There is an argument around which piece of a song is most important. Is it the lyrics? Is it the melody? Is it a mixture of both? We don’t have the definitive answer, but the four songs below make a strong case for the “melody above all” camp. Though the refrains in these hits are lacking in words, their insatiable catchiness makes up for it. Revisit these wordless rock refrains that have stuck with us through the decades.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” (Journey)
Journey’s “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” features our first “wordless rock refrain”. It comes at the end of this arena rock anthem, closing out the seductive story with an outpouring of emotion. Steve Perry has said all he needed to say by the end of this song. Best to just rock out with a few “na na nas” to drive the sentiment home. He doesn’t say much, but the passion he pours into his vocals says a lot.
Now it’s your turn, girl, to cry
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
“Crocodile Rock” (Elton John)
Similarly, Elton John closes out one of his biggest hits, “Crocodile Rock” with a wordless refrain. Instead of “na na na” he throws in a few “la la las”. It’s one of the most famous vocal trills in all of rock music. Generations of music fans have been riffing along with John to this oddball hit.
When Susie wore her dresses tight
And the Crocodile Rocking was out of sight
Laa, la-la-la-la-laa
La-la-la-la-laa
La-la-la-la-laa
“Brown Eyed Girl” (Van Morrison)
To many of us, most of Van Morrison’s lyrics sound wordless…His Northern Irish accent keeps us from picking up on them anyway. However, the refrain to his “Brown Eyed Girl” truly features no actual words. Like John’s hit, the ad-libbing Morrison does here has become the stuff of music legend. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who couldn’t sing along to the “sha la la” post-chorus in this song.
Do you remember when we used to sing?
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da
Just like that
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da, la-tee-da
“Hey Jude” (Beatles)
You can’t make a list of the best wordless refrains without including “Hey Jude.” Paul McCartney spent the back third of this song doing nothing but “na na na-ing”. Not many musicians could pull it off. The wordless section seems to go on forever, but never grows tiresome. McCartney fans dream of being able to sing along to this refrain in a live setting. It has got unparalleled unifying powers.
Then you begin to make it better
Better, better, better, better, better
Yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah (na-na-na, na-na-na)
Na-na-na-na, hey Jude
(Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
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