Applause - Hand Clapping Songs

[WilliamS68311]

In continuing with my blog posts featuring various instruments in rock and pop music I thought I’d turn inward, focusing on instruments intrinsic to each of us, self-contained, if you will, with hands highlighted, in this blog with hand-clapping 👏, in the next blog with finger-snapping 🫰, and rounding out with the lips 👄 and whistling in a subsequent blog post.

Some songs have stomping and clapping, such as Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” or Bay City Roller’s “Saturday Night.” Others have clapping to keep the beat, as in John Cougar’s (at the time) “Jack & Diane,” Pharrell Williams “Happy,” Billy Joel’s “Only The Good Die Young,” Boston’s “More Than A Feeling,” Elton John’s “Bennie And The Jets,” and John Lennon’s “Give Peace A Chance.” Yet others have perfectly timed clapping for effect, Steve Miller Band’s Take The Money And Run,” the Boomtown Rats’ “I Don’t Like Mondays,” The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There For You (Theme from Friends),” The Romantics “What I Like About You,” or David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

And then there’s the phenomenon of the double clap, often two claps followed by a single clap, or some similar pattern, started by Doo-wop, Motown, and girl groups of the ‘50s, with hits such as Elvis Pressley’s “Hound Dog,” or Bobby Day’s “Rockin’ Robin,” The Contours “Do You Love Me,” The Isley Brothers’ “Shout,” Little Eva’s “The Locomotion,” The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman,” and The Angels “My Boyfriend’s Back.” Or in slightly later rock and pop memory think The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl,” The Beatles “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” Stealers Wheels’ “Stuck In The Middle With You,” Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock,” John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good,” and even The The’s “This is The Day.”

There are so many good clapping songs, the list clocks in at over 9 hours. That’s a lot of clapping hands. See if yours made the list.

I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew.  Rediscover the passion of music in your life. Live in the moment. Enjoy the moment. Love the moment. Listen to the MUSIC!

https://listentothemusicblog.com/applause-hand-clapping-songs/

[KellytheBelly]

This is a good one... Beck - Where It's At

Just clap your hands, just clap your hands. 🙂

[BeatleloverKT]

Great topic. So many of my favs listed 🎶💜