Comments on: What is it about these songs? Help me find more!

Question: What is it about these songs? Help me find more!

kdern — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:33:02 -0800

There was an occasional song or two at first that had something special about them... but once in a while I find another, and I have been able to identify elements that they have in common. Are there other songs out there like these? I must find more!

I first heard it on Elton John's "I Want Love", and then heard the same sound on the Beatles' "Free as a Bird" and Tom Petty's "Walls". I think I can define it as a slow pop/rock beat featuring prominent drums, straight quarter notes on a piano (sometimes guitar), and a slow rhythm of chord changes. The chord progression tends to be pretty simple, and the instrumentation is clean and open. I suppose all of this comes together to allow the melody to stand out.

I'm not sure why I love it, but I want to find more.

Here's what I've found so far. I've been obsessed with each and every one of these and need more! Any others?

- Elton John: I Want Love
- Beatles: Free as a a Bird
- Tom Petty: Walls
- Wilco: Passenger Side
- Tom Petty: This Old Town
- Fountains of Wayne: Mexican Wine
- Fountains of Wayne: I-95
- Badfinger: Come and Get It
- Cake: Waiting

By: kdern

kdern — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:41:55 -0800

Also:

- Aerosmith: Pink
- They Might Be Giants: Contrecoup

By: softlord

softlord — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:41:52 -0800

Anything by Tears for Fears

By: gt2

gt2 — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:08:29 -0800

You might like Joey by Concrete Blonde (from the album Bloodletting). Also on the same album: Caroline

By: natabat

natabat — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:44:22 -0800

You might try listening to kdern Radio, a Pandora station I created to answer this question. You can further tweak it by rating the songs thumbs up or thumbs down. Rating songs will splinter the station off into your own version (ie it doesn't matter what I do to the station after).

By: umbú

umbú — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 13:20:01 -0800

Spoon: much of Gimme Fiction

By: SampleSize

SampleSize — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:50:43 -0800

Nick Heyward: Kite

By: spitbull

spitbull — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:41:13 -0800

What all those songs have in common (the ones I know, which is most) is an accented beat on every eighth note at a slow enough tempo that it is possible for the rhythm section to "drag" the beat slightly ahead of 2 and 4.

By: rhizome

rhizome — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 22:49:38 -0800

Strum rock.

By: Joe Rocket

Joe Rocket — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 03:30:57 -0800

Seconding Pandora to give you a better idea of common features of the tunes- good breakdown with further detail if required.