List Songs Where "Not a Single Note Is Wasted"

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Lynn Anderson - "Rose Garden"

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 05:25 (twenty years ago)

http://margdelaj.csdm.qc.ca/matieres/langues/anglais/esl2/Amadeus-photos/joseph.gif

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 05:28 (twenty years ago)

http://www.scene360.com/Director_Milos_amadeu01.gif

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 05:28 (twenty years ago)

Steppenwolf hears Don Giovanni playing in the background. Mozart walks by and laughs. Steppenwolf follows him into one of the galleries where the last act of Don Giovanni is playing. Steppenwolf argues that Don Giovanni has never been surpassed, but Mozart laughs and claims otherwise. They observe a series of musicians, among them Brahms and Wagner, floating along in space. Mozart informs Steppenwolf that they are paying for their failings as musicians and for their sins. Steppenwolf argues that they are not responsible for “the fault of their time.” Mozart responds that the same is true for all men, whether it is their fault or not. Mozart laughs and tells Steppenwolf that he, too, will do penance for all his “superfluous books” and “rotten plagiarisings ill-gotten.” Steppenwolf becomes angry and grabs Mozart’s pigtail.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 05:37 (twenty years ago)

Descendents: "All"

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 06:01 (twenty years ago)

good call doug

― corey c (shock of daylight), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 06:07 (twenty years ago)

jobim comes to mind, 'wave' and of course 'one note samba'

― jake b. (cerybut), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 06:39 (twenty years ago)

John cage - 4'33"

― Erlend Andenæs (epp), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 07:14 (twenty years ago)

serious answer:

Archers of Loaf - "Web in Front"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

http://www.hootpage.com/mmen84f.jpg

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

Agree with the one that started the thread. Would also add

Tammy Wynette - "Stand By Your Man"

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 12:47 (twenty years ago)

Squeeze - "Up The Junction"

― Huey (Huey), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

Spoon - Paper Tiger (alt: The Way We Get By)

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 13:05 (twenty years ago)

Haven't we had this discussion before? Maybe I'm thinking of another group.

Anyway, isn't it a pretty lazy critical cliche, because don't you kinda feel that way about any song you like a lot?

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:10 (twenty years ago)

I would say "Here Comes the Sun," but then I remember the strings. Those notes are wasted.

"Her Majesty."

"Pump It Up."

― The Mad Puffin, Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

(x-post) I don't think it's lazy - it's more about the construction of a song than it is about whether you like it or not. I'm not a big White Stripes fan, but "Fell In Love With a Girl" is a very trim song.

― Brian Miller (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

Wire: Sand in my joints

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

But a song can be "untrim" (that is, have lots of elements, be dense) and still not have any "wasted notes" if those elements are incorporated in an intelligent way. Basically Rick Massimo OTM, this phrase is essentially meaningless.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

Maybe a more interesting question would be "List songs that waste lots of notes that you still like a lot".

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

I think you guys are being too literal-minded. I mean, much as I love some extended VU jams, I would not put them in this category.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

I don't know, there are hundreds of songs where I like the vast majority of stuff that goes on in it, but there are bits that are overly ornamented or layered or just not necessary. And of course piling on excessive notes is sometimes the whole point, say with Venetian Snares or Mahavishnu Orchestra.

There are definitely songs that make me think of the cliche, and they're usually minimal things where every part is memorable and has a clear functional purpose in the song.

um, xpost

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:33 (twenty years ago)

DEFINITELY mission of burma - "thats how i escaped my certain fate".

― peter smith (plsmith), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:38 (twenty years ago)

Maybe a more direct example would be jazz, where you can have a fantastic take of a song and everyone's playing great, but there are always moments where the musicians are trying things out or filling space for a few bars or playing less than brilliant phrases inbetween the ones that really stand out. These might not be "wasted notes" as such, but it's not like everyone's part is perfect and singable throughout the whole song (Kind of Blue comes close to this I think, which why people love it so much).

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:38 (twenty years ago)

for a whole album: Young Marble Giants' Colossal Youth

― frank darabont, Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)

Todd Rundgren, "I Saw the Light"

Christie, "Yellow River"

Three Dog Night, "One"

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)

jack nitzsche, "lower california."

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:41 (twenty years ago)

Can any song with a repeated chorus really qualify? It seems like once you've heard the chorus once, there should be no need to repeat it.

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:43 (twenty years ago)

Actually, that might be a good idea for another thread: songs where the chorus only appears once. I know I've heard songs like that, though I'm having a tough time thinking of an example: maybe "Tuff Gnarl" by Sonic Youth?

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:44 (twenty years ago)

"We Will Rock You"
"Rock'n'Roll Pt. 2"

x-post: dang, nevermind

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:44 (twenty years ago)

I think a song with a repeated chorus can work, as a lot of well constructed songs wouldn't work with as well with only their verses strung together. In any case, it seems like a bad road to go down as you could say the same about hearing a single drum pattern/bassline/etc.

― Brian Miller (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:49 (twenty years ago)

Well, I think we should probably also exclude songs with repeated drum patterns and bass lines, but perhaps I'm in the minority here.

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

Wire: Sand in my joints

B-but at the end it goes "feeling the pain, the pain, the pain, the pain, the PAIN!" when it could just go "feeling the PAIN!" and stop dead!

I think Anton Webern's "Five Pieces For Orchestra" might qualify better than most pop songs, because there's no repetition whatsoever.

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

No repetition != no note wasting.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:52 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps, but I think it's much harder to argue that a song that has repetition in it genuinely has not a single wasted note. Because in order for that to be true, it would have to have exactly the right number of repetitions, and who's to say that 53 repetitions of the bass line wouldn't have been better than say 54?

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:54 (twenty years ago)

But repetition is necessary for pop music! So in that context, repetition is not "wasting notes," it's a vital part of what's going on!

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:56 (twenty years ago)

it doesn't have to be the RIGHT number. it can be LESS than enough and still have no note wasted.

hence "rock'n'roll part 2"

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:56 (twenty years ago)

This is getting into mentalist territory!

xposts!

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

I think there can be repetition but ideally there should be something about the dynamics of the song so that the repetition doesn't allow you to kick back and say "OK, I can space out a little bit, I recognize that bit."

Wire's "Mannequin" would also seem to satisfy Miccio's Inequality and belong on this thread.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:01 (twenty years ago)

I dunno, I think there's like one too many guitar strums at the end when it trails off

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

But even in the latter case, the repetition is serving a purpose - it's not a waste. Do you guys not understand how songs work?

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)

I'll try this again: the word "waste" is rhetorical.

For jazz, I would submit the Lee Konitz album Motion (Motionlee?), especially for Sonny Dallas pounding out those quarter notes.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:11 (twenty years ago)

Someone once said this about the Clean, and I agree and nominate "Billy Two"

― Kate Silver (Kate Silver), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

OK, well there's obviously some brilliant distinction that I'm missing, and Jordan makes some good points re: jazz, but I still fail to fully comprehend how this thread is anything but another one of ILM's neverending "list some songs that you like" threads.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:20 (twenty years ago)

Prole art threat by The Fall.
Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell.
Rock on by David Essex.
Good times by Chic.

― Kris England, Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, the phrase is obviously problematic. "Rose Garden," to me, is a song where every note has a really specific purpose in continuing to propel the song's trajectory and yet there's a real economy to all of the phrasing.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

Requiem Por Un Con!

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 17:24 (twenty years ago)

eight months pass...

We went out to dinner with my parents last night and they had a jukebox with '50s rock and roll records. In the middle of Sam Cooke singing "Cupid," my dad said, "Boy, they really had SOLID LITTLE SONGS back then."

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 23 January 2006 23:19 (twenty years ago)

"Supper's Ready" is the longest "song" ever where not a single note is wasted.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 00:12 (twenty years ago)

stairway
freebird

― 6335, Tuesday, 24 January 2006 05:08 (twenty years ago)

Ack Ack Ack Ack.

― clotpoll, Tuesday, 24 January 2006 06:35 (twenty years ago)

ooh I really liked the "web in front" suggestion

― tate (Tate), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 06:49 (twenty years ago)

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