I don't know that song, but I've certainly heard that melody before...

[Ron Obvious]

This happens to me a lot: a hear some music, and I know I've heard it before but I can't place it. That's probably happened to all of us.

This was different. I absolutely recognised the melody, but I was pretty sure I'd never heard the song before. This happened once when I asked the waitress what that so-familiar music was. "Bittersweet Symphony", she said, which meant nothing to me. It turned out that that was the music used by ITV for it's England Football coverage.

It happened again last night. I'd never heard the song before, but I just knew I knew it very well.

This is the song:

If you're a electronica nerd like me, you know you've heard the melody before, right? I've never listened to Coldplay to my knowledge, but I was intimately familiar with that riff.

It bothered me and I stewed over it for it for some time. Then it finally came to me: It's Kraftwerk from the Computer World album (1981)!

Bloody identical, right! Good to finally pass that brainstone.

[mr_lebowski]

1. Pretty spot on, yup ... AFA Bittersweet Symphony goes there's a LOOOONG backstory ...

Long and short of it is that the repeating motif you hear throughout the song is a sample of an Orchestral version of the Rolling Stones song 'The Last Time' ... and the Stones record company sued The Verve and for YEARS the Verve dudes made 0 money off that song. They do now own the songwriting credit because the Stones gave it to them once they became owners of the song instead of the record company.

What's even funnier is that Stones themselves had heavily ripped off an earlier song called This May Be The Last Time, which was recorded by the Staple Singers (though theirs was based on a traditional folk song) shortly before the Stones made The Last Time.

[yonder]

2. Kind of like when you can't play the known tune

till your bandmates spill the name — then muscle memory kicks in.

Conversely,

When you can't name the known tune until you play a few bars — then memory kicks in

I don't know why that happens but it does often enough.

[abqtommy]

3. I've noticed that in many songs, including ones I wrote myself. It amazes me that there's so

much diversity in western music given that we're constrained to 11 tones and multiple octaves. Of course rhythm and tempo help us out...

[unblock]

5. in a way that's a bit like saying it's amazing there are so many words given only 26 letters

but yeah, it really is amazing.

especially when "one tune" isn't just a single, specific series of notes. listen carefully to any good song and you'll notice that the tune isn't exactly the same each time around. maybe the singer adds an extra flourish the second time around and holds back on the beat for dramatic effect the third time around, etc.

same goes for a good bass line or drum rhythm. stewart copeland was brilliant at this, his drumming with the police was amazing enough, but in concert, just wow, no two bars the same, yet it's the same groove throughout the whole song.

conversely, you can make a slightly different change to a tune and suddenly it's a completely different song!

[abqtommy]

7. And yet there are many words in many different languages and I'm ignorant of most of them.

In music I know that many forms, many scales, many traditions exist and I'm only familiar with a little bit. Yes, it's all overwhelmingly amazing!

[samnsara]

4. years ago in the 60s I heard a little melody somewhere that stuck in my head..

..in fact I hummed it when i was bowling to give me rhythm. I NEVER knew what that damned song was until about a month ago I had an old Andy Griffith show in the background as I was crafting and there was that song! I stopped everything and rewound the program until I got the name of that song:

"Believe Me When Those Endearing Young Charms.."

...I did find this about it..."Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms" is a popular song written in 1808 by Irish poet Thomas Moore using a traditional Irish air. Moore's young wife had been stricken and worried that she would lose her looks. He wrote the words to reassure her.



If I knew how I would post a You Tube of the song...but judging from the year of the b/w program I believe thats where/when I originally heard it. Such a beautiful tune and an even more beautiful story behind it..

[UpInArms]

6. What is old is

new ... again

Well done!

[Wounded Bear]

8. Bittersweet Symphony is the entry song for the Seattle Seahawks...

or at least it was for quite a few years. Haven't heard the usual complaints from the musics nerds that hang around the website I frequent yet, but it usually comes up every offseason.

[Ron Obvious]

9. I should've known that, as I live in Seattle!

I confess I don't really hear the connection with the Stones' songs, but ITV are using that exact melody.

It's not a bad little tune if you don't hear it too often. Makes a change from Gary Glitter's Rock & Roll part 2, at least.

[Wounded Bear]

10. You never hear it on the TV, I used to have season tickets...

and I'm not a music nerd, as you might have guessed.

Most of the complaints are about it not being "edgy" enough. It's not really harsh enough for the Seattle Sound I guess.

I think it was a Paul Allen selection, though, so there's some nostalgia attached to it now. Paul was a music buff, and even played in a band.

[Phentex]

11. There's a site that can possibly help you! You can sing or hum a few seconds...

of the song and it helps identify it. I know you can google lyrics but I was hearing a song that was instrumental only and it was driving me crazy.

midomi.com

[Ron Obvious]

13. Thanks!

I can definitely use that!

[Ahpook]

12. Probably the most infamous

Those bands did tour together but... who knows

I know I have played quite a few songs as originals only to be confronted with being a rip. I had never heard the other song that i purportedly ripped.

[Ohiya]

14. See if this reminds you of Hotel California.

[Ahpook]

15. It certainly sounds like it

doesn't it?

I won't judge though. Shit happens