Fluther: Am I the only one who only likes the first riff ...

Am I the only one who only likes the first riff of music before they start singing?

Asked by RedDeerGuy1 (24450

) October 8th, 2022
20 responses
“Great Question” (5

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I change the radio dial when the start of music includes singing.

Do you?

I have some exemptions:

They are:
Weird Al Yankovic
Amy Lee
Nickelback, how you remind me.

Their might be more, but I can’t think of them right now.

Humor welcome.

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Topics: music, humor, instrumental, riff, weird al yankovic, Amy Lee, evenessance

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Answers

It’s too dependent on the artist and the song. Some songs, the riff doesn’t really add anything, it’s sort of an attention getter but really doesn’tintegrate with the first words and stanzas that follow.

Others, the opening riff can be considered integrally important. It just depends.

elbanditoroso (33136

)“Great Answer” (3

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Absolutely.

SnipSnip (6767

)“Great Answer” (1

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Intros are great. Some of my favorites are I Feel Fine and Maggie May. But then the song after makes it distinctive.

zenvelo (39404

)“Great Answer” (2

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Response moderated (Spam)

I don’t know the band but I heard this not long ago and was blown away by the long intro…over a minute long! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGHxIKa31Jk
But I did listen to the whole song.

RayaHope (7448

)“Great Answer” (4

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Well, clearly you are asking us to post songs that will prove you wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRFZy5oMOXU

ragingloli (51954

)“Great Answer” (1

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There are some songs where I like the musical lead-up more than the rest of the song, and songs where I like the music but don’t like some or all of the lyrics. And I like a lot of music that has no lyrics.

Zaku (30351

)“Great Answer” (0

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That isn’t a general trend for me, but there are a few songs (a very small few) where the opening riff is the only thing I like about them. (Example: the first 17 seconds of “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers. Lol.)

There is one song I know where the first minute is gold and so promising, and the rest is disappointing and repetitive. I will just stop that song after the first minute because the song completely changes at that point and it’s not nearly as interesting as the lead-up.

Demosthenes (14910

)“Great Answer” (2

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It’s the first riffs that appeal to me and it was the first riff of “Willie the Pimp” that got me interested in Frank Zappa’s music. Incidentally some of Frank Zappa’s music is simply an elaboration of the type of short guitar pieces that he heard in the songs of people like Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

flutherother (34516

)“Great Answer” (2

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Lazy by Deep Purple. Half the song is the opening riff.

seawulf575 (16654

)“Great Answer” (1

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@seawulf575 The opening of “Smoke on the Water” is the whole redeeming part of that song by Deep Purple.

zenvelo (39404

)“Great Answer” (2

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I sorta took the meaning of this question wrong and I think I started something else…oops!

RayaHope (7448

)“Great Answer” (1

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^^ ohmigawd I love that song…and saw The Who perform it!! Makes me want to dance wildly, smile, cry, sing, and race down memory road all at the same time!

smudges (10694

)“Great Answer” (1

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@smudges LOL! I’m glad I posted that now :) I didn’t even know the song just ran into it while listening to other stuff. I think the “teenage” thing caught my eye.

RayaHope (7448

)“Great Answer” (1

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Listening to it now… ♪ Glad you posted it too!

smudges (10694

)“Great Answer” (0

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@RayaHope As long as you call it by its correct name: Baba O’Riley.

It was used as the intro to A Bug’s Life. My daughter was a toddler and used to say, “play Out Here In the Fields”.

@smudges me too…

zenvelo (39404

)“Great Answer” (2