# Radio-Friendly Singles With (Real or Artificial) Crowd Noise **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 30, 2024, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619 "2024-03-30T22:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/1 "2024-03-30T22:06:31Z")
What are some songs that were either recorded before a live audience (viz, at a concert), or have crowd noise in the background (real or artificial)? I’m asking about singles that make the charts; so for example, Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me,” of which I hear the Live at Budokan version far more often than the studio version on my Classic Rock station, counts. Some deep cut from some band’s live performance album, that’s never played on the radio, wouldn’t count. **Real Crowd Noise:** “[I Want You to Want Me](https://youtu.be/-qgpewMCVjs?si=6g93mYeyOlvac3yQ),” Cheap Trick “[Show Me The Way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAynwzutk0A&pp=ygUec2hvdyBtZSB0aGUgd2F5IHBldGVyIGZyYW1wdG9u),” Peter Frampton **Artificial Crowd Noise:** “[Bennie and the Jets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5rQHoaQpTw&pp=ygURZWx0b24gam9obiBiZW5uaWU%3D),” Elton John **Special Mention:** “[All Night Long](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqAvFx3NxUM&pp=ygUcYWxsIG5pZ2h0IGxvbmcgbGlvbmVsIHJpY2hpZQ%3D%3D),” Lionel Ritchie, with FX (or maybe there was a real audience in the studio??) intended to make it sound like there was a crowd enjoying the music. “[The Rhythm Of The Night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQSZhazYk8),” DeBarge, same as above. What are your suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/2 "2024-03-30T22:22:31Z")
**Artificial Crowd Noise:** “[Tonight Is the Night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyvn5idWuhE),” Betty Wright, 1978 Reached #11 on the R&B charts, according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Wright) Off the album _Betty Wright Live_ [which was not actually recorded live] ---
**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 30, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/3 "2024-03-30T22:28:00Z")
Ricky Martin had a big Spanish-language hit\* in 1997 (originally released 1995), [María](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctQ4zbiF97Y). At the very end of the obviously studio-recorded track, a few seconds of cheering crowd noise is edited in. I always thought it sounded wrong. From the _Guinness Book of World Records_, 1997: “Ricky Martin’s recording of ‘(Un, Dos, Tres) María’ was a hit in many countries around the world in 1997 and sold over 5 million copies.” (There’s some other hit – English-language, and I think more recent – that does something similar. I’ll post here when I think of it.) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/4 "2024-03-30T23:55:38Z")
I think maybe this one fits into the Artificial category, but who knows… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Bqf9p9MpZBU/hqdefault.jpg "Gram Parsons - Cash on the Barrelhead/Hickory Wind") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqf9p9MpZBU) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/5 "2024-03-31T00:05:26Z")
Not sure if these two count, but definitely artificial crowd noises… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P3DKACKz-jo/hqdefault.jpg "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band + With A Little Help From My Friends") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3DKACKz-jo) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/6 "2024-03-31T00:13:07Z")
Pink Floyd’s “[Fearless](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkgaMFjo_lI)” has real crowd noise at the end of the song: a crowd singing part of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” followed by cheering (starting at about the 4:50 mark of the linked YouTube video. However, the noise was from a field recording of the crowd at a Liverpool soccer match, not from a Pink Floyd concert or anything like that. That said, now that I read back through your OP, it probably doesn’t count, as it wasn’t ever released as a single (though it was apparently the B-side of “[One of These Days](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_of_These_Days_(instrumental))”). ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/7 "2024-03-31T00:15:11Z")
“Brooklyn’s got a winning team!” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eFTLKWw542g/maxresdefault.jpg "Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (Official HD Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/8 "2024-03-31T00:20:39Z")
Electric Light Orchestra’s “[All Over the World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XtK5dCFqyE),” from the _Xanadu_ soundtrack, has crowd noise (which sounds like indistinct conversations) at the beginning of the song, and more crowd noise (including some applause) at the end. I suspect that it’s much like the crowd noise in “Benny and the Jets” – recorded live somewhere, and then manipulated and inserted into the recording in the studio. (Unlike my earlier post of “Fearless,” this one does count, as it was a top-20 hit in the U.S. and UK.) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/9 "2024-03-31T00:38:31Z")
Sounds to me like Billy Shears also gets the crowd worked up at the end of “I’m The Greatest.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ua5EAfAMYpM/maxresdefault.jpg "I'm The Greatest") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua5EAfAMYpM) ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/10 "2024-03-31T00:45:06Z")
Artificial (or dubbed-in) Crowd Noice: [Life In A Northern Town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UXnulANF8g). Could be from a recording of some real-life Beatlemania-era crowd. A staple on classic rock stations, from a live album: [Tun The Page](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQW2Lq5pA5k), Bob Seger ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/11 "2024-03-31T00:45:37Z")
Rush put in artificial crowd noise after the “concert halls” line in _Spirit of Radio._ Fans added it at every live performance after that. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/g_QtO0Rhp0w/maxresdefault.jpg "Rush - The Spirit Of Radio") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_QtO0Rhp0w) Live recordings aren’t always so live. I seem to recall that the Cheap Trick album had the crowd noise greatly enhanced in the studio. Few live albums are released sounding exactly as they sounded live. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/12 "2024-03-31T00:45:55Z")
I’m not sure how elegantly it fits into the “radio-friendly” category, but I’ve heard it on FM stations more than once. Studio recording with added crowd noise and a Bill Graham (I think) intro: > **[Combination of the Two](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEAlRCg5haM?44345345345)** > > Provided to YouTube by Columbia/LegacyCombination of the Two · Big Brother & The Holding Company · Janis JoplinCheap Thrills℗ Columbia Records, a division of... ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/13 "2024-03-31T00:53:03Z")
Chuck Berry’s only #1: _My Ding-a-Ling_ ---
**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 31, 2024, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/14 "2024-03-31T04:39:11Z")
Fleetwood Mac “Tusk.” ---
**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 31, 2024, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/15 "2024-03-31T04:56:41Z")
Artificial crowd noise: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dNKekDVQehk/maxresdefault.jpg "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool - (Duet With George Jones)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNKekDVQehk) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/16 "2024-03-31T18:04:26Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me,” of which I hear the Live at Budokan version far more often than the studio version… Years ago, my kid asked “Did Cheap Trick ever do a studio album?” > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Fleetwood Mac “Tusk.” Are you saying this is live, or artificial? The video has the USC marching band playing with the band. But what about the album version? . I was around when a New Orleans folkie (Johnny Rivers) worked his way up to becoming the “house band” at the Whisky À Go-Go. The recordings seem too good to have been made live, but the energy certainly feels real. Here’s an album of “Live At The Whisky À Go-Go!” https://www.youtube.com/embed/p_eSHTNZFSE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLVzkByqQW6sNeusvPCa4uEivBqf1nBUV8 ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/17 "2024-03-31T18:10:33Z")
One of the definitive live albums full of singles: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yBfsUCahFlo/hqdefault.jpg "Sam Cooke - Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963 [Full Album 1985] [HQ 360 vbr]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBfsUCahFlo) ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/18 "2024-03-31T18:13:50Z")
Does Undone (The Sweater Song) by Weezer count? Got to Give It Up by Marvin Gaye? More party in the background than giant crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-friendly-singles-with-real-or-artificial-crowd-noise/999619/19 "2024-03-31T18:31:31Z")
Both these examples are fake, as far as I can tell: “[Get Dancin’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD4H8aj2yR8)” - Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes “[OMG](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD4H8aj2yR8)” - Usher