# Violin breaks in '60s songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999 "2011-06-27T04:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/1 "2011-06-27T04:56:53Z")
Seems to have been a trend in '60s pop pieces for a violin interlude about 2/3 of the way through a song. Examples: 1:59 into [Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbxxkwBQk_o) 1:30 into [My Girl](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltRwmgYEUr8) 1:49 into [Under the Boardwalk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyzCccndc2w) Gotta say, I love the effect. According to the [Wikpedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_You_Still_Love_Me_Tomorrow) entry, the lead singer of the Shirelles only agreed to sing “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” after the string arrangement was added. Any other good examples? Thoughts? Reactions? ---
**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:** [June 27, 2011, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/2 "2011-06-27T05:21:46Z")
“Stand by Me” by Ben E. King would also have to be a prime example. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/3 "2011-06-27T05:28:21Z")
I believe it was actually recorded in the early 70’s but Baba O’Riley would be another example. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/4 "2011-06-27T05:35:00Z")
Is “[White Bird](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRKtPCr8v_4&annotation_id=annotation_68230&feature=iv)” cheating? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/5 "2011-06-27T10:28:36Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I believe it was actually recorded in the early 70’s but Baba O’Riley would be another example. And the violinist on that was Dave Arbus, who, in the sixties, was in the group East Of Eden. Their first album Mercator Projected is very good. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/6 "2011-06-27T15:47:02Z")
The Drifters (and Ben E. King, who was one of their principal lead vocalists) did this a lot. See “[Save the Last Dance for Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-XQ26KePUQ)”. These don’t have violin solos, but I love the use of strings on the following soul tunes from 1969-1970: “What Does It Take” by Jr. Walker and the All-Stars “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” by Stevie Wonder “Love or Let Me Be Lonely” by the Friends of Distinction ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/7 "2011-06-27T15:52:17Z")
My reaction is that I hate strings in non-classical songs, especially when they rise up to a high volume. But that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/8 "2011-06-27T15:58:17Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Seems to have been a trend in '60s pop pieces for a violin interlude about 2/3 of the way through a song. Just a technical nitpick: Those are string sections composed of multiple violins, violas, and cellos at least. The top violin line stands out the most, but it was (and still is, AFAIK) common practice to write sweetening charts for an entire string ensemble even though the lower ranges are not well heard in the final mix on a car radio. Why not just use the upper parts? One composer I asked about that said that the string sections are used to playing as a group and he thinks harmonically that way, so the overall sound is better. It also provides more musician employment. When I wrote sweetening charts in Hollywood, no producer ever tried to cut costs by eliminating the lower strings, so I always wrote for a complete section, sometimes having the cellos play two notes at once (typically 5ths) to thicken the sound. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2011, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/9 "2011-06-28T12:07:08Z")
“Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)”, from the Beach Boys’ immortal _Pet Sounds_ (1966). There are, it seems, two kinds of “songs with string(s) solo section(s)”: those which have a string ensemble throughout, and this ensemble is “featured” during a section where there is no singing; and, those where a single string does a “solo” for a section, but is not heard in the rest of the song (this is more akin to your standard rock-god guitar solo.) “Don’t Talk” is an example of the former. The latter is less common – “Baba O’Riley” is one example that has been mentioned. (BTW, there was a Woodstocky-type end-of-the-60s group – The Family, maybe? – that featured a violin player, rather as Jethro Tull featured a flute.) ---
**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:** [June 28, 2011, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/10 "2011-06-28T12:14:32Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > (BTW, there was a Woodstocky-type end-of-the-60s group – The Family, maybe? – that featured a violin player, rather as Jethro Tull featured a flute.) Sorry, it was actually The Flock, featuring violinist Jerry Goodman. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/11 "2011-06-28T12:27:26Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Sorry, it was actually The Flock, featuring violinist Jerry Goodman. Family did feature two violinists (separately) - Ric Grech and John Weider. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/12 "2011-06-28T13:21:54Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Sorry, it was actually The Flock, featuring violinist Jerry Goodman. “Woodstocky type of group” makes me think more of Seatrain. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/13 "2011-06-28T13:44:01Z")
[hijack] What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle? Being in a city that has accomplished musicians on both instruments, I once asked one of them who plays both to explain the difference. She said,[spoiler] > [@](#): > > A violin has strings. > A fiddle has strangs. > That’s it. [/spoiler][/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/14 "2011-06-28T13:54:09Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > [hijack] > What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle? The style of music being played? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/15 "2011-06-28T14:32:13Z")
“Pretty Ballerina” by the Left Banke is a beautiful example. The father of one of the band members was a classical violinist, and had a fair amount of influence on the group’s arrangements. Then there’s the gawdawful weepy violin in “As Tears Go By,” by the Rolling Stones. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/16 "2011-06-28T18:20:21Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > [hijack] > What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle? Same instrument in both cases. Typically, a fiddler bows two strings at once, making for that typical “bluegrassy” chord sound. A violinist only ever bows one string at a time. Kinda makes sense when you consider that violin chords come from the second violinist, whereas there’s usually only one fiddler in a given band. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/17 "2011-06-28T22:23:13Z")
The Flock was great, so was It’s a Beautiful Day, also add McKendree Spring as a cheat. So was Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship for part of their times. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/18 "2011-06-28T22:52:32Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > A violinist only ever bows one string at a time. That’s not true; double stops are certainly used in classical violin playing. Solo violin music may even include full four-note chords–of course, it’s impossible to bow all four strings at once, so the violinist has to “roll” the chord. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/19 "2011-06-28T22:53:13Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > The Flock was great I’d forgotten just HOW great! > [@](#): > > So was Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship for part of their times. The Papa John Period. I’d also forgotten how much I loved McKendree Spring. I was such a closeted hippie. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999/20 "2011-06-29T15:42:32Z")
I guess we’re getting away from the original intent of the thread, but David Cross contributed some lovely violin to King Crimson songs such as “Book of Saturday” and “Trio”. Another prog rock band featuring violin was Curved Air, but I never cared for them all that much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violin-breaks-in-60s-songs/586999.md?page=2)