It’s fair to assume that human beings started singing long before the first musical instrument was invented, but there are plenty of brilliant songs that, for one reason or another, eschew vocals completely. While instrumentals were popular until the 1970s, pop music’s increasing reliance on vocal hooks means only one singer-free song has topped the UK charts this millennium – the truly dreadful Animals by Martin Garrix back in 2013. That is reflected in our list here, which, while taking in a variety of genres, isn’t exactly packed with contemporary household names, but is full of tracks that will give your hi-fi system something to chew on.
BOOKER T &THE MG’S GREEN ONIONS
Green Onions was originally conceived as a B-side, but after a local DJ played it on the radio the reaction was so strong that Stax Records quickly re-released it as a single. It’s not hard to see why the tune was so popular, with a wriggly Hammond organ riff, Steve Cropper’s electrifying Telecaster licks, a classic 12-bar blues bassline, and a drumbeat so solid you could build a house on it. In fact, along with Miles Davis’ So What, Green Onions is one of only two instrumentals on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest ever songs.