, Thursday, 11 January 2018 08:37 (six years ago) link

I love the 'Silent Night' phrasing in the flute solo to 'Holes' by Mercury Rev.

© louis jagger/richards (Pillbox), Thursday, 11 January 2018 08:50 (six years ago) link

_Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?_
How did I never notice this before? :0

Me neither. Good catch.

Wow, me either.

'cherub rock' by the smashing pumpkins has a couple: the opening E octave vamp is a rip from the middle of rush's 'bytor and the snow dog,'

!

No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Thursday, 11 January 2018 10:04 (six years ago) link

There's a hook in the "Hummer" coda that sounds a bit like a reference to Rush's "In the End", from the same album.

No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Thursday, 11 January 2018 10:11 (six years ago) link

Scott Walker is good at this, but sometimes the references are so cryptically buried as to not be noticed:

- Intro to 'Jesse' is the same opening chords as 'Jailhouse Rock'
- 'The Psoriatic' contains elements of the jazz standard "Ja-Da (Ja Da, Ja Da, Jing, Jing, Jing!)"
- The sound effect at the beginning of 'The Escape' is a riff on the start of the Looney Tunes Merrie Melodies theme

FREEZE! FYI! (dog latin), Thursday, 11 January 2018 11:54 (six years ago) link

"Ja-da" writer is credited on the album

Mark G, Thursday, 11 January 2018 12:32 (six years ago) link

There's a hook in the "Hummer" coda that sounds a bit like a reference to Rush's "In the End", from the same album.

― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Thursday, January 11, 2018 5:11 AM (eight hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

wow, good catch! the acoustic bit in the beginning is very similar to the main chord progression in 'hummer' (D-G/B-C). also when the electric guitars kicked in on 'in the end,' i immediately thought of 'snail.' but yeah that riff at 4:34 in the rush song is identical to the coda of 'hummer.'

'rocket' has one, but no one knows the source. in the 2011 reissue of siamese dream, billy wrote in the liner notes that he lifted the guitar lead line at the end of the song (when everything drops out) from someone/somewhere he "can never reveal." i'm assuming it's rush

flappy bird, Thursday, 11 January 2018 18:34 (six years ago) link


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