Russell Hammond: But… it’s not what you put in, is it? It’s what you leave out. Listen to… listen to Marvin Gaye…
A song like What’s Going On.”That single “woo” at the end of the second verse – you know that woo – that single “woo.”

William Miller: I know that woo.

Russell Hammond: That’s what you remember. The silly things, the little things… there’s only one, and it makes the song.
It’s what you leave out. That’s rock and roll.

What I think is funny about this line of dialogue is that RH describes something that Marvin Gaye “puts in” not leaves out of What’s Going On. That single woo is just an added flourish, but it wasn’t something he left out.

I think I might use my five week FMD slot to go over other songs where the band/singer puts something simple in… and it just makes the song.

Let’s kick off the list with Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones. First of all the song is just a perfect little 2:13 of pop/punk joy. From the Hey Ho, Let’s Go chant, to the surf guitar sound, to the 3x repeated 2 versus about kids going crazy over a new dance craze. But what I love about the song is the Hey Ho Let’s Go chant. The first two times it’s chanted with just a drum beat. The next chant adds a bass, and the final chant has the guitar coming in. It’s a great build up to the verses (and song ending).  I think the song would be missing something if they were just blasting all instruments during the chant, or conversely, having no guitars.  It's what they put in.  That's Rock and Roll.

Drop your lists.