Hidden or easily missed details in songs

[toasty]

Listening to Space Oddity last night on a new stereo, I noticed that Bowie is singing in harmony with himself for the chorus. I'd never noticed that before.

Likewise a few years ago, I noticed Michael Stipe having a little chuckle halfway through The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite.

What other songs have easily missed details?

[dundarach]

This will be hopefully a great thread...

Not a massive input from me sorry;

However do love the little cymbal chime on Pink Floyd's Echoes as they follow the lyric '...distant bells'

I love the live version of this song when Rick Wright and Dave Gilmour sing the wrong words and carry on, they do that often...best explored on Live in Pompeii

I also love Mark Knopfler's out of breath struggling gasp in the live version of Telegraph Road, as he sings 'and I'd sooner forget...'

The one which really bugs me in a video, is Meat Loaf at the end of bat of hell, holding the long note, whilst you can see him gasping as his hair sucks in and out, from all that running around on stage with that lass in the tight white dress....

[singlecoil]

Jimi Hendrix clearing his throat before the second verse of Foxy Lady. Clearly audible listening through good equipment, not so much on the record players of the day.

[jontykint]

On Riders on the Storm by The Doors, there are 2 vocal tracks.
The main one, and if you listen closely, Jim breathily whispers the lyrics underneath it for the whole song.

Great stuff

[kev b]

There are a number of Motown songs on YouTube eg Motown Isolated that have either the vocals or backing omitted.
Any one of these tracks reveals details you cant hear on the complete mix, Dancing in the Street in particular sounds amazing without vocals.

On one a cappella track you can hear Levi Stubbs rustling the lyric sheet as he draws breath, amazing to think that many of these marvellous performances were captured on the second or third take, before the artist had learned the words.

Quite a few Beach Boys and Beatles recordings are out there as well, back in the Sixties when stereo was quite new the vocals were on one channel and instruments on the other.

Well worth an hour or two exploring, there are many real gems, My Guy by Mary Wells backing track has a brilliant Jamerson double bass line.

[Filton-flyer]

On the Celo Green track "F**k you":
The safe radio version uses the lyric "Forget you" instead of the obvious, however the chorus I believe goes:
"Oh s**t, she's a gold digger, just thought you should know n****r!"

.......... and they've left that bit in!

[toasty]

I just heard Baby Bird's You're Gorgeous on the radio for about the 100th time and only just listened to the rather dark lyrics about exploitation.

[zygalski]

Hey Jude 2:58
John Lennon "fkin' hell!"
Cannot be unheard...

https://youtu.be/mQER0A0ej0M?t=174

[deckster]

toasty said:

I just heard Baby Bird's You're Gorgeous on the radio for about the 100th time and only just listened to the rather dark lyrics about exploitation.

In a similar vein, you might be surprised to learn that My Name Is Luca isn't a happy smiley song about communal living in a block of flats. And that Blondie's One Way Or Another isn't in fact about a difficult decision that Debbie Harry had to make about the best route from London to Manchester.

More seriously though it is remarkable the number of songs there are where the artist has put some extremely dark lyrics behind an upbeat soundtrack. Hardly "hidden", but it is surprising how little we actually listen to the words rather than mindlessly bopping along to the beat.

[toasty]

deckster said:

toasty said:

I just heard Baby Bird's You're Gorgeous on the radio for about the 100th time and only just listened to the rather dark lyrics about exploitation.

In a similar vein, you might be surprised to learn that My Name Is Luca isn't a happy smiley song about communal living in a block of flats. And that Blondie's One Way Or Another isn't in fact about a difficult decision that Debbie Harry had to make about the best route from London to Manchester.

More seriously though it is remarkable the number of songs there are where the artist has put some extremely dark lyrics behind an upbeat soundtrack. Hardly "hidden", but it is surprising how little we actually listen to the words rather than mindlessly bopping along to the beat.

I guess you could add Every Breath You Take to that list.

I'm going to have to listen to One Way or Another now as I don't think I've ever given the lyrics any notice beyond the chorus.

[Pothole]

The Mamas and Papas's California Dreamin' apparently used the instrumental track from a Barry McGuire recording of the song which either he or record company (or someone) decided to bin. You can clearly hear him sing "All..." just after the intro in your left ear on headphones before that vocal track fades out abruptly.

ETA: the above is how I heard the story this article has a different take. No pun intended.

[Lotobear]

"son of a gun" whispered at the start of Carl Simon's 'you're so vain'

[singlecoil]

I've enjoyed listening to the Beatles since they first got going, but it was only when I started watching this extraordinary Dutch band that I started really noticing all the little extras that went into a Beatles recording.

Highly skilled musicians and dedicated Beatles fans they go to amazing lengths to reproduce the records live. They can afford to too, and have examples of virtually every instrument, especially the keyboards, that were used on the original records.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSb0azM_kl7ZW1y2W...

[benny.c]

Pretty well known but but Mick’s little “woo” in Gimme Shelter when Merry Clayton’s voice strains always makes me smile.

https://youtu.be/ChONufP0FEs

[Zad]

On ELO's "Standin' in the Rain" the echoing thunder at the start is a vocoded voice saying "Concerto for a rainy day" - which is the name given to side 3 of the Out Of The Blue Album. Once you know, its easy to hear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlKrn5Pk_Bs

Having not heard it on vinyl LP before, I hadn't realised it was part of a sequence, ending with Mr Blue Sky!

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Lotobear said:

"son of a gun" whispered at the start of Carl Simon's 'you're so vain'

Never got this song.

"You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you"

Errr...it is about him, you moron! That's not being vain, it's being perceptive. But i guess that doesn't scan as well.

"You're so perceptive, you've managed to work out this song is about you"

[zygalski]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Lotobear said:

"son of a gun" whispered at the start of Carl Simon's 'you're so vain'

Never got this song.

"You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you"

Errr...it is about him, you moron! That's not being vain, it's being perceptive. But i guess that doesn't scan as well.

"You're so perceptive, you've managed to work out this song is about you"

I thought the lyrics made absolutely perfect sense.
I always saw the 'you're so vain' chorus as ironic in as much as it shows the weakness, humility & also bitterness of the singer. She can't help herself because despite her misgivings, Carly Simon feels the need to explore her feelings regarding the vain bd she presumably once loved & also thought loved her:

Oh, you had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive
When you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me

She knows her past love will recognize the song's about him, but what can she do? She's trapped. The song serves as a reluctant act of catharsis.
That's my take.

[Heartworm]

deckster said:

In a similar vein, you might be surprised to learn that My Name Is Luca isn't a happy smiley song about communal living in a block of flats. And that Blondie's One Way Or Another isn't in fact about a difficult decision that Debbie Harry had to make about the best route from London to Manchester.

More seriously though it is remarkable the number of songs there are where the artist has put some extremely dark lyrics behind an upbeat soundtrack. Hardly "hidden", but it is surprising how little we actually listen to the words rather than mindlessly bopping along to the beat.

Pumped Up Kicks - another song where the upbeat tone of the song means people don't realise how dark the subject matter is.

[toasty]

zygalski said:

I thought the lyrics made absolutely perfect sense.
I always saw the 'you're so vain' chorus as ironic in as much as it shows the weakness, humility & also bitterness of the singer. She can't help herself because despite her misgivings, Carly Simon feels the need to explore her feelings regarding the vain bd she presumably once loved & also thought loved her:

Oh, you had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive
When you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me

She knows her past love will recognize the song's about him, but what can she do? She's trapped. The song serves as a reluctant act of catharsis.
That's my take.

Warren Beatty, I believe.

I also just found out Mick Jagger sang backing vocals. Can't say I'd noticed that. I must try harder

[ajprice]

toasty said:

Likewise a few years ago, I noticed Michael Stipe having a little chuckle halfway through The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite.

What other songs have easily missed details?

He's laughing at himself after the "or a reading from Dr. Seuss" line because he can't say Seuss and kept saying Zeus instead

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sidewinder_Sle...