3 Songs With Instrumental Breaks You Remember More Than the Lyrics

For the most part, it’s the lyrics of a song that we remember most. A song really only needs a catchy chorus to be a hit. But, every so often, there is a musician who can create an instrumental break just as memorable. It doesn’t happen frequently, but the three songs below accomplished it.

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“In the Air Tonight” (Phil Collins)

Even if you aren’t familiar with Phil Collins‘ “In the Air Tonight,” you likely know the drum fill in the bridge of this song. Never has a set of bangs been as memorable as this instrumental break. Fans wait in anticipation the entire time they are listening to this song, hoping to air-drum the notes just right. Many Collins fans also know the lyrics to this atmospheric track, but we’d feel safe in betting that most of the world is only familiar with the iconic drum fill.

“Careless Whisper” (George Michael)

The star of “Careless Whisper” is not George Michael’s vocals. It’s the sultry saxophone motif that plays throughout this ’80s masterpiece. Performed by Steve Gregory, the saxophone riff in “Careless Whisper” is iconic, standing on its own without the rest of the song to support it. It has been used to set a romantic scene for decades now. Countless movies and television shows have used it as a punchline in whatever innuendo-filled joke they are trying to tell. It takes a special musician to create something that is firmly set in the public consciousness, like this saxophone solo is. Not just any instrumental break could achieve this kind of notoriety.

“Free Bird” (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

The lyrics in “Free Bird” are really only there to build up momentum for the face-melting guitar solo at the end of this song. The instrumental break, performed by Allen Collins, is the kind of guitar solo you sing along to. Countless rock fans have held up their air guitars and tried to mimic Collins note for note. While very few of us could actually play this on the guitar, it’s anthemic enough that we have to join in on the fun in whatever way we can.

Although the lyrics to this song are iconic in their own right, they don’t quite measure up to the timeless solo that serves as the climax to this rock hit.

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