# Best "song within a song" performance **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744 "2015-12-07T21:57:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/21 "2015-12-08T11:31:39Z")
It doesn’t fit the OP criteria since it is just a line, but the first song that came to mind was **Prince’s _The Ballad of Dorothy Parker_** off of _Sign O’ The Times_. It’s just a one line quote where he sings “I asked her her favorite song by Joni and she said 'Help me, I think I’m fallin…” brnggg! Phone rings and she said ‘whoever it is can’t be as cute as you’ and right then and there I knew I was through." That little “Help me, I think I’m fallin…” fits so perfectly, both vocally and within the seduction play happening in the song, it’s great. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/22 "2015-12-08T12:34:27Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > So, I’ll just mention Simon and Garfunkel’s _Scarborough Fair_. An example of simultaneous “song within a song” - nice. An early mash-up, you could say. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/23 "2015-12-08T12:37:34Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > No one likes “Stan”? I love it. Great example, IMHO. I’m sure there are others from the world of hip-hop and related genres, what with all those “feat.” artist credits. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/24 "2015-12-08T14:28:05Z")
Slightly different from what the OP is asking, but still worth mentioning: The Offspring were performing “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” at a concert years ago. When they got to the lines “He needs some cool tunes, not just any will suffice/but they didn’t have Ice Cube so he bought Vanilla Ice,” Vanilla Ice appeared on stage and started performing “Ice Ice Baby” before the Offspring continued with the rest of their song. ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/25 "2015-12-08T19:22:00Z")
Joni Mitchell’s ‘Chinese Cafe’ has her sing the opening line of Unchained Melody. ‘River’ uses a minor key arrangement of Jingle Bells and ‘In France They Kiss on Main St’ features the line ‘they’ll be singing Bye Bye Love while he’s racking up his free plays’ where the words Bye Bye Love is sung in the metre of the Everly’s song (but not the same melody). MiM ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/26 "2015-12-08T20:39:59Z")
During live performances ELP would insert part of King Crimson’s _Epitath_ into the _Tarkus_ suite (if I remember correctly right after the _Battlefield_ section). And yes, I know Greg Lake was lead singer in both groups but they were still different groups… In the vein of _Scarborough Fair_ I would mention _No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature_ by The Guess Who. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/27 "2015-12-09T02:59:35Z")
Slightly cheating but… Pink Floyd inserted On the Run and Time inserted into the “middle” of Breathe on Dark Side of the Moon upon initial release. This possibly only qualifies after Live 8 when both sections of Breathe were played back-to-back without the tracks in between. Pink Floyd also has Pigs on the Wing from Animals and Shine on You Crazy Diamond from Wish You Were Here, each were originally presented as bookends to the entire work (or whatever you want to call “bookends” that take up half the album in the latter case), but there exist some versions on some formats where the two parts were mashed together. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/28 "2015-12-09T06:18:43Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > No one likes “Stan”? [QUOTE=JKellyMap] I love it. Great example, IMHO. I’m sure there are others from the world of hip-hop and related genres, what with all those “feat.” artist credits. [/QUOTE] I don’t think this is what the OP is looking for at all. He specifically said he’s not talking about sampling. Are you talking about Eminem’s “Stan”? That’s a sample; he took an already existing song and added a rap to it. The OP is looking for examples of an artist that goes into a completely different song and then comes back to their own song, which you’ll usually only find in a live concert setting. ---
**Author:** ![RobotDevilDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RobotDevilDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobotDevilDog)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/29 "2015-12-09T08:01:06Z")
John Mellencamp used to do a song like this in most of his concerts, usually with a different song on each tour. And it always followed the pattern in the OP – he began with his own song, transitioned into a different song (always an oldie), and finished up with the standard ending of his own song. - “Hand to Hold on To” would contain some of Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang”. - “Play Guitar” would contain part of Them’s “Gloria” AND a bit of “Wild Thing”. - “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” had a part of “Little Latin Lupe Lu” (possibly only once or twice). - “Authority Song” segued into “Land of 1000 Dances”. - And only a very few times, he did what I always thought would be the perfect pairing: “Authority Song” with “I Fought the Law”. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/30 "2015-12-09T09:33:42Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > I don’t think this is what the OP is looking for at all. He specifically said he’s not talking about sampling. Are you talking about Eminem’s “Stan”? That’s a sample; he took an already existing song and added a rap to it. The OP is looking for examples of an artist that goes into a completely different song and then comes back to their own song, which you’ll usually only find in a live concert setting. Thanks, I didn’t know that. All this time, I though that Eminem and Dido collaborated in the recording studio. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/31 "2015-12-09T13:24:59Z")
Cat Mother and the All Night Newboys: “[Old Time Rock and Roll](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAXYA-Rko7o).” It starts out with a chorus, then sings the choruses from “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Chantilly Lace,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Party Doll.” It then goes back to the original chorus to finish. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/32 "2015-12-09T13:29:44Z")
A Praise Chorus by Jimmy Eat World comes close to a rare studio album track that does this. In the middle of the song, they start singing “Crimson and Clover”, but then start singing clips of a lot of other songs as well before returning to the main song. I say it comes _close_ because only the singing and lyrics are from the other songs: the arrangement does not change in the background like usually happens in the classic concert example. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/33 "2015-12-09T21:52:12Z")
Hollywood Vampires, the new project teaming up Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp, does a version of [“School’s Out”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BgStW37oUc) which transitions into Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2” before returning to Cooper’s tune. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/34 "2015-12-10T06:31:34Z")
[Joe Jackson - Fools in Love/For Your Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7suIlXplyhg) ---
**Author:** ![Steel\_Wheels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Steel\_Wheels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steel_Wheels)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/35 "2015-12-12T04:56:06Z")
Three Days Grace insert part of Tool’s Sober in the middle of Home. I’m a fan of both groups so I was pretty stoked to hear this: [https://youtu.be/YabknDdz\_hM?t=17m26s](https://youtu.be/YabknDdz_hM?t=17m26s) ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/36 "2015-12-12T12:18:33Z")
“Jingle Bells” at the end of Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/37 "2015-12-12T12:58:52Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Slightly cheating but… > > Pink Floyd inserted On the Run and Time inserted into the “middle” of Breathe on Dark Side of the Moon upon initial release. This possibly only qualifies after Live 8 when both sections of Breathe were played back-to-back without the tracks in between. Pink Floyd also has Pigs on the Wing from Animals and Shine on You Crazy Diamond from Wish You Were Here, each were originally presented as bookends to the entire work (or whatever you want to call “bookends” that take up half the album in the latter case), but there exist some versions on some formats where the two parts were mashed together. Those are more reprises than Medleys IMHO. And the Floyd love to do the “Part 1” and “Part 2” thing too. BTW the “Pigs on the Wing” with the Snowy White guitar solo connected them is from the 8 Track version. I’m partial to Imagine Dragons’ cover of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” that drifts into “Stand By Me” for a bit. This version isn’t the best one. The Spotify sessions one is excellent. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CFX8VJUtDgY/maxresdefault.jpg "Imagine Dragons - Blank Space (Taylor Swift cover in the Live Lounge)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFX8VJUtDgY) ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744/38 "2015-12-12T15:22:55Z")
This came to mind as soon as I read the thread title: [Leon Russell - Jumpin’ Jack Flash / Young Blood 1971 Concert Live](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAxQpdzygN4). There used to be a less-annoying video without the stupid floating objects, but it was taken down. If it bothers you too much, here’s [just the music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICr9lfWq3yY). It’s long, but worth the wait for when Leon transitions back to Jumping Jack Flash toward the end. His supporting “band” is a treat to watch, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-within-a-song-performance/739744.md?page=1)