10 Incredible Instrumentals That Deserve Your Attention

4. Booker T. & The M.G.s - Green Onions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bpS-cOBK6Q Find it: Green Onions (1962) No list about instrumentals would be complete without 'Green Onions', a song that's widely regarded as a hugely significant moment in music history. Booker T. & the M.G.s made a name for themselves with their own soul and blues recordings after having forged a career as a prolific house band for the likes of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, and 'Green Onions' undoubtedly stands out as the most successful of the lot. It revolves around an addictive piece of 12-bar blues set to an uncomplicated 2/4 time signature, pioneering the Hammond organ with one of the most recognisable hooks in music. Since then the song has paved the way for countless cover versions and continues to crop up in discussions about the greatest songs of all time - not bad for a song that was initially issued as a B-side. Like so many instrumentals it's a song whose meaning is entirely open to interpretation; rumoured origin stories for the title include being a marijuana reference, an homage to a pet cat, and simply sounding appropriately "funky". One thing's certain, though: 'Green Onions' left an indelible mark on the musical landscape of the '60s that continues to be felt to this day.