Hand clapping in songs past and present

The Beatles used hand clapping quite a bit in their recordings. I personally spent a lot of time getting the clapping part from Here Comes The Sun down just right when I was kid.
I don't really notice it in songs too much these days. Was it a 1960's era thing? A Beatles thing? Pre multi track era way to add weight or excitement to a song? Was it a way to make the audience feel they could be participating in a song? Am I over-thinking all this?
Comments please.

 

1979 - ELO "Shine A Little Love" has hand clapping. And again on the Xanadu soundtrack in "All Over The World". But then again, Jeff Lynne was inspired quite a bit by The Beatles.

-Bill

 

Perhaps you can find the "clapping" answer in the lyrics of Shirley Ellis', The Clapping Song"?...

Three, six, nine
The goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat

Clap pat, clap your hand, pat it on your partners hand
Right hand
Clap your hand cross it with your left arm
Pat your partners left palm
Clap your hand pat your partners right palm
With your right palm again

Clap slap
Slap your hands, slap your thigh
And sing a little song, go-

My mother told me if I was goody
That she would buy me a rubber dolly
My auntie told her, I kissed a soldier
Now she wont buy me, a rubber dolly

Three, six, nine
The goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat

Clap your hands and prepare to pat

Take your right arm pat your partners right palm
With your right palm

Take your hand back- and clap

Take your right arm
Cross your right arm with your left arm
Pat your partners left palm with your left palm

Take your hand back and clap

Take your right arm , cross your left arm
Pat your partners right palm with your right palm

Now back with the clap

Take the pats of your palms
And slap your thighs
And watch the fun materialize
As you sing this little song

My mother told me
If I was goody
A that she would buy me
A rubber dolly

My auntie told her
I kissed a soldier
Now she wont buy me
A rubber dolly

Three, six, nine
The goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven on a little row boat

Clap pat, clap pat, clap pat, clap slap
Clap pat, clap pat, clap pat, clap slap

Clap pat, clap pat, clap pat, slap slap

Clap pat, clap pat, clap pat, slap slap

 

Audience participation is certainly part of the equation. The Meters addressed this in "The Hand Clapping Song." Saturday mornings were made for Meters records, play one today.

 

I'll take a wild guess and say it probably originated in gospel recordings. And it probably was meant to help bring the listener into the song.

 

It's surprising how much a tune can be taken to the next level with something so simple (so yeah, excitement and weight). I particularly enjoy the proper claps done before drum machines etc. Even a tamborine can add a little bite (see almost any Deep Purple studio song, but thats an Ian Paice thang!). In the 70's, Slade and Queen (and even Glitter) had whole armies of clappers and stompers (and finger clickers) and it's neat. Probably one of the oldest tricks in the book after the "change key" full tone rise.

 

Absolutely! I believe the importance of handclaps, incidental percussion and "little things" is way underappreciated and under-rated. I've been noticing this for many years.
A good topic to bring up!

 

Hand claps really can enhance a song, I don't know if it's just the sound of them, which is cool in itself, to accentuate the beat of a song, or if it's the "human" element of it.
Some examples:
I Get Around
Feel A Whole Lot Better- T.Petty
My Boyfriends Back

 

"See Fernando" by Jenny Lewis 2008

 

It sure does. In 1940, the Glenn Miller Orchestra had some fine hand clappin' on Boog It.

 

Tom Mank and Sera Smolen take handclaps very seriously on "Keep Crossing That Line", a jazz/folk tune about the Baltimore riots in the early 60s. The handclaps take the song over the top, in fact. It must be the lo-fi aspect or something.

Kane Welch Kaplin uses simple handclaps on the manic talking country/blues track "Dark Boogie #7, saving it only for the bridge. Very effective.

Frank G

 

Car Wash - Rose Royce

 

Eva Cassidy "Way Beyond the Blue"

 

I noticed handclapping in yet another Beatles song for the first time earlier today, but I can't remember what song it was. But I love little details like that. Too few bands clap these days, haha.

 

There's good use of handclaps in "Do It Again" by the Beach Boys, also.

 

Yes, it would seem that bands have been cured of the clap.

 

There's "Handclapper", a rocking little instrumental by Link Wray c.'59/'60.

 

Of course Motown often used handclaps.
"Jimmy Mack" is a good example.

 

I just finished Mary Wilson's Dreamgirl and she wrote a few times about going to the studio to do hand claps both for Supremes and other Motown acts.

 

"Talent Is An Asset" - Sparks

I'm sure your all familiar with that one.

 

Not to forget

Queen - We will rock you

even with video clip

 

Love hand claps-gives the song instant energy

Boston- Long Time- "...Well I'm Takin My Time....."

Elastica- Connection

 

Love that song.


Thanks for all the responses.