What is the most famous instrumental song of the 20th century?

[MacLir]

@terentii

The Top 100 list has a number of pieces with lyrics: “Exodus,” “Route 66,” and “A Time for Us (Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet),” f’rinstance. Even “Hawaii Five-O” had at least two sets of lyrics the last time I looked.

Actually “A Time for Us (Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet)” was initially an instrumental. By Tchaikovsky.

[MacLir]

@kunilou

The most famous instrumental no one can name? Might be Powerhouse.

Just because it’s in a zillion cartoons? Along with the third movement of the “William Tell Overture”? (“Lone Ranger” is the fourth movement.) :dubious:

If you don’t recognize the reference, visualize a cartoon of dawn breaking over a farm. The music in your head is the third movement of the overture.

[pulykamell]

@MacLir

Just because it’s in a zillion cartoons? Along with the third movement of the “William Tell Overture”? (“Lone Ranger” is the fourth movement.) :dubious:

If you don’t recognize the reference, visualize a cartoon of dawn breaking over a farm. The music in your head is the third movement of the overture.

Well, this actually was the one I thought of visualizing that scene.

[MacLir]

@pulykamell

Well, this actually was the one I thought of visualizing that scene.

Point taken - that one too!

But this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJTIMlwQT_A is what I meant.

[TubaDiva]

It’s amazing how much of our knowledge of things is based on cartoons, especially Warner Brothers.

I was trying to explain some music choices for an upcoming gig to one of the ensembles I play in. I said stuff like “semi-comic take on classical music” and “Wagnerian leifmotif” and they kinda looked sideways at me. I said, “Kill the wabbit!” and people said, “I’M SO IN!”

[K364]

@pulykamell

Well, this actually was the one I thought of visualizing that scene.

You have to watch this “Flash mob in the Copenhagen Metro. Copenhagen Phil playing Peer Gynt.” The glorious moment when the train comes out the tunnel into the Sun just as the music swells.

[C.Montgomery_Burns]

How could it not be Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer? Everybody knows that.

[John_Mace]

@terentii

I understood “instrumentals” to mean tunes that never had lyrics. A lot of the ones mentioned do, whether they are well known or not.

The first thing that came to my mind was “Classical Gas” (which, so far as I know, is indeed lyric-less).

That was my first thought, although I was thinking more along the lines of “one of the best” rather than most famous.

@Chronos

Out of all of the works mentioned in this thread, “Green Onions” is the only one I’ve never heard of. I find it hard to say that it’s the most famous.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one! Green Onions?

[Some_Call_Me.Tim]

I’m rather surprised that as far as I can tell no one has mentioned Axel F yet. Unambiguously pop, got a lot of radio airplay at the time on top-40 stations.

Perhaps you have to be about the right age to remember that one.

[LukeOwens]

The first popular instrumental i thought of was “The Overture to ‘Tommy’” by the Who. This may say more about my taste in music, though, as I despise most instrumental music. IF it doesn’t have lyrics, I just don’t want to know about it.

[SigMan]

@Some_Call_Me.Tim

I’m rather surprised that as far as I can tell no one has mentioned Axel F yet. Unambiguously pop, got a lot of radio airplay at the time on top-40 stations.

Perhaps you have to be about the right age to remember that one.

I remember it very well and for a long time I thought it was a Herbie Hancock piece but I was wrong

Speaking of Herbie, remember this one?

Herbie Hancock - Chameleon (FULL VERSION)

[pulykamell]

[quote=“SigMan, post:151, topic:796914”]

I remember it very well and for a long time I thought it was a Herbie Hancock piece but I was wrong

Speaking of Herbie, remember this one?

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, Harold Faltermeyer. Your brain is probably conflating it with Herbie’s “Rock It”, which was the same year and shares some general melodic similarities.