Songs with Musical Interludes

[scotchandcigar]

We have a Favorite Instrumentals thread, but there are also songs that have an instrumental section within them, which is more like a musical interlude. It could come at the beginning of a song, or the middle, or end. But it's different than the typical guitar solo break, or using an intro to simply lay down a rhythm or chord progression.

A musical interlude is something that's distinct from the rest of the song. And in the best examples, you'll be listening to a familiar song, and kind-of zoning out, and when you start paying attention to the music again, it causes you to say "wait, WTF is this?".

I'll start with songs that have distinct musical intros. While these are not exactly what this thread is about, I feel they still qualify as a kind of musical interlude. Examples:

Boston – Foreplay/ Long Time
Van Halen – Eruption/ You Really Got Me
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
Elton John – Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding
Jethro Tull – Locomotive Breath
John Cougar Mellencamp – I Need a Lover (long version)
The Cure – Fascination Street

Now these songs are really what got me to make this thread. Specifically, I was listening to the first one, and had the experience of losing my focus on the song; and when I came back, I wasn't sure what I was listening to. It's the perfect example, because the musical interlude is right in the middle of the song.

Sweet – Love is Like Oxygen (long version, starts at 3:08)



This early Fleetwood Mac song (with Peter Green) is an example of a song that ends with a musical interlude. What's funny is there's a whole Part 2 that I'm leaving out, which is nothing but the sad ballad instrumental.

Fleetwood Mac – Oh Well Part 1(starts at 2:20, goes into part 2)



Of course, this is one of the most famous songs that transitions to a musical interlude, or outro.

Derek and the Dominos – Layla (starts at 3:10)



These guys loved throwing in a musical interlude on many of their songs

Led Zeppelin – Dazed and Confused (starts at 2:05)



This one is actually structured like a typical improvisational jazz piece, where the melody and chord structure are introduced briefly, and then most of the song is just riffing on that, with the song's intro coming back at the end.

Loggins & Messina – Angry Eyes (starts at 1:32)

 

[scotchandcigar]

This one has a musical outro.

The Who – Baba O’Riley (starts at 4:00)



This weird musical interlude/ piano solo comes right in the middle of the song.

Thunderclap Newman – Something in the Air (starts at 2:00)



And here's one that everyone knows

Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine (starts at 2:34)

 

[Channel98]

Tommy James & The Shondells' Crimson & Clover was number one for two weeks in February 1969. The song was cut from 5:22 to 3:23 for release as a single. Here is the long version with that groovy, heavy, trippy, psychedelic, far-out "musical interlude":

 

[scotchandcigar]

Tommy James & The Shondells' Crimson & Clover was number one for two weeks in February 1969. The song was cut from 5:22 to 3:23 for release as a single. Here is the long version with that groovy, heavy, trippy, psychedelic, far-out "musical interlude":

Yes, the long version gives the listeners plenty of time to pass around the ... umm... herb.

 

[Madison]

We have a Favorite Instrumentals thread, but there are also songs that have an instrumental section within them, which is more like a musical interlude. It could come at the beginning of a song, or the middle, or end. But it's different than the typical guitar solo break, or using an intro to simply lay down a rhythm or chord progression.

A musical interlude is something that's distinct from the rest of the song. And in the best examples, you'll be listening to a familiar song, and kind-of zoning out, and when you start paying attention to the music again, it causes you to say "wait, WTF is this?".

I'll start with songs that have distinct musical intros. While these are not exactly what this thread is about, I feel they still qualify as a kind of musical interlude. Examples:

Boston – Foreplay/ Long Time
Van Halen – Eruption/ You Really Got Me
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
Elton John – Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding
Jethro Tull – Locomotive Breath
John Cougar Mellencamp – I Need a Lover (long version)
The Cure – Fascination Street

Now these songs are really what got me to make this thread. Specifically, I was listening to the first one, and had the experience of losing my focus on the song; and when I came back, I wasn't sure what I was listening to. It's the perfect example, because the musical interlude is right in the middle of the song.

Sweet – Love is Like Oxygen (long version, starts at 3:08)

Fleetwood Mac – Oh Well Part 1(starts at 2:20, goes into part 2)

Derek and the Dominos – Layla (starts at 3:10)

Led Zeppelin – Dazed and Confused (starts at 2:05)

Loggins & Messina – Angry Eyes (starts at 1:32)

That is interesting Scotch. I only recognized two of the songs. Love Is Like Oxygen and Layla. Famed Midwest DJ Larry Lujack use to say Layla was played in full on the air for the Night DJ's who had to deal with calls from lonely hearts so they would put that song on.
I will listen to your 2nd group later and maybe come up with one of my own on this fine President's Day.

 

[Channel98]

Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride, which peaked at #3 on the November 30 1968 Hot 100, is another song with a groovy, heavy, trippy, psychedelic, far-out "musical interlude" that was not included on the single. Here is the original 4:30 version, with John Kay and his bandmates doing a fine fine job of lip-synching.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride, which peaked at #3 on the November 30 1968 Hot 100, is another song with a groovy, heavy, trippy, psychedelic, far-out "musical interlude" that was not included on the single. Here is the original 4:30 version, with John Kay and his bandmates doing a fine fine job of lip-synching.

That musical interlude was just the right amount of time for the keyboard player to blow-dry his hair.

 

[Channel98]

Steppenwolf's keyboardist was John Goadsby. He called himself Goldy McJohn – which sounds like it could be the name of the restrooms at McDonald's.

 

[Aaron]

Aside from songs already mentioned, first one that came to mind was a song I'm not crazy about.
MacArthur Park by Richard Harris. It's got this up tempo section in the extended version.

Shine on You Crazy Dimaond by Pink Floyd
Light My Fire by the Doors (long version)

 

[sadchild]

John Cougar Mellencamp – I Need a Lover (long version)
The Cure – Fascination Street

Both are on my fav songs of all time list! And both have radio edits - common for long ass intro songs.

The new Cure album has a bunch of songs with massively long intros. Love it.

Track 1 "Alone" vox start at 3:21, song length 6:48
Track 2 "And Nothing Is Forever" vox start at 2:47, song length 6:53
Track 8 "Endsong" vox start at 6:23, song length 10:23

 

[scotchandcigar]

Aside from songs already mentioned, first one that came to mind was a song I'm not crazy about.
MacArthur Park by Richard Harris. It's got this up tempo section in the extended version.

This is actually a "standard" for high school concert and jazz bands. So I'm familiar with it.

 

[Channel98]

Songwriter Jimmy Webb never forgave Richard Harris for changing "MacArthur Park" to "MacArthur's Park." The Four Tops' remake peaked at #38 on the October 9 1971 Hot 100 and reached #27 on the R&B chart. Donna Summer's disco remake was number one for three weeks in November 1978 and reached #8 on the R&B chart.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Shine on You Crazy Dimaond by Pink Floyd
Light My Fire by the Doors (long version)

The first one has a really long intro. And I didn't realize that the full album version of Light My Fire was over 7 minutes! There's a version that's 2 and 1/2 minutes, for the pop radio stations.

 

[scotchandcigar]

This one fits the category perfectly. At 1:50 into the song, a narrator comes on, and it goes into another song, like someone changed the radio station. Eventually, the original tune fades back in. This song is big on First Wave, and it has caught me off-guard several times.

Big Audio Dynamite - Rush



Oh, and it also samples the synth line from Baba O'Reilly by The Who.

 

[scotchandcigar]

I suspect none of you are interested, but here it goes anyway. The well-known Emerson Lake & Palmer song, which starts "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends", is from a large work of music on the album Brain Salad Surgery called Karn Evil 9. The part they play on the radio is Karn Evil 9, Ist Impression Part 2. The reason it starts with "welcome back" is because the song actually begins in Part 1 (on side 1 of the LP). Part 1 starts with an introductory piece about the end of humanity or some such. There's some lyrics, and great instrumentals from Keith Emerson on keyboards.

Anyway, at about 5:20 into Part 1, the song starts with the lyrics below. The concept is about a show (get it? Karn Evil = Carnival) in a post-apocalyptic world.

Step inside! Hello! We've a most amazing show
You'll enjoy it all we know
Step inside! Step inside!

We've got thrills and shocks, supersonic fighting cocks.
Leave your hammers at the box
Come inside! Come inside!

Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

Left behind the bars, rows of Bishops' heads in jars
And a bomb inside a car
Spectacular! Spectacular!

If you follow me there's a speciality
Some tears for you to see
Misery, misery,

Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

Next upon the bill in our House of Vaudeville
We've a stripper in a till
What a thrill! What a thrill!

And not content with that,
With our hands behind our backs,
We pull Jesus from a hat,
Get into that! Get into that!

Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

And then on the album, this is followed with Part 2 (on side 2 of the LP), which contains the familiar lyrics.

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along

Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
Greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh

Right before your eyes we pull laughter from the skies
And he laughs until he cries, then he dies, then he dies

Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh

Soon the Gypsy Queen in a glaze of vaseline
Will perform on guillotine, what a scene, what a scene
Next upon the stand will you please extend a hand
To Alexander's Ragtime Band, Dixieland, Dixieland

Roll up, roll up, roll up
See the show

Performing on a stool we've a sight to make you drool
Seven virgins and a mule, keep it cool, keep it cool
We would like it to be known the exhibits that were shown
Were exclusively our own, all our own, all our own

Come and see the show, come and see the show
Come and see the show
See the show

This is Part 1, note how it fades out at the end. If you just want to get to the 2-part song, go to 5:22.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 1 (the song that starts here and goes into Part 2 begins at 5:22)



This is Part 2, the one they play on the radio. The way it fades-in matches Part 1.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 2

 

[sadchild]

I didn't realize that the full album version of Light My Fire was over 7 minutes! There's a version that's 2 and 1/2 minutes, for the pop radio stations.

Blondie "Call Me" is the same

2:15 (music video version)
3:32 (radio edit)
8:05 (album version)

Big Audio Dynamite - Rush

One of my fav songs of all time, and I love it mostly for the crazy interlude!

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

"Call Me" on the greatest hits CD for Blondie is the 3:33 version.

 

[Aaron]

Karn Evil 9 is cool, but I've only listened to the full thing a few times

 

[scotchandcigar]

Karn Evil 9 is cool, but I've only listened to the full thing a few times

When I was a kid, I listened to 1st impression parts 1 & 2 over and over. Back then, the synth work was really leading edge. The next track, 2nd impression, is really a totally separate improvisational piece. And 3rd impression is also unrelated, very much a regal classical sound.

Nowadays, I listen to the more familiar stuff, every so often.

 

[Madison]

This one has a musical outro.

The Who – Baba O’Riley (starts at 4:00)


This weird musical interlude/ piano solo comes right in the middle of the song.

Thunderclap Newman – Something in the Air (starts at 2:00)


And here's one that everyone knows

Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine (starts at 2:34)

Gosh I've heard them all but never considered it from that perspective. Thuderclap Newman "Something in the Air" is really great. I did not know who the artist was but always enjoyed it when it came on the air. And I've never seen "Almost Famous".