Pop songs with (near-)identical bookends whose musical content isn't repeated anywhere else in the song
March 31, 2008 5:51 PM   Subscribe

What are some pop songs that are bookended by identical or near-identical passages whose musical content isn't repeated anywhere else in the song?

For example, Rilo Kiley's "Under the Blacklight," or Frente!'s "Most Beautiful."
posted by Cucurbit to Media & Arts (22 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Elvis Costello has a song called "Man Out Of Time" on Imperial Bedroom like that.
posted by greenland at 6:07 PM on March 31, 2008


The Beatles - Eight Days a Week
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:26 PM on March 31, 2008 [1 favorite]


Supergrass, "Eon," from their 1999 eponymous release.
posted by breezeway at 6:29 PM on March 31, 2008


Jimi Hendrix - Castles Made of Sand
posted by wabbittwax at 6:53 PM on March 31, 2008 [1 favorite]


If "the first twenty seconds and the last three minutes of a seven minute song" counts as "bookending", then I've Seen All Good People, by Yes.
posted by Flunkie at 7:45 PM on March 31, 2008


Led Zepplin: Achilles Last Stand
posted by The Light Fantastic at 7:47 PM on March 31, 2008


Yes - Roundabout
posted by mosk at 7:51 PM on March 31, 2008


Ugh. Ugh. I'm embarrassed to admit that I thought of this one, but:

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, by Billy Joel.

It took a phenomenal amount of self-control for me to suffer through that song to verify it matches your criteria, so I hope you appreciate it.
posted by Flunkie at 7:55 PM on March 31, 2008


"God Shuffled His Feet" by the Crash Test Dummies.
posted by mbrubeck at 8:22 PM on March 31, 2008


Yes - Roundabout
Nope. The repetition of the opening phrase is about midway through the song, not at the end.
posted by Flunkie at 8:25 PM on March 31, 2008


"Go All The Way" by The Rasberries.
posted by sourwookie at 8:27 PM on March 31, 2008


I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but John Mayer's "My Stupid Mouth" has a line in it that states, I'm never speaking up again," which is repeated in Your Body Is a Wonderland," the next track on the CD Room for Squares.
posted by mynameismandab at 8:41 PM on March 31, 2008


Tom Waits' Ice Cream Man starts and ends with a spooky melody that contrasts sharply with the song itself. Personally, my theory is that the whole album occurs over the course of a night, and that particular song is the part where he falls asleep, and dreams of being a way more macho guy than he is in the rest of the album. The spooky bit is the sort of "twilight zone" transition part where he falls out of consciousness, then comes back again when he wakes up. YMMV.
posted by roombythelake at 8:41 PM on March 31, 2008


I'm not sure if this qualifies, but Sorrow by Pink Floyd is bookended with a pair of slow, identical guitar riffs. It's obviously different than the rest of the song, which is substantially faster in tempo, even though there are similarities in the guitar work. (YouTube performance.)

One of the most awesome songs ever, regardless.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:49 PM on March 31, 2008


"40,000 Headmen" orig. by Traffic, which I haven't heard, covered by Blood, Sweat, & Tears, which I have.
posted by eritain at 8:53 PM on March 31, 2008


"In the Parkin' Lot" by the Beach Boys
posted by clarahamster at 8:54 PM on March 31, 2008


Xtreme - Stop The World
(I want that 'Master Of Eighties Cheese" award you're all afraid of winning.)
Frank Black - Hang Onto Your Ego
Strange Loop - Liz Phair sorta fits the bill.
Disconnect The Dots - Of Montreal

That's all that spring to mind for me. I can think of so many more that start with a unique "B" section that's never used elsewhere in the song, like 9-9 by R.E.M.
posted by littlerobothead at 9:03 PM on March 31, 2008


Billy Joel's "The Stranger"
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:08 PM on March 31, 2008


Body of an American, by the Pogues.
posted by Flunkie at 9:28 PM on March 31, 2008


I'm pretty sure Romeo and Juliet by The Killers matches this description. Assuming it is 'pop'.
posted by ChrisManley at 5:41 AM on April 1, 2008


Ack. The Killers version is obviously a cover of Dire Straits. I just jumped to the version I first heard.
posted by ChrisManley at 5:44 AM on April 1, 2008


"White room" by Cream.
posted by primer_dimer at 4:40 AM on April 3, 2008


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