I rock in the affirmative! I rock in the negative!
February 24, 2011 6:13 PM   Subscribe

Please help me find the most life-affirming "Yeah!" and devastating "No!" in all of rock n' roll history.

I've got a single standard for rock and roll's perfect "Yeah!" -- one that should be familiar to sunglasses-puller-offers the world over, The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again".

And I've got two pretty good "No"s in Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath" and Clutch's "Passive Restraints".

But what are the other great "Yeah/Yes" and "No" songs of rock n' roll? Lyric searches are fruitless, because they're common words -- I want songs that define the feeling of "Yeah!" and "No!"

It's probably not a coincidence that my examples are a "Yeah!" and a couple of "Oh no"s rather than a straight "yes" or "no." I'm looking for the from-the-gut "Yeahs" that make life worth living, or the soul-wrenching "Nos" that make me doubt the sanctity of my immortal soul. What are they? Rock n' roll is huge. There must be more.
posted by Shepherd to Media & Arts (45 answers total) 21 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Tommy James?
posted by Max Power at 6:17 PM on February 24, 2011


There are a few examples listed under music on TV Tropes' Big No and Big Yes pages.
posted by Paragon at 6:19 PM on February 24, 2011


My favorite "Yeah" is from U2's "Angels of Harlem" although that's a "Yeah Yeah"
posted by sweetkid at 6:22 PM on February 24, 2011


The "No!"s in Biotech Is Godzilla (live) are intense and desperate.
posted by ignignokt at 6:24 PM on February 24, 2011


Yello, "Oh Yeah"
posted by candyland at 6:31 PM on February 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Rollins offers up a pretty good "Yeah!" on Black Flag's "My War".
posted by davebush at 6:36 PM on February 24, 2011


The pivotal "yeahhhhh!" in the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" is pretty primal.
posted by bassomatic at 6:39 PM on February 24, 2011 [4 favorites]


The "no no no nos" in the midst of Bohemian Rhapsody ("Bismillah! We will not let you go"
"Let me go" .... "no, no, no, no, no, no, no") build up pretty big.
posted by drlith at 6:39 PM on February 24, 2011 [2 favorites]


The canonical "Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh!" is the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again".
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:48 PM on February 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


...and I should learn to read the post more carefully....
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:48 PM on February 24, 2011 [4 favorites]


Biscuit Turner's "Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!" in the Big Boys' "No" is my personal apex of No-dom.
posted by Ufez Jones at 6:50 PM on February 24, 2011


Maybe a bit more relaxed than you're going for - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Suck my Kiss if you're looking for a Yeah with a funky bass line.

A bit more intense Yeah at the beginning of Kick out the Jams by the MC5 - very energetic song from 1969

No more Mr. Nice Guy from Alice Cooper has some pretty raw NOs

And it's a bit off topic, but the "I've Got Blisters on my Fingers" at the end of Helter Skelter is absolutely mind blowing. There's an "All Right" at the end of Revolution that's pretty raw as well.
posted by itheearl at 6:58 PM on February 24, 2011


I'll try and dig up some live Mountain Goats. John Darnielle does the most life-affirming 'YEAH!'s I have heard
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 7:03 PM on February 24, 2011


I like the "Yeah" in Metallica's Fuel at 2:35 (hmm, I can't seem to get the 2:35 link to work right. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvF9PAxe5Ng#t=02m35s Doing something wrong.)
posted by smcameron at 7:18 PM on February 24, 2011


I thought this was a "no!" but if you would settle for some "why?! why?! why?! why!?" followed by a very defeated "arggggggggh" check out the last 20 seconds of Bouncing Souls' "We're Neurotic."
posted by salvia at 7:27 PM on February 24, 2011


The canonical "Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh!" is the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again".
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 9:48 PM on February 24
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Eponysterical!

I would think The Zombies' "Tell Her No" might get some points on sheer quantity. Seventyish times in two minutes and change.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:27 PM on February 24, 2011


I think it's more of a yelp and not actual language, but the beginning of new rose by the damned- holy shit.
posted by tremspeed at 8:06 PM on February 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Guns 'N Roses - Welcome To The Jungle (very big YEAH at 2:44)
Nine Inch Nails - Physical (no no no no no no NOOOOOOO at 4:49)

MacArthur Park's "oh noooooooooooo" (I'm thinking of the Weird Al: Jurassic Park version) is quite a NO.
posted by flex at 8:14 PM on February 24, 2011


There's a pretty intense "NO!" shriek in You Oughta Know at the 2:00 mark.
posted by Ashley801 at 8:27 PM on February 24, 2011


There's a great yeah in Polvo's "Fractured (Like Chandeliers)" at around 2:55.
posted by equalpants at 8:32 PM on February 24, 2011


While they aren't technically "yeah" or "no", Springsteen has some really great grunts that translate into somewhat into affirmative; one during the breakdown in "Born to Run" and in "Darkness on the Edge of Town".

The yeah at the end of The Counting Crows "Rain King" is pretty powerful. That was the first one I thought of.

"Don't (Make Waves)" by the Gossip has a fabulous screaming yeah that is certainly life-affirming for me. Ms. Ditto has got some serious pipes and delivers a incredible exclamation, both in that particular song and in general.

I am going to agree with Lovecraft in Brooklyn that Darnielle's live Yeahs are seriously life-affirming. The man puts everything into his stage performances.
posted by godshomemovies at 8:36 PM on February 24, 2011


Perhaps more yelps and screams than actual "yeahs" but:

HR. Bad Brains. "Sailin' On". Or "Attitude". (That rising howl that he clips off before spitting, "we got that attitude!"? That empowers me to walk through brick walls.)

And not a "yeah", but an absolutely unmistakeable and important rock vocalization: "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" from the Ramones' "Blitzkreig Bop".

(Ooh, now I wanna ask a similar follow-up question about the word "baby".)
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:14 PM on February 24, 2011


The pivotal "yeahhhhh!" in the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" is pretty primal.

Isn't it "whyyyyyyy"?
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:19 PM on February 24, 2011 [2 favorites]


Sucidal Tendencies - Institutionalized is one big NO
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:31 PM on February 24, 2011


pretty obvious, but Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab' has a great 'no'

for YES, check out Jason Anderson - July 4, 2004. it's a live video and i can't vouch for the quality, but the 'Oh Jason are you still waiting? I AM I AM AND I LOVE THIS PART!' is perfect

Frank Turner - I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous. right near the end. 'YEAH 'cause life is about love, lost moments and lost hours'
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:40 PM on February 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


and here's a good Mountain Goats 'Yeah' song - Sax Rohmer Number 1
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:45 PM on February 24, 2011


Tick Tick Boom by the Hives is full of yeahs.
posted by kbar1 at 9:49 PM on February 24, 2011


Man, I always thought Ballroom Blitz had a pretty iconic set of Yeahs. The first Yeah should be the best one. There's also a nice "Oh yeah".
posted by muddgirl at 9:53 PM on February 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


The Pogues, "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah"
posted by kirkaracha at 10:07 PM on February 24, 2011


Willst du bis der Tod euch scheidet
treu ihr sein für alle Tage

NEIN!

You weren't being English-specific, were you?
posted by Mister Fabulous at 10:11 PM on February 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Human Beinz , "Nobody But Me": "No-no, no, no, no-no-no, no, no-no, no, no-no/Na-no, no, na-no, no-no, na-no, no-no, no, no-no, no" (cover of the Isley Brothers original with less no).
posted by kirkaracha at 10:11 PM on February 24, 2011


Twisted Sister's 'no' from "We're not gonna take it" is fun. But short.
posted by norm at 10:47 PM on February 24, 2011


No:

The Who - Magic Bus
Bobby Conn - Rise Up (there's a good "yeah" in there too)

Yeah:

The Beatles - Hey Jude
13th Floor Elevators - You're Going to Miss Me
posted by hydrophonic at 10:47 PM on February 24, 2011


Yeah:

The Kinks - You Really Got Me (also a good "Oh, No!")
posted by hydrophonic at 11:06 PM on February 24, 2011


The pivotal "yeahhhhh!" in the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" is pretty primal.

Isn't it "whyyyyyyy"?


Pretty sure it was "I," just stretched out to sound more like AAAAAAAAAIYYYYYYYE
posted by Ghidorah at 12:02 AM on February 25, 2011


Michael Stipe famously joked that, when he wrote "Man on the Moon," he wanted to make sure there were more "yeah" in it than "Smells Like Teen Spirit." So there are two songs with "yeah"s although "Teen Spirit" is definitely more rockin'.
posted by lunasol at 12:11 AM on February 25, 2011


I guess it's not really rock so much as soul but James Brown is a goldmine for screaming, primal yes's, no's, I's, and tons of others. I especially love his performance of Please, Please, Please on the TAMI show.
posted by azuresunday at 12:27 AM on February 25, 2011


Here is your no.
posted by fire&wings at 4:56 AM on February 25, 2011


The pivotal "yeahhhhh!" in the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" is pretty primal.

Isn't it "whyyyyyyy"?

Pretty sure it was "I," just stretched out to sound more like AAAAAAAAAIYYYYYYYE


Yeah, it's "I" he says it in that drawn out tone a few times, "IIIIII can't stand it...IIIII can't stand rocking when I'm in here"

--

For my submission I'm going to say Team America - Fuck Yeah.
posted by zephyr_words at 6:24 AM on February 25, 2011


In the Saw Doctors's "That's What She Said Last Night" there are a lot of yeahs.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:43 AM on February 25, 2011


Kim Gordon does a pretty monstrous "Ehh" at :37 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbrvGu5bBvc. Not sure if it counts but I always thought of it as one of the great rock & roll Yeahs. Now after listening back I'm not sure if it's a yeah or an eh.

Some excellent britpunk NO NO NO NO action in Wire's "Mr. Suit": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj_2CACW-tU

Pretty sure there's a whole lot of great Iggy & Stooges yeahs and nos, but can't think where at the moment.
posted by Erroneous at 7:44 AM on February 25, 2011


The Counting Crows - "Rain King" has a great "Yeeeeeaaahh!" at the end that my musician friends and I always like to imitate.
posted by emelenjr at 7:50 AM on February 25, 2011


Outkast - BOB. hip hop, but still
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 9:01 AM on February 25, 2011


No 'She Loves You'?

I'm sure there's a few in the work of Pulp too. And The Wedding Present's 'Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah', which, wonderfully, on the final chorus changes to 'yes yes yes yes yes'.
posted by mippy at 9:46 AM on February 25, 2011


for "no," I recommend Neil Young's "Last Dance" from the Time Fades Away album.

for "yeah," go with David Johansen's "Personality Crisis" from the Live It Up record.
posted by Allez at 12:00 PM on February 25, 2011


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