Songs where the chorus is an instrumental

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Yeah, I forgot that he does repeat the last line of the previous verse at the end of the chorus in "The Loudest Sound".

Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Friday, 8 October 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Kitchens of Distinction - "The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule". Best part of this great song too.

Vinnie (vprabhu), Friday, 8 October 2004 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Can - 'I want more'

Morgen, Friday, 8 October 2004 14:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Kitchens of Distinction - "The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule"

is a superb example because the sound is actually part of the lyric; "the third time we opened the capsule/everything went ..." WHOOOOOOOOSH.

i fucking LOVE that song. i haven't heard it for years either. must dig it out.

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 8 October 2004 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes! I love that little lyrical/musical moment too.

Vinnie (vprabhu), Friday, 8 October 2004 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

The best is Joy Division's "Atmosphere".

The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Friday, 8 October 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The first chorus of Open Your Heart - Human League

Shooz (shooz), Friday, 8 October 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I consider the guitar melody from I'm a CUckoo a chorus

tremendoidmandel, Friday, 8 October 2004 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Led Zeppelin - "The Wanton Song"

sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 8 October 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

sundar otm! Nice.

57 7th (calstars), Friday, 8 October 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Newest one I heard was:
The Strokes "12:51"

AaronHz (AaronHz), Friday, 8 October 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Several of the songs on Phil Collins' "..But Seriously..." album are like this.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 8 October 2004 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

"I Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode sort of fits in, at least if the synth hook counts as a chorus.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 8 October 2004 23:25 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...
Slowdive - "40 Days"

What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Thursday, 31 March 2005 22:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Walk this way.
-- dave225 (right.knewi...), October 8th, 2004 4:26 AM. (Dave225)


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Aerosmith, "Sweet Emotion"
-- Myonga Von Bontee (scottyfield...), October 8th, 2004 4:31 AM. (Myonga Von Bontee)

Both of these Aerosmith songs have choruses that distinctly feature the songs' titles being sung! WTF!

gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 31 March 2005 22:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Weezer - Burndt Jamb
Ash - Uncle Pat

Crackity (Crackity Jones), Thursday, 31 March 2005 23:31 (twenty-one years ago)

radiohead - "pop is dead"

mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 31 March 2005 23:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Swell Maps - Cake Shop

Sasha (sgh), Friday, 1 April 2005 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

OMD - enola gay, 2nd thought, electricity. I've always found em to be masters of the wordless chorus.

Bjorn Deleuze (Ocelot Wildly), Friday, 1 April 2005 02:10 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...
Aerosmith, "Sweet Emotion"
-- Myonga Von Bontee (scottyfield...), October 8th, 2004 4:31 AM. (Myonga Von Bontee)

Both of these Aerosmith songs have choruses that distinctly feature the songs' titles being sung! WTF!

-- gygax!

Yeah, you're right - dunno what I was thinking. I suppose I was considering "Sweet Emotion"'s heavy guitar part function as a chorus, just because it shows up after every verse.

Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 08:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Propaganda - "P:Machinery"

OleM (OleM), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 09:20 (twenty-one years ago)

OMD - enola gay, 2nd thought, electricity. I've always found em to be masters of the wordless chorus.

Indeed. The most obvious example being "Maid of Orleans".

Koens (Koens), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 09:24 (twenty-one years ago)

omd - almost every song

dameron ciaz, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 09:57 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

Bjork - Play Dead
Metallica - Fade to Black

chap, Monday, 27 October 2008 17:17 (seventeen years ago)

someone mentioned the smiths : "the boy with the thorn", "barbarism"...

AleXTC, Monday, 27 October 2008 17:23 (seventeen years ago)

The White Stripes one that might fit the bill is Hand Springs

Dr X O'Skeleton, Monday, 27 October 2008 17:25 (seventeen years ago)

Erm, Earl Brutus "Your Majesty, We Are Here" has an awesome chorus in which Nick (rest his soul) yells "YEAH YEAH YEEEEEAH" over the top...does this count?

restraint and blindness (Just got offed), Monday, 27 October 2008 17:27 (seventeen years ago)

Well, if it does, so does Lithium.

Mark G, Monday, 27 October 2008 17:30 (seventeen years ago)

He also yells "BABA BAAA BA-BA BA-BA/ BABA BAAAA BA BA BA/ BABA BAAAA/ BAAA BA BABA BAAAA", if that helps.

restraint and blindness (Just got offed), Monday, 27 October 2008 17:30 (seventeen years ago)

99 Red Balloons

ecuador_with_a_c, Monday, 27 October 2008 17:35 (seventeen years ago)

Ride - Howard Hughes

(awesome song, maybe their best)

restraint and blindness (Just got offed), Monday, 27 October 2008 17:38 (seventeen years ago)

Also, many other Ride/shoegaze in general songs

restraint and blindness (Just got offed), Monday, 27 October 2008 17:38 (seventeen years ago)

Massive Attack 'Angel'

Cittaslow Mazza (blueski), Monday, 27 October 2008 17:45 (seventeen years ago)

prince "when doves cry"

AleXTC, Monday, 27 October 2008 17:46 (seventeen years ago)

beatles "and your bird can sing"

AleXTC, Monday, 27 October 2008 17:48 (seventeen years ago)

hercules & love affair - blind

groovemaaan, Monday, 27 October 2008 18:34 (seventeen years ago)

Red Snapper - Sleepless

chap, Monday, 27 October 2008 18:37 (seventeen years ago)

Doves - "When Prince Cries"

henry s, Monday, 27 October 2008 18:46 (seventeen years ago)

Thunder Road

kornrulez6969, Monday, 27 October 2008 19:03 (seventeen years ago)

It seems like on many of these we are treating the main riff of a song as if it were the chorus. It's kind of a fuzzy definition.

Like is the little keyboard figure that comes up several times in "When Doves Cry" really the chorus?
I always thought the chorus was the part that goes "How could you just leave me standing... etc."

Moodles, Monday, 27 October 2008 20:15 (seventeen years ago)

Isn't the chorus to "And Your Bird Can Sing" the part that goes "When your prized possiessions start to weigh you down..."?

Moodles, Monday, 27 October 2008 20:17 (seventeen years ago)

How about "Town Feeling" by Kevin Ayers?

Moodles, Monday, 27 October 2008 20:21 (seventeen years ago)

"Message From Home" by Broadcast

Moodles, Monday, 27 October 2008 20:30 (seventeen years ago)

Supernaut

Bill Magill, Monday, 27 October 2008 20:46 (seventeen years ago)

Hymn 43: Jethro Tull

kornrulez6969, Monday, 27 October 2008 20:53 (seventeen years ago)

Swervedriver "Last Train to Satansville"

Moodles, Monday, 27 October 2008 21:45 (seventeen years ago)

three weeks pass...

White Stripes "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"

Immovable Fiesta (Adept), Saturday, 22 November 2008 13:02 (seventeen years ago)

Steve Earle: "Guitar Town" and its obvious predecessor,
Johnny Cash: "Tennessee Flat Top Box"

ftw.

staggerlee, Saturday, 22 November 2008 18:07 (seventeen years ago)

Most of the songs on Phil Collins' "But Seriously" album.

Geir Hongro, Saturday, 22 November 2008 18:09 (seventeen years ago)

seven months pass...

Pink Floyd: Fearless

kornrulez6969, Thursday, 16 July 2009 16:10 (sixteen years ago)

For example "Party Fears Two" by The Associates

Also "Paper House" by The Associates.

Ned Caligari (Tom D.), Wednesday, 8 May 2019 17:16 (seven years ago)

That M83 song

We were never Breeting Borting (President Keyes), Wednesday, 8 May 2019 17:20 (seven years ago)

Thin White Rope’s version of “some velvet morning” where they simply replace Nancy’s bit with dual lead guitars

valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 8 May 2019 19:37 (seven years ago)

Does R.E.M.'s "Belong" count here?

No, there are (wordless) vocals.

Pavement - Grounded

The chorus is, “Boys are dyin’ on these streets...”

get your hand outta my pocket universe (morrisp), Thursday, 9 May 2019 02:52 (seven years ago)

Geto Boys - 'My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me'

The chorus (if it has one) is, “My mind is playin’ tricks on me...”

get your hand outta my pocket universe (morrisp), Thursday, 9 May 2019 03:20 (seven years ago)

UPTOWN FUCKIN' FUNKKK

Uh...

get your hand outta my pocket universe (morrisp), Thursday, 9 May 2019 03:27 (seven years ago)

If the guitar bit in Grounded had vocals you - ok I - would definitely say it was the chorus, and 'boys are dying on these streets' the bridge, or the last line of it.

The Pingularity (ledge), Thursday, 9 May 2019 07:52 (seven years ago)

"21st Century Schizoid Man"

the word dog doesn't bark (anagram), Thursday, 9 May 2019 08:31 (seven years ago)

four years pass...

Ivy - “Baker”

I know this song very well but today it has me picturing a bleary eyed Baker Mayfield staring at the Cleveland skyline at 3am after finding out the Browns got Deshawn Watson.

brimstead, Friday, 9 February 2024 00:24 (two years ago)

xxp It couldn’t have vocals, it’s just a gtr riff! But even if he sang something over it, I’d still say “Boys are dyin’…” is part of the chorus. It’s certainly not the bridge(?)

atmospheric river phoenix (morrisp), Friday, 9 February 2024 03:01 (two years ago)

Pavement songs don’t often have bridges, IIRC… they’re lesson in, “only include a bridge if you really write a kickass one” (e.g., “Stereo”).

atmospheric river phoenix (morrisp), Friday, 9 February 2024 03:04 (two years ago)

You never, never know when the bridge falls apart.

citation needed (Steve Shasta), Friday, 9 February 2024 03:36 (two years ago)

these threads are kind of fascinating. it's amazing for a board that loves music how so many people don't seem to know what a chorus is

budo jeru, Friday, 9 February 2024 05:46 (two years ago)

Vocabulary is what we make it (but also lol completely otm)

H.P, Friday, 9 February 2024 07:59 (two years ago)

Kraftwerk, "Tour de France". Actually most (all?) Kraftwerk songs, I think?

The British Boy of Film Classification (Tom D.), Friday, 9 February 2024 08:09 (two years ago)

Paul Simon - Duncan

Valentijn, Friday, 9 February 2024 11:16 (two years ago)

Depeche Mode - Shame

Kim, Friday, 9 February 2024 14:16 (two years ago)

"Duncan" is a great one!

budo jeru, Friday, 9 February 2024 16:47 (two years ago)

A ton of EDM songs I guess count here

Rich E. (Eric H.), Friday, 9 February 2024 17:47 (two years ago)

one year passes...

Lodi

Tracer Hand, Sunday, 28 September 2025 13:22 (eight months ago)

Blondie “Atomic”

J. Sam, Sunday, 28 September 2025 14:11 (eight months ago)


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