Mark and Brian had this on their morning show today. What is the one song that best defines your favorite artist?
Somoene on the show said Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin and I think he nailed that one right on the head.
I have a few:
Marvin Gaye- What’s Going On
The Stones - Sympathy For The Devil
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Santana - Black Magic Woman (that keyboard intro is da shit!)
Maze - Before I Let You Go
Ella Fitzgerald - A Tisket a Tasket
The Duke - Take the A Train.
Dr Buzzard…Band - Cherchez La Femme
Jay Z - Hard Knock Life
Rod Stewart - Maggie May
Renaissance - Mother Russia
Springsteen - Born To Run
Warren Zevon - Desperadoes Under the Eaves
Having deja vu here…didn’t such a thread exist here a week or two ago?
You mean this one? http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=527590
No, no, no. Deja Vu was CSN&Y’s definitive album. Their definitive song was “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”
Glad I could clear that up. 
Deja Vu does kind of epitomize Dionne Warwick’s sound.
No, no, no! I’m asking for songs that define artists. Jettboy was asking for songs that epitomize an artist’s sound. COMPLETELY different.
I’m not sure how I missed that thread :smack:
Ella Fitzgerald: Lady, Be Good (both the slow and fast versions).
Nat “King” Cole: Unforgettable.
Frank Sinatra - My Way
Cindy Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Etta James - At Last
KRS-One - The Bridge is Over
Peter Tosh - Legalize It
Capleton - Slew Dem
Nas - It Aint Hard to Tell / Ether
Rakim - I Got Soul
Jali, I agree with you about Miss Ella, but for Marvin, I would go with Sexual Healing.
L. L. Cool J. - Rock the Bells
Anita Baker - Rapture
Whitney Houston - (toss up) You Give Good Love, Saving All My Love for You
Keith Sweat - Make It Last Forever
Jodeci - Come and Talk to Me
The Doors - Light My Fire
Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
Missed the edit window:
“Smoke on the Water” not only defines a favourite band/song combo: I believe that SOTW defines everything that is definable about rock and roll. The song is an actual description of real events, and it has the most memorable and perfect rock riff in history. The more I think about it, the more I would pick SOTW as the most perfect rock and roll song of all time. (Satisfaction would follow closely.)
Anita Baker = Rapture! Word! And that is really significant, because she had so many hits, but that one definitely is her defining song.
Whitney Houston = The Greatest Love of All, right?
Let me stop trying to change folks answers! What the hell am I doin’? Whitney = You Give Good Love, Saving All My Love for You, dammit.
ETA : Sade = Love is Stronger than Pride
This is what makes music great: bullshit.
“Born To Run” is the ultimate statement of rock&roll. That tumbling drum intro tells you everything you need to know. Teenaged angst, girls, cars…what more is there?
As much as I don’t want to say it, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” was the song that defined Def Leppard. It’s an okay song, but IMO, what defines them to me is “Photograph.”
Rush’s defining song for me is “Spirit of Radio” -it was the first song of theirs I heard.
It would be wild if these three could have performed in some kinda trio together. 