# Help me identify this pop instrumental please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468 "2011-11-01T06:10:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/1 "2011-11-01T06:10:43Z")
I’m not exactly sure when it came out. I’m thinking early to mid 80’s, but it could be from the late 70’s. It sounds to me that it’s mostly a xylophone and synthesizer. This will be silly, but I’ll try to give you an idea of what it sounds like. The first part will be what I think is the xylophone part, medium high tone, and then the part in bold will be the synth, which is a much deeper tone. Doooo doooo do do do do doooo doooo do do do **DUM DUM DUMDUMDUM DUM DUM, DUM DUM DUMDUMDUM DUDUDUM DUDUDUM DUM DUM DUMDUMDUM** … ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/2 "2011-11-01T06:39:47Z")
Any chance it’s [Music Box Dancer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N_tmH6y7ng) from 1979? Although the high part isn’t a xylophone, it’s an electric piano. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/3 "2011-11-01T06:41:21Z")
Nope, sorry. That’s a great instrumental, but that’s not it. Thank you for the guess though. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/4 "2011-11-01T07:50:08Z")
Could it be [Popcorn](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK3ZP6frAMc) by Hot Butter? It was a minor hit in 1972. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/5 "2011-11-01T07:52:01Z")
No, but that gave me a smile. I’ve heard that plenty of times before, but never knew what it was called. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/6 "2011-11-01T07:59:08Z")
Can you remember whether the singer is male or female? All YouTube links below. [Gone Daddy Gone- Violent Femmes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_5Ai6SRxtI) [Rock Lobster- B-52’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDZy6-fMCw4) [Cruel Summer- BANANARAMA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gixcVIFOyE&feature=fvst) [Change- Tears for Fears](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL5wE9jky8o) [Clues-Robert Palmer](http://youtu.be/5dNRNjDhFqk?t=2m20s) ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/7 "2011-11-01T08:03:49Z")
It’s an instrumental, so there is no singer. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/8 "2011-11-01T08:14:03Z")
Crap, now I’m stuck with all these earworms. I thought you meant the xylophone kicked in during an insturmental part. [Yadig by the James Gang](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dCEzC-vuis)? I got nuthin’. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/9 "2011-11-01T08:14:47Z")
Alan Parsons Project, [Sirius](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCR85u9QngQ) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/10 "2011-11-01T08:27:43Z")
Or perhaps Jean Michel Jarre, [Oxygene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek5u5jl7Ads) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/11 "2011-11-01T08:37:04Z")
Aha! This might be it. Mike Oldfield, [Tubular Bells](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=V8l5fthffiE#t=193s). ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/12 "2011-11-01T09:36:53Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > [Yadig by the James Gang](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dCEzC-vuis)? > > I got nuthin’. Sorry. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Alan Parsons Project, [Sirius](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCR85u9QngQ) Sorry. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Or perhaps Jean Michel Jarre, [Oxygene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek5u5jl7Ads) Sorry. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Aha! This might be it. > > Mike Oldfield, [Tubular Bells](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=V8l5fthffiE#t=193s). Sorry. I’m beginning to wonder if there is no xylophone and maybe it’s a xylophone like sound made on a synthesizer. ---
**Author:** ![initech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@initech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/initech)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/13 "2011-11-01T10:08:12Z")
Abandoning the xylophone, perhaps the Axel F Theme? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dASqLXiuomY/hqdefault.jpg "Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer (Original Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dASqLXiuomY) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/14 "2011-11-01T12:17:27Z")
This is REALLY reaching and I doubt you’d have heard it… [Pieces of Eight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdIyv8swK9k) by Neil Peart. It was released on, god help me, a flexidisc single in a copy of Modern Drummer magazine back in 1987. I’ve got it around here somewhere. It does focus a lot on xylophone (and similar) with a lot of synthesizers. But likely not. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/15 "2011-11-01T13:03:51Z")
Fire on High by ELO? [Electric Light Orchestra - Fire on High (Radio Edit) - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxbFmfDcuVg) check out the 2:55 mark. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/16 "2011-11-01T13:20:36Z")
It’s older then the 80’s, there’s no xylophone and I’ve never been good at reading ‘do do dos’ so it probably doesn’t match that…but I thought I’d toss [Take Five](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwNrmYRiX_o) in the ring anyways. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/17 "2011-11-01T13:23:29Z")
It’s not Booker T and the MG’s Green Onions, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/18 "2011-11-01T14:37:35Z")
It doesn’t have a xylophone, it’s from the wrong century, and it goes “me me me” instead of “do do do”, but could it be Beaker from the Muppets performing the [Ode to Joy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnT7pT6zCcA&feature=relmfu)? Seriously, I think we need a bit of help if we are going to pin this down. Where did you hear it? TV? Radio? A film? Is there anything you associate with it that might help us pin down the time period? How old were you when you heard it? Is it a long piece? Is there percussion? Any sound effects? ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/19 "2011-11-01T17:26:10Z")
Edgar Winter’s [Frankenstein](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfQbkFp16cw), perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468/20 "2011-11-01T19:54:40Z")
These are all great instrumentals, but none of them are what I’m thinking of. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468.md?page=2)