Sounds That Make the Songs

[This charming list comes from Ken Kurlak, an old-school Morphizm pal and one-time contributor. He's a music nut like myself, and has a theory regarding some of our most memorable songs, and the moments that help them outrun time itself. Here it is. -- ST]

Some sounds and short-lived moments that make these classic songs even better. Without them, the songs wouldn't be the same.

The whistle at the end of Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain"

The siren in Public Enemy's "Fight the Power"

The cow's moo in Weird Al's "Smells Like Nirvana"

The stutter in The Who's "My Generation"

The Spanish in The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

The whirling sound on the intro of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze"

The "woo woo" backing vocals on the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil"

The first snare drum on the intro of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"

The long "aaaaaaand" in The Band's "The Weight"

The English twirl of Johnny Rotten's tongue as he sneers "Right now" on the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K."

The way Johnny Cash's voice goes up, up, up as he sings "Down, Down, Down" on "Ring of Fire"

The organ intro on The Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin"

The dry snare drum and chops of U2's intro to "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

The first bass note on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb"

The two-handed roll up the C scale in Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed"

The off-key "Break it" and "Take it" backing vocals on Big Brother and the Holding Company's "Piece of My Heart"

The silence before Eric Clapton rips into his wah-pedal solo at the end of Cream's "White Room"

The recording equipment warming up at the beginning of REM's "Radio Free Europe"

Dan Akroyd's speaking intro to The Blues Brothers live version of "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"

The drugged chords at the beginning of The Velvet Underground's "Heroin"