Our list of the “10 Most Hypnotic Songs in Rock Music” features a collection of tracks that could be categorized in many different ways. While Progressive music tends to be the genre that fuels so much music that leaves a listener in a trance or dreamy state, many songs released by straight-ahead rockers can also send your head spinning into a daze. What qualifies a song as hypnotic can be very subjective at times. Sometimes, all it takes is a melody or a simple vocal performance that will lock you down. Other times, it’s a moody arrangement or production. This list provides an assortment of songs that covers all the bases……….
# 10 – Mellotron Scratch – Porcupine Tree
We open our 10 Most Hypnotic Songs In Rock Music list with the creepy and hypnotic Porcupine Tree song “Mellotron Scratch.” We could have filled this entire list with Porcupine Tree songs. There were just so many to choose from. This is a band, or I should say Steven Wilson project, that should have always been far more popular than they ever were. They just came along in the wrong century.
Read More: Top 10 Porcupine Tree Songs
# 9 – Planet Caravan – Black Sabbath
Not many people associate Black Sabbath with hypnotic music; it’s more in-your-face heavy rock and roll that you don’t fall asleep to. This one is an exception. The track was released on the iconic 1970 album Paranoid. The lyrics, penned by bassist Geezer Butler, narrate the experience of drifting through the cosmos with a loved one. The album’s engineer, Tom Allom, provided the piano accompaniment. At the same time, guitarist Tony Iommi added a mystical layer by playing the flute over a reversed multitrack master, then played forward and augmented with stereo delay. The personnel on the track included Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar and flute, Geezer Butler on bass guitar, Bill Ward on congas, and Tom Allom on piano, each contributing to the track’s dreamy sound.
Read More: An Interview With Geezer Butler Of Black Sabbath
# 8 – What’s He Building In There? – Tom Waits
In the number eight spot on our 10 Most Hypnotic Songs In Rock Music list, we present the song entitled “What’s He Building In There.” This one touches on many concepts, such as scary, creepy, weird, and more. However, the sound effects and Tom Waits ‘ slow-paced, monotone voice make this one pretty hypnotic. This is one of the all-time great Tom Waits musical pieces.
Read More: Tom Waits’ Best Song From Each Of His Studio Albums
# 7 – I’ve Seen The Saucers – Elton John
Elton John’s underrated gem “I’ve Seen The Saucers” is number seven on our 10 Most Hypnotic Songs In Rock Music list. Once again, we have music, lyrics, and an arrangement that will put you in a trance. It gets loud as the chorus is pure Elton John brilliance, but this one is very cool. The song was released on Elton John’s Caribou album.
Read More: 20 Best Elton John Songs To Turn Up To Eleven
# 6 – Hypnotized – Fleetwood Mac
Well, we couldn’t leave this one off a list of songs called the most hypnotic songs in rock music. This is easily one of the all-time greatest songs the band Fleetwood Mac ever released. The song was released on the band’s Mystery To Me Album. This is a Bob Welch masterpiece. Just the opening drum groove alone will get the trance started.
Read More: Top 10 Bob Welch Fleetwood Mac Songs
# 5 – Space Oddity – David Bowie
At the halfway point on our 10 Most Hypnotic Songs In Rock Music list is the monumental David Bowie song entitled “Space Oddity.” The way David Bowie counts off the launch into outer space at the beginning of the piece sounds like he’s counting down to a patient, trying to put them into a deep trance. As the music swirls around his soft-spoken voice, you can feel the power of hypnosis starting to creep in.
Read More: Complete List Of David Bowie Songs From A to Z
# 4 – Shine On You Crazy Diamond – Pink Floyd
Like Porcupine Tree, the band that Pink Floyd truly inspired, we could have filled this entire list and probably a few more with Pink Floyd songs. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is the first of two pieces we decided to go with from Pink Floyd’s catalog. This piece not only puts you in a trance but also keeps you there for a long time. Shining You Crazy Diamond was released on the iconic Pink Floyd album Wish You Were Here.
Read More: Ultimate Pink Floyd Page: Complete History, Songs, Albums & More
# 3 – No Quarter – Led Zeppelin
Back in the 1970s, there was always a great mystery surrounding Led Zeppelin because we didn’t get to see them often on television or any video format, as there were no other options besides television. There was always a mystique about Zeppelin, and songs like this just fueled that mystique. John Paul Jones’ Fender Rhodes creates a sound that calls out to you from a dream, that is, until John Bonham wakes us all up. But who wouldn’t want to be woken up by the sound of Bonham’s drums?
Read More: Complete List Of Led Zeppelin Songs From A to Z
# 2 – Careful, With That Axe, Eugene – Pink Floyd
Just off the top spot on our 10 Most Hypnotic Songs In Rock Music list, we present the second of our two Pink Floyd recordings entitled “Careful, With That Axe, Eugene.” This is one of those tracks that you just don’t roll the windows down and cruise down the highway listening to. This is alone in your room, with your lava lamp and black lights glowing all around you. That’s what this type of music is about.
Read More: 10 Pink Floyd Album Covers We Love
# 1 – The End / Riders On The Storm – The Doors
We conclude our list of the 10 Most Hypnotic Songs in Rock Music with a tie between two mesmerizing tracks by The Doors. Both songs were essential inclusions due to their cinematic and hypnotic qualities. There’s a compelling reason why these songs have been repeatedly featured in major motion pictures. From Jim Morrison’s haunting vocals to the band’s powerful playing, these tunes will effortlessly draw you into a trance, making escape seem almost impossible.
Read More: The Doors Most Underrated Songs