# Another song ID. Possibly 80s?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 25, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989 "2014-07-25T02:47:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/1 "2014-07-25T02:47:58Z")
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=777kGx7-qLw).)
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.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/2 "2014-07-25T02:57:19Z")
Any lyrics you remember? Female or male singer? Genre? Special instruments (like, say, horns?) Anything at all?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/3 "2014-07-25T03:01:33Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Any lyrics you remember? Female or male singer? Genre? Special instruments (like, say, horns?) Anything at all?
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.
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### Author:  [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/4 "2014-07-25T03:05:33Z")
“Paradise City” by Guns n Roses? I know it’s a well-known song, but maybe you managed to miss it until the 2000s.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbm6GXllBiw)
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/5 "2014-07-25T03:06:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Geez Louise, I gave you like half the song right there. 🙂
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.
Back to the drawing board (youtube).
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/6 "2014-07-25T03:07:41Z")
> [@Ponch8](#):
>
> “Paradise City” by Guns n Roses? I know it’s a well-known song, but maybe you managed to miss it until the 2000s.
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,
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/7 "2014-07-25T03:10:13Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> 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.
>
> Back to the drawing board (youtube).
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.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/8 "2014-07-25T03:16:42Z")
We’re getting there, give us some time…
How about Centerfold by J. Geils Band. (I know that’s not it, but point me in the right direction)
Draggin the line?
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/9 "2014-07-25T03:17:56Z")
Green Day, When I Come Around
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/10 "2014-07-25T03:18:51Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> We’re getting there, give us some time…
>
> How about Centerfold by J. Geils Band. (I know that’s not it, but point me in the right direction)
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.
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### Author:  [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/11 "2014-07-25T03:19:35Z")
The Smithereens - [A Girl Like You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4JFqfqIPKA)?
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### Author:  [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/12 "2014-07-25T03:19:51Z")
[Can’t Stop This Thing We Started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP4Nnek6DCo) (Bryan Adams) ?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/13 "2014-07-25T03:19:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Green Day, When I Come Around
No, that’s too much in the pop punk direction. This song doesn’t have any edge to it (at least by my definition of “edge.”)
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/14 "2014-07-25T03:23:45Z")
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](http://www.pawinskiphotography.com/public/pete3.wav). A song with a very similar to that chord progression is basically what I’m looking for.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/15 "2014-07-25T03:27:09Z")
> [@JKilez](#):
>
> The Smithereens - [A Girl Like You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4JFqfqIPKA)?
This isn’t the one, but you got the general jist of the chord progression and feel I’m going for.
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#):
>
> [Can’t Stop This Thing We Started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP4Nnek6DCo) (Bryan Adams) ?
This has that mainstream rock feel I’m going for. I’m not sure if the song I’m thinking of was quite _that_ 80s, but it’s the right general ballpark.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/16 "2014-07-25T03:28:17Z")
Just the chord progression or is it that grungy as well?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/17 "2014-07-25T03:29:35Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Just the chord progression or is it that grungy as well?
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.
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### Author:  [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/18 "2014-07-25T03:30:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> 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](http://www.pawinskiphotography.com/public/pete3.wav). A song with a very similar to that chord progression is basically what I’m looking for.
Sounds like Billy Squire - [Everybody Wants You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okZ0jctQWXg).
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/19 "2014-07-25T03:32:35Z")
> [@JKilez](#):
>
> Sounds like Billy Squire - [Everybody Wants You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okZ0jctQWXg).
That’s the one!
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### Author:  [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-song-id-possibly-80s/693989/20 "2014-07-25T03:33:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> 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](http://www.pawinskiphotography.com/public/pete3.wav). A song with a very similar to that chord progression is basically what I’m looking for.
This won’t answer your question, but (a) the melody sounds a hell of a lot like [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf1e_kc6jUQ) and (b) you f—in’ rock, dude!
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