The following article includes music and videos containing explicit content.

There are many factors that go into creating great songs, but the factor that makes music particularly stand out to me is the background music that goes along with it. Often times when we hear new and popular music, there is no diversity between the background music, causing certain songs to almost seem familiar even if you have never heard them before. 

When hearing different sounds accompanying songs when first listening to them, it results in a more intriguing and memorable experience, compared to repetitive, popular songs. Even if you didn’t necessarily enjoy the song, its background music will allow it to be more intriguing than other songs you’ve heard. 

Below are nine different, funky, intense, and confusing songs that introduce the listener to fun and exotic musical tunes. 

Blackstar – David Bowie

With a four-minute-and-thirty-two second instrumental introduction, “Blackstar” has plenty of time to exhibit jazzy and techno beats, along with spoken words within the beginning. After its lengthy introduction, Bowie’s smooth and echoey vocals come in, resulting in an almost ten minute song. 

Swamp –  Futuro Pelo

Up-beat and alternative, “Swamp” has a captivating tune that will make you want to tap your feet. The repetitive chorus makes it so the song will become stuck inside your head until you start jammin’ out to it. 

FANTAZIA – Roy Blair

“FANTAZIA” will have you movin’ and groovin’ with its crazy sharp beats, and transitions into different tempos of its background music. The lyrical content demonstrates conflict between thought and action. 

Venus Death Trap – Blank Banshee

Blank Banshee’s “Venus Death Trap” is an instrumental song, which takes you through different feelings of emotion and moods as the song plays. This tune is great for listening to while you’re trying to focus on your thoughts, or get things done. 

Oblivion – Grimes 

Instantly, “Oblivion” starts with intense electronic beats, setting up the song for discussing a difficult topic. Grimes, also known as Claire Boucher, expresses her fear and trauma after being sexually assaulted, through her lyrics and hauntingly high vocals. 

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – The Beatles

Beginning with different pitched tones and lyrics full of imagery, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is a song with background music that is constantly changing. Throughout the song, the background music changes with each portion of lyrics, creating a happy and dream-like sound. 

Drunk – Thundercat

The wavy background music of Thundercat’s song “Drunk” allow you to reflect on your own life. The lyrics of this song discuss a stuckness people can feel within their lives, and confusion that can come alongside sadness. 

O Superman – Laurie Anderson

Featured in Netflix’s TV show “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”, “O Superman” is almost eight and a half minutes long, and only consists of two hundred and sixty five words. The musical introduction is quite repetitive and futuristic, and with  minimal lyrics compared to the song’s length, the background music is the key focus within the song. 

Click here to see the Spotify playlist we have created from the songs above.