Simple songs

I’m interested in a particular kind of pop song: mainstream-ish tracks that are so minimal in their melodic or lyrical content that they barely qualify as “songs,” yet manage to still be musically compelling. My paradigmatic examples:

“That’s The Way (I Like It)” by KC and the Sunshine Band

“Around The World” by Daft Punk

“Turn Down For What” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon

“Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell” by Das Racist

Calling these songs “simple” is not totally accurate, since the first three in my list feature lavish production. Still, the parts you can sing yourself are simple.

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Where does the “Egyptian” melody originally come from?

I know this melody as the cartoon snakecharmer song. Here’s a kid playing it on bass clarinet:

I’ve always wondered where the Egyptian melody came from. It turns out to be hundreds of years of old, and goes by many different names. You can find an excellent capsule history of it in William Benzon’s book Beethoven’s Anvil. The context is a discussion of a Louis Armstrong recording from 1928 called “Tight Like This.” Listen at 2:04 as Louis quotes the “Egyptian” melody and varies it a few times.

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