Sound effects in pop music explored

The Beatles were famous for using sound effects they found in the Abbey Road library, and many other artists used sound to great effect. (haha)  Babby Darin’s “Splish Splash” had a gurgling bath in the track, and The Ronettes “Walking in the Rain” was Grammy-nominated for use of thunder sound effects.

Maybe the first use of sound effects in music was in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, which calls for live cannons.

We prefer this version, from the Muppets, which still has plenty of explosions:

Spike Jones set a high standard for use of sound effects in music. His epic stage productions are like watching a Rube Goldberg contraption.

Dolly Parton on the cutting edge? This was one of her biggest hits, won 2 Grammys, and assured she would never ever have to actually work “Nine to Five”. Integral to the rhythm of the song is the humble typewriter: