30 Popular Songs in Odd Metres

    I made a new (digital) mixtape: what it says, 30 songs in any time signature but 4/4, at least partly, all of which could still be regarded as pop music more or less. Most people - including myself - often claim that songs in weird odd-time signatures can't be easy to listen to, commercial, or popular in any way. This was a try to prove the contrary. :) While researching I found even more songs, I could not include everything, but these 30 songs make up for over 2 hours already.


    Enjoy and give me your feedback!

    https://www.mixcloud.com/Schro…ular-songs-in-odd-metres/


    Track list:
    1. Beatles - Here Comes The Sun

    2. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill

    3. Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer

    4. Simply Red - Fairground

    5. Blue Fiction - When The Girl Dances

    6. Sting - Seven Days

    7. Seal - Dreaming In Metaphors

    8. Stranglers - Golden Brown

    9. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five

    10. Jethro Tull - Living In The Past

    11. Bots - Zeven Dagen lang

    12. Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire

    13. Beatles - All You Need Is Love

    14. John Miles - Music

    15. Queen - Innuendo

    16. Radiohead - Paranoid Android

    17. Led Zeppelin - Four Sticks

    18. The Police - Mother

    19. Beatles - Happiness Is A Warm Gun

    20. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 2003 (excerpt)

    21. The Alan Parsons Project - The Ace of Swords

    22. Lalo Schifrin - Mission Impossible Theme

    23. Two Generations of Brubeck - Blue Rondo à la Turk

    24. Beatles - Good Morning Good Morning

    25. Pink Floyd - Money

    26. Genesis - Turn In On Again

    27. Heart - Barracuda

    28. Led Zeppelin - Black Dog

    29. Stone The Crows - Love 74

    30. Beatles - Across The Universe

    Nice list. I agree there are lots of songs/pieces in odd time signatures that are still very catchy and can be popular. The Police's Mother however doesn't strike me as "easy to listen to, commercial, or popular" (although I think it is hilarious).


    Heart of Glass by Blondie and Joan Jett's cover of I Love Rock & Roll also go into 7/4 in sections.

    I can add a couple from Chicago, who used a lot of odd metres in their early days:


    Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Part of the intro, which is cut out of the shortest radio edit, is in 5/4.


    Just You 'n' Me - The bridge has measures of various lengths.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

    I've never heard of Bots.


    Deserted Cities Of The Heart by Cream is one that comes to mind - I didn't notice that until I was absent-mindedly drumming along to it one day with my fingers on the desk! :D

    Quote from Progatron

    I've never heard of Bots.


    Deserted Cities Of The Heart by Cream is one that comes to mind - I didn't notice that until I was absent-mindedly drumming along to it one day with my fingers on the desk! :D

    Speaking of Cream, the instrumental breaks before each verse are in 5/4.


    Finger drumming - perhaps the only percussion that I think I truly excel at! ^^

    Thanks for the answers, guys! :) Yes, there's a whole bunch of other songs I didn't make to include:

    Cat Stevens - Ruby Love

    Linda Ronstadt - Get Closer

    Enya - Book of Days

    etc.

    Also, Sting has dozens of songs in 5-, 7- and 9-metres. I'm seriously thinking about a part 2 to this mix :P