Search google for songs with marching band drums in them, and you’ll find a few lists—and even some forgotten forum threads from 2007.
Everyone knows drumlines make everything better.
So we made our own list: the comprehensive, total, and complete anthology of pop songs with drumlines in them.
There’s nothing like a drumline or marching band to make a song better (or slap, as the kids say).
From Beyoncé to James Taylor, everyone has used marching percussion to make their song bounce.
Enjoy.
Songs with (actual) drumlines in them
There are some imposters and cheaters out there. And we’ll get to them in a minute.
But first, let’s dive in with the real thing—pop, rock, and hip hop songs that have honest-to-goodness drumlines (or at least drumline tracks) in them.
Here’s the good stuff.
Lose My Breath, by Destiny’s Child (2004)
This is the original, as far as I’m concerned—from all the way back in 2004, when pop music and videos were changing drastically.
Beyoncé and her then-power trio group Destiny’s Child blessed the hip hop world with Lose My Breath.
If you were too young to remember this song when it came out in 2004, first of all… did you even know Beyoncé was in a mega group before going solo and breaking, like, every record??
And second, here’s all you need to know:
This song was everywhere.
And for good reason. It’s catchy as hell, and Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams are crazy talented.
Lose My Breath with a real, live drumline on MTV
There also used to be this really annoying tv show (like actual TV, not YouTube or Hulu) called TRL and it, too, was everywhere.
So in 2004, Destiny’s Child performed on TRL, aided by guess who? — A DRUMLINE!
Check it out.
Anybody recognize those uniforms?
Ironically, despite the unis, the performance was set up by Blue Devil Entertainment.
They worked with YEA! and The Cadets to line up drums, uniforms, and performers since TRL/MTV are in New York City, and YEA! is based in Allentown, PA—only about 2 hours away.
Death Grips, by Hacker (2012)
Sorry for the YouTube preview on this one. Nothing I can do about it.
Anyway, if you can get past the artwork, the intro beats may sound familiar—
They sample the Blue Devils’ famous exercise/warmup The Ditty, which you can find on YouTube going all the way back to 1994 when Roger Carter was center snare.
Where This Flower Blooms, by Tyler, the Creator (2017)
This one is a sample, but it’s in pretty much the whole tune and it’s definitely got a battery groove feel to it.
Thanks to Reddit user Scralatchtica on this thread for the tip on this one.
Little Boy Soldiers, by The Jam (1979)
I guess, given the year, this one might have to earn the title of “the original.”
But too bad. Bey still wins it.
Sports Song, by Weird Al Yankovic (2014)
This one counts, but only on a technicality. It’s Weird Al for chrisakes…
Anyway it’s on the list.
Songs that KINDA have drumline beats in them
These ones are kinda a stretch. They appear on a few lists if you google “songs with drumlines them,” but it’s debatable.
There are some real gems in here, too. Enjoy the pseudo-drumline song list.
This Too Shall Pass, by OK Go (2010)
This one has a whole ass marching band in it—but only in the music video. So it counts… kinda.
And damn, dudes. Take a lesson or two before you turn the cameras on, huh?
Fun facts about this one
That’s actually the University of Notre Dame marching band playing with them. Those Fighting Irish bandos who aren’t camouflaged in ghillie suits are wearing uniforms which originally belonged to from Rochelle Township High School of Rochelle, Illinois.
NOT the LSU band, which is what I first thought.
Also, this version of the song “This Too Shall Pass” was arranged specifically for this marching band/drumline-assisted performance. And this video was shot in one take.
Stephen Kellogg and the SK6ERS – Shady Esperanto & the Young Hearts (2009)
This one holds a special place in my heart, because it features my alma mater and all-time favorite (and best?) college marching band and drumline: the UMass Drumline.
AND, it was recorded and released before Ok GO’s video with Notre Dame.
So, ya know… obviously that means I choose to believe Ok GO and Notre Dame stole the idea from SK6 and UMass.
I said what I said.
4th Quarter, by Chiddy Bang
It’s clearly all synth/drum loops, but it’s written in a rhythmic pattern that could kinda be interpreted as a marching snare drum.
Jumper, by Third Eye Blind (1997)
Most of this song is pure, coke-fueled, angsty 90’s alt rock. But if you let it get to 4:04, you’ll hear the marching band-style drums that take the song home.
And yes, angsty teenage TJ did, in fact, play this little outro cadence over and over and over and over on his crappy Tama drum kit.
Minus the coke-fuel part.
