Riff-driven song
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The term Riff-Driven is used to describe a vocal song that, throughout the piece, relies on a repeated instrumental riff as a basis for its forefront melody, cadence, or (in some cases) leitmotif. Riff-driven songs are largely a product of jazz, blues, and post-blues era music (rock and pop),^{[1] (p. 61)} and the term (by definition) applies almost exlusively to music containing vocals. The musical goal of riff-driven songs is akin to the classical continuo effect, but raised to much higher importance (in fact, the repeated riff is used to anchor the song in the ears of the listener). The riff/continuo is brought to the forefront of the musical piece and often is the primary melody that remains in the listener's ears. A call and response often holds the song together, creating a "circular" rather than linear feel.^[2]

Well-known examples of riff-driven songs are "Day Tripper" by The Beatles, and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones. One of the first riff-driven songs is "The Last Time" also by The Rolling Stones. The guitar riffs were composed by John Lennon, Keith Richards and Brian Jones respectively.

References

1. ^ Rolling Stone (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, 3 Sub edition, Random House, p. 61. ISBN 978-0679737285. 
2. ^ Horner, Bruce (Editor), Swiss, Thomas (Editor) (1999). Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture, Paperback, Blackwell Publishing Limited, p. 143. ISBN 978-0631212645.