I would have gone with “Basket Case” myself.
Is this a whoosh? They didn’t sing that song.
That’s why I said “No, I know. But still.”
Yeah but no. Deep Purple is Smoke… simply cause it’s one of the most recognizable guitar riffs ever.
I kind of think “Satisfaction” is a signature song for Mick Jagger, not the Stones in general. Or is that, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”?
I don’t think there is a single signature song for the Stones, really.
Sympathy for the Devil is to The Rolling Stones,
as While my Guitar Gently Weeps is to The Beatles.
One more for Satisfaction as a signature song.
Bruce Springsteen: Jersey Girl, written by Tom Waits
Eric Clapton: I Shot The Sheriff, written by Bob Marley
Springsteen is Born to Run.
Come on, Springsteen is “Born in the USA.” The one that people who have never actually listened to a Springsteen record would identify. The one that’s famous (as well) for entirely music-unrelated reasons.
Billy Joel equals Piano Man, right?
Well, that really is the rub of it. The answer is going to vary based on what one means by “signature song.” I had an earlier post that I ended up not posting where I agree with you, that “Born in the USA” is the signature song, even though I think “Born to Run” is a much better summation of his music. By that metric, though, it’s pretty much always going to be the most popular song that becomes the “signature” song (but not necessarily always–a few posts back I say I think “Freebird” is Skynyrd’s signature song, though I suspect “Sweet Home Alabama” is more popular. At least in my case, I was familiar with Sweet Home Alabama long before I first heard Freebird.)
Taking “signature” in the most simple and direct way possible, I think it has to mean, what is the one song that identifies the artist, before all others? If we have a bunch of people who literally recognize only one cut, what’s that one going to be, most often?
And that’s not just a matter of popularity, in the sense of people liking songs as such. For giant pop artists, a substantial portion of the signature recognition is from people who don’t listen to or like that kind of music at all.
I’m sure that among people who know two, or more, songs by an artist, the one they like better is quite often not the signature.
Born To Run: It was his attempt to make a huge single to save his career, because he might have been dropped without it. It did the trick, and he appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek at the same time. He became a star.
Born in the USA: Was used by Ronald Reagan. It was a famous song because Bruce was already famous and the early 80s were terrible for music. Not very great as a song.
I say it’s Rosalita. Ha
Indigo Girls—totally a tossup between “Closer to Fine” and “Galileo.”
Speaking of Stones—Indigo Girls’ cover of “Wild Horses” on their live album Staring Down the Brilliant Dream is the best cover version of it I’ve ever heard.
See, when I hear “Blue Suede Shoes”, I think Carl Perkins.
ABBA - Dancing Queen
“Tumbling Dice” is the song that resonates the southern black bluesmen groove that the Stones were always trying to go for, and the song they play at almost every concert. Satisfaction has the great signature riff, Brown Sugar has some great down low and nasty lyrics, Gimme Shelter and Paint it Black are both powerful, and Jumpin’ Jack Flash has the great layered guitars, but Tumbling Dice is the pure distilled stuff.
For Zeppelin, I would go with Kashmir over Stairway, and from what i have read, the band would largely agree.
The Beatles, though I love their later stuff far more, would have to be I Want to Hold Your Hand.
The Doors- more people would identify Light My Fire, which has all of the great elements of the band, but I think LA Woman captures them better.
Nice. If you haven’t heard the version of Tumblin’ Dice from The Brussels Affair I reference upthread, you really should. Takes my head off every time - the guitar chemistry between Keith and Mick Taylor is a best-ever moment for me.
Of course. Carl was the composer and had the bigger hit. Give the guy his due. It’s a theme song for the ages, and it’s his completely.
Elvis must be Heartbreak Hotel or Hound Dog.