Songs that have brief musical references to other tunes in there..

there's a whole youtube series of stereolab songs and the other songs they reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNRYm3MsuFo

New Order's Way of Life, from Brotherhood, references Love Will Tear Us Apart in the closing acoustic guitar bit.

“Mind on my money, money on my mind” from Snoop’s “gin and juice” (is this actually the origin?) referenced in like 1,000 hip hop songs.

But that’s a lyrical reference not a musical one, sorry misread the thread title.

Snoop was quoting a Tupac line as well

new noise : ta for the nudges re Foetus.
of course i knew of the Batman theme, but when it comes to lyrics i rarely join the dots.
and even if i had noticed those lyrics i would not have realised.
that said i am pretty sure there is a massive Elton John rip during one of the songs on the live album, MALE.
'Puppet Dude' perhaps ?
been years since i ventured into that part of the archive.

yeah "puppet dude" is a semi-cover of "rocket man" (iirc... it's years since i heard it). more than a "brief musical reference" though.

"moonlight in vermont" by captain beefheart quotes "come out" by steve reich

wait what

admittedly this isn't such a "musical" reference... the captain sings "come out to show them" (quoting reich's piece) a bunch of times right as the song morphs into "old time religion".

Ray Manzarek worked the riff from "House In The Country" by Blood, Sweat & Tears into his "LA Woman" solo.

Didn't Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" have a bit of Hendrix's "Third Rock From the Sun" in it, or am I thinking of another song? I know someone included Third Rock somewhere.

The Prodigy's wretched "Baby's Got A Temper" brings back the Breeders sample from "Firestarter" to highlight Keith Flint declaring that he'll "once again ignite the skyline."

Listen carefully to the line "And Dan came in from Jersey" in Aimee Mann's "I've Had It" and you can hear a celeste or some such tinkly instrument play a motif from Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run".

Frank Zappa "Flakes" has Adrian Belew doing a great Bob Dylan impression (complete with harmonica solos) but no idea what Dylan song it is parodying if any specifically (my knowledge of '70s Dylan is far from comprehensive)

dean wareham's "emancipated hearts" references "the little drummer boy"

Frank Zappa "Flakes" has Adrian Belew doing a great Bob Dylan impression (complete with harmonica solos) but no idea what Dylan song it is parodying if any specifically (my knowledge of '70s Dylan is far from comprehensive)

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau)

he quotes lionel hampton's "midnight sun" in "nanook rubs it" though

Sonic Youth's "Winner's Blues" has a shoutout to Carole King's "Sweet Seasons" ("sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you got still the blues") and of course the whole song pretty much has the same melody

The Beatles' "Paperback Writer" has John and George singing "Frère Jacques" behind Paul's lead vocals during the last verse

"Jingle Bells" has been mentioned already, but it's also a popular coda to other Christmas songs including Nat King Cole's take on "The Christmas Song" and Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Snippets of classic xmas songs seem to show up frequently in newer ones in general.

Yeah, and "Lonely This Christmas" too.

Joni Mitchell's Chinese Café completely interpolates Unchained Melody into, even crediting it as a medley.

Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?
I noticed it was the bit that the Swans cover left out

XTC's Leisure quotes from Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer's Lazybones

just posted in the roland kirk thread, he does a bit of "hey jude":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btCyMMViUIQ

the Four Seasons cover of Jake Holmes' "Genuine Imitation Life" also incorporates the entire "Hey Jude" long fadeout. Didn't bother John Lennon who praised the album it was from.

"Fifty Cents" by Dios (Malos) segues into the "i wanna cry" end second of the Beach Boys' "You Still Believe In Me" for 35 seconds before reverting to the 3rd verse

Aimee Mann again from "Whatever:" first track "Long Shot" has a little guitar bit with a quote from "Up the Junction." Think Tilbrook played it!

usher's "u got it bad" briefly interpolates maxwell's "fortunate"

"williams blood" by grace jones goes into "amazing grace" at the end... i feel there must be a load of songs that do this one.

another example of that is 'i want it that way' by the backstreet boys, which is exactly the same vocal melody as bruce springsteen's 'atlantic city'

also uses the piano part from the hook of Spandau Ballet's "True"

Tori Amos - caught a lite sneeze with the NIN reference

"Made my own pretty hate machine"

It's been posted on ILM before but the main melody for Kraftwerk's Tour de France is lifted wholesale from the beginning of Paul Hindemith's Sonata For Piano and Flute.

First thing I thought of was the bridge on FKA Twigs' "Two Weeks", which lifts the chorus from "All out of Love" by Air Supply.

Destroyer to thread. Let's begin with "The Bad Arts-" 'You've got the spirit - don't lose the feeling' from Joy Division's "Disorder"

"Adam's Song" by blink-182 references "Come As You Are" in one of the verses ("I took my time, I hurried up / the choice was mine I didn't think enough")

the dirtbombs' version of 'no expectations' throws in some 'sympathy' and some 'hey jude'

"Hollaback Girl" has that brief lyrical and melodic reference to "Another One Bites The Dust".

Ben Folds Five - 'Philosophy' incorporates Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue in the solo near the end of the track

Joni also sings the first line from the US national anthem during the title track from Don Juan's Reckless Daughter.

Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?

'Submarine' by Black Grape references the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life' in the 2nd verse

I don't know if it's on purpose but Siobhan Donaghy's "Medevac" quotes "Running Up That Hill" near-exactly (the "if I only could" part before the chorus)

Yet another Aimee Mann: "Could've Been Anyone," includes a musical quote from the beginning of The Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man." And it is, of course, played by McGuinn.

Swing out sister breakout --> West End Girls bassline at the beginning

Didn't Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" have a bit of Hendrix's "Third Rock From the Sun" in it, or am I thinking of another song? I know someone included Third Rock somewhere.

The Amboy Dukes quoted it in "Journey to the Center of the Mind", and I seem to recall Santana quoting it on some live album. And the Replacements did the same during their 2013 Toronto reunion set.

_Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?_
How did I never notice this before? :0

Ah, it was also foregrounded on earlier Isley’s studio version.

Back to that other recent birthday boy who also liked lightning bolts who was mentioned in the OP: In “The Jean Genie” David Bowie does a “Ooh-wooh” reminiscent of Howlin’ Wolf in “Smokestack Lightning.”

El perro del mar - walk on by quotes massive attack - unfinished sympathy

"Like a soul without a mind, in a body without a heart, I'm missing every part"

The part in Big Boi's Shutterbug where the music stops and everyone starts singing "BACK TO LIFE, BACK TO REALITY" is great

Did we mention the snippet of "In the name of love" in "Love on your side" ?

I love the 'Silent Night' phrasing in the flute solo to 'Holes' by Mercury Rev.

_Is the coda to Love Will Tear Us Apart a quote from Then He Kissed Me?_
How did I never notice this before? :0

Me neither. Good catch.

Wow, me either.

'cherub rock' by the smashing pumpkins has a couple: the opening E octave vamp is a rip from the middle of rush's 'bytor and the snow dog,'

!

There's a hook in the "Hummer" coda that sounds a bit like a reference to Rush's "In the End", from the same album.