Top 100 Cowbell Songs of All Time
May 4, 2010 | Lists,Music
There are three musical instruments that require no ability whatsoever (if you’re an avid watcher of early episodes of American Idol, you’d be forgiven for thinking the vocal instrument is one of these as you can hear sounds resembling the later rounds of a warehouse dog-fight). These include the triangle, which can be mastered if you’ve already gotten counting to ten down pat, the harmonica, the instrument of choice if you’re doing hard-time that only requires wheezing into it like a CPAP machine and of course, the cowbell.
A decade ago, SNL popularized the phrase ‘More cowbell’ with an excellent sketch featuring Christopher Walken.
To commemorate this outstanding achievement in popular culture, we decided to honor one of Switzerland’s three major contributions to global culture (the others being fondue and shady banking) and give this maligned instrument its due in this our in no way definitive list of what we consider to be the Top 100 Cowbell Songs of All Time.
1. Low Rider / War
2. Stone Free / Jimi Hendrix
3. Mississippi Queen / Mountain
4. Drive My Car / Beatles
5. Nightrain / Guns ‘n’ Roses
6. Diamond Dogs / David Bowie
7. Stuck in the Middle with You / Stealer’s Wheel
8. Play that Funky Music / Wild Cherry
9. All Right Now / Free
10. Don’t Fear the Reaper / Blue Oyster Cult
11. Born on the Bayou / CCR
12. We’re an American Band / Grand Funk
13. Little Sister / Queens of the Stone Age
14. Live Wire / Motley Crue
15. A Passage to Bangkok / Rush
16. Down on the Corner / CCR
17. Calling Dr Love / Kiss
18. Honky Tonk Women / Rolling Stones
19. Backstabbers / O’Jays
20. One Nation Under a Groove / Parliament Funkadelic
21. Oye Como Va / Carlos Santana
22. Rappers Delight / Sugerhill Gang
23. Moby Dick / Led Zeppelin
24. Good Times Bad Times / Led Zeppelin
25. Pigs / Pink Floyd
26. Funk 49 / James Gang
27. Spoonman / Soundgarden
28. Don’t Stop til you Get Enough / Michael Jackson
29. Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet / Hey You BTO
30. Touch of Grey / Grateful Dead
31. Brass in Pocket / Pretenders
32. 99 Problems / Jay-Z
33. Big Pimpin’ / Jay-Z
34. Free Ride / Edgar Winter
35. Rock of Ages / Def Leppard
36. Photograph / Def Leppard
37. Hey Ladies / Beastie Boys
38. Hair of the Dog / Nazareth
39. Killing in the Name of / Rage Against the Machine
40. Faint of Heart / Coheed and Cambria
41. Casino Queen / Wilco
42. Groove is in the Heart / D-Lite
43. Life’s Been Good / Joe Walsh
44. Love Rollercoaster / Ohio Players
45. Vicious / Lou Reed
46. Wiser Time / Black Crowes
47. Freddie’s Dead / Curtis Mayfield
48. Suzie Q / Dale Hawkins
49. Clampdown / The Clash
50. Love Removal Machine / The Cult
51. Psychotic Reaction / Count Five
52. Walk this Way / Aerosmith
53. Mr Browstone / GNR
54. Raw Power / Iggy and the Stooges
55. Rock ‘n’ Roll All Nite / KISS
56. Roxanne / The Police
57. King of Rock / Run DMC
58. Funky Cold Medina / Tone Loc
59. For Your Love / The Yardbirds
60. Hard Day’s Night / The Beatles
61. Gimme Three Steps / Lynyrd Skynyrd
62. Spinning Wheel / Blood, Sweat & Tears
63. Time has Come Today / Chambers Brothers
64. Born to Run / Bruce Springsteen
65. Breakin’ the Law / Judas Priest
66. Rock Lobster / B 52s
67. The Distance / Cake
68. Taxman / The Beatles
69. The Reflex / Duran Duran
70. Once in a Lifetime / Talking Heads
71. I Predict a Riot / Kaiser Chiefs
72. Last Child / Aerosmith
73. Jive Talkin’ / Bee Gees
74. Leave your Hat On / Joe Cocker
75. Go your Own Way / Fleetwood Mac
76. Bungle in the Jungle / Jethro Tull
77. Purple Haze / Jimi Hendrix
78. Cherry Bomb / John Mellancamp
79. My Sharona / The Knack
80. Keep Yourself Alive / Queen
81. Pets / Porno for Pyros
82. Dance to the Music / Sly & the Family Stone
83. In the Mood / Rush
84. Evil Ways / Santana
85. You Wreck Me / Tom Petty
86. Jammin’ Me / Tom Petty
87. Sweet Jane / Velvet Underground
88. Gimme Some Lovin’ / Spencer Davis Group
89. Steal my Kisses / Ben Harper
90. Gold Dust Woman / Fleetwood Mac
91. Keep your Hands to Yourself / Georgia Satellites
92. Pastime Paradise / Stevie Wonder
93. Jamming / Bob Marley
94. A Little Less Conversation / Elvis
95. Can’t Get Enough of your Love / Barry White
96. Short Skirt Long Jacket / Cake
97. Welcome to the Jungle / GNR
98. Do it Again / Steely Dan
99. Dance the Night Away / Van Halen
100. Red Morning Light / I Want You Kings of Leon
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Goin’ to the Hop – Joan Armatrading
Be sure to visit http://Cowbellsongs.com. Never has an instrument been loved by music audiences more and used so little! When you need that little something extra, the cowbell comes storming in and gives you what you want – no, better yet, what you need.
What about Linda Ronstadt’s “poor poor pitiful me?” Great cowbell!
Drive My Car – The Beatles? What cowbell?
This list is lame. Where is the classic cowbell song of all time: At The Club, by The Drifters?
Ernie:
The cowbell in Drive my Car appears at the 6 second mark and continues loudly and prominently for the duration of the song. If you cannot even detect that, we cannot take you, nor your tin ear seriously. Thanks for reading.
Little Darlin’ –The Diamonds
Cowbell and castanets, woohoo!
What about Hey Joe by The Byrds??
There are several songs on there that definitely do NOT feature any cowbell, such as “Brass In Pocket” and “Pyschotic Reaction.” When I first saw this article I though, “How are they going to come up with 100 songs that feature cowbell?” The answer is, you DIDN’T.
I came up with 2100+!
http://www.ultimatecowbell.com
P.S.–”Brass in Pocket” does have cowbell during the “Gonna use my arms / Gonna use my legs” part.
Hitchcock Railway – Joe Cocker, best cowbell EVER!!
Whiskey Train by Procol Harum
“Silver Lining” by Player. Not very well known, but I love it and the cowbell intro makes me giggle. Then the song gets into full gear.
Naz Nomad,
Brass In Pocket does have cowbell.
It starts in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Hy7uAb_eU on 0:50 on the 2 and 4 and a few measures later on 1,2,3,4.
You’re on drugs if you think playing the harmonica is easy like the triangle or cowbell. There’s a difference between making noise and playing the instrument. For the triangle and cowbell, noise and playing are synonymous. Harmonica not so much
“Concrete and Clay” by Unit 4+2 – Great cowbell intro!
I Call Your Name by the Beatles. Really prominent cowbell kicks in halfway through the first verse and never lets up.
[...] Kim Olson who suggested we play songs with the cowbell since it’s “Cow Appreciation Day”. What are your favorite songs with the [...]
Where’s Darlington County, by the Boss, a much better choice than BTR……..
I didn’t see ‘Couldn’t get it right’ by the Climax Blues Band in there. But I might have missed it, what with all the pure awesome in that list! Thanks!
Sorry no cowbell in Porno For Pyro “Pets” You can even see the drum kit. It’s not COWBELL!
When i read the title..100 greatest Cowbell Songs, this song immediately came to mind:
GRAZING IN THE GRASS – HUGH MASEKELA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpT2IVrnTLA
What a classic!!!
You forgot “Like You Do” by REO Speedwagon and “Never Been Any Reason” by Head East — but other than that, the list is pretty good.
good effort. What about the disco classic KC & The Sunshine Band Get Down Tonight? Shake your Booty might have a tap or two as well.
No cows were harmed in the forming of this list.
Free World by Jesse Johnson
Freak a Holic by Egyptian Lover
More, More More – Andrea True Connection & Steal My Sunshine – Len. Same cowbell.
Thanks for your effort and great list. Here are some more:
- Pink: U And Ur Hand
- RHCP: Adventures Of Raindance Maggie
- Fleetwood Mac: The Chain
- Fleetwood Mac: Gold Dust Woman
Ride on!
Drop Dead Legs by Van Halen
and
Strutter by the Donnas (Kiss cover)
how about black sabbath’s 1. megalomania 2. rock’n'roll doctor
“Pets” isn’t a cowbell– you’re hearing the resonance on the snare….
I think you forgot a real big hit by a little band called Cinderella. how could you not include SHAKE ME
Where’s Funky town and Black and white?
“Working for the Weekend” – Loverboy
How come everyone missed this classic?
[...] (Ok, so we gave you one extra here…) 9. National Geographic’s 100 days in photographs 10. Top 100 cowbell songs of all time (Because everyone needs more [...]
U gotta add the Cowboy Junkies’ Anniversary Song to the list.
What? No Honky Tonk Woman?
How about The Rapper by Jaggerz? It’s chewey too!
I’m deeply offended that La Flavour – Mandolay isn’t on this list. Best cowbell ever.
What? No Chicago? Oh, Danny boy! Danny Seraphin wielded a mighty cowbell. My favorite Chicago cowbell classic is “Lowdown.” Back later with my top ten.
“Crucify” by Tori Amos has a cowbell put to good use in the chorus. Really should have been on the list! (We need more “Crucify”!…)
Great list. Have to add my 2 cents, the song ‘If You Don’t Love Me I’ll Kill Myself’ by Pete Droge is a cowbell-fest.
I think Couldn’t get it right by Climax Blues Band should’ve made the list.
Because there’s cowbell nonstop from start to finish!
Second chance – Peter Bjorn and John.
Blue Tile Fever- Fu Manchu
How did you get away with out mentioning “come on and dance” by motley Crüe? By far, one of the coolest cowbell songs
Marvin Gaye’s Got to Give it up!
http://youtu.be/fp7Q1OAzITM