Most Iconic (not best/most technical) basslines

[Kipp Harrington]

This one blows my mind!

 

[ACRock]

 

[MoBetterBASS]

The Simon & Garfunkel classic "America" with Joe Osborn on bass qualifies as one in my book - Chris Squire's playing on the Yes version is also nice.

 

[Richland123]

Harry Nilsson - Jump Into The Fire

 

[Gluvhand]

Pump It Up-Elvis Costello

Mystery Achievement-The Pretenders

 

[Clark Dark]

Flashlight - Parliament Funkadelic

 

[Richland123]

 

[2F/2F]

Every time this topic comes up, the first bassline to enter my mind is Rapper's Delight.

I'm not into hip hop at all, but that's an iconic bassline if there ever was one.

IMO, of course.

I hope you know that this bass line is an interpolation of Chic's "Good Times" bass line.

 

[GreyBeard]

Funky Broadway

 

[FilterFunk]

"Hollywood Swinging" - Kool & the Gang
"Chameleon" - Herbie Hancock

And I agree that the piano bass line of Vince Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" is as iconic as any bass line ever played on any instrument.

 

[2F/2F]

I skimmed through the thread and did not see this. I hope that I simply missed it, because it is definitely the #1 most iconic bass line of all time, and this is page 4. Nearly everybody who played the bass lines everyone else is posting (except the handful of lines that were recorded before "So What" was released in 1959) learned the "So What" bass line as a kid/beginner, or at least aspired to, or was influenced by it. It's classic bass riff #1. It's to bassists what "Walk, Don't Run" is to guitarists.

 

[digmeout]

Think For Yourself - The Beatles

 

[Holdsg]

Boris the Spider

 

[Richland123]

Herbie Hancock - Bring Down The Birds (Ron Carter on bass)

This bass line was used for Groove Is In The Heart by Deee-Lite

 

[Hundred proof]

FREE … Alright Now

 

[Robscott]

Roundabout Yes
Stand By Me Ben E King
Higher Ground Stevie Wonder

 

[Jaycat]

I'm gonna go with Paul Chambers on So What.

 

[JoeThomas]

Easy yet iconic:
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
Blue Bayou - Linda Rondstadt
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac

These we're the first lines I worked on when I had to switch to playing lefty.
They never get old!

 

[Ggaa]

Pump it up.
We Ain't got nothing yet.

 

[Clark Dark]

Burning Down The House - Talking Heads