Call and response audience participation

Diet Kirk

Diet Kirk

Silver Member
Can anyone think of good examples of live versions of songs with this kind of thing?

You know the classic kind of thing,

"we say apple, you say pear....apple......PEAR.......apple.......PEAR"

with the crowd shouting the 'PEAR' section

(please note the words apple and pear could be anything here, I don't need specific examples with those words in! :p )

Ideally if you have a youtube link that would be perfect!

My brain has frozen and I can't find what I'm looking for!
 
To me that sounds like a funk thing to do. Take any 70s live funk album and the one track that is longer than 20 mins probably has a "we say X and you say Y!!" exercise in it.
I'm at work and can't really dig into youtube right now...
 
Does "Family Tradition" by Hank Williams Jr. count?

Why do you drink?

TO GET DRUNK

And why do you smoke?

TO GET STONED

etc etc

Also the Beastie Boys "Time to get Ill"

"I said WHAT'S THE TIME?"

"IT'S TIME TO GET ILL!"

And of course in homage to a certain forum admin... Weird Al's "Dare to be Stupid" and "Albuquerque"

Oh adding Rihana's "Umbrella" ella ella ella
 
T.Underhill said:
Nothing beats the Freddie Mercury call/response crowd control.
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Yeah, good point. You can have the audience sing along with almost any song.
Teach them a part and let them be involved in the song.



.
 
Some great suggestions, and it can indeed be applied to many songs.

Freddie was certainly a master at it.

Problem is, I'm writing a song which I want to contain a "we say x you say y" audience participation section in it, but I'm struggling to picture how best to get in and out of such a part and how much should be going on in the background whilst the singer engages the crowd
 
Diet Kirk said:
Some great suggestions, and it can indeed be applied to many songs.

Freddie was certainly a master at it.

Problem is, I'm writing a song which I want to contain a "we say x you say y" audience participation section in it, but I'm struggling to picture how best to get in and out of such a part and how much should be going on in the background whilst the singer engages the crowd
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Perhaps you could resurrect the old "Tastes Great/Less Filling" argument... Just throw it in to any song about drinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=argdPEmD9bI

(I can't believe this was actually on Youtube...)
 
Check this one out - ACDC doing the original version of "She's Got the Jack" with much different lyrics than what is on the album . Good crowd participation section and transition from the crowd part back to the song...

It is kind of raunchy so beware to those easily offended...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bB-cCYnFJU

MM
 
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Mike_In_KC said:
Check this one out - ACDC doing the original version of "She's Got the Jack" with much different lyrics than what is on the album . Good crowd participation section and transition from the crowd part back to the song...

It is kind of raunchy so beware to those easily offended...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bB-cCYnFJU

MM
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If you want really raunchy, check 2 Live Crew "As Nasty as They Wanna Be", lots of 'colorful' call and response on that album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtsClj04oIE
"Boom Boom Out Go the Lights" kind of defines the rock version of call and response.

I love My Ding-a-Ling ;p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMddte6yD2w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un59ZLOti9Y
 
brady said:
Perhaps you could resurrect the old "Tastes Great/Less Filling" argument... Just throw it in to any song about drinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=argdPEmD9bI

(I can't believe this was actually on Youtube...)
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Haha this is pretty good actually!

Mike_In_KC said:
Check this one out - ACDC doing the original version of "She's Got the Jack" with much different lyrics than what is on the album . Good crowd participation section and transition from the crowd part back to the song...

It is kind of raunchy so beware to those easily offended...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bB-cCYnFJU

MM
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Cheers man this is good, similar to what I had in my head of a big accent then just bass line and simplified drums with a bit of noodly guitar whilst the singer sets things up.

Bobrush said:
If you want really raunchy, check 2 Live Crew "As Nasty as They Wanna Be", lots of 'colorful' call and response on that album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtsClj04oIE
"Boom Boom Out Go the Lights" kind of defines the rock version of call and response.

I love My Ding-a-Ling ;p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMddte6yD2w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un59ZLOti9Y
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The boom, boom, boom one is another good one, but the best is my ding a ling! awesome haha. Although thats a little more convoluted for what I'm going for here! :)

Red Menace said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mq4UT4VnbE&feature=kp

C'mon people! I though you guys listened to Jazz. Oh dee odeee odeee odeee oohh!!
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The audience would need to be smart for this one!
 
Anon La Ply said:
There's a famous one that happened spontaneously at a show and became and institution - every crowd does the same chant when they play this song ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_py6WbMV1k

Pretty tight, too :)
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Ha! First thing I thought of when I read this thread. Didn't bother mentioning it because I didn't think anyone who wasn't an Aussie would know WTF I was talking about. Certainly the most widely known example of "call and response" in this country though......for anyone over 30, at least.
 
Pocket-full-of-gold said:
Ha! First thing I thought of when I read this thread. Didn't bother mentioning it because I didn't think anyone who wasn't an Aussie would know WTF I was talking about. Certainly the most widely known example of "call and response" in this country though......for anyone over 30, at least.
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For sure. Many years ago I was in one of those crowds yelling the same stupidity. It's strangely cathartic :)

Another example that comes to mind is Sting's "eyyyo" chant.
 
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