# Tracks that feature momentary silence **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261 "2012-02-09T01:59:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/1 "2012-02-09T01:59:47Z")
I was listening to [One Night in Bangkok](http://youtu.be/P9mwELXPGbA) the other day and was trying to work out what gives the rhythm such an interesting pulsing insistence. Then I had a hunch what I was hearing: the track seems to be full of tiny breaks of silence. I put the MP3 into Audacity and looked at the amplitude graph and confirmed this - when they’re not singing, the drum/synth combo stops for about 1/10 of a second on every single beat. It’s very effective, even if you don’t love the track (which I don’t). Can anyone think of any other tracks that make use of this effect? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/2 "2012-02-09T08:01:37Z")
Interesting! I wonder if Seether did something similar in their song [_Remedy_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZLILV18ut8&ob=av3n). It kind of sucks my ears in and makes me want to dance. And I hate dancing! Must be the syncopation. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/3 "2012-02-09T08:18:47Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Interesting! I wonder if Seether did something similar in their song [_Remedy_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZLILV18ut8&ob=av3n). It kind of sucks my ears in and makes me want to dance. And I hate dancing! Must be the syncopation. I think you may be right. Just after the snare, I think the guitars are momentarily silent. Unfortunately I don’t have the sound file to have a look. (BTW the opening sounds like a complete rip-off of _Come As You Are_.) ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/4 "2012-02-09T11:43:09Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > (BTW the opening sounds like a complete rip-off of _Come As You Are_.) Which was a rip-off of Killing Joke’s _Eighties_ in the first place… ---
**Author:** ![banjoDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@banjoDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/banjoDavid)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/5 "2012-02-09T15:04:46Z")
In the Court of the Crimson King, title song from Crimson’s first album. Take a Pebble, from first ELP album. Common denominator is Greg Lake, in both bands. I like listening to these tracks on cd rather than lp, because the ticks, pops and surface noise of the lp’s got in the way of the silence. David ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/6 "2012-02-09T15:41:34Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I think you may be right. Just after the snare, I think the guitars are momentarily silent. Unfortunately I don’t have the sound file to have a look. (BTW the opening sounds like a complete rip-off of _Come As You Are_.) I believe the proper term is _“homage.”_ 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/7 "2012-02-09T15:52:01Z")
Punctuated and recurring bits of silence only, or can we talk about songs that have a pregnant pause at merely one point? If the latter is OK, I’d like to mention the break in the bridge guitar solo of Heart’s “Magic Man”. Probably my favorite all-time break in a rock song. Love Roger Fisher’s immediate riff coming out of the break, too. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/8 "2012-02-09T15:53:58Z")
Ween does this often. Chocolate and Cheese had this effect, and it cracks me up when suddenly the music starts again. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/9 "2012-02-09T15:58:02Z")
All I Really Want by Alanis comes to mind as well as a Madonna song that I can’t think of right now but I remember when my friend bought the CD she thought it was skipping. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/10 "2012-02-09T16:02:52Z")
There was a false alarm when I first heard _D.O.A._ by Bloodrock. There was several seconds of silence at the end, followed by a cacophonous musical collage which I assumed was the second part of the piece, describing what happened after they died. Of course, it was another track entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/11 "2012-02-09T16:04:12Z")
But the best example I can think of is _Leave the Biker_ by Fountains of Wayne. The longest actual complete musical pause that I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/12 "2012-02-09T16:08:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > All I Really Want by Alanis comes to mind Yes! I had that in mind too but couldn’t put my finger on it. > [@](#): > > as well as a Madonna song that I can’t think of right now but I remember when my friend bought the CD she thought it was skipping. The one that starts with the sampled acoustic guitar? I know a guy who’s a standup comedian who does a great riff on that. He can play the way the Madonna track starts perfectly, with all the pauses, repeats etc. He goes through it a few times then puts the guitar down disgustedly and says “it’s no good, the guitar’s fucked”. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/13 "2012-02-09T16:10:13Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > But the best example I can think of is _Leave the Biker_ by Fountains of Wayne. The longest actual complete musical pause that I can think of. [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnYyXXMz_JM&feature=related) a good cover of Cage’s 4’33. You might want to check it out. There’s quite a number of other covers on the internet done by everything from single flutes to full orchestras (in fact, I think it’s typically done by orchestras). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/14 "2012-02-09T16:12:17Z")
BTW I’m really not looking for pauses in songs, of which there are many. I’m looking for very short periods of silence as an acoustic technique. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/15 "2012-02-09T16:12:39Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnYyXXMz_JM&feature=related) a good cover of Cage’s 4’33. You might want to check it out. There’s quite a number of other covers on the internet done by everything from single flutes to full orchestras (in fact, I think it’s typically done by orchestras). Thought of it. It’s not a break in the music. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/16 "2012-02-09T16:14:04Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnYyXXMz_JM&feature=related) a good cover of Cage’s 4’33. You might want to check it out. There’s quite a number of other covers on the internet done by everything from single flutes to full orchestras (in fact, I think it’s typically done by orchestras). I know a guy who can play that using his butt and a kazoo. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/17 "2012-02-09T16:29:41Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Yes! I had that in mind too but couldn’t put my finger on it.The one that starts with the sampled acoustic guitar? [Here it is.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRLHro9EPD0&ob=av2e) I Googled “Madonna song with pauses” and found the wikipedia entry based on an excerpt that said “The unexpected brief pauses of silence heard on the guitar riff at the beginning of the song initially caused some listeners to think that track on the Music album was defective” ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/18 "2012-02-09T16:40:15Z")
A lot of mid-90s metal features this dynamic. Some bands built an entire career on the sound, e.g. [Helmet](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBfygUiS50g). [Walk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkFqg5wAuFk&ob=av3n), by Pantera. ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/19 "2012-02-09T17:01:00Z")
It should be noted that the lyrics leading into the pause in “All I Really Want” are _Why are you so petrified by silence? Here- can you handle this:_ (pause) Always rather liked that. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261/20 "2012-02-09T19:28:14Z")
Yeah, Madonna’s Don’t Tell is one of my favorite songs, particularly because of those little pauses. That is a technique often used in good hip hop and reggae/dancehall songs too. Love it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracks-that-feature-momentary-silence/612261.md?page=2)