Signature song
A signature song is the one song (or, in some cases, one of a few songs) that a popular and well-established recording artist or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of other songs. There have also been instances where a film actor has acquired a signature song by giving a popular vocal performance in a feature. Signature songs can be the result of spontaneous public identification, or a marketing tool developed by the music industry to promote artists, sell their recordings, and develop a fan base.[1]
Bands with a signature song often are expected to perform it at every concert appearance.[2]
Examples
- ABBA – "Dancing Queen"[3]
- AKB48 - "Aitakatta"[4]
- The Animals – "The House of the Rising Sun"[5]
- Shirley Bassey – "Goldfinger"[6]
- Beck – "Loser"[7]
- Tony Bennett – "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"[8]
- Chuck Berry – "Johnny B. Goode"[9]
- Blue Öyster Cult – "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"[10]
- Bon Jovi – "Livin' on a Prayer"[11]
- Garth Brooks – "The Dance"[12]
- Jeff Buckley – "Hallelujah"[13]
- Jimmy Buffett – "Margaritaville"[14]
- Carol Burnett – "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together"[15][16]
- Ray Charles – "What'd I Say"[17]
- Cheap Trick – "I Want You to Want Me"[18]
- Petula Clark – "Downtown"[19]
- Bobby Darin – "Mack the Knife"[20]
- Sammy Davis, Jr. – "I've Gotta Be Me"[21]
- Dead Kennedys – "Holiday in Cambodia"[22]
- Deep Purple – "Smoke on the Water"[23]
- Marlene Dietrich – "Falling In Love Again"[24]
- Celine Dion – "My Heart Will Go On"[25]
- Eagles – "Hotel California"[26]
- Lee Greenwood – "God Bless the USA"[27]
- Bob Hope – "Thanks for the Memory"[28]
- Lena Horne – "Stormy Weather"[29]
- Iron Butterfly – "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"[30]
- Wanda Jackson – "Fujiyama Mama"[31]
- Etta James – "At Last"[32]
- Billy Joel – "Piano Man"[33]
- George Jones – "He Stopped Loving Her Today"[34]
- Tom Jones – "It's Not Unusual"[35]
- Journey – "Don't Stop Believin'"[36]
- The Kinks - "You Really Got Me"[37]
- Kiss – "Rock and Roll All Nite"[18]
- Gladys Knight & the Pips – "Midnight Train to Georgia"[38]
- Led Zeppelin – "Stairway to Heaven"[39]
- John Lennon – "Imagine"[40]
- Jerry Lee Lewis – "Great Balls of Fire"[41]
- Guy Lombardo – "Auld Lang Syne"[42]
- Julie London – "Cry Me a River"[43]
- Loretta Lynn – "Coal Miner's Daughter"[44]
- Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"[45]
- Barbara Mandrell – "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"[46]
- Martina McBride – "Independence Day"[47]
- Men at Work - "Down Under"[48]
- Bette Midler – "Wind Beneath My Wings"[49]
- Kylie Minogue – "Can't Get You Out of My Head"[50]
- The Moody Blues - "Nights in White Satin"[18]
- Motörhead – "Ace of Spades"[51]
- Selena – "Como La Flor (song)" [52]
- Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"[53]
- Ozzy Osbourne – "Crazy Train"[54]
- Otis Redding – "Try a Little Tenderness"[55]
- Kenny Rogers – "The Gambler"[56]
- The Rolling Stones – "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"[57]
- Savage Garden – "Truly Madly Deeply"[58]
- Neil Sedaka – "Breaking Up is Hard to Do"[59]
- Semisonic – "Closing Time"[60]
- Carly Simon – "You're So Vain"[61]
- Percy Sledge – "When a Man Loves a Woman"[62]
- Sonny & Cher – "I Got You Babe"[63]
- Spice Girls – "Wannabe"[64]
- Rod Stewart – "Maggie May"[65]
- Eva Tanguay – "I Don't Care"[66]
- James Taylor – "Fire and Rain"[67]
- Shirley Temple – "On the Good Ship Lollipop"[68]
- Conway Twitty – "Hello Darlin'"[69]
- The Verve – "Bitter Sweet Symphony"[70]
- Village People – "Y.M.C.A."[71]
- Andy Williams – "Moon River"[72]
- Bert Williams – "Nobody"[73]
- Amy Winehouse – "Rehab"[74]
- Tammy Wynette – "Stand By Your Man"[75]
See also
- Honorific nicknames in popular music
- Magnum opus
- National anthem
- Subject (music)
- Theme music
- Trademark look
References
- ↑ Umphlett, Wiley Lee (2004). The Visual Focus of American Media Culture in the Twentieth Century: The Modern Era, 1893–1945. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 157.
This practice soon began equating performers with signature songs as a way to promote and sell recordings and sheet music as well as establish a cult of fans to market these songs to.
- ↑ Prescott, John (2000). A Career in Show Business: Variety Entertainer. Chicago: Institute for Research. p. 8.
And if there's a phrase ... or you have a signature song ... then your audience will probably be disappointed if you don't repeat yourself.
- ↑ Abba Gold. Continuum International Publishing Group. 2004. ISBN 9780826415462.
- ↑ "Aitakatta * supermerlion". Supermerlion.com. 2006-10-25. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "SEPTEMBER 05, 1964 : “HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN” BY THE ANIMALS TOPS THE U.S. POP CHARTS". History.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "Shirley Bassey: New CD for 'Goldfinger' Diva". npr.org. March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Beck's Back". Billboard. 2005-03-22. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "His Heart's Still In San Francisco". CBS News. December 21, 2005.
- ↑ Allmusic. Review: "When A Man Loves A Woman". retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ↑ "The Making Of… Blue Oyster Cult’s (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Uncut". Uncut.co.uk. 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "Bon Jovi Stunned By Living On A Prayer Success". Contactmusic.com. August 20, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Garth Brooks Official Site". Garthbrooks.com. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Buckley's Big Voice Built a Loyal Following". NPR. May 29, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Jimmy Buffett sings for Clinton". CNN. August 26, 2000. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ Mason, Jeff (October 21, 2013). "Carol Burnett honored for comedy chops with Mark Twain Prize". Chicago Tribune. Reuters.
- ↑ Harris, Paul (October 21, 2013). "Tina Fey Loves Carol Burnett So Much, It’s ‘Just Shy of Creepy’". Variety.
- ↑ "Ray Charles". Filmbug. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Mansour, David. From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia. p. 204. ISBN 0-7407-5118-2.
- ↑ "Mini-Biography". Petula Clark.net. October 28, 2000. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Mack The Knife". Bobbydarin.net. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Rhno masters Sammy Davis, Jr.". Archived from the original on April 5, 2001.
- ↑ Ellis, Iain (2008). Rebels Wit Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists. Soft Skull Press. p. 178. ISBN 9781593763350.
- ↑ Deep Purple on allmusic (Made in Japan > Overview)
- ↑ "That Old Feeling: Marlene's Siren Songs". time.com. January 27, 2002. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ↑ Caramanica, Jon (September 16, 2008). "Emotions With Exclamation Points". nytimes.com.
- ↑ "Special Event". CNN. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Cnn Live Event/Special". CNN. February 7, 2001. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Thanks for the Memory". Archived from the original on February 4, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ allmusic (The Best of the RCA Years > Overview)
- ↑ "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly |". Toponehitwonders.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ Ellis, Iain (2008). Rebels Wit Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists. Soft Skull Press. p. 58. ISBN 9781593763350.
- ↑ "Etta James: Biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ↑ "How Billy Joel became the Piano Man". Jun 2, 2014.
- ↑ Cooper, Peter (May 2, 2013). "George Jones' life proved to be a joyful song". USA Today.
- ↑ Song Review by William Ruhlmann. "It's Not Unusual - Tom Jones | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ Wardlaw, Matt. "Don't Stop Believin' - Journey Guitarist Neal Schon Reflects on the Classic Rock Band's Generation-Spanning Legacy | Music Feature | Cleveland Scene". Clevescene.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "You Really Got Me". Salon. July 24, 2002. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Gladys Knight on biography.com". Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ↑ "Official band website". Ledzeppelin.com. April 27, 1977. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Imagine: John Lennon's signature song". Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- ↑ Fish, George. Against the Current, September/October 2007, "Jerry Lee Lewis at 70".
- ↑ "Welcome to Producers, Inc". Producersinc.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Julie London at Brian's Drive-In Theater". Briansdriveintheater.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Lynn fights for her songs". Archived from the original on December 9, 2004.
- ↑ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
- ↑ "News : 20 Questions With Barbara Mandrell". CMT. October 18, 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Australia Photos". worldatlas.com. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Wind Beneath My Wings [Laserlight #1] by Judy Collins – AOL Music". Music.aol.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Can't Get You Out of My Head". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ Tom Maginnis. "Ace of Spades - Motörhead | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "Biography of Selena bio, history, career, evolution, music, Selena Vive". Selenaweb.yaia.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "'Nevermind' is ever-covered, spoofed –". Usatoday.com. 2011-09-22. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "Top 10 Ozzy Osbourne Songs". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ Ian Inglis (2006). Performance and Popular Music: History, |Place and Time. Ashgate. p. 36.
'Try a Little Tenderness' was one of his signature tunes, an old standard that he regularly used to end his concerts.
- ↑ "Flashback: Kenny Rogers Introduces the Gambler". rollingstone.com. November 14, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Satisfaction is 'top Stones song'". news.bbc.co.uk. August 17, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Whammo.com.au Encyclopedia Entry for Savage Garden|'Savage Garden' entry". Archived from the original on August 13, 2004. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ↑ Joe Viglione. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do - Neil Sedaka | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ "Semisonic Singer Dan Wilson Explains His 11-Year Rule". Rockdirt.com/. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
- ↑ Paul Simpson. The rough guide to cult pop. p. 83.
- ↑ Steve Hendershot, Chicago Tribune. Percy Sledge is still in love with "When a Man Loves a Woman". October 07, 2005. retrieved April 7, 2013.
- ↑ "Celebrity Lawmaker Wore Renewed Fame Lightly". CNN. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ Johnson, Chris. "Mel B: 'I barely speak to the other Spice Girls even though Victoria only lives a few miles away'". London: dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Sarah McLachlan to perform at autism benefit". Livedaily.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ Sochen, June (2007). From Mae to Madonna: Women Entertainers in Twentieth-century America. University Press of Kentucky. p. 45. ISBN 9780813129334.
- ↑ "Fire and Rain - James Taylor | Song Info". AllMusic. 1981-05-13. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ Shirley Temple Black, child star who became diplomat, dies at 85
- ↑ "No. 18: Conway Twitty, ‘Hello Darlin” – Top 100 Country Songs". Tasteofcountry.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ Richard Ashcroft – From urban hymns to united nations The Independent
- ↑ John Wilson. "The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywoods Worst". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ↑ allmusic (16 Biggest Hits > Overview)
- ↑ "Bert Williams – Free Music Downloads, Videos, Lyrics, CDs, MP3s, Bio, Merchandise and Links". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Mix104.1". Mix1041.radio.com. July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ↑ Greg Adams (1968-08-28). "Stand by Your Man - Tammy Wynette | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
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