# One-groove songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720 "2017-03-08T19:29:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/21 "2017-03-09T00:52:04Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I feel there should be something by Velvet Underground or Lou Reed that fits the OP, but I can’t find anything quite there. “Heroin” almost fits, but it kind of has distinct parts, even if the chords never change. “The Gift”? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/22 "2017-03-09T01:02:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The bulk of [Roadrunner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy88-5pc7c8) by the Modern Lovers fits the OP, I think. It has that endless jam feel to it, with a couple variations, but essentially the whole song is based on I-IV-I (with a little break in the middle where the instruments drop out and there’s a a little chromatic ditty on the organ that leads back up to the main groove.) Along with _Pablo Picasso_, sure. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I feel there should be something by Velvet Underground or Lou Reed that fits the OP, but I can’t find anything quite there. “Heroin” almost fits, but it kind of has distinct parts, even if the chords never change. _Sweet Jane_ has me torn - when they sing “Sweet Jane”, a chorus seems to be distinctly defined there, despite the music not even changing one singe iota during it. > [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > “The Gift”? As one-groovy as it gets, baby! ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/23 "2017-03-09T02:43:05Z")
“20th Century” from Brad. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/24 "2017-03-09T02:45:17Z")
[Jello Biafra with D.O.A. - Full Metal Jackoff](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aHrCGcTEeQ) is a 14 minute one riff _tour de force_. One of the greatest rock songs of all time, IMO. [Stormtroopers Of Death - The Song That Don’t Go Fast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDMirhWuRzY) is shorter but fun(ny). ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/25 "2017-03-09T03:18:14Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Harry Nilsson’s “Jump Into the Fire” should fit here. Harry Nilsson’s [Coconut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA9OqUuA6a0) is a better fit: one chord, one groove, great song. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/26 "2017-03-09T04:43:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I feel there should be something by Velvet Underground or Lou Reed that fits the OP, but I can’t find anything quite there. “Heroin” almost fits, but it kind of has distinct parts, even if the chords never change. Well, there’s not much but the one riff backing all 15 minutes of [Sister Ray](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d69mDT11yI). And well, when the riff’s that good, why not hit it for 15 minutes straight? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/27 "2017-03-09T04:54:31Z")
And one chord songs? Oh yeah, gimme King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)'s “[Take Stuff From Work](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIXz_vzROrw)”. It’s A, and then a whole lot more A. With a side of A. It’s unabashed about it’s chord. Try to hold it back. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/28 "2017-03-09T11:49:25Z")
Band of Gypsys, “Who Knows?” ---
**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:** [March 9, 2017, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/29 "2017-03-09T12:15:24Z")
Almost anything by Bootsy Collins Frank Zappa, “Apostrophe” (and several others) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/30 "2017-03-09T15:37:58Z")
“Detachable Penis”? “88 Lines About 44 Women”? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/31 "2017-03-09T16:11:14Z")
Interesting thread. I think of songs like Tomorrow Never Knows and Bo Diddley type songs like Who Do You Love. I sometimes play songs as one-groove even if they’re not. For a song like **The (English) Beat**’s **Save it for Later** - I play that as a single D A G groove throughout. Sells the song well. And I use a very similar D A G A groove for **First Cut is the Deepest**. For what it is worth, within the Blues, there are types of songs called **Talking Blues** : [Talking blues - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_blues) where a single chord progression or lick is played and a song is performed over it. One Bourbon One Scotch and One Beer by Thorogood is a modern variation. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/32 "2017-03-09T17:59:54Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > Along with _Pablo Picasso_, sure. > > _Sweet Jane_ has me torn - when they sing “Sweet Jane”, a chorus seems to be distinctly defined there, despite the music not even changing one singe iota during it. > > As one-groovy as it gets, baby! I think the chorus of Sweet Jane is different than the verse. No B in the chorus. And there is a whole other section of the song that got sidelined over the years “Heavenly wine and roses…” “One bourbon one scotch one beer” isn’t a talking blues. You should try Bob Dylans WW3 or a lot of others by him. It’s very specific form. Here is Chicken House Boogie by Charlie Ryan. Some of the lines he uses are traditional to talking blues. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/E4Hb_Jv90g4/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4Hb_Jv90g4?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/33 "2017-03-09T18:07:27Z")
Manish Boy. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/34 "2017-03-09T18:24:30Z")
Bob Dylan’s _Positively 4th Street_ is all verse, no chorus. It’s like _Like a Rolling Stone_ with the chorus (“how does it feeeel…”) removed. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/35 "2017-03-09T18:36:08Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Bob Dylan’s _Positively 4th Street_ is all verse, no chorus. It’s like _Like a Rolling Stone_ with the chorus (“how does it feeeel…”) removed. Yeah, I would imagine there must be a bunch of Dylan that fits into this. I must confess, it’s one of the reasons I could never quite get into Dylan, no matter how hard I’ve tried over the years. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/36 "2017-03-09T19:05:44Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > For a song like **The (English) Beat**’s **Save it for Later** - I play that as a single D A G groove throughout. Sells the song well. > . Excellent choice. Interesting how the groove/riff works well accompanied by several different melodic lines. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/37 "2017-03-09T20:00:19Z")
The\*\* Peter Gunn\*\* theme. Except for a tiny break, the bass line line is the same one-bar theme. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/38 "2017-03-09T22:04:36Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > The\*\* Peter Gunn\*\* theme. Except for a tiny break, the bass line line is the same one-bar theme. Here’s one where you may not even notice that it’s the same bass line through the whole song: “Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads. It’s all the same F# and A pattern though the intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, outro. Now, it doesn’t fit the OP because it’s got very distinct parts, but I found it pretty amazing when somebody pointed it out to me. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/39 "2017-03-10T15:12:30Z")
The ones I always think of that have instruments and layers come in and out, but really hold a steady single groove are: Ravel’s [Bolero](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23sf75_bolero_creation) Trio’s [Da Da Da](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNYcviXK4rg) Great, now I’m ear-wormed for the day. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720/40 "2017-03-10T22:23:58Z")
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-groove-songs/781720.md?page=3)