Instantly Recognizable Songs

Hurricane - Panic at the Disco
Can You Feel My Heart - Bring Me the Horizon
All I Want - A Day to Remember
Sanctuary - Utada Hikaru
If It Means A Lot to You - A Day to Remember

 

New York State of Mind* (Billy Joel)
Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)
Iron Man (also Ozzy/Black Sabbath)
Never Gonna Give You Up (Rick Astley)
Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses)
Heaven (Los Lonely Boys)
Jump (Van Halen)

I'm sure there are a million more but these are the most distinctive I can think of.

*I sang NYSoM for karaoke once, and upon hearing the first two notes of the intro, a woman sitting at the bar started cheering lol.

 

One that springs to mind straight away. They tend to play this at any sort of indie night in the UK, so excited when I hear the first few notes.
[YOUTUBE]kGnjrTkv1gs[/YOUTUBE]

 

There are a lot of songs I can recognize within the first few seconds but I'll think of the ones that I can instinctively recall for now.

-Just Dance (Lady Gaga)
-Forever (Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem)
-If You Can't Hang (Sleeping With Sirens)
-Policy of Truth (Depeche Mode)
-Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
-Break On Through (The Doors)
-My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion)
-Animal (Def Leppard)
-Unwell (Matchbox 20)
-Calling All Angels (Train)

 

"Let It Be" (The Beatles)
"You Shook Me All Night Long" (AC/DC)
"Hotel California" (The Eagles)
"Piano Man" (Billy Joel)

 

"Led Zepelin" (Stairway to Heaven)
"Champions" (Queen)
"Good Day Sunshine" (The Beatles)

 

There was a Game show - Name that Song - people tried to do this in less than as many nots and out bet how few notes they could do it in.


I am Woman - Helen Reddy (1st note but mostly due to what this song means to me, for others they have to wait a while)
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis (first note)
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Unchained Melody -Righteous Brothers (others remember this from a movie scene, I remember is from the radio, yes AM)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens (first Vocal - again others remember the movie)
These Boots are Made for Walkin' - Nancy Sinatra (first 3 notes)
Daydream Believer - (then you end up taking a pick it is either The Monkees or
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Top of the World - The Carpenters (3 notes)
Let Me Be There - Olivia Newton-John (3-4 notes guitar intro)
Crimson & Clover - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (and you can differentiate her from Tommy James & the Shondells by the intro)
Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks (2-3 notes)
Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival (tell me you don't know this one the instant he hits the guitar)
Blitzkreig Bop - The Ramones
We gotta Get out of this Place - The Animals (again many remember it from a movie, "Hamburger Hill")
Wild Thing - The Troggs (first note)
Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf (first note)
American Woman - The Guess Who
Open Arms - Journey (personal reasons, favorite song of first girlfriend)

(think I will quit)

 

I reckon I could get anything by The Beatles, and pre-1969 by The Kinks.

 

I can recognise pretty much all songs that I've listened to several times.

 

Happy birthday?

 

Star Trek Theme
Star Wars Theme
Perry Mason Theme
Hunger games whistle
A lot of Sondheim music
Most of Rent and Wicked
Back to Me by Nine Days
A lot of Animaniacs music
Some Goo Goo Dolls songs
Disney
A lot of Starkid music
Disturbia by Rihanna
End up alone by Nine Days
A lot of Nine Days music
Gives you Hell by the All American Rejects
Halfway Gone by LIfehouse
I'll Be by Edwin McCain
Juliet by LMNT
Just Dance
Little Wonders
Livin on a Prayer
Overjoyed by Matchbox 20
100 years by 5 for Fighting

 

Hotel California - The Eagles
Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys
Longview - Green Day
The End - The Doors

There's probably loads more but these are the ones I could think of straight away.

 

Basically any 90's song, it's ridiculous. Just hit me up with spotifys 90's hits list and I'll know them (I'm guessing anyone would know them right away, mmmbop and loser? everyone would know them in a heartbeat!)

Also: Disney songs, Smiths songs, songs by my favourite bands, songs like november rain and stairway to heaven like any recognizable guitar song. Techno songs if you like to call them that, the stuff they play on clubs. 80's hits, we built this city, everybody wants to rule the world, pale shelter, true by spandau ballet, jadajada...

But what I think is really cool is the Michael Jackson formula. It just takes those few chords and you most definitely will know that it is Michael Jackson.

I heard I Just Can't Stop Loving You in karaoke the other week and I kept wondering who is the original artist, like is it MJ or whitney. But the transition from 1.06 to 1.16 tells straight away that it's MJ and same goes for the ''..and if I stop - would you tell me just what should I do'' part in the chorus.

Michael Jackson - I Just Can't Stop Loving You - YouTube

Am I just crazy or does that back track really just scream MJ all by itself?

 

Stairway to Heaven, Summer lovin', my heart will go on, the star spangled banner. I'm sure there are others.

 

Pretty much any of the latest new junk like Gangnem and The Fox say.

Other than that, The Pogues Fairy Tale of New York.

 

"Disturbia" by Rihanna

 

Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
We Will Rock You - Queen
You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party - Beastie Boys
Brass Monkey - Beastie Boys
All The Small Things - Blink 182
Always - Blink 182
I Miss You - Blink 182
What's My Age Again -Blink 182
Oops I Did It Again - Britney Spears
Toxic - Britney Spears
Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic At The Disco
Lying Is the Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic At the Disco
That's My Kind of Night - Luke Bryan
Out Like That - Luke Bryan

 

Baker street- Gerry Rafferty
Rockaway beach- The Ramones
Girls just wanna have fun- Cyndi Lauper
Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen
+any songs I sing along to frequently

 

Billie Jean by Michael Jackson