WHEN DID THE SAXOPHONE SOLO LEAVE THE POP CHARTS?

The recent passing of ace saxophonist Clarence Clemons marked the end of an era for Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, as we know it. Clemons’ distinctive playing style is irreplaceable; let’s think about his contribution to some of Springsteen’s best-known work.

• The frenetic playing during the instrumental break in “Born To Run”. Would an alternate saxophonist have been able to push the tempo of the song to the heights so famously achieved by Clemons?
• The subtle solo during the coda in “Dancing In The Dark”. It would have been sacrilege to leave Clemons’ instrumentation out of Springsteen’s pop chart zenith; a very “cool” sax break to round out a great song.

The saxophone has always been a part of modern music, whether it be playing a dominant riff [Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street”; George Michael’s “Careless Whisper”] or a timeless solo [Roxy Music’s “Jealous Guy”; Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are”]. There have even been some hit songs based predominantly around some great sax work [Kenny G’s “Songbird”; Candy Dulfer’s “Lily Was Here”]. If you check out the latest pop charts, one will find a distinct lack of saxophone work in today’s hit songs. Thus, the question that I ask is:

“When did the saxophone solo leave the pop charts?”

I don’t have the definitive answer; it’s most likely due to the fact that the modern dance music dominating the pop charts simply doesn’t gel with the saxophone sound. I would love to be proven wrong, however could it be that the saxophone has been lost to popular music forever?

Many people love the saxophone sound; the saxophone has made hit songs. Can you imagine Sade’s “Smooth Operator” without its seductive sax riff? What about the lively solo break in Bill Medley & Jennifer Warne’s “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life”? This song’s success was a contributing factor to the phenomena of the Dirty Dancing movie. The movie soundtrack’s other hit songs [Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes”; Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like The Wind”] also featured great sax solos.

Let’s remember the saxophone sound for what it is; an instrument capable of stellar riffs and timeless solos. I’ve jotted down some of my favourite “saxophone songs”; I’d love to read your lists of favourite saxophone songs, plus any modern “saxophone hits” for my aural pleasure…

“Just The Two Of Us” – Grover Washington Jr & Bill Withers
“The Heat Is On”; “You Belong To The City”; “The One Who Loves You” – Glenn Frey
“Who Can It Be Now?” – Men At Work
“I Can’t Go For That” – Hall & Oates
“What You Need”; “Never Tear Us Apart” – INXS
“Modern Love” – David Bowie
“Harden My Heart” – Quarterflash
“The Sad Café” – The Eagles
“Your Latest Trick” – Dire Straits
“Going Home” – Mark Knopfler
“Smoke From A Distant Fire” – Sanford Townsend Band
“Rainy Days And Mondays” – The Carpenters
“True” – Spandau Ballet
“Urgent” – Foreigner
“What Can I Say” – Boz Scaggs
“The Logical Song” – Supertramp
“I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” – ABBA
“Money”; “Us And Them” – Pink Floyd
“Year Of The Cat”; “Time Passages” – Al Stewart
“Waiting On A Friend” – The Rolling Stones