Most Iconic (not best/most technical) basslines

[Acid Rain]

A couple from Australia and New Zealand

Reckless - Australian Crawl
Counting the beat - The Swingers

 

[Low Key]

Maneater by Hall and Oats (T-Bone Wolk on bass)

I actually play that one with my current eighties-themed band. Very recognizable bass line and some cool stuff going on if you give it a close listen.

 

[bigbottom32]

"My Girl" - Jamerson w/The Temptations. EVERYONE knows those 3 notes.

 

[Acid Rain]

Turn me loose - Loverboy

 

[ryan pate]

NIB
Radar Love
And this one is probably just a personal favorite to play...(or maybe it’s Olivia Newton John in black spandex)
“You’re the one that I want”from the movie Grease.

 

[Curt Mueller]

You want simple?



In the ‘recognized by most people’ category(but of a certain age)…



For the Rockers…



For the Soulsters…


Now make it mellow.

I'd add Jack Bruce in Crossroads

 

[Ode1974]

Marvin Gaye - Heavy love affair

 

[P-Boy69]

Rappers delight !

 

[EBThree]

"I'll also say there are like 15 Motown hits that could make the list so I'm just I know I'm missing tons."

And on that note (pardon the pun): Papa Was A Rolling Stone

 

[bottomzone]

Papa Was a Rolling Stone

For the Love of Money

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Fantastic Voyage

Slide

Super Freak

Bust A Move (Flea killed it!!!)

Behind the Groove

Shake Down

Never Too Much

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Um? This.
A very young Anthony Jackson on bass. Season with a little flanger. Perfect!

And played with a pick!

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - The Animals

 

[aureliab20gt]

On the pop side, thinking of songs not already posted; Tell Me Something Good and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys.

On the less popular front but very influential to this day; A Dream Told By Moto (Minutemen) and M-Train (Pylon)

Good shout............Low Spark is one of my favourite songs of all time !!

 

[Mathew Skilling]

First song to pop into my head was Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith. Also Della Brown by Queensryche is one of my all time favourites.

 

[aureliab20gt]

If you ask a bunch of bass players for the greatest bassline of all time you're bound to end up with some The Chicken on the list or things like YYZ, and rightfully so both are great.

But, I'm looking for most iconic basslines of all time, the basslines that start to play and even people who don't listen to music know it and start tapping their foot. So on this list 'The Chicken,' wouldn't crack the top few hundred, but 'Feel Good Inc,' might end up in single digits. On this list Paul McCartney > Victor Wooten.

If there is a good thread on this, please lead me to it. I have found a bunch of 'best bass line,' threads, but they all seem to include a lot of things that only deep dive music fans or bass players would be super into.

I've got a few faves:

Want You Back
Another One Bites the Dust
Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)
Stand by Me
Come Together
Feel Good Inc
Bill Jean
I'll also say there are like 15 Motown hits that could make the list so I'm just

I know I'm missing tons.

The bassline that makes me want to pick up the thing and play is Deep Purple's No One Came (Fireball album)....and when Paice cuts in......man that drive!!

 

[Atonalmodal]

 

[12BitSlab]

An iconic bassline known the world over is not R&R. It’s famous 4 notes coincide with the letter “V” in Morse code and is known to represent Victory. The line is from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

 

[Michedelic]

An iconic bassline known the world over is not R&R. It’s famous 4 notes coincide with the letter “V” in Morse code and is known to represent Victory. The line is from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Unfortunately, too many think that’s from an ELO song.

 

[BruceG63]

Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs,Born under a Bad Sign by Albert King,Long Distance Runaround by Yes,Dr Music by Blue Oyster Cult,School Days by Stanley Clarke are just a few of my pics.

 

[matricus]

Sorry if these are all repeats - don't have time to look through 13 pages!

My Girl
We Gotta Get Out of This Place
Eight Miles High
Nowhere Man
Rain
The Lemon Song
Badge
All Along the Watchtower (JHE version)

Not hard to figure out how old I am, huh?!