# Songs with anomalous parts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559 "2011-09-16T21:38:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/41 "2011-09-19T08:17:12Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, One Vision, and The Miracle all have parts completely uncharacteristic of the rest of the song. The Miracle is really jarring because the transition out is somewhat awkward. “Bohemian Rhapsody” has so many disparate parts that I can’t say that any portion of it is either “characteristic” or “uncharacteristic”. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/42 "2011-09-19T16:49:42Z")
The Byrds’ gorgeous, ethereal version of Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “[Wasn’t Born to Follow](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWhgLjim6Rc)”, from _The Notorious Byrd Brothers,_ has a jarring, distorted instrumental interlude in the middle (around 0:57). Actually, several other songs from that LP do something similar. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/43 "2011-09-19T18:36:29Z")
> [@K364](#): > > The original “Layla” recorded by Derek and The Dominos has the long piano coda that has no relation to the first part of the song. From [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layla): > [@](#): > > Shortly afterward, Clapton returned to the studio, where he heard Gordon playing a piano piece he had composed separately. Clapton, impressed by the piece, convinced Gordon to allow it to be used as part of the song.[7] “Layla’s” second movement was recorded roughly a week after the first, with Gordon playing his piano part, Clapton playing acoustic guitar and slide guitar, and Allman playing electric and bottleneck slide guitar.[9][11] After Dowd spliced the two movements together,[9] “Layla” was complete. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/44 "2011-09-19T19:07:47Z")
I always thought that the acoustic guitar break in _A Space Oddity_ was a little out of place. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/45 "2011-09-19T19:45:19Z")
“American Girl” by Tom Petty suffers by what I call the disco solo that got stuck into the middle of it. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/46 "2011-09-19T19:49:33Z")
I know it was all cool to do that sort of thing back in 1967, but I sure wish Buffalo Springfield had left those goofy instrumental interludes out of “Broken Arrow”… they’re pure novelty and really deflate the power of an otherwise incredible song. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/47 "2011-09-19T20:04:54Z")
I’ll add the Moody Blues’ concept album _Days of Future Passed_. In the middle of all that poetic language\*, they insert the phrase “senior citizens”. Couldn’t they have said “old people”, or “our grandparents”, or something other than that clinical, tax-return-worthy euphemism? (\*Okay, now that I’m grown up, I see it’s _bad_ poetry, but still.) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/48 "2011-09-19T21:39:24Z")
Another Queen song, Seven Seas of Rhye, ending with “Oh I do like to be beside the seaside” ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/49 "2011-09-19T22:35:15Z")
Shakespear’s sister’s ‘Stay’ was a mournful love song interrupted by a sudden evil witch growling that she was going to kill you, then going back to the love song. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/50 "2011-09-19T22:39:57Z")
> [@K364](#): > > The original “Layla” recorded by Derek and The Dominos has the long piano coda that has no relation to the first part of the song. It’s in the Clapton version too, and yeah, it is a bit displaced and _really_ long. I guess those were the days of prog rock and vinyl singles that really gave you your money’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/51 "2011-09-19T22:54:26Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s in the Clapton version too, and yeah, it is a bit displaced and _really_ long. I guess those were the days of prog rock and vinyl singles that really gave you your money’s worth. Clapton seems to have copied most of the song from that Derek guy… ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/52 "2011-09-21T16:05:25Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I’ll add the Moody Blues’ concept album _Days of Future Passed_. In the middle of all that poetic language\*, they insert the phrase “senior citizens”. Couldn’t they have said “old people”, or “our grandparents”, or something other than that clinical, tax-return-worthy euphemism? > > (\*Okay, now that I’m grown up, I see it’s _bad_ poetry, but still.) Graeme Edge is responsible for several such unintentionally hilarious moments of horrendous versification on Moody Blues albums, that being perhaps the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashley_Pomeroy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/53 "2011-09-22T20:40:43Z")
Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play” is punctuated with sped-up piano bits just after the choruses, that come from nowhere and derail the rhythm. Picking out anomalous parts in Syd Barrett songs is futile though. “Jugband Blues” is a series of anomalous parts one after the other. Not really songs, per se, but Mike Oldfield had an odd habit of putting novelty tunes at the end of his album-long mid-70s compositions. The second side of _Tubular Bells_ ends with a rollicking version of the Sailor’s Hornpipe, and _Ommadawn_ - the hardcore pre-mental breakdown fan favourite - ends with a curious folksy tune called “On Horseback”. E.g. after thirty minutes of atmospheric, chin-stroking instrumental Celtic folk-rock fusion the audience gets: _“Hey and away we go Through the grass, across the snow Big brown beastie, big brown face I’d rather be with you than flying through space!”_ Along similar lines, The Orb’s _UF Orb_ is a masterpiece of early-90s ambient techno that ends with a minute-long track called “Sticky End”, that sounds like what can only be described as farting noises. British people, eh? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/54 "2011-09-22T21:25:43Z")
> [@Rain\_Soaked](#): > > Clapton seems to have copied most of the song from that Derek guy… I’m not sure what you mean. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/55 "2011-09-23T15:32:44Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Graeme Edge is responsible for several such unintentionally hilarious moments of horrendous versification on Moody Blues albums, that being perhaps the worst. This was one of the biggest reasons why I bought a high-end tape deck back in the day; so I could edit out the damn poetry. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/56 "2011-09-23T16:02:35Z")
> [@K364](#): > > The original “Layla” recorded by Derek and The Dominos has the long piano coda that has no relation to the first part of the song. That’s the only version I’ve ever heard. Are you talking about the long, endless boring section after the the good rockin’ part? The part used in Goodfellas when we find the toupe salesman and his wife dead in their car? Or is there an even longer version? ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/57 "2011-09-23T16:06:24Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s in the Clapton version too, and yeah, it is a bit displaced and _really_ long. I guess those were the days of prog rock and vinyl singles that really gave you your money’s worth. Clapton was in Derek and the Dominos. There is no Derek. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/58 "2011-09-23T16:07:26Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I’m not sure what you mean. Twas a joke. Eric Clapton was Derek & The Dominos (along with Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock & Carl Radle with Duane Allman sitting in sometimes). ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/59 "2011-09-23T16:15:55Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Harry Chapin got famous wistfully narrating his semi-autobiographical story-song with a bit of a world-weary growl in TAXI, which I like to think involved audiences shrugging off the brief weird falsetto interlude from Chapin’s bassist about flying and crying and dying. Harry Chapin gave fantastic concerts. In person, the interlude was incredibly moving, but yes, it was a little jarring on the album. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559/60 "2011-09-23T17:40:51Z")
The penultimate stanza in “Tangled up in Blues” by Dylan has always thrown me. “I lived with them on Montague Street In a basement down the stairs There was music in the cafes at night And revolution in the air Then he started into dealing with slaves And something inside of him died She had to sell everything she owned And froze up inside And when finally the bottom fell out I became withdrawn” Them? Who’s “them”? Up til that point in the song, it’s been a pretty straight-forward narrative. But now it’s almost as if Dylan has slipped into the third person for one stanza. I admit that by Dylan’s standards, it’s not particularly opaque and you can at least come up with some plausible interpretations about who “them” is. But every time I listen to the song, I get to this stanza and go “What just happened?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-anomalous-parts/596559.md?page=2)