# The best music with wonky time signatures **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909 "2006-08-23T17:43:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/41 "2006-08-24T17:42:28Z")
Up the page a bit, we mentioned Led Zeppelin’s _The Crunge_. Does anyone know how to count that song? Is it in mixed time signatures, or a fixed one with an odd number? ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/42 "2006-08-24T23:10:10Z")
Definitely check out Pyramid Song by Radiohead, from the album Amnesiac. Quite tricky, especially before the drums kick in. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/43 "2006-08-25T06:46:29Z")
[QUOTE=fishbicycle] Up the page a bit, we mentioned Led Zeppelin’s _The Crunge_. Does anyone know how to count that song? Is it in mixed time signatures, or a fixed one with an odd number? [/QUOTE] From “Drum Superstar Series” transcribed by Bill Wheeler, I see a pattern of \<9/8 (X8 bars), 4/4 (X3), 9/8 (X1), 4/4 (X3), 9/8 (X1), 4/4 (X3), 5/8 (X1)\>, repeat \ twice, then 9/8 to the end. I hope that makes sense to you. It’s been a long day. (Also that’s just the time signatures repeating, not necessarily the drum part itself.) ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/44 "2006-08-25T11:17:26Z")
A favourite of mine is “7/4 (Shoreline)” by Broken Social Scene. Would you believe it’s in 7/4 time? ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/45 "2006-08-25T16:38:59Z")
About thirty years back there was a song called _Money_ by a well-known group that my feeble noggin can’t recall (mebbe the Eagles???) that was in 7/4. Mike Oldfield’s _Tubular Bells_ starts out in some oddball meter I’ve yet to figure out (something like 15/8 or 21/8; a couple of minutes in the piano enters with chords that are essentially in 3/4 and it syncs with the first theme every several measures). Course, you’ll want to scrounge up a copy of the broadcast mix since the whole piece runs about 49 minutes. If you’re into show tunes, _Jesus Christ Superstar_ has a song in 5/4 and another in 7/8 (probably the only time Andrew Lloyd Webber challenged himself). Re: _Blue Rondo a la Turk_: 9/8 in itself is not an unusual meter - it’s merely the compound form of 3/4 (three groups of three); it’s just that in this piece it’s accented 2-2-2-3. (The most interesting cover I’ve heard it the _vocal_ version by Al Jarreau.) ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/46 "2006-08-25T17:44:47Z")
OK, here’s an weird one, but if Dopers can’t figure it out, who can? _Sanctuary_, by Hikaru Utada and featured on the soundtrack of Kingdom Hearts II: What _is_ that time signature? It’s incredibly attention-getting, possibly because the rhythm of the singing doesn’t seem to match the beat. Any videogame-loving musicians out there? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/47 "2006-08-25T17:53:50Z")
[QUOTE=BJMoose] About thirty years back there was a song called _Money_ by a well-known group that my feeble noggin can’t recall (mebbe the Eagles???) that was in 7/4. [/QUOTE] Pink Floyd (From DSOTM) that’s the one I came in here to say. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/48 "2006-08-25T18:36:30Z")
I have an album by [Emil Richards](http://www.emilrichards.com) and the Microtonal Blues Band called _Journey to Bliss_. Mostly different percussion instruments. It’s great and there are some very odd time signatures on there. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/49 "2006-08-25T19:58:15Z")
[QUOTE=Monkey Chews] A favourite of mine is “7/4 (Shoreline)” by Broken Social Scene. Would you believe it’s in 7/4 time? [/QUOTE] I have no idea how people are figuring out this time signature thing, but you have solved a mystery for me. I always wondered what the 7/4 in the title of that song meant. (to be honest, though, I like their song “cause=time” a lot more) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/50 "2006-08-25T20:00:03Z")
[QUOTE=xnylder] OK, here’s an weird one, but if Dopers can’t figure it out, who can? _Sanctuary_, by Hikaru Utada and featured on the soundtrack of Kingdom Hearts II: What _is_ that time signature? It’s incredibly attention-getting, possibly because the rhythm of the singing doesn’t seem to match the beat. Any videogame-loving musicians out there? [/QUOTE] I just listened to it, and it sounds like 4/4 to me, but the beats are not accented as they usually are in rock. The stresses in rock are usually on the 2 & 4, wheres here, it’s on the 2, the 3& and 4&. You can also write it out as 3+3+2/8, if you want, but I usually see rhythms like this in 4/4. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/51 "2006-08-25T20:07:16Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] I just listened to it, and it sounds like 4/4 to me, but the beats are not accented as they usually are in rock. The stresses in rock are usually on the 2 & 4, wheres here, it’s on the 2, the 3& and 4&. You can also write it out as 3+3+2/8, if you want, but I usually see rhythms like this in 4/4. [/QUOTE] Hmm, I think I can hear that now. Thank you for de-mystifying me! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909/52 "2006-08-25T22:08:54Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] the song “Estimated Prophet” by the Grateful Dead . [/QUOTE] Another great Dead tune is “The Eleven”, named for the fact it’s in 11/8. It’s from their early psychedelic period, and, AFAIK, only appears on the live albums documenting that time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-music-with-wonky-time-signatures/369909.md?page=2)