# Tell me your favorite clavinet songs! (other than Superstition) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 14, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271 "2026-04-14T17:29:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [April 14, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/21 "2026-04-14T19:38:53Z")
Thelonius / Jeff Beck ---
**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:** [April 14, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/22 "2026-04-14T19:51:56Z")
Great one! Apparently “Stevie Wonder wrote this song for Jeff Beck as a form of payment for doing some studio work for him. But before Jeff could release it on his own album Stevie Wonder performed this song and it became a huge hit and became better known as his own song and not Jeff’s. The old bait n’ switch.” Here’s one with a slower groove: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RqckEWeHGgg/maxresdefault.jpg "Burnin' And Lootin'") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqckEWeHGgg) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/23 "2026-04-14T20:06:46Z")
Booker T. Jones got his hands on a Clavinet C in 1968. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OLKiyo48VJI/hqdefault.jpg "Sam & Dave "I Thank You"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLKiyo48VJI) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/24 "2026-04-14T20:29:34Z")
Confession: I was only recently made aware that the electric whammy clavi is real, I thought they were synths. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/D9WZacnrE_Q/maxresdefault.jpg "Vintage Vibe Vibanet with Whammy Demo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9WZacnrE_Q) ---
**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:** [April 14, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/25 "2026-04-14T23:27:54Z")
I submit Higher Ground and Maybe Your Baby. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2026, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/26 "2026-04-15T09:13:26Z")
As for Led Zeppelin, there’s also “In the Light.” Not their best, but a decent song. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/27 "2026-04-15T12:20:31Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Confession: I was only recently made aware that the electric whammy clavi is real, I thought they were synths. I kinda went down a rabbit hole on these. Fascinating to see all the different ways they can be played. ---
**Author:** ![stopnonstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stopnonstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stopnonstop)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/28 "2026-04-15T16:04:49Z")
[Bill Withers - Use Me](https://youtu.be/NuYDKzky4z0?si=eN3Rdvf09OfFVPl1) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/29 "2026-04-15T16:05:03Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I kinda went down a rabbit hole on these. I know what you mean, I did the same a month ago after seeing one in the Snarky Puppy Tiny Desk concert vid below. The video is shot in such a way I could only see the wham handle and I honestly did not guess it was a keyboard instrument at all when I was googling to learn what it was. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vfzu33BfRHE/maxresdefault.jpg "Snarky Puppy: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfzu33BfRHE) There’s one for sale locally, $ten grand. > **[Upcoming Restorations For Sale - The Chicago Electric Piano Co.](https://chicagoelectricpiano.com/upcoming-restoration-list/#hohner_for_sale)** > > All of our Clavinets and Pianets are restored with 30+ hours of craftsmanship to give them our highest seal of approval. Our restoration process aims to revitalize Clavinets to a state as good as, or better than, when they were new. Our deep... ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/30 "2026-04-15T16:16:32Z")
Well, I thank you for this thread. I’d never heard _of_ a clavinet. Now I know I have _heard_ a clavinet. Play that funky music! (discourse thinks clavinet is not spelled right. And neither is Calvinet, but that’s on me.) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/31 "2026-04-15T17:23:09Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > The video is shot in such a way I could only see the wham handle and I honestly did not guess it was a keyboard instrument at all when I was googling to learn what it was. Close your eyes, and that’s a guitar played through an effect. I wonder if that’s part of the impetus. DAMN that song grooves when he stops using the whammy and they’re all in it. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, I thank you for this thread. I’d never heard _of_ a clavinet. Now I know I have _heard_ a clavinet You’re welcome! Wait until my theremin thread, that’ll be just as fun. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/32 "2026-04-15T17:30:32Z")
And, before anyone says that Good Vibrations is their favorite theremin song, I think that’s actually a synth. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/33 "2026-04-15T17:31:11Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Wait until my theremin thread, that’ll be just as fun. I LOVE the theremin! Somewhere…over the rainbow. Can’t touch this! My perfect band consists of a theremin, a mellotron, and a glass harmonica. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/34 "2026-04-15T17:36:56Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > a mellotron Oh, let’s also have a thread about the mellotron, the empress and diva of all keyboard driven instruments. Btw., my Chrome spellchecker also doesn’t know the word “mellotron”. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/35 "2026-04-15T17:38:03Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Btw., my Chrome spellchecker also doesn’t know the word “mellotron”. Capitalize the “m” - AIUI, “Mellotron” is a trademarked name. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/36 "2026-04-15T17:43:00Z")
They spell it Mell-o-tron, oh! Quite rightly! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/37 "2026-04-15T17:46:27Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Somewhere…over the rainbow. In case you haven’t heard it played so. > **[THEREMIN - Over The Rainbow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6KbEnGnymk.1)** > > This song was written by Harold Arlen for the 1939 MGM classic THE WIZARD OF OZ. It is widely believed to be the most loved and enduring popular song of the ... ---
**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:** [April 15, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/38 "2026-04-15T17:53:25Z")
Multiple sources indicate that Electric Light Orchestra’s keyboardist, Richard Tandy, used a clavinet (among other keyboards) on several songs; of those, this is my favorite. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Up4WjdabA2c/hqdefault.jpg "Electric Light Orchestra - Last Train to London (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up4WjdabA2c) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/39 "2026-04-15T18:07:59Z")
Isley Brothers, Live It Up: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EnI6siiXE4M/maxresdefault.jpg "Live It Up, Pts. 1 & 2") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnI6siiXE4M) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271/40 "2026-04-15T18:17:46Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Close your eyes, and that’s a guitar played through an effect. Totally, I thought it was a DIY pedal (edit:steel) guitar in the Tiny vid and was very surprised to learn the truth. I’ve played keyboard for decades and always thought those sounds/songs were electronically generated, solid state oscillators and filters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-favorite-clavinet-songs-other-than-superstition/1029271.md?page=3)