A Drummer’s Favorite Drum Songs [UPDATED 04/29/10]

You could say this is a sort of companion piece my list on Today’s Best Drummers, though the similarity mainly ends at a love of the instrument.

I am unabashed in my love of the drums. As a musical instrument, they are usually thought of somewhere between the bass and the didgeridoo (I could be exaggerating), but really, how many songs are basically “made” by a complex, interesting, or creative beat? A lot. That’s how many. So many, in fact, that to create a definitive list of the best drum songs ever is basically impossible. This is partially because it’s so rare that anyone really cares about a drum beat, but also because a definitive list would feature a lot of the “who’s who” of drumming’s past, the immortal souls off grandeur that have risen to heights of myth and legends. Drummers whose work we know is great because we’ve been told that we must love it.

In this way, the drums and the guitar are extremely similar.

Instead I will focus on my favorite pieces of music that feature drumming. Obviously, a lot of songs feature drumming. Rock and roll is based on drums as one of its key instruments. But, as someone who’s sat behind a kit for several years, not all drum songs are equal in creativity and excitement. As a drummer, there are some songs that rattle my brain and race my heart when I hear the beat. The average listener experiences the same feeling, whether they realize it or not. Often, that’s the mark of an incredible drum beat; it works with the rest of the song so brilliantly that you hardly notice it. It never occurs to you that you love this song because someone painted a Picasso on the skins (figuratively speaking). But, as a fellow player, I know. I feel it, I hear it.

So, without further ado:

A Drummer’s Favorite Drum Songs

By: Christian Hagen

John Lennon, “Instant Karma!”

Single (Drummer: Alan White)

“Instant Karma!” is not, at least on the surface, a technically complex song, particularly on the drums. But it is extremely potent; people have identified with its message for years, and it’s become almost a rallying cry for peace. But for me, what transforms the song from a straightforward anthem to an indisputable classic is one little drum fill. It kicks in during the second verse. John Lennon shouts, “Why in the world are we here?” And suddenly, from seeming nothingness, Alan White answers with one of the most brilliantly disjointed drum fills ever recorded, as if, over-excited by the strength of Lennon’s words, he burst with a boundless and unbidden energy. It’s the punctuation mark on Lennon’s peaceful poetry, the voice crying to everyone who would doubt, “Listen to this!” I can always tell whether someone truly understands music by their reaction to that fill. If they don’t notice it, well, I just know they’re not paying enough attention to the world around them.

Kings of Leon, “McFearless”

Because of the Times (Drummer: Nathan Followill)

Kings of Leon have sold out so completely, it’s easy to forget that there is still a great rock band living in their early records. And while Because of the Times should have been the first clue to critics and fans as to the bloated beast they would inevitably become, its release blew many away. These days, listening to it is like listening to old Weezer albums; you just have to bite your tongue and think of what might have been. No song, in my mind, is as indicative of their brilliant talent as “McFearless.” The song begins with a ripping bass riff, but it isn’t until Nathan Followill (by far the creepiest of the Followill clan, but also the best) explodes into the sound and takes off that the song grows. Followill simply leaves the listener in awe of the power and versatility of his instrument, the performance leaves us in a state of shock. When you first hear it, you think, “That is an awesome way to start this song.” Then the verse actually begins and you realize it’s not just an intro; that’s the beat FOR THE ENTIRE SONG! The chorus is equally bombastic, with shimmering cymbal work and bell tricks (oh how I love bell tricks) which captivate and override everything this band of money-mongering monsters has ever done to hurt our trust.

Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks”

Veckatimest (Drummer: Christopher Bear)

Forget why you might think this song is great. You might think you love this song for its lush vocal arrangements, for the simple piano, or for the humorous video where the band’s heads basically catch fire. But the real reason you love this song is because of the drums. Listen again. Christopher Bear takes a simple (albeit beautifully simple) song and transforms it, morphs it into a bombast. The song starts as though the group is winding up, slow to move. But from the first crash of the cymbals, Bear is clearly ready to go, and he is in no mood for the middling feeling of the opening. His precise and swift strikes smartly contrast Ed Droste’s slow, measured vocal melody, carrying us forward like the timpani beneath the cello. And yet, despite production which brings it to the forefront immediately, we as listeners still are left thinking not about the drums, but about the piano, the vocal harmonies, the exploding heads. Is it some sort of innate tendency inside all of us to dismiss the drums as a useless instrument? Hardly. It’s the mark of the great songwriting of all musicians involved that no one part immediately stands out, but rather the whole shines as one.

The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows”

Revolver (Drummer: Ringo Starr)

Many people have tried to tell me that Ringo Starr was not a good drummer. It’s a long-standing musical joke. No argument I can give tends to dissuade people from the belief that Ringo Starr is only a step above Meg White. Thus, I won’t argue my own side on this, but rather, I’ll let the man speak for himself. If you can honestly say, without a doubt, that you think the drums on “Tomorrow Never Knows” aren’t fantastic, well, you’re dead to me, but also I’ll never argue Ringo’s side to you again.

Bright Eyes, “Hot Knives”

Cassadega (Drummer: Janet Weiss)

Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst’s notoriously emo/country project that may in fact be dead now, featured many, many different collaborators over the course of its existence. On Cassadega, possibly the group’s best album, there are over 30 musicians credited. So many instruments, so many performers and performances. Yet somehow, out of the whole album, my favorite part of any to key in on and groove to is Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss’s subtle but carrying drum work. Now, as anyone who’s seen the music video or seen this song performed live knows, the drumming on this song is enhanced by two drummers (I couldn’t identify the other), but that’s merely for emphasis. If you examine closely, you see that they’re playing exactly the same part, which only makes the precision all the more astounding. It’s not overly flashy (though the syncopation in the chorus is thrilling), but a song that could have potentially dragged the energy of the album down (placed immediately before the sullen “Make a Plan to Love Me”) is basically saved by Weiss’ application of the drums. And oh, is it fine.

Gnarls Barkley, “Open Book”

The Odd Couple (Drummer: N/A)

This is a cheat, and I admit that fully. The drums contained on this track are purely machinated, electronic, not recorded from the flesh and blood of a rhythm musician. Admittedly, I hate the trend of electronic drums, the lack of humanity, as if the instrument could possibly have the same soul without a soul behind it. But the fact that the beats on this awe-inspiring song aren’t played by someone in person, that doesn’t mean they can’t be. Played on a live drum kit, they are all the more explosive and expressive, the blazing bass-and-snare like a tribal beat under the glorious strings, summoning the primal scream of Cee-lo Green’s brilliant chorus. The offbeat rhythm, using Cee-lo’s vocal melody as counterpoint, acts as the power of God in the wilderness, mystifying and captivating, vengeful and terrifying, grand and elusive. It’s an emotion a drum machine can’t replicate nearly as well as a human being, but for the purposes of this recording, it does pretty damn well.

Radiohead, “Reckoner”

In Rainbows (Drummer: Phil Selway)

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Reckoner/Skbev

For all the stellar work Radiohead has done in their career (what more can be said at this point? They revolutionized rock and roll at least twice in just a few years.), what has often been most overlooked in their repertoire is the expert playing of bald genius Phil Selway. Beneath the wildly experimental fuzz of Jonny Greenwood’s guitar and the unpredictable brilliance of Thom Yorke’s voice, to say nothing of the much-discussed layers of electronic madness, Selway always manages to make his instrument as present and alive as the world the band’s music is transforming. It’s also indicative of his place within Radiohead that his style of playing has changed so much over the course of the band’s history; much like the rest of the group, the man’s work is almost unrecognizable compared to what it was in the days of Pablo Honey, and that’s a very good thing. Just listen to the cymbal work on “Reckoner,” by far my personal favorite track from In Rainbows. The syncopated splash/bell trick combo (correct me if I’m wrong on that, btw) underpins Yorke’s haunting falsetto and raises the whole production to a driving force. The best moment of the whole song has to be after Selway has dropped out. The rousing vocal harmonies and lilting orchestration grow and expand and from the tension is released the drum beat, back more poignantly and powerfully than before, to carry us to the faded conclusion.

Beck, “Strange Apparition”

The Information (Drummer: Unsure/Multiple)

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Strange+Apparition/enhQq

If you haven’t already noticed, I have a penchant for songs with creative beats that almost survive outside the music they propel. They don’t necessarily need to involve a solo drummer. In the case of this song, for example, Beck “wanted it to sound like when The Beatles get out all their percussion and go bananas.” The drum track existed before the rest of the song was even written; Beck liked it so much he kept it in his back pocket for years. And from cowbell to snare, it’s easy to see why: This beat is damn fun. Tambourine quakes over the pounding piano and gives the whole production a feeling of “Gimme Shelter” filtered through a soul-funk band. It’s the party you’ve always wanted to be invited to, which makes the song’s closing acoustic breakdown all the more impactful, as though the party you’ve always wanted to be invited to has wound down and you’ve left realizing that maybe the dream was better than the reality. While not the most memorable or popular work in the Beck catalogue, The Information is no less worthwhile thanks to the majesty of songs like this.

TV on the Radio, “Let the Devil In”

Return to Cookie Mountain (Drummer: Basically everyone)

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Let+The+Devil+In/lBVS3

If “Strange Apparition” is the party you’ve always wanted to be invited to, “Let the Devil In” is the party you’re scared to attend, but which you’ll remember for the rest of your life after you leave. On record, “Let the Devil In” is a churning, bombastic showcase of primal rhythm and rage. Still, it’s measured; never is there the feeling that the whole train is going to fall off the rails. Live, the song is an entirely different experience. Literally every member of the band except for singer Kyp Malone (who retains his guitar), as well as any other musicians or audience members the band drags onstage, takes some form of percussion and attacks it with fierceness and precision, a collective of bombs ticking out of sync until, at the chorus, the whole room explodes, and what’s left is a cacophony of ticking and banging and screeching and wailing until it feels as though the world is falling around your ears and you want nothing more than to ride apocalypse to the everlasting. It’s an incredible experience, something outside the normal realm of sanity in music-making, which is one of the reasons it’s so perfectly musical.

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I will update this post periodically when I think of more (I will).

What do YOU think? Clearly I’m an idiot and forgot many songs that should be included, right? What are your favorite drum songs (if you have any)?