Pop songs with bass solos

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"My Generation", the Who
"Smooth Operator", Sade
"These Boots are Made for Walking", Nancy Sinatra (or is that a lick?)

There must be others. First to tell the marriage therapy joke wins.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:06 (twenty years ago)

"Shall we take a trip" Northside

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:09 (twenty years ago)

Free, All Over Now

... sort of, a bass break

― The Aff Its Heid Show (Dada), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:14 (twenty years ago)

... so, a bass solo!

― The Aff Its Heid Show (Dada), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:14 (twenty years ago)

"Atomic" - Blondie (I would have taken another verse/chorus in lieu of the solo, myself)

― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:18 (twenty years ago)

You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon

― JohnFoxxsJuno (JohnFoxxsJuno), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:19 (twenty years ago)

"The Red and the Black," Blue Oyster Cult

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:57 (twenty years ago)

"On the Turning Away," Pink Floyd (right?)
"Broken Hearts," Living Colour (or by pop songs do you mean singles?)

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:04 (twenty years ago)

Did Nelly Furtardo's "Turn off the light" have a bass solo anyone?

― Don Rowlando (Sam Rowlands), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:04 (twenty years ago)

Is "The Red and the Black" by Blue Oyster Cult a pop song?

― The Aff Its Heid Show (Dada), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:05 (twenty years ago)

Hmm...don't believe I'm familiar with the marriage-therapy joke. But I'm quite fond of that "VERY bad when drums stop!" one.

Metallica, "Orion"
Rush, "Red Barchetta" (Also a buncha little short solos in "YYZ")

― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:26 (twenty years ago)

Search: The Staple Singers, "I'll Take You There" (David Hood on bass)

― A Study In Redd Scharlach (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:29 (twenty years ago)

How many of these are pop songs tho?

― The Aff Its Heid Show (Dada), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:30 (twenty years ago)

violent femmes, gone daddy gone

(as well as a slew of other vf songs, brian richie loves that shit)

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:30 (twenty years ago)

Many of these have been pop songs; the Rush and Metallica ones are NOT. I WANT POP SONGS!!!

(Punhline to the marriage therapist joke: "everybody talks during the bass solo."

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:44 (twenty years ago)

"Drums stop, very bad..."

― A Study In Redd Scharlach (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:08 (twenty years ago)

(Keep Feeling)Fascination.

― leigh (leigh), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:13 (twenty years ago)

So how does it work exactly- Joy Division doesn't count but New Order does?

― A Study In Redd Scharlach (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:21 (twenty years ago)

Level 42: Love Games

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:21 (twenty years ago)

And what about Elvis Costello, "Party Girl" - heck, it was covered by Linda Ronstadt!

― A Study In Redd Scharlach (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:22 (twenty years ago)

Sly + The Family Stone - Dance To The Music

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:24 (twenty years ago)

"No One Knows" - Queens of the Stone Age. If it counts as pop (I say it sort of does, ish).

Also, in a similar vein - "Lithium" - Nirvana.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:25 (twenty years ago)

What about something with a catchy bass outro like Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain"?

― A Study In Redd Scharlach (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:29 (twenty years ago)

Blue Monday, duh.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:30 (twenty years ago)

Spencer Davis Group, Gimme Some Lovin'

... maybe not strictly a solo

― The Aff Its Heid Show (Dada), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)

Aren't there a million Red Hot Chili Peppers songs like this?

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:35 (twenty years ago)

10cc - I'm Not In Love

― marcos lopez (mucho), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 16:23 (twenty years ago)

"Prostitute" by Spittin' Teeth.

― matt riedl (veal), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 17:47 (twenty years ago)

a pop classic!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 17:50 (twenty years ago)

I actually don't think there are that many RHCP songs with bass solos, but "Aeroplane" does. And I guess the last few bars of "Under the Bridge", which also happen to be the best part of the whole song.

― mummy wrapped in bacon (nickalicious), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 17:53 (twenty years ago)

If JFA Were Still Together Majesty Crush

Pretty much any Jerry Harrison song.

― J Arthur Rank (Quin Tillian), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 18:22 (twenty years ago)

"Regret" and tons of other New Order songs, not two mention New Order inspired songs like The Legends' "He Knows The Sun".

― daavid (daavid), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 19:35 (twenty years ago)

You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon

Haha this was the first thing that popped in my head when I read the thread title - the solo itself, not even the name of the song, which took me a minute to place.

― deej.. (deej..), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 19:38 (twenty years ago)

Can't believe no one has mentioned this ...

"Michelle" by the Beatles

― Nathan P1p (hoyanathan), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 20:17 (twenty years ago)

Heaven 17 - We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thang

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 20:46 (twenty years ago)

"Can't believe no one has mentioned this ...

"Michelle" by the Beatles"

That may be because THERE'S NO BASS SOLO IN THAT SONG!!!! (A clue -- guitars have six strings, and some of them play fairly low notes!)

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 20:54 (twenty years ago)

9 a.m. (The Comfort Zone) - London Beat

― Palomino (Palomino), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 20:56 (twenty years ago)

I believe baritone guitars don't count either, hence "Wichita Lineman" is out.

While we are on the subject of the Beatles, everybody talks about Macca's guitar solo on "Taxman," but there is also some busying, sliding around bass playing going on at the same time, is there not?

― A Study In Redd Scharlach (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 20:58 (twenty years ago)

A Taste Of Honey "Boogie Oogie Oogie"
Prince "__ Days" (The amount of days is not popping into head and I don't feel like looking for it.)

― It's Rodney, pimp! (R. J. Greene), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 21:31 (twenty years ago)

I always read that the solo in "Michelle" was a bass. No need to be a dick.

― Nathan P1p (hoyanathan), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 21:58 (twenty years ago)

― It's Rodney, pimp! (R. J. Greene), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 22:06 (twenty years ago)

"The Real Me" was a single and a minor pop hit for The Who. The bassline is pretty much one long solo by Entwistle.

"Party Girl" by Elvis Costello has a traditional pop song structure and there is quite a bit of the melody line carried by the bassline in between the chorus and verse. I wouldn't call it a solo in the improvisational sense, but the bass is very prominent in the arrangement.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 22:22 (twenty years ago)

How about Cattle and Cane by the Go-Betweens

― badg (badg), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

The Nirvana song with a bass solo is actually "Been a Son".

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 23:50 (twenty years ago)

Free, All Over Now

I think you meant All Right Now - and from the same album Mr. Big has several minutes worth of bass soloing. But then, it's probably not strictly pop.

― jim wentworth (wench), Thursday, 22 June 2006 00:26 (twenty years ago)

Does the intro to Wham's "Club Tropicana" count as a solo?

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 22 June 2006 07:38 (twenty years ago)

...or that awful Seinfeld-theme? Does that count as a solo/popsong?

― danjel (danjel), Thursday, 22 June 2006 07:40 (twenty years ago)

xpost yes.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 22 June 2006 07:46 (twenty years ago)

"I believe baritone guitars don't count either, hence "Wichita Lineman" is out."

Put it back in! http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=194

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 22 June 2006 07:53 (twenty years ago)

dont have em to hand .. but what about the stone roses - i have some probable bass solos running around my head (i am the resurrectio, she bangs the drum) - or were those low guitar tunings ?

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 22 June 2006 09:00 (twenty years ago)

Robert Smith's guitar does at times sound like bass in his solos, but even though the Peter Hook influence is obvious, those are guitars rather than bass.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 22 June 2006 10:36 (twenty years ago)

"Saturday's Alright For Fighting" Elton John

ok, so it's not really a SOLO, but isn't that mini-intro pretty sweet?

― jerkface (mizzjazz), Saturday, 24 June 2006 02:21 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

"Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.

It took FOUR YEARS to get this one into the thread? Sheesh.

― Dodo Lurker (Slim and Slam), Thursday, 5 August 2010 12:12 (fifteen years ago)

Golden Earring-"Twilight Zone"
Breeders-"Cannonball"

― Your cousin, Marvin Cobain (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 5 August 2010 14:42 (fifteen years ago)

Mr. Mister - "Broken Wings" maybe?

^BTW, I don't care if people hate Mr. Mister that song is awesome!

― daavid, Friday, 6 August 2010 16:39 (fifteen years ago)

Roxy Music - Re-Make/Re-Model

― Janet Privacy Control (corey), Friday, 6 August 2010 16:44 (fifteen years ago)

"The Humpty Dance"

― Bag Smart, Street Stupid (Eazy), Friday, 6 August 2010 16:46 (fifteen years ago)

dunno if i could include Winter by the Fall. It's a one-note line throughout, so when he plays a run near the end. your mind thinks, "ah, solo"

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Saturday, 7 August 2010 18:32 (fifteen years ago)

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