# Famous riffs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208 "2016-03-16T20:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/1 "2016-03-16T20:16:23Z")
Two riffs you’ve probably heard on multiple occasions, famous enough to have their own Wikipedia entries: [The Oriental Riff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_riff) [The Italian Riff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantella_Napoletana) What are some other famous/popular riffs? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/2 "2016-03-16T20:22:50Z")
[Mysterioso Pizzicato](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterioso_Pizzicato): the villain riff. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/3 "2016-03-16T20:34:36Z")
There’s a place in France Where the ladies do a dance. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/4 "2016-03-16T20:46:31Z")
[Sad trombone.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJxCdh1Ps48) ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/5 "2016-03-16T20:48:05Z")
[_Enter Sandman Riff_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sdoBObxa5c), now with [del]hot young chick[/del] attractive young woman. (FF to 24 sec.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/6 "2016-03-16T20:48:34Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > There’s a place in France > Where the ladies do a dance. Aka the [Streets of Cairo,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_Cairo,_or_the_Poor_Little_Country_Maid) the Arabian riff. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/7 "2016-03-16T21:04:03Z")
[The Amen Break.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amen_break) ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/8 "2016-03-16T21:14:48Z")
Smoke on the Water? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/9 "2016-03-16T22:03:53Z")
I started to post this guitar cover of _Smoke On The Water_ earlier but figured I’d already stretched the OP’s intent as far as conscionable. But since you opened the door…[_Smoke On The Water_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL9Ph_HlMd4) (same girl). And [here’s a split screen of the previous clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3p9-IqBu_k) of _Enter Sandman_ combined with a female drummer in what appears to be white negligee. Despite its more prurient aspects, it’s a pretty cool video. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/10 "2016-03-16T22:21:55Z")
Here are a few that may expand on the notion of **riff** too much for this thread, but some really classy intros nevertheless: The Doors - Riders On the Storm Money - Pink Floyd Barrett Strong - Money What'd I Say by Ray Charles [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/I-hKBmTAADo/maxresdefault.jpg "Boz Scaggs - Lowdown (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-hKBmTAADo) Boz Scaggs - Lowdown Intermission Riff ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/11 "2016-03-16T22:43:01Z")
[Shave and a Haircut (two bits)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shave_and_a_Haircut) [Jacques Offenbach - Orphée aux enfers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCDwTguKjIA) - “the French can-can riff”, starting at 8:26 [Pat und Patachon - Whirlwind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGwNfiMxPbU) - “old timey hijinx music” as evoked in [Teresa Brewer’s nostalgic 1950 hit (Put Another Nickel In) Music! Music! Music!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gUNZAmFfKA) and the 1-minute mark of [this Homestar Runner song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smWyKu1q0Cc) As far as I can google because there is surprisingly little about them in English on the web, Fyrtaarnet and Bivognen (known as Pat und Patachon and Germany, Long and Short in Britain) were a Danish comedy duo popular in the 1920s, a sort of European Laurel and Hardy. What I can’t figure out is whether this music originates from one of their movies or what. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/12 "2016-03-16T22:51:29Z")
Position your mouse over the link, close your eyes and click. [You’ll recognize this immediately.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUpDG680uew) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/13 "2016-03-16T23:03:37Z")
[The “I’m going to get your wife” riff.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WUdlaLWSVM) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/14 "2016-03-16T23:06:10Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > [Mysterioso Pizzicato](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterioso_Pizzicato): the villain riff. I always called that the “Bugs Bunny sneaking up on someone” riff. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/15 "2016-03-16T23:34:05Z")
As long as we’re on the subject of Looney Tunes, both parts of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdc-UU2hVrs) were used in those cartoons: ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/16 "2016-03-16T23:37:59Z")
[Entrance of the Gladiators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrance_of_the_Gladiators) aka the circus/clown riff. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/17 "2016-03-16T23:51:22Z")
Here’s the riff they play whenever I make an [entrance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLX06yR3wY). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/18 "2016-03-16T23:52:32Z")
[Music to spin plates by.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_Dance) ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/19 "2016-03-16T23:52:50Z")
[The Spy Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK-b5PLhrEI) [Oy Vey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx9DTDDG8lc) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208/20 "2016-03-16T23:56:03Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I started to post this guitar cover of _Smoke On The Water_ earlier but figured I’d already stretched the OP’s intent as far as conscionable. But since you opened the door…[_Smoke On The Water_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL9Ph_HlMd4) (same girl). > > And [here’s a split screen of the previous clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3p9-IqBu_k) of _Enter Sandman_ combined with a female drummer in what appears to be white negligee. Despite its more prurient aspects, it’s a pretty cool video. The drummer is Meytal. My youngest son thinks she’s the best cover drummer on the planet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-riffs/749208.md?page=2)