# What is the most famous instrumental song of the 20th century? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914 "2017-09-21T21:46:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/41 "2017-09-22T02:08:33Z")
The Colonel Bogey March? ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/42 "2017-09-22T02:19:22Z")
“Feels So Good” (Chuck Mangione) hasn’t been mentioned and doesn’t appear in the OP’s link. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/43 "2017-09-22T02:29:35Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > By that definition, any song can be an instrumental. Yes, that is absolutely correct. I don’t see the problem. (Besides, at any rate, almost all the songs mentioned in this thread are “pure” instrumentals by your definition.) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/44 "2017-09-22T02:30:10Z")
Just to throw in another definition of “pop” Maurice Ravel wrote Bolero in 1928, and the first recording of it was released in 1930. No lyrics. The most famous instrumental no one can name? Might be [Powerhouse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEro3PXShp4). ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/45 "2017-09-22T02:34:18Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Pink Floyd Echo’s too. But that’s probably just me. _Overhead the albatross Hangs motionless upon the air And deep within the rolling waves In labyrinths of coral caves The echo of the distant tide Comes willowing across the sand …_ Echos has an enormous, beautiful bridge, between two blocks of lyrics. My instinct would be _[Jessica](https://youtu.be/dAt1pZB52qM)_, for recognizable genuine “pop” – its absence from the list is glaring. In my musicscape, _Bourée_ fits, inasmuch as it is a very contemporary rendering of a somewhat otherwise obscure Bach composition. Also, what about that _Music_fucking_box Dancer_ song that the ice cream truck around here plays into the dirt? Why is that not on the list? ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/46 "2017-09-22T02:37:02Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Even “Hawaii Five-O” had at least two sets of lyrics the last time I looked. Also, so far as I can tell, the instrumental came first, and then two sets of lyrics were penned to the instrumental. Does that make it not an instrumental by your definition, then? ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/47 "2017-09-22T02:40:18Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Also, what about that _Music_fucking_box Dancer_ song that the ice cream truck around here plays into the dirt? Why is that not on the list? I only just checked the list right now, and even frickin’ _Linus and Lucy_ isn’t on it. I mean, come on. I only recognize maybe a third of the songs on that list. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/48 "2017-09-22T02:56:20Z")
“Linus and Lucy” would be my vote for “instantly recognizable but unable to name.” ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/49 "2017-09-22T03:03:40Z")
“Green Onions” was the first song I thought of, but then I also thought “nah, that can’t be #1. Just the most familiar to me.” I figured it would be some kind of theme/soundtrack instrumental. I definitely did not think of anything from the early 1900s. I was thinking more in the “rock era.” FWIW, it is the only instrumental on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all-time list, charted very high (#3 pop/#1 r&b), and was ranked on many critics’ lists as the best song of the year and one of the best of all time. Also, the song was released over 15 years before my birth and I am very familiar with it despite never making an effort to seek it out or listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/50 "2017-09-22T03:10:38Z")
I’d say _Dueling Banjos_ is a contender for this thread. (On preview, I see it’s been mentioned.) > [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Bugler’s Dream.” The name means nothing to most people, but since it’s been used as the theme song for Olympic broadcasts sine 1968, everyone in the world recognizes it instantly after two notes. It hasn’t been used for every Olympics. ABC used to win the broadcast rights for the Summer Olympics in the U.S., and they used _Bugler’s Dream_ on their telecasts. NBC won the rights for the 1980 Summer Games, but because of the U.S. boycott there was almost no coverage. They got the rights again in 1988 and commissioned John Williams to write a [theme](https://youtu.be/2zpp06jA8f4) for them. I don’t know if people complained, but they went back to _Bugler’s Dream_ (in some form) in 1992 (although a different recording than used by ABC), and have stuck with it since. However, it’s not quite that simple either. Since this plays during the intros and outros, you usually get less than half-a-minute of the music. On those occasions when it was longer, ABC used to play more of _Bugler’s Dream_, like [this](https://youtu.be/lwqE1QeyxM8). (That video is a mashup, combining the different recordings used by the two networks.) What NBC uses now is itself a mashup. In 1984, Williams was also commissioned to write music for the Games, but it was from the organizing committee, not a broadcaster. That piece was _Olympic Fanfare and Theme_. NBC’s current music is _Bugler’s Dream and Olympic Fanfare Medley_; it uses the first 45 seconds of the Bugler’s, then continues with elements from Williams’ 1984 piece, and possibly others as well. I don’t know about the Winter Olympics, but I think it’s similar. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/51 "2017-09-22T03:51:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Also, so far as I can tell, the instrumental came first, and then two sets of lyrics were penned to the instrumental. Does that make it not an instrumental by your definition, then? Good question. Started out as an instrumental, ended up as a song? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/52 "2017-09-22T03:54:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes, that is absolutely correct. I don’t see the problem. You ignored my second assertion. > [@](#): > > (Besides, at any rate, almost all the songs mentioned in this thread are “pure” instrumentals by your definition.) Huh? 😕 ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/53 "2017-09-22T03:57:35Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > You ignored my second assertion. No, I saw it. I just don’t think the distinction between “pure” instrumentals and instrumental versions of songs that have lyrics somewhere is particularly relevant to a pop music discussion. If an instrumental version of a song is a hit, then I’d consider that a “famous instrumental” for the purposes of this thread (or, really, just in general.) > [@](#): > > Huh? 😕 I had thought in your initial post you were complaining that a lot of the songs mentioned in the thread were not instrumentals when you said “I understood “instrumentals” to mean tunes that never had lyrics. A lot of the ones mentioned do, whether they are well known or not.” Perhaps I misunderstood. Maybe you were just talking about the list that was linked to. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/54 "2017-09-22T04:15:38Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > [Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFcmuhTTqoY) by Meco reached #1 on the Billboard 100 for two weeks. It sold over 2 million copies and is (according to Wikipedia) the best-selling instrumental single in the history of recorded music. John Williams’ version also reached the top ten. > > I’d say that’s a winner. And I strongly suspect it hasn’t been played anywhere since it dropped off the chart. :o How about Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”? ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/55 "2017-09-22T12:42:12Z")
Because the Champs speak the word “Tequila” in that song, does that disqualify it from the running? ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/56 "2017-09-22T13:51:56Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Because the Champs speak the word “Tequila” in that song, does that disqualify it from the running? Previous thread: [How many words can a song have before it is no longer “instrumental”?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=792186) ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/57 "2017-09-22T14:08:47Z")
“Classical Gas” is the first one I thought of, then “Dueling Banjos”; but I think “In the Mood” is a much better answer then both. “Girl From Ipanema” deserves a mention, even though it has lyrics it is most often played as an instrumental. I’d even go with “Take Five.” Based on the title, I had no idea what “Green Onions” was, but of course I recognized it as soon as I heard it. I don’t think I’d put it in the top 10 though. I agree with the person above who said that songs from earlier in the century have had a much better chance to build in the collective mind of the culture. In addition to “In the Mood” I would put “The Entertainer” in this category. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/58 "2017-09-22T14:17:14Z")
The Entertainer by Scott Joplin is not only one of the best known, but also one of the earliest having been written in 1902! And I challenge anyone not to get an instrumental earworm after hearing it just mentioned. It really gives folks The Sting! ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/59 "2017-09-22T14:44:11Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Because the Champs speak the word “Tequila” in that song, does that disqualify it from the running? Wipeout, mentioned on page 1, also has one word. I’ve seen The Hustle classed as an instrumental, and it has several “lines”, but only four words. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914/60 "2017-09-22T14:56:46Z")
Me reading the OP: I have never heard the name “Green Onions” ever, I have absolutely no idea what that is supposed to be. After listening to it on YouTube: Oh \*\*that \*\*one! Yeah, that’s definitely got to at the top of the list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-famous-instrumental-song-of-the-20th-century/796914.md?page=4)