non-proggy songs in odd meters
October 5, 2022 10:29 AM Subscribe
Maybe I've been watching too much music theory Youtube recently, because I've become interested in odd time signatures. I think I understand the basics of how they work, and if I know the time signature of a Soundgarden or Tool song, I can count it off like I can 4/4 or 3/4. But like, bands who write songs in odd meters tend to be on the proggy end of things, whereas my taste tends more toward straightforward pop-rock: Cheap Trick, the Ramones, Tom Petty, the Gin Blossoms, etc. Can you recommend some songs that aren't in 4/4 or 3/4 but are more, let's say, accessible?
I'm maybe not the best person to discriminate on the basis of any progginess or jazziness because I kinda dig those things (sometimes specifically because of all the crazy time signatures and polyrythyms!) but here are a few tunez:
Tattooed Love Boys switches between something like 15/8 (7/8 and 8/8) and 16/8
Solisbury Hill is 7/4
Electric Feel is 6/4
15 Step is 5/4
River Man is 5/4
5/4 def 5/4
posted by DNAshwood at 10:55 AM on October 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
Tattooed Love Boys switches between something like 15/8 (7/8 and 8/8) and 16/8
Solisbury Hill is 7/4
Electric Feel is 6/4
15 Step is 5/4
River Man is 5/4
5/4 def 5/4
posted by DNAshwood at 10:55 AM on October 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
A short compilation of well known songs (admittedly some are a bit prog): https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/top-10-songs-not-in-4-4-time-a7935741.html
posted by crocomancer at 10:59 AM on October 5, 2022
posted by crocomancer at 10:59 AM on October 5, 2022
Seven Days by Sting was famously written in 5/4 because Sting was sick of hearing 4/4 in pop music.
Supertramp uses mixed meters a lot in their music. They are a pretty good compromise between pop and prog.
posted by forbiddencabinet at 10:59 AM on October 5, 2022
Supertramp uses mixed meters a lot in their music. They are a pretty good compromise between pop and prog.
posted by forbiddencabinet at 10:59 AM on October 5, 2022
"Hey Ya" by Outkast! I don't have the musical knowledge to explain it, but here's an article that does. Key takeaway:
'While the song starts in 4/4 time, it can be broken up into six measure phrases, in which every fourth measure (throughout the song) is a measure of 2/4 (first heard at 1:13 in the video below). This reinforces the continuously heard deceptive cadence, as the song is in G major. The chords move in a I-IV-V pattern – with the D major chord played in the 2/4 measure, preceding said deceptive cadence. The V (Dmaj) chord resolves to a VI (Emaj) chord."
posted by feistycakes at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
'While the song starts in 4/4 time, it can be broken up into six measure phrases, in which every fourth measure (throughout the song) is a measure of 2/4 (first heard at 1:13 in the video below). This reinforces the continuously heard deceptive cadence, as the song is in G major. The chords move in a I-IV-V pattern – with the D major chord played in the 2/4 measure, preceding said deceptive cadence. The V (Dmaj) chord resolves to a VI (Emaj) chord."
posted by feistycakes at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
Good question! I'll be interested in suggestions too.
Just for educational purposes you should listen to the whole Time Out album, pretty much the whole thing is a study in turning less conventional time signatures into easily accessible/likeable, even danceable music. You already know Take Five, it's in 5/4.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
Just for educational purposes you should listen to the whole Time Out album, pretty much the whole thing is a study in turning less conventional time signatures into easily accessible/likeable, even danceable music. You already know Take Five, it's in 5/4.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
Happiness is a Warm Gun switches time signatures a few times.
posted by saladin at 11:22 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by saladin at 11:22 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
"Spoilt Victorian Child" by The Fall is in 5/4, if I remember correctly
posted by SystematicAbuse at 11:36 AM on October 5, 2022
posted by SystematicAbuse at 11:36 AM on October 5, 2022
Spin the Bottle by the Juliana Hatfield Three is in 5/4
posted by music for skeletons at 11:42 AM on October 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by music for skeletons at 11:42 AM on October 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
Genesis can get pretty prog, but "Turn It On Again" is mostly pop fun. The verse/chorus sections alternate time signatures, 6/4 to 7/4 (13/4), while the intro and bridge sections are in 4/4 and 5/4 (9/4).
posted by indexy at 11:54 AM on October 5, 2022
posted by indexy at 11:54 AM on October 5, 2022
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears.
Golden Brown by The Stranglers.
Possum Kingdom by The Toadies
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:04 PM on October 5, 2022
Golden Brown by The Stranglers.
Possum Kingdom by The Toadies
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:04 PM on October 5, 2022
Turn The World Around by Harry Belafonte is in 5/4.
posted by Daily Alice at 12:32 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by Daily Alice at 12:32 PM on October 5, 2022
There are definitely parts of the excellent Frank Black song "Los Angeles" that are in like 9/4 time or something.
posted by kensington314 at 12:32 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by kensington314 at 12:32 PM on October 5, 2022
Also, "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" by the Beatles shifts from 4/4 to like, at least two other time signatures, I'm not musician enough to be able to say what, though.
posted by kensington314 at 12:35 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by kensington314 at 12:35 PM on October 5, 2022
Lion in a Coma by Animal Collective is in 9/8.
posted by MetaFilter World Peace at 12:45 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by MetaFilter World Peace at 12:45 PM on October 5, 2022
I believe "Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin" by the Magnetic Fields is in 21/8 (!).
posted by praemunire at 12:47 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 12:47 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Big fan of River City Extension's Our New Intelligence, which changes meters twice from 5/4 to 4/4 and back again.
posted by peppercorn at 12:49 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by peppercorn at 12:49 PM on October 5, 2022
The Day I Tried to Live is in alternating 4/4 and 7/8, spent a few months on the Mainstream Rock chart, and... I dunno, it's not pop, but I seem to remember it striking me as pretty normal grunge-flavored alt rock at the time, and not as anything brainy or esoteric.
Soundgarden had other stuff in odd meters, but I think that's your best bet for mainstream-ness.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:08 PM on October 5, 2022
Soundgarden had other stuff in odd meters, but I think that's your best bet for mainstream-ness.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:08 PM on October 5, 2022
Sister Jack by Spoon
At the end of the tune, this is what the ultimate guitar tab site says happens:
"(These last two sequences add an extra (5th) beat on the chords marked *)
G Gsus4* Em Em7* C Cmaj7* D7 D6*
G Gsus4* Em Em7* C Cmaj7* D7 D6"
It's subtle, but really adds to the song. It's the part I wait for when I hear it.
posted by umbú at 2:06 PM on October 5, 2022
At the end of the tune, this is what the ultimate guitar tab site says happens:
"(These last two sequences add an extra (5th) beat on the chords marked *)
G Gsus4* Em Em7* C Cmaj7* D7 D6*
G Gsus4* Em Em7* C Cmaj7* D7 D6"
It's subtle, but really adds to the song. It's the part I wait for when I hear it.
posted by umbú at 2:06 PM on October 5, 2022
Adrienne Lenker's amazing tune two reverse is interestingly lopsided. It starts around 3m00s on this video.
Also, I'm pretty sure the New Pornographers add and snip beats like this too, but I don't know their catalogue inside and out enough to know which songs it happens on.
posted by umbú at 2:08 PM on October 5, 2022
Also, I'm pretty sure the New Pornographers add and snip beats like this too, but I don't know their catalogue inside and out enough to know which songs it happens on.
posted by umbú at 2:08 PM on October 5, 2022
Pixies screwed around with this a lot, though often it was playing a pattern of (some # other than 4) chords over 4/4, or just dropping occasional measures or beats. Once you're 30 seconds in, La La Love You is in 5/4. Mostly!
posted by miles per flower at 2:14 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by miles per flower at 2:14 PM on October 5, 2022
Alive and Brilliant by Deborah Conway. 5/4, not proggy at all.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:20 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:20 PM on October 5, 2022
Sufjan Stevens (Sufjan reddit discussion link) has lots of examples.
posted by umbú at 2:46 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by umbú at 2:46 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Phish's Harpua is normally in 7/4 (I think...) time, but in this 1996 Vegas version Les Claypool sits in with them for a 4/4 version, and it sounds plain wrong.
Go find yourself a standard Harpua (even 8/17/96, but probably better https://relisten.net/phish/1997/12/30/harpua?source=162547) to hear the difference.
posted by morspin at 3:53 PM on October 5, 2022
Go find yourself a standard Harpua (even 8/17/96, but probably better https://relisten.net/phish/1997/12/30/harpua?source=162547) to hear the difference.
posted by morspin at 3:53 PM on October 5, 2022
Empress by Morningsiders came up on my music feed recently; sounds like it's 7/4 in the verse (with lots of triplets, to boot) and 3/4 and quite waltzy in the chorus. Pop/folk, I'd say.
Mumford and sons' Awake My Soul sort of counts beats until they get bored; 4/4 with some 3/4 bars thrown in, or something like that, so if you tap out the rhythm you keep coming up 7s when you might expect 8s. And Hopeless Wanderer's base rhythm is one hand on the piano playing 6 beats with the other playing 4 in every bar, more a polyrhythm than a weird time signature.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:16 PM on October 5, 2022
Mumford and sons' Awake My Soul sort of counts beats until they get bored; 4/4 with some 3/4 bars thrown in, or something like that, so if you tap out the rhythm you keep coming up 7s when you might expect 8s. And Hopeless Wanderer's base rhythm is one hand on the piano playing 6 beats with the other playing 4 in every bar, more a polyrhythm than a weird time signature.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:16 PM on October 5, 2022
The Dismemberment Plan (indie rock) used a lot of odd times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSQXZg_POeI&ab_channel=DismembermentPlan-Topic
posted by falcon42 at 10:20 PM on October 5, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSQXZg_POeI&ab_channel=DismembermentPlan-Topic
posted by falcon42 at 10:20 PM on October 5, 2022
Don't forget Money by Pink Floyd, 7/4 time with some 4/4 parts.
posted by mmoncur at 10:56 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mmoncur at 10:56 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Lalo Schifrin's Mission Impossible theme is in 5/4
Amerie's 1 Thing is also 5/4 (apparently, I'm terrible at recognising time signatures).
posted by fabius at 5:24 AM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Amerie's 1 Thing is also 5/4 (apparently, I'm terrible at recognising time signatures).
posted by fabius at 5:24 AM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
beatles, all you need is love, mostly in 7/4.
posted by j_curiouser at 9:17 AM on October 6, 2022
posted by j_curiouser at 9:17 AM on October 6, 2022
5/4 time shows up pretty often, apart from all the examples above and of course Gorillaz' 5/4 (which doesn't stay in 5/4 time), there was I swear an entire episode of Sound Opinions devoted to songs in 5/4 time (I can't find it now).
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 5:26 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 5:26 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
king gizzard and the lizard wizard have some proggy songs sure, but they also go from folk to metal.
here's a list of the time signatures of all their songs.
although it's a year old so they probably have released 5 albums since it was written.
e.g. the cruel millennial
starts with 12 bars of 11/4 and then it does (1 bar of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 10/4)x2 and then 3 bars of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 12/4 and then 7 bars of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 12/4 and then 4 bars of 5/4 and then 4 bars of 11/4 and then (1 bar of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 10/4)x2 and then 5 bars of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 12/4 and then 28 bars of 5/4 and then 1 bar of 17/4 and then the rest of the song is in 11/4.
posted by onya at 3:38 AM on October 7, 2022
here's a list of the time signatures of all their songs.
although it's a year old so they probably have released 5 albums since it was written.
e.g. the cruel millennial
starts with 12 bars of 11/4 and then it does (1 bar of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 10/4)x2 and then 3 bars of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 12/4 and then 7 bars of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 12/4 and then 4 bars of 5/4 and then 4 bars of 11/4 and then (1 bar of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 10/4)x2 and then 5 bars of 11/4 and then 1 bar of 12/4 and then 28 bars of 5/4 and then 1 bar of 17/4 and then the rest of the song is in 11/4.
posted by onya at 3:38 AM on October 7, 2022
I'm probably too late to comment on this, but Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill is in 7/4 and it's just amazing. That song and Money by Pink Floyd are the only 7/4 songs I'm aware of.
Also Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead is in, I think, 10/4? Maybe it's just 5/4?
If you want to listen to Jazz, probably the craziest time signature ever is Rondo A La Turk by Dave Brubeck. There are nine beats per measure. It's fantastic.
posted by crapples at 8:34 AM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead is in, I think, 10/4? Maybe it's just 5/4?
If you want to listen to Jazz, probably the craziest time signature ever is Rondo A La Turk by Dave Brubeck. There are nine beats per measure. It's fantastic.
posted by crapples at 8:34 AM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
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This Rick Beato video covers 20 others.
"Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls shifts between 3/4 and 4/4 really smoothly. So although it doesn't really meet your criteria, the way it shifts between meters is pretty unusual for a pop song.
posted by jonathanhughes at 10:48 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]