Popular songs in unusual time signatures

[Zad]

OMD used 3/4 waltz time for Maid of Orleans

[Nimby]

"Popular song" may be stretching it, but the opening of Tarkus (ELP) is 10/8.

[TheGuru]

Some of the of the most popular ones must be from Led Zeppelin, e.g. Stairway To Heaven

Also they have polymeter ones like Black Dog, with drums and bass in 5/4, the rest of the instruments in 4/4

[Silver Smudger]

U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name - is in 4/4 but starts and ends in 6/8

[droopsnoot]

andyr30 said:

The Stranglers - Golden Brown - 3/4

The link to an article a couple of pages up suggests it was 13/8, apparently it's three bars of 3/4 followed by one bar of 4/4. Means nothing to me, I might add, only that JJ Burnel mentioned it on BBC Breakfast recently because the presenter had been having trouble dancing to the song on "Strictly".

[ATTAK Z]

All you need is love

[spyder dryver]

"Turn it on again" -- Genesis.
I always thought that this was in 13-8 but according to Wiki it varies from
13-4 to 9-4.

[thebraketester]

conkerman said:

I can't quite work out Charge by elbow.

Its in 4... but some of the lines and rhythms fall oddly in the bar so thats why it sounds a bit skew wiff.

[thebraketester]

droopsnoot said:

andyr30 said:

The Stranglers - Golden Brown - 3/4

The link to an article a couple of pages up suggests it was 13/8, apparently it's three bars of 3/4 followed by one bar of 4/4. Means nothing to me, I might add, only that JJ Burnel mentioned it on BBC Breakfast recently because the presenter had been having trouble dancing to the song on "Strictly".

Yeah I guess you could argue some of the song is in 13/4, but in reality its 3/4 and 4/4

[ATTAK Z]

Hey Ya ... OutKast

[Konan]

Not a 'song' - but the Mission Impossible theme is 5/4 but doesn't jump out at the listener as complex.

Still too complex for Soggy Hobnob, who went running back to 4/4 for Take a Look around off the movie soundtrack.

thebraketester said:

conkerman said:

I can't quite work out Charge by elbow.

Its in 4... but some of the lines and rhythms fall oddly in the bar so thats why it sounds a bit skew wiff.

Pyramid Song was like that. I tried to count it every way possible only to have it pointed out that it's just common time with ties over the bar.

[thebraketester]

Pyramid song is in a weird time signature. Id forgotten all about the song. :-)

[davepoth]

Ocean Colour Scene's "The Riverboat Song" is in 6/8 time, and 3/4 in the chorus.

[Halmyre]

Konan said:

Not a 'song' - but the Mission Impossible theme is 5/4 but doesn't jump out at the listener as complex.

The TV series theme is 5/4, the films are 4/4, or so I read somewhere.

[suthol]

Take Five - Dave Brubeck 5/4
Take Time - Procession 5/4
Time Is On My Side - Rolling Stones 12/8
Whipping Post - Allman Brothers Band 11/8

Plenty of very odd time signatures in the prog rock years with Gentle Giant probably being the biggest offenders.

( 12/8 is not all that unusual a time signature for some waltz's but a bit rare in rock/pop )

[conkerman]

thebraketester said:

Its in 4... but some of the lines and rhythms fall oddly in the bar so thats why it sounds a bit skew wiff.

Thank you very much. I think that is why it is the only song on that album I like.

[rodericb]

Jakatta - American Dream was a bit of a floor filler in clubs back in the early 2000's. It is in 6/4.

http://youtu.be/VPiBLyrxXeg

[audidoody]

The Beatles were fond of mixing up 4/4 and 3/4

We Can Work It Out
Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite
She Said She Said

to name but three

[chemistry]

Sting: I hung my head

9/8 time

I'm not a huge Sting fan, but I like the song

[smn159]

Mission Impossible theme - 5/4

Bowie's Five Years - 3/4