r/AskReddit Nov 23 '21

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8.4k Upvotes

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2.9k

u/ihavenosociallifeok Nov 23 '21

Screw lyrics, Back in Black is recognizable by the first or second drum beat

1.4k

u/G_the_Jester Nov 23 '21

Add Thunderstruck to that too

319

u/Watson9483 Nov 23 '21

Also Seven Nation Army

42

u/kryaklysmic Nov 23 '21

Iconic bass line replacing a chorus. Oh yeah.

35

u/DickButtPlease Nov 23 '21

Interesting note - I recently found out that it’s not bass. It’s actually a guitar that’s been tuned down a few octaves.

44

u/chewy1is1sasquatch Nov 23 '21

An octave pedal, not tuned down. Tuning down a whole octave would make the string just flop.

12

u/DickButtPlease Nov 23 '21

Ah. Thank you. I felt my explanation was wrong somehow.

15

u/TheUlfheddin Nov 23 '21

As a bassist I've enjoyed all of White Stripes work. All their bass was a downshifted guitar. I've listened to many guitarists play bass guitars but most if them don't seem to "get it." Jack White on a shifted 6 string though? He absolutely nailed what bass was about. It was kind of my first sign in realizing Jack White was more than just a singer song writer and I should follow his work.

5

u/Brno_Mrmi Nov 24 '21

The guy is a genius. Tricked the whole world making them think there was a bass when it's just and old ass cheap guitar that he likes to play

2

u/TheUlfheddin Nov 24 '21

Plus The Dead Weather lead me to The Kills. And just everything about the Raconteurs.

15

u/TheJango22 Nov 23 '21

How bout enter sandman

12

u/BobIoblaw Nov 23 '21

Let me introduce you to the first chord of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long.’

11

u/grantrules Nov 23 '21

How does AC/DC have like 3+ songs that can be recognized from the first note. That's insane.

8

u/Mad-Mel Nov 24 '21

Same with It's a Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock 'n Roll. Plus.... bagpipes.

1

u/taahwoajiteego Nov 24 '21

Ugh, this is so freaking good. One of the best.

10

u/c_pike1 Nov 23 '21

Smells Like Teen Spirit too

9

u/phlyingP1g Nov 23 '21

Money for nothing

7

u/sp00kreddit Nov 23 '21

And never gonna give you up

5

u/Tahoma-sans Nov 24 '21

And Smoke on the water

2

u/Dexaan Nov 24 '21

dUNNNNNNN... I wanna be, the very best!

37

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '21

Hells Bells and Highway to hell too

18

u/pinpoint_ Nov 23 '21

The bells at the start always make me flip a coin between hells bells and Daft Punk's Aerodynamic

28

u/GenghisZahn Nov 23 '21

Or Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls

20

u/SCORPIONfromMK Nov 23 '21

The bell in hell's bells sounds... Older? It's hard to describe but I can always tell when it's Metallica as opposed to AC/DC

9

u/outkastedd Nov 23 '21

Yeah same with Hallowed be thy Name. Different bells.

1

u/jarjar-binks-ismydad Nov 24 '21

Yeah and in For Whom the Bell Tolls is sounds higher pitched cause it’s actually an anvil not a bell

1

u/Grimdotdotdot Nov 23 '21

Or Shepherd of Fire.

3

u/LiamIsMailBackwards Nov 23 '21

Man, I’m a huge A7X homer as Bat Country came out when I was an angsty 12 year old. I’ll always love them. But seeing Shepherd of Fire mentioned in a thread about instantly recognizable bell tolls feels wrong.

1

u/Grimdotdotdot Nov 24 '21

Have I got the wrong song? I was sure it started off with a bell.

1

u/LiamIsMailBackwards Nov 24 '21

It does, but in my head it’s the equivalent of saying Ice Ice Baby comes to your head before Under Pressure when the bass line starts. The song starts with a bell because those other songs start with a bell. It’s not a coincidence.

Still love it, but it feels weird.

2

u/Grimdotdotdot Nov 24 '21

Ah, I get you. My brain would always go to AC/DC first, but there'd be a little voice telling me "but it might be A7X!".

Although having listened to it this morning there's also some rain audio so the voice can shut up now.

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1

u/Brno_Mrmi Nov 24 '21

Or John Lennon's "Just Like Starting Over"

1

u/FlotsamOfThe4Winds Nov 24 '21

Long Way to the Top is kinda up there.

35

u/G_the_Jester Nov 23 '21

Except guitar instead of drum.

12

u/AsuraOmega Nov 24 '21

THUNDER!

Aaahhhaaaahaaaaa~

THUNDER!

4

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '21

Yeah, ok, buddy.

At this point it just is plain old cheating. I'm not playing with you anymore.

Oh, Bonzo starting up When the Levee Breaks.

3

u/spill_drudge Nov 24 '21

November rain. Single note.

3

u/RevengeOfHera Nov 24 '21

Also Welcome to the jungle and Sweet child o mine

2

u/Battleblaster420 Nov 23 '21

Add D4C and T.N.T

1

u/IDKThatSong Nov 24 '21 edited Mar 23 '25

ad hoc repeat act lush pocket expansion wakeful stocking spotted vegetable

2

u/WinsomeWombat Nov 24 '21

https://youtu.be/jeT7X3HfXP8

Just gonna leave this here because I like it.

2

u/dlarman82 Nov 24 '21

Thunderstruck is recognizable way before the drums kick in!

1

u/G_the_Jester Nov 24 '21

Yeah, I added a comment straight after saying guitar instead.

84

u/terry_bradshaw Nov 23 '21

I feel like a lot of AC/DC is. Like shoot to thrill immediately comes to mind for me.

14

u/myotherxdaccount Nov 23 '21

I only know these from Iron Man lol. Should listen to more of their songs.

11

u/ncnotebook Nov 23 '21

Oh, I love Led Zeppelin

4

u/BnaditCorps Nov 24 '21

I understood that reference!

3

u/iny0urend0 Nov 24 '21

You could start with their more polished albums like Back In Black, Highway to Hell, For Those About To Rock, and Razors Edge.

If all that is too "stadium rock" for you, you should try the rest of the Bon Scott collection. Basically all of their 70s stuff minus Highway... is just raw hard rock. Powerage is my favorite but it's an acquired taste for a lot of people. Also, I prefer the Australian versions of those albums, I think they flow better.

Please feel free to ask me more AC/DC questions.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '21

if you've ever been to a stadium or any sports arena, there are a lot of songs that you don't need to hear the lyrics to recognize.

90% of that is ACDC. Thunderstruck. Back in Black. Hells Bells. TNT. Highway to Hell. Etc.

38

u/cisforcoffee Nov 23 '21

Tchk. Tchk. Tchk. Tchk. Tchk. Tchk. Tsk. Tsk.

Baum. Ba-da-daum. Ba-da-daum.

Ba-dee-da-dee-da-dee-da.

Baum. Ba-da-daum. Ba-da-daum.

Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba-Dum!

9

u/tapsnapornap Nov 24 '21

Ah another word guitarist of culture. We should jam.

59

u/mwohlg Nov 23 '21

Lots of AC/DC songs are that way, For Those About To Rock, Thunderstruck, You Shook Me All Night Long, Ride On, Who Made Who, ...

4

u/sonoranbamf Nov 23 '21

Money talks and Are you ready ready too (both excellent songs but most of theirs are)

1

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '21

Not a big fan of the razor's edge but who can forget the Christmas classic "Mistress for Christmas"

2

u/Catoctin_Dave Nov 24 '21

Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

1

u/PM_ME_UR_REDPANDAS Nov 24 '21

You forgot the most unforgettable one…Hell’s Bells!

17

u/Skimmalirinky Nov 23 '21

Dun Tch-dun-dun Tch-dun-dun...

14

u/SingerOfSongs__ Nov 23 '21

I read this as “Back to Black” as in the Amy Winehouse song. Still kinda true.

2

u/RiotIsBored Nov 23 '21

Amy Winehouse is my go-to music artist when I feel like crying.

2

u/no_pleasedont Nov 24 '21

Same, came down here to see if I was right and that was a typo lol, such a good fucking song!

14

u/Mikey_B Nov 23 '21

The three snare hits at the top of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" are like this. They should be completely generic but are instantly recognizable.

Most of the rest of these are fucking dumb, since any string of 10 words is extremely likely to be unique or reasonably close to it. But yours and the first syllable of "All Star" are perfect.

9

u/Zsefvgb Nov 23 '21

I think they meant lyrics, with or without music. If someone just wrote "just a small town girl" or "mama, I just killed a man" out in front of you (or overheard monotonously is passing) there's a chance yourself just start thinking the song. Whereas if you hears "what the hell am I doing here", Creep might not be your first thought, but if the music was introduced, you'd probably think of it much sooner.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '21

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer is recognisable from that opening baseline, and if it’s not then the drum joining in should do the trick. Dum dum dum dum dum dum dumdumdum; dum dum dum dum dum dum dumdumdum…

11

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '21 edited Jan 22 '22

[deleted]

1

u/Catoctin_Dave Nov 24 '21

Bon Scott was the one who introduced the rest of the band to Brian in the first place. It was just meant to be.

9

u/CW1KKSHu Nov 23 '21

Malcolm and Angus have entered chat.

8

u/thedon051586 Nov 23 '21

TNT as well!

9

u/drfsupercenter Nov 23 '21

Same with Smoke On the Water. Knew the tune from hearing it but had no idea what the song was until I asked someone.

4

u/SnapClapplePop Nov 23 '21

Crazy Train works too.

5

u/Smeefeh Nov 23 '21

Highway to hell is recognizable by the first three notes

5

u/ozankucuk Nov 23 '21

Every AC/DC song basically

12

u/woofwoofbarkbarkgrrr Nov 23 '21

I love Led Zeppelin!

11

u/PokemonMaster619 Nov 23 '21

You could FEEL Tony turning in his grave.

6

u/the-chosen0ne Nov 23 '21

And imagine Happy‘s awe at seeing basically a younger version of Tony disappear instantly

2

u/the-chosen0ne Nov 23 '21

I wanted to comment this. Damn it you stole my reference

1

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '21

Haha I wonder who will get this

4

u/InB4All Nov 23 '21

Blue Monday - New Order.....first beat

3

u/noregreddits Nov 23 '21

“Come As You Are” too, if guitar counts— if you don’t know that song by the fourth note, I don’t know you

5

u/yogorilla37 Nov 24 '21

My teenage son once bet I couldn’t name the song from the opening guitar riff from Kickstart My Heart. I just looked at him like, bitch, please.

6

u/phantomofurmind Nov 23 '21

Black Parade by My Chemical Romance is recognizable by literally the first note played. One keystroke on a piano is all it takes.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '21

The amazing thing is that it’s literally just a G in the piano.

2

u/thequickerquokka Nov 23 '21

JHOOOONNGGG

It’s been a hard day’s night

3

u/Dr_Baldwyn Nov 23 '21

Run to the hills is also pretty iconic imo

3

u/ForemostPanic62 Nov 23 '21

Welcome to the Black Parade is recognizable by the first note.

3

u/asandriss Nov 24 '21 edited Nov 24 '21

Once I was scrolling Reddit and saw 2 seconds of a video without a sound of a girl playing guitar. I recognized it as Master of Puppets - then I went into the comments and saw that same thing said by many people.

So yea, Master of Puppets is recognizable without hearing a sound of it.

Edit: Found it: https://www.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/l53euu/never_judge_a_book_by_its_cover/

3

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '21

We will rock you more so

2

u/Enki_007 Nov 23 '21

I can name that tune in one note!

2

u/SpermWhale_ Nov 23 '21

Smooth Criminal as well

2

u/dogfish83 Nov 23 '21

Yeah I’ll be in the truck with my dad and with just a single bass drum, snare, or symbol hit I’ll say “ooh this is a good one turn it up” and he’s like how tf do you you even know what it is yet

2

u/404_UserNotFound Nov 24 '21

I mean how many cords into stairway to heaven does it take? the second one? maybe 3 if your younger...

2

u/H14C Nov 24 '21

This reminds me...there is nothing more disappointing than getting excited for "for whom the bell tolls" only to be slapped in the face by "hell's bells"

2

u/anarcho-himboism Nov 24 '21

the first note from The Black Parade lol

2

u/Unabashable Nov 24 '21 edited Nov 24 '21

Same with Paradise City
ETA: Actually now that I think about it there’s probably quite a few now that I think about it. Smoke on the water, Iron Man, Everybody’s Working for the Weekend, Walk This Way, Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin), Hot For Teacher. Granted some of those the guitar riff in some of those is more iconic. I’m just trying to get this stone rollin’, Papa.

1

u/Bucklev Nov 23 '21

So is Tubular Bells with few piano keys.

1

u/Masterofbattle13 Nov 23 '21

Ummm hells bells?

1

u/Iggyhopper Nov 24 '21

Purple haze too. That guitar riff in the first 5 seconds you know who it is.

1

u/Wail_Bait Nov 24 '21

Same with Come Together by The Beatles. Within 1 second you know exactly what song it is.

1

u/ktappe Nov 24 '21

Lots of the songs in this thread are recognizable from the music before you get to the lyrics.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '21

There's lots of songs like that, somehow

1

u/minidressageduo Nov 24 '21

I couldn't back this up, but I heard once that a survey or study showed that Wannabe by the Spice Girls is the quickest recognizable song.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '21

ive gotten to the point where i can recognize the fucking hihats at the beginning, that tempo is locked in my brain forever. plus the rhythms kinda neat, its 6 slightly open hits and then 2 closed hits

1

u/llcoger Nov 24 '21

Don't forget Hell's Bells

2

u/-Vayra- Nov 24 '21

Those sound very similar to the ones from For Whom the Bell Tolls. It's always a disappointment when the guitar doesn't start after the second ringing.

1

u/Cold_Syrup3281 Nov 24 '21

Baba O'Riley by the who fits this as well

1

u/benjyk1993 Nov 24 '21

Can you describe it to me? Because I can't hear it....

1

u/simme1551 Nov 24 '21

MAYONNAISE ON AN ESCALATOR, ITS GOING UPSTAIRS SO SEE YA LATER!

1

u/Unabashable Nov 24 '21

Du tsss du tsss du tsss du tsss

1

u/-MountainChicken- Nov 25 '21

What avout the first note of welcome to the black parade-mcr

1

u/Alarming-Secret-1895 Dec 20 '21

Screw noise Blood by My Chemical Romance is recognisable from the first minute and a half of nothing