Name These Cowbell Songs

by Susan M

I’ve spliced together clips of songs to see how many you can all identify. This week’s clips are all songs by Irish artists. A few of these are rather obscure and might be a little tough.

I’ll give you a day or two to make your guesses, then I’ll post the answers. There are clips from 12 songs this time.

Feel free to list other Irish artists I may have left off, curious if you guys can think of any I forgot.

Song clips are in the radio.blog: “Name These Irish Songs”

NOTE: You might want to listen and make your guesses before reading the comments, or other people’s guesses might spoil your fun.

UPDATE: I’ll paste the answers in down below. If you haven’t had a chance to make your guesses, don’t click on the “more” link until you have!

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
1. Pretenders - Brass In Pocket
2. Bee Gees - Jive Talkin’
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Down On The Corner
4. Michael Jackson - Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
5. Santana - Oye Como Va
6. Pink - Get the Party Started
7. Blue Öyster Cult - (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
8. Commodores - Brick House
9. Soundgarden - Spoonman
10. New Order - Perfect Kiss
11. John Cougar Mellencamp - Pink Houses
12. Carly Simon - You’re So Vain
13. Janet Jackson - Black Cat
14. Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music
15. Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
16. Everything But The Girl - Missing
17. Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky
18. Talking Heads - And She Was

23 Comments

  1. 1. Pretenders — “Brass in Pocket”
    2. Bee Jees - “Jive Talkin’”
    3. CCR - “Down on the Corner”
    4. Michael Jackson - “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”
    5. Santana - “Oye Como Va”
    6. Pink - “I’m Comin’ Up” (ugh)
    7. Blue Oyster Cult - “Don’t Fear the Reaper” YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!!
    8. The Commodores - “Brick House”
    9. Soundgarden - “Spoonman”
    10. New Order - “The Perfect Kiss”
    11. ?
    12. Carly Simon - “You’re so Vain”
    13. Janet Jackson - “Black Cat”
    14. Wild Cherry - “Play that Funky Music, White Boy”
    15. Yes - “Owner of a Lonely Heart”
    16. Everything But the Girl - ?
    17. ?
    18. Talking Heads - “And She Was”

    Comment by Supergenius — November 29, 2006 @ 6:15 pm

  2. 1. Brass in Pocket - The Pretenders
    2. Jive-talkin - The Beegees
    3. Down on the Corner - CCR
    4. Gotta be startin’ somethin’ - Michael Jackson
    5. Some title in spanish - Santana
    6. I’m Comin’ out - Pink
    7. Don’t Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
    8. Something by Earth Wind and Fire
    9. Something by Soundgarden
    10. ???
    11. Little Pink Houses - John Cougar Melloncamp
    12. You’re so Vain - Carly Simon
    13. Black Cat - Janet Jackson
    14. Play that Funky Music White Boy - ???
    15. Owner of a Lonely Heart - yes
    16. I Miss You - Everything But the Girl
    17. Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
    18. And She Was - Talking Heads

    Comment by HP — November 29, 2006 @ 6:47 pm

  3. I’m so totally impressed! This is the first time I actaully tried to play, and I only got nine of them. Crap. But how fun, Susan!

    I saw a t-shirt the other day with a cowbell on it: “I’ve got a Fever” it said- I want it.

    Comment by tracy m — November 29, 2006 @ 9:08 pm

  4. pretenders, “brass in pocket”
    bee-gees “jive talkin’”
    ccr “down on the corner”
    michael jackson “”
    santana “?”
    pink “?”
    blue oyster cult “don’t fear the reaper”
    commodores “brick house”
    soundgarden “spoonman”
    dead or alive???
    john cougar mellencamp “ain’t that america”
    carly simon “you’re so vain”
    janet jackson?
    wild cherry “play that funky music (white boy)”
    yes “owner of a lonely heart”
    sade???
    no idea
    talking heads “and she was”

    what, no grand funk railroad? that’s the best cowbell song of all time!

    and why oh why does that prism “oh holy night” crap have to come on right afterwards?

    Comment by mike d. — November 29, 2006 @ 9:27 pm

  5. 1. Brass in Pocket - The Pretenders
    2. Jive Talking - Bee Gees
    3. Down on the corner - CCR
    4. Don’t stop till you get enough - Michael Jackson
    5. Oye Como Va - Santana
    6. ?
    7. Don’t Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
    8. Brick House - The Commodores
    9. Spoon Man - Soundgarden
    10. Blue Monday - New Order
    11. Gimme Shelter? - Rolling Stones
    12. You’re So Vain -
    13. ? - Shiela E?
    14. Play that funky music - Wild Cherry
    15. Owner of a lonely heart - Asia
    16. ?
    17. Mr. Blue Sky - ELO
    18. And she was - Talking heads

    Comment by ed johnson — November 29, 2006 @ 11:12 pm

  6. Actually the Pink tune is titled “Get this Party Started”

    I didn’t get 9,13,16, & 17 (thought I really should have gotten 17.)

    Addition cowbell songs:

    Come and Get Your Love - Redbone

    Little Sister - QOTSA

    Short Skirt/ Long Jacket - Cake

    Low Rider - War

    Comment by Jennifer — November 30, 2006 @ 1:27 pm

  7. Jennifer, you get all the glory in the world for accurately naming the Pink song.

    Comment by Supergenius — November 30, 2006 @ 1:34 pm

  8. What can I say? There’s a 16 year old at my house.

    Comment by Jennifer — November 30, 2006 @ 1:40 pm

  9. and she lives in your heart.

    Comment by Supergenius — November 30, 2006 @ 1:53 pm

  10. Mike, I only have Grand Funk on vinyl, sorry.

    This was a good one, huh? Or at least, an easy one.

    Comment by Susan M — November 30, 2006 @ 3:04 pm

  11. 1. Fleetwood Mac
    2.
    3. CCR
    4.
    5. Santana
    6. Pink
    7. Blue Oyster Cult—”Don’t Fear the Reaper”
    8.
    9. Soundgarden—”Spoon Man”
    10.
    11.
    12. Carly Simon—”You’re So Vain”
    13. “Addicted to Love”
    14. “Play That Funky Music White Boy”
    15.
    16. Everything But the Girl—”Missing”
    17.
    18. Talking Heads—”And She Was”

    Comment by Tom — November 30, 2006 @ 5:20 pm

  12. Some of these clips actually don’t have cowbells in them at all. Oh well. Cool songs nonetheless.

    Some cowbell songs that stick out for me:

    “Dance the Night Away” by Van Halen
    “Nightrain” by Guns ‘n’ Roses
    “Can I Play with Madness?” by Iron Maiden

    Comment by David J — November 30, 2006 @ 9:27 pm

  13. I tried to use parts of the songs that featured cowbell but didn’t always.

    Comment by Susan M — November 30, 2006 @ 10:16 pm

  14. 3. Creedence Clearwater Revival - ?
    9. Soundgarden - “Spoonman”
    10. New Order - “Blue Monday”
    12. ? - “You’re So Vain”
    18. Talking Heads - ?

    Another cowbell song:

    Twisted Sister - “We’re Not Gonna Take It”

    Comment by MeM — November 30, 2006 @ 10:57 pm

  15. I looked under “Cowbell songs” on my MP3 player and found only three:

    Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarmclock
    You Can’t Do That - the Beatles
    Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac

    And we mustn’t forget Honky Tonk Woman.

    Comment by Last Lemming — December 1, 2006 @ 12:57 pm

  16. Answers are posted. LMK if you want me to post any full songs.

    Comment by Susan M — December 1, 2006 @ 1:04 pm

  17. Susan,

    I have to say that I’m impressed that you could even come up with such a list. I could only name one cowbell song off the top of my head.

    Comment by a random John — December 1, 2006 @ 1:29 pm

  18. I should clarify. I can name several of the songs from their clips, but if you were to tell me to write a list of cowbell songs it would be incredibly short.

    Comment by a random John — December 1, 2006 @ 1:30 pm

  19. definitely a good one this time susan. not too difficult, and a lot of fun songs from different genres. now go out and top yourself for the next one!

    Comment by mike d. — December 1, 2006 @ 2:31 pm

  20. also great job on finding the Ö for Blue Öyster Cult, i wouldn’t have spent the time trying to figure out how to type it. it’s the little details that count.

    Comment by mike d. — December 1, 2006 @ 2:33 pm

  21. Should I reveal my secrets? I just googled “cowbell songs” and found a huge list online, then I checked to see which songs I had that were listed on it (that were also ones most people would know).

    The Ö is in the file name of the mp3, which I just copied and pasted.

    I have my methods, you see.

    Comment by Susan M — December 1, 2006 @ 3:31 pm

  22. *sigh* Susan, if you’d used the Substance version of “The Perfect Kiss” I probably would have gotten it right, but the Low-life version (or whatever version you used) sounds just a little too much like “Blue Monday” during the cowbell part of the song. I should have known “Blue Monday” wasn’t a cowbell song.

    Come to think of it, “Blue Monday” could use a little more cowbell.

    Comment by MeM — December 5, 2006 @ 1:50 am

  23. Bachman-Turner Overdrive- Aint seen Nothing Yet

    Time Has Come Today - Chamber Brothers

    Touch of Gray - Grateful Dead

    Comment by Bob Cowbell — February 1, 2007 @ 8:01 pm