# Parts you hate in songs you love. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571 "2008-12-10T16:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571/61 "2008-12-20T10:27:08Z")
Not to be a blasphemer or anything, but does the Velvet Underground’s Sister Ray really need to go on for 17 minutes? Hell no it does not. The first four minutes or so are just the most glorious rock and roll and then… Why? Whatever, Lou Reed. Just shut up already. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571/62 "2008-12-20T13:06:29Z")
I’m a prog fan myself, but still maintain that the vast majority of great songs would be even better if edited down. Extended intros, outros and solos add little to the experience while often watering the performance down. Especially if they are ill-fitting (as most guitar solos are, IMO.), or boring (as most drum solos are, IMO). Cool riffs and licks don’t get better by overexposure. Songs can be short, yet complex and deep with exquisite instrumental interplay. I feel a song is best to attack out of the blue and gallop out of sight just as quickly, leaving the listener wondering “what the hell was that?” before the greatness sinks in. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571/63 "2008-12-20T13:09:04Z")
Y’all are aware “Layla” as originally recorded didn’t include the piano coda, right? The story goes that the track was more or less done, but then Tom Dowd and Eric Clapton (or Duane Allman, don’t recall exactly) heard Jim Gordon’s own recording of his piano piece, and thought it would work perfectly with the song. Dowd had to fiddle quite a bit with the tape to match up the pieces, which caused a bit of a problem when the song was remastered as well. For my own contribution, I’ll go ahead and mention the song “Original Fire” by Audioslave, which I believe I’ve mentioned elsewhere on the boards before. It’s a great song with a killer beat, but almost ruined by a screechy guitar “solo” by Tom Morello (yes, I know that’s Morello’s MO, and I know he’s quite proud of the sounds he coaxes from his guitar without artificial assistance, but just because you _can_ doesn’t mean you _should_, y’know?). ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571/64 "2008-12-20T16:56:50Z")
I’m a big fan of “I’m Not in Love” by 10cc, and it was completely innovative by using multiple overdubs to create a 256-piece “choir”. But man, when that woman starts whispering “Big boys don’t cry” over and over, it turns into the corniest, most laughable piece of maudlin crap I’ve ever heard. At least, until she stops. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571/65 "2008-12-20T22:35:43Z")
I realized I had something to add to this thread today when listening to Prince; I love Alphabet Street up to, but not including, the point where he turns the song over to Cat Glover for her “rap.” Her shrill vocal style really does not mesh well with Prince’s singing. I stop the track when Prince’s part is done. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571/66 "2008-12-21T02:57:01Z")
I’m annoyed by the part in the middle of Kate Bush’s “All We Ever Look For” when you hear footsteps and doors opening and closing. Feist’s “My Moon My Man” has something kinda like that too. In general, non-song junk included in songs is annoying to me. At the end of Rufus Wainwright’s “Harvester of Hearts,” he says, “That’s all you’re getting tonight” and then laughs in the most awful, grating way. I hate to show that song, which is otherwise quite nice, to anybody because I feel embarrassed for Rufus. Why did you do it, Rufus?! I don’t love Regina Spektor’s “style” bit in the middle of “Chemo Limo” either. But I think that sort of thing is a big part of her personal style, which I generally appreciate and therefore excuse even if it goes a bit too far. I can’t think of the name of the song right now, but there’s one that’s potentially far more annoying than “Chemo Limo,” where she’s just buzzing her lips and then saying nonsense words. In a weird way I actually like it, though. I like the “why does it matter to ya?” part of “Live and Let Die.” It reminds me of the three-songs-for-the-price-of-one “Uncle Albert.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parts-you-hate-in-songs-you-love/476571.md?page=3)