List of signature songs
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]
- Christina Aguilera - "Beautiful" [4]
- AKB48 - "Aitakatta"[5]
- The Animals – "The House of the Rising Sun"[6]
- Shirley Bassey – "Goldfinger"[7]
- Beck – "Loser"[8]
- Tony Bennett – "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"[9]
- Chuck Berry – "Johnny B. Goode"[10]
- Blue Öyster Cult – "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"[11]
- Bon Jovi – "Livin' on a Prayer"[12]
- Laura Branigan - "Gloria"[13]
- Garth Brooks – "The Dance"[14]
- Jeff Buckley – "Hallelujah"[15]
- Jimmy Buffett – "Margaritaville"[16]
- Carol Burnett – "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together"[17][18]
- Ray Charles – "What'd I Say"[19]
- Cheap Trick – "I Want You to Want Me"[20]
- Petula Clark – "Downtown"[21]
- Bobby Darin – "Mack the Knife"[22]
- Sammy Davis, Jr. – "I've Gotta Be Me"[23]
- Dead Kennedys – "Holiday in Cambodia"[24]
- Deep Purple – "Smoke on the Water"[25]
- Marlene Dietrich – "Falling In Love Again"[26]
- Celine Dion – "My Heart Will Go On"[27]
- Eagles – "Hotel California"[28]
- Lee Greenwood – "God Bless the USA"[29]
- Bob Hope – "Thanks for the Memory"[30]
- Lena Horne – "Stormy Weather"[31]
- Iron Butterfly – "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"[32]
- Wanda Jackson – "Fujiyama Mama"[33]
- Etta James – "At Last"[34]
- Billy Joel – "Piano Man"[35]
- George Jones – "He Stopped Loving Her Today"[36]
- Tom Jones – "It's Not Unusual"[37]
- Journey – "Don't Stop Believin'"[38]
- The Kinks - "You Really Got Me"[39]
- Kiss – "Rock and Roll All Nite"[20]
- Gladys Knight & the Pips – "Midnight Train to Georgia"[40]
- Cyndi Lauper – "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"[41]
- Led Zeppelin – "Stairway to Heaven"[42]
- John Lennon – "Imagine"[43]
- Jerry Lee Lewis – "Great Balls of Fire"[44]
- Guy Lombardo – "Auld Lang Syne"[45]
- Julie London – "Cry Me a River"[46]
- Loretta Lynn – "Coal Miner's Daughter"[47]
- Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"[48]
- Barbara Mandrell – "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"[49]
- Martina McBride – "Independence Day"[50]
- Men at Work - "Down Under"[51]
- Bette Midler – "Wind Beneath My Wings"[52]
- Kylie Minogue – "Can't Get You Out of My Head"[53]
- The Moody Blues - "Nights in White Satin"[20]
- Motörhead – "Ace of Spades"[54]
- Selena – "Como La Flor (song)" [55]
- Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"[56]
- Ozzy Osbourne – "Crazy Train"[57]
- The Pointer Sisters - "I'm So Excited"[58]
- Otis Redding – "Try a Little Tenderness"[59]
- Kenny Rogers – "The Gambler"[60]
- The Rolling Stones – "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"[61]
- Savage Garden – "Truly Madly Deeply"[62]
- Neil Sedaka – "Breaking Up is Hard to Do"[63]
- Semisonic – "Closing Time"[64]
- Carly Simon – "You're So Vain"[65]
- Percy Sledge – "When a Man Loves a Woman"[66]
- Sonny & Cher – "I Got You Babe"[67]
- Spice Girls – "Wannabe"[68]
- Rod Stewart – "Maggie May"[69]
- Eva Tanguay – "I Don't Care"[70]
- James Taylor – "Fire and Rain"[71]
- Shirley Temple – "On the Good Ship Lollipop"[72]
- Conway Twitty – "Hello Darlin'"[73]
- The Verve – "Bitter Sweet Symphony"[74]
- Village People – "Y.M.C.A."[75]
- Andy Williams – "Moon River"[76]
- Bert Williams – "Nobody"[77]
- Amy Winehouse – "Rehab"[78]
- Tammy Wynette – "Stand By Your Man"[79]
See also
- Honorific nicknames in popular music
- Magnum opus
- National anthem
- Subject (music)
- Theme music
- Trademark look
- One-hit wonder
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.
- ^ "This Week In Billboard Chart History: Christina Aguilera Tops Pop Songs With 'Beautiful' & More". Billboard. 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2016-26-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Aitakatta * supermerlion". Supermerlion.com. October 25, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "SEPTEMBER 05, 1964 : "HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN" BY THE ANIMALS TOPS THE U.S. POP CHARTS". History.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Shirley Bassey: New CD for 'Goldfinger' Diva". npr.org. March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ "Beck's Back". Billboard. March 22, 2005. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "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. March 1, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Bon Jovi Stunned By Living On A Prayer Success". Contactmusic.com. August 20, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ^ "Gloria on Laura Branigan's life" (PDF). August 8, 2003. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c 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 February 3, 2016.
- ^ 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". June 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 February 3, 2016.
- ^ 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 February 3, 2016.
- ^ "You Really Got Me". Salon. July 24, 2002. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ "Gladys Knight on biography.com". Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "As Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' Turns 30, It's Embraced By A New Generation". radio.com. June 4, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "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 November 7, 2014.
- ^ "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.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Tom Maginnis. "Ace of Spades - Motörhead | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Biography of Selena bio, history, career, evolution, music, Selena Vive". Selenaweb.yaia.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "'Nevermind' is ever-covered, spoofed â€"". Usatoday.com. September 22, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Top 10 Ozzy Osbourne Songs". Ultimateclassicrock.com. December 3, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ url=http://www.soulmusic.com/index.asp?S=1&T=38&ART=1525 (January 1, 2008). "The Pointer Sisters Appreciation Feature". soulmusic.com.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Missing pipe in:|author=(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Joe Viglione. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do - Neil Sedaka | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "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.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ 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. May 13, 1981. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ Shirley Temple Black, child star who became diplomat, dies at 85
- ^ "No. 18: Conway Twitty, 'Hello Darlin" – Top 100 Country Songs". Tasteofcountry.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ 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 February 3, 2016.
- ^ 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 (August 28, 1968). "Stand by Your Man - Tammy Wynette | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2016.