# Worst (or best) edits of a song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777 "2011-07-04T03:05:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/1 "2011-07-04T03:05:49Z")
Most of the time when songs are edited, they lose a lot of their power. The worst example for me is “Beginnings” by Chicago. The original version is an 8 minute epic with some fantastic horn solos; the radio edit with just the first three minutes just sounds like another easy listening tune. (The edit on their Greatest Hits is much better; you just lose the cool but inessential percussion jam at the end.) What examples can you think of? And I couldn’t name any songs that were better in their radio/single edits; can you? ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/2 "2011-07-04T03:14:56Z")
The Doors - “Break On Through (To the Other Side)” sounds better with the word “high” edited out, which is the way it was played on both the album and the single for decades. The rhythm and scansion are better with the word missing. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/3 "2011-07-04T03:33:35Z")
_Silence_ by Delerium. The [original version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA-je1_Ejq0) from the _Karma_ CD is a haunting song with expressive vocals. The [remix that got airplay](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTLJjoW867g) is a cheesy pop/trance song. (My apologies to anyone who loved this version.) But it does have a cool video! (The vocals are a bit muddy on both clips.) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/4 "2011-07-04T05:59:06Z")
The Black Crowes’ “Hard To Handle” has a version with overdubbed horns that I thought was kind of fun, a little different. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/5 "2011-07-04T06:18:23Z")
So, I was given an MP3 of The Misfits’ “Helena.” Later on I realized that it wasn’t the full version, since my copy was about a minute short. Turns out that the song is _better_ with that minute in the middle stripped out. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/6 "2011-07-04T06:21:30Z")
I don’t agree about “Break on Through,” since it leaves you with the question hanging: “_What_ does ‘She get’?” Knowing it to be apostasy, however, I will say that the 45 edit of “Light My Fire” makes for a much more cohesive song _qua_ song. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/7 "2011-07-04T09:55:45Z")
F\*\*\* Her Gently, by Tenacious D. If you’ve ever heard the song, you realize why a radio edit might be the worst thing that could possibly happen to it, but when I was in high school, they played this on 102.1 KDGE in Dallas with all of the inappropriate parts dubbed over with sound effects. The results were… hilarious. And still incredibly suggestive, given the choice of sound effects. I have never been able to find this version anywhere online. The first time I heard the unedited version, it was actually kinda disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/8 "2011-07-04T13:05:44Z")
_My Sharona_ by Knack was edited for radio sometimes by completely chopping out one of the kick-assiest guitar solos of the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/9 "2011-07-04T14:36:03Z")
The single version of “Light My Fire” by the Doors is better than the unedited album version, because it cuts out Ray Manzarek’s horrendous organ solo. OTOH, the version of “(I Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” is far better in its unedited single version than in the edited album version. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/10 "2011-07-04T14:57:11Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > The Black Crowes’ “Hard To Handle” has a version with overdubbed horns that I thought was kind of fun, a little different. The horn version drives me nuts. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but that song doesn’t sound right with all the horns. I don’t know if it’s the orchestration or the mix of the horns itself, but they sound like they were tacked on as an afterthought (which I suppose they were.) I’m not a fan of the Doors, but, as someone who plays the keyboards, I much prefer the radio edit of “Light My Fire” to the one with the long, boring organ solo. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/11 "2011-07-04T17:36:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The Doors - “Break On Through (To the Other Side)” sounds better with the word “high” edited out, which is the way it was played on both the album and the single for decades. The rhythm and scansion are better with the word missing. Agreed. Far better. . ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/12 "2011-07-04T17:47:50Z")
> [@Sam\_A.Robrin](#): > > I don’t agree about “Break on Through,” since it leaves you with the question hanging: “_What_ does ‘She get’?” It doesn’t matter. She just does. I always thought it was brilliant, Morrison at his best where words are suggestive/evocative but meaningless; I was a little disappointed when I found out he never sang or intended it that way. Luckily for us, we can each have it our own way. > [@Sam\_A.Robrin](#): > > Knowing it to be apostasy, however, I will say that the 45 edit of “Light My Fire” makes for a much more cohesive song _qua_ song. Yep. I’d prefer a version with much shorter instrumental solos. The single is a little too brief for my taste, but it works far better than the interminable long version. . ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/13 "2011-07-04T17:59:55Z")
The radio edit of “Who Are You?” cuts out the entire third verse. The edit of “Money For Nothing” cuts out the verse about the “Little Faggot.” The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has even handed down the opinion that the unedited version of the song is unacceptable for airplay, and it is missing from most Dire straits compilation albums, although it is still on the original _Brothers In Arms_ album. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/14 "2011-07-04T18:01:19Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The single version of “Light My Fire” by the Doors is better than the unedited album version, because it cuts out Ray Manzarek’s horrendous organ solo. What-- you don’t rudimentary melodic fragments played in thirds? Ray Manzarek is the most preposterously overrated keyboardist in pop-rock music. The quintessence of “all hat and no cattle.” . ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/15 "2011-07-04T18:39:23Z")
I’m not entirely sure Ray Manazarek is much rated at all, at least not enough to be over-rated. But I have to give him some credit, even though I don’t like his repetitive, modal style and his phrasing. Like him or not, his keyboards really did majorly define the sound of the Doors, and it’s a sound that proved to be successful and it suited them well. I’m really having a hard time thinking of other rock bands where the keyboards was so central to the sound. For better or worse, nobody else sounded like Ray Manazarek. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/16 "2011-07-04T19:58:32Z")
I think Manzarek was fine when he played backup to the songs. He was important to the Doors sound, and generally was unobjectionable (and his introductory solo on “Light My Fire” was perfect for the song). But giving him a solo is a big mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/17 "2011-07-04T20:01:07Z")
Speaking of keyboard solos, _Prince’s_ **When Doves Cry** has a kick-ass solo near the end of the song that gets edited out for radio play. Makes me angry. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/18 "2011-07-04T20:37:09Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Most of the time when songs are edited, they lose a lot of their power. The worst example for me is “Beginnings” by Chicago. The original version is an 8 minute epic with some fantastic horn solos; the radio edit with just the first three minutes just sounds like another easy listening tune. (The edit on their Greatest Hits is much better; you just lose the cool but inessential percussion jam at the end.) What examples can you think of? And I couldn’t name any songs that were better in their radio/single edits; can you? THIS. Is. The song. I opened the thread to post about. That really tasty percussion at the end (sounds like each band member put down their instrument and picked up an obscure third world drum of some sort) was the reason I bought the CD. But on “Only The Beginning: Chicago’s Greatest”? A quick fade just as you’re getting ready for what was indeed Chicago’s greatest moment. And for no reason… what, run out of room on the CD? I doubt it… ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/19 "2011-07-04T20:51:03Z")
Going back a bit - the radio edit for “Dawn” by The Four Seasons cuts the a capella intro and starts with the drums. The song misses something without the intro. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777/20 "2011-07-04T21:14:42Z")
I hate when they take off the end of November Rain, the only reason to listen to the whole freakin song [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-or-best-edits-of-a-song/587777.md?page=2)