Two musical questions

[rachelmanija]

1. What are the instruments playing in this song before the vocals come in? An organ? And... a piano? Chimes? Glockenspiel?

2. Please name a few songs with unusual subjects. Ideally, not pure novelty songs like "Mommy Got Run Over By A Reindeer."

Comments

[marfisa.livejournal.com]

Blondie's "Invasion of the Giant Ants" and the Police's "Synchronicity."

[marfisa.livejournal.com]

That second one reminded me of the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian"--an activity that there aren't too many other songs about.

[asia27.livejournal.com]

A very, very early John Denver song from his very first album: "You Done Stomped On My Heart (and Smashed that Sucker Flat"). He talks about hobnail boots at one point. Dang, you're making me think today...



Never heard of that first one and I'm not at all sure of the instruments.

[dancing-crow.livejournal.com]

Jane Sibbery has a lot of stuff ranging from ethereal to down-right odd. People used to mention her as a peer to Kate Bush.

Map of the World was the first thing of hers I loved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELuckSuWrGk

She and kd Lang did this glorious thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRUErh47sao

[eclexys.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit late for this, but:

1. There's a bunch of instruments, but they sound synthesized. In the first few measures, it's harpsichord with what sounds like a brass choir: I hear what sounds vaguely like horn and trombone, but isn't. It could also be very badly synthesized strings, but I don't think so.

In that measure just before the voices come in, it's definitely supposed to be brass instruments, but someone's gone to the trouble of shaping the sound (I think using some kind of breath-controller) so it sounds like punchy brass (trumpet especially). Oh, and tympani -- the tuned drums that beat in that last measure before the voices come in.

So the answer is that your question is a bit like asking what kind of ink the internet is written in. It's not ink, and those don't seem to be real instruments. (Though synthesis has come a long way and it's not surprising if someone thought they were.)

As for question 2, well, I assume you mean "songs" as in contemporary, but I can't resist recommending one VERY weird piece form centuries past: Solage's Fumeux fume par fumée (about smokin' and thinkin', and probably the weirdest song I studied in music school):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGLi84edjho

There's a translation of the lyrics in the video info section. Weird stuff.