# Name (and link to) a song that is instantly recognizable with the very first few notes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844 "2014-08-18T17:57:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/1 "2014-08-18T17:57:59Z")
(‘notes’ could mean anything from a piano chord to a cowbell to a vocalization) Link to your song is mandatory! Here is one that we can all get on the very first note: [link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgWmzZYp3X4). mmm ---
**Author:** ![bunyupp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@bunyupp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunyupp)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/2 "2014-08-18T18:06:34Z")
This [one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70QfHtKdh_0). ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/3 "2014-08-18T18:10:56Z")
> [@bunyupp](#): > > This [one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70QfHtKdh_0). That’s what I was going to post! Then I guess Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones, but bunyupp wins. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NEjkftp7J7I/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AGEBYAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCbFglx8nKHi3bej_J4o-XgFqPylw "The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" Live 1965 (Reelin' In The Years Archives)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEjkftp7J7I) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/4 "2014-08-18T18:26:45Z")
[Pop Quiz: Can You Identify These Hit Songs by Just Their First Second?](http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/07/02/pop_music_quiz_name_these_recent_billboard_hits_by_their_first_second.html) ---
**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:** [August 18, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/5 "2014-08-18T18:45:26Z")
The first organ note of [A Whiter Shade of Pale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtzRRwfOXus) is unmistakeable. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/6 "2014-08-18T18:52:12Z")
[Lola](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVXmMMSo47s) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/7 "2014-08-18T18:57:05Z")
This one’s gettable [before the first note.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIF4_Sm-rgQ) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/8 "2014-08-18T18:59:20Z")
PS: Wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t post the titles/artists so that the theory can be tested that the song is instantly recognisable? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/9 "2014-08-18T19:13:30Z")
A key word in the OP made me instantly think of [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6M77oHD110). ---
**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:** [August 18, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/10 "2014-08-18T19:35:13Z")
First few notes on [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzAGZT_XTAk), since they come so quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/11 "2014-08-18T19:36:11Z")
> [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](#): > > PS: Wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t post the titles/artists so that the theory can be tested that the song is instantly recognisable? Agreed. We can clink on the link, then look away from the screen. mmm ---
**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:** [August 18, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/12 "2014-08-18T19:47:40Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > then look away from the screen. …and sit through the 30-second commercial. Fittingly, the ad I got from the link in your OP was for Microsoft OneNote. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/13 "2014-08-18T20:16:57Z")
My example. One note: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xmADpBu_ZCA/hqdefault.jpg "Pink Floyd - Echoes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmADpBu_ZCA) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/14 "2014-08-18T20:23:17Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > …and sit through the 30-second commercial. AdBlock Biffy. Never listen to another Youtube commercial again. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/15 "2014-08-18T20:31:33Z")
Three from the sixties [sixties - 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsLyI1_R01M) [sixties - 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iol0B-clFFM) [sixties - 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1wOK9yGUYM) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/16 "2014-08-18T20:35:35Z")
Without linking to them, I think Burt Bacharach opened the door with quite a few titles that would fit in this category. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/17 "2014-08-18T20:46:41Z")
It was quite common in the early rock era for a song to start out cold, with a distinctive vocal note at the beginning: And the ultimate --- [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iMTNT_BzkdA/hqdefault.jpg "Harry Belafonte Day-O ( Banana Boat )") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMTNT_BzkdA) ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/18 "2014-08-18T20:53:40Z")
The first one that occurred to me… [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70QfHtKdh\_0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70QfHtKdh_0) ---
**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:** [August 18, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/19 "2014-08-18T21:23:01Z")
[quote=“jtur88, post:17, topic:695844”] And the ultimate — [/QUOTE] Do I get points for guessing that one _before_ I clicked it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844/20 "2014-08-18T21:32:55Z")
Such a thread as this couldn’t be complete without: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PotB76gi2\_4 And I'd bet there are at least a dozen more of the sort. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-and-link-to-a-song-that-is-instantly-recognizable-with-the-very-first-few-notes/695844.md?page=2)