OK, this has been bugging me for years. Every once in awhile I hear this song on the radio–maybe once or twice a year. It has a mainstream 80s rock sound to it, but I don’t recall hearing it until the 2000s. I’m pretty sure, though, that it’s a song from the 80s or possibly early 90s that just flew under my radar. It has a very similar progression to Rocket from the Crypt’s “On a Rope.” ( Listen here for reference.)
The way I remember it in my head it goes something like, in the key of C, as:
C - C (pause) Bb - C - C - (pause) Bb - C - Eb- C- Bb - C - C. (That C-C-Bb part might repeat one more time in the beginning.)
(I don’t think it’s in the key of C, though. Since the main riff is on guitar, I assume it’s probably either power fifths starting on an F# or B chord.) Anyhow, the main riff plays around with those notes, and then when the singing comes in, there is a chord that is held for four bars, and at the completion of the sung phrase, it goes back into that chord progression above.
Geez Louise, I gave you like half the song right there. Male singer. Riff is played on guitar, but it’s a very pop distorted guitar sound,. It’s trying to sound a little hard rock, but it’s total top 40 rock. No idea on lyrics. I want to say around 120 bpm.
No horns that I remember. Basic rock set-up. There may be some keys or synth rounding out the sound, but I don’t recall anything “hooky” played on those instruments. The hook is that guitar progression.
I know I know, but letters on a screen don’t translate to music in my head so well. I was hoping you’d say horns and I could be like “That’s The Impression That I Get” by MMBT and you’d be like ‘OMG Genius!’. But you ruled that out pretty quick.
No, no. Nothing that hard rock. Listen to the progression in the linked song. It’s similar to that, but with 80s mainstream rock production to it. Like think in the vain of Huey Lewis or Robert Palmer, but without prominent synths or horns,
After seeing Chessic Sense’s song ID thread, it seems to me that I could just write “what’s that song that’s stuck in my head” without any further description, and somebody here would nail it.
No, not that one. You’re in the ballpark of the “rock” sound that I’m looking for. I don’t remember this song having quite the keyboard countermelodies or a sing along “la la la” sound to it, though.
OK, here’s another stab at it. About a decade ago, I was dicking around with some recording gear and sketched out a song. Here it is. A song with a very similar to that chord progression is basically what I’m looking for.
It was distorted guitar, but not quite that grungy. More clean and commercial. But a very similar progression with a similar rhythm to it. And just that repeating opening riff, not the “chorus” part. I also think it was a wee bit slower than that, maybe 10 bpm slower.
Male singer. Riff is played on guitar, but it’s a very pop distorted guitar sound,. It’s trying to sound a little hard rock, but it’s total top 40 rock. No idea on lyrics. I want to say around 120 bpm.