5 songs that were a hit because of the drums

[pepperbear]

5. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
4. We’re an American Band - Grand Funk Railroad
3. Burning Down the House - Talking Heads
2. In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins
1. Wipe Out - The Surfaris

[Ron Green]

1. Here are 4:

Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Sing, Sing, Sing - Louis Prima (Benny Goodman's arrangement)
Mr. Pitiful - Otis Redding
Let There Be Drums - Sandy Nelson

[madamesilverspurs]

32. Birth of the Beat - also Sandy Nelson

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. "Inna Gadda da Vita " certainly comes to mind. n/t

[wavesofeuphoria]

3. Time - Pink Floyd

[madamesilverspurs]

33. Time - Chambers Brothers

[EarlG]

4. How about

Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2?

[jayfish]

5. Some.

"Hot For Teacher" Van Halen
"One" Metallica
"Voodoo" Godsmack
"Funky Cold Medina" Tone Loc
"Mid-Life Crisis" Faith No More

Jay

[immoderate]

6. Topsy - Cozy Cole

And then he did "Turvy" -- not such a big hit.

--IMM

[opiate69]

7. A few...

Jimi Hendrix - "Fire"
Van Halen - "Jamie's Cryin'"
Black Sabbath - "War Pigs"
Tool - "AEnima"
Rush - "Tom Sawyer"
Fleetwood Mac - "Tusk"

[whyzayker]

8. Aja - Steely Dan

Steve Gadd did three takes - they kept the first one.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

9. "Aja"--Steely Dan w/ Steve Gadd.

Need I say more?

[greyl]

10. Can't forget When Doves Cry - no bassline at all, only percussion.

Unheard of for a hit song. I'd have to knock off 50 Ways to make room for Prince, buddy. ;)

[smoogatz]

11. Money for Nothing

maybe. That little drum explosion after the intro is pretty freaking cool. Also, all versions of "Not Fade Away," and anything else with that "Diddley" beat.

[fla nocount]

12. Black Magic Woman

or any Santana tune. Also Edgar Winters "Frankenstein" and Buddy Rich whacking out "Take Five"

Input from an old fuk.

[stevebreeze]

21. Buddy Rich made me think of Gene Krupa on Sing Sing Sing

could there be a more memorable drum intro?

[NotGivingUp]

13. Tusk - Fleetwood Mac; Four Sticks - Led Zepplin

[grannylib]

14. I don't know if this counts as a hit, but Fleetwood Mac's

"Hypnotized" has always been one of my favorite tunes, period, but it's the drumming that was largely responsible for that IMHO...

[calimary]

15. I liked "Do It Again" by Steely Dan, "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" by the Stones

And when I was a college DJ, I used to segue in and out of that one during the percussion solos with "Angry Eyes" by Loggins and Messina.

[dbonds]

16. My Sharonna

[stevebreeze]

17. here's my picks

Happy Jack - The Who
Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac

[pdxprog]

18. Lust For Life - Iggy Pop

Amazed nobody's listed that one yet.

[treblemaker]

19. Two more from the classic rock hall of fame:

Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones
Magic Bus - The Who

[old mark]

20. And yet another Who tune:

My Generation.

mark

[treblemaker]

22. Bow Wow Wow's version of "I Want Candy"

- Arguably Toni Basil's "Mickey"
- Everything by Adam & the Ants, or Adam Ant solo

[Kierkegaard]

23. How about...

Rosanna - Toto/Porcaro
Africa - Toto/Porcaro
Spirit of Radio - RUSH/Peart
Brick House - Commodores/Orange
Wild Thing - Tone Loc/Van Halen (ripped from Jamie's Cryin')
Etc, etc...

[GReedDiamond]

24. Dare I mention "Sunshine of Your Love"...

...by Cream/Ginger Baker drums.

I haven't seen Ginger mentioned yet. Also, the song was a genuine "hit." It reached the #5 position on the U.S. charts in August of 1968, and was deemed to be the "65th greatest song of all time" by the pop music know-it-alls at Rolling Stone Magazine. That can't be far off, I know I've heard the song about 65 million times on my local "classic rock" radio station.

Besides those factoids, check out the reference to the Ginger baker drum part on "Sunshine..." from this Wiki entry about the song.

[ProfessorGAC]

25. I Wish I Had Thought Of That

You're 100% correct.
The Professor

[timtom]

26. Hi, gang.

A little late, I know, but...

"A Day in the Life" - Beatles - Sergeant Pepper album

[WV_Biker]

27. Rock Candy - Montrose n/t

[old mark]

28. Cream, "NSU"on their first album, but I doubt it was a hit, although

it sure was with me. Still is.

mark

[leftofthedial]

29. hit? drums?

yer killing me!

[spiritual_gunfighter]

30. Happy Jack by the Who

really any of the early Who singles would apply here.

[Twillig]

31. Ballroom Blitz!

"It's, It's, a Ballroom Blitz!"

You gotta admit the drum intro is dead sexy!
(and then, later, the guitar of course!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrBDivsSe3k

[Swamp Rat]

34. "Frankenstein" - The Edgar Winter Group

:headbang:

[Codeine]

35. New Order, "Blue Monday"

That opening semiquaver drum bit is fantastic, and it's what people always remember about the song.

[walldude]

36. Sympathy For The Devil...

Although you could say it's "percussion" not drums. Same for any Santana song..

[kysrsoze]

37. Queen - We Will Rock You, Rush - Tom Sawyer, a few more...

Ministry - Every Day is Halloween
The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold
Billy Squier - The Stroke
Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize

[earcandle]

38. Pipeline