4 Alternative Rock Songs That Use Strange Time Signatures Beautifully

Music theory is one of those things that musicians either figure out easily or struggle with forever. I’m certainly in the latter category, so using unusual time signatures is more or less out of my wheelhouse. That wasn’t the case for the following four alternative rock bands who used very unique time signatures in their songs. And that creative choice made these songs all the better. Let’s take a look!

“Just Like You Imagined” by Nine Inch Nails

This instrumental track from alternative rock band Nine Inch Nails boasts two time signatures: It starts in 4/4, but once the drums enter the picture, the whole song shifts to 10/4. That latter time signature is quite unique in the context of rock music. Honestly, I can only think of a couple of Radiohead songs that utilize it.

“Golden Brown” by The Stranglers

Would you consider this 1982 song to be alternative rock? The genre technically was born in the late 1970s. Most would consider “Golden Brown” by The Stranglers to be a baroque pop song, considering its heavy use of the harpsichord. But I think this track has a unique early alt-rock sound, so I’m including it on this list. It’s an amazing song that has seen a resurgence in popularity recently, and it also happens to use three different time signatures. The song opens in 13/4, and parts of the song are in 6/8 and 7/8.

“Pyramid Song” by Radiohead

Radiohead has used unique time signatures on more than one occasion in their music. However, I think that “Pyramid Song” is the craziest example of what the band has historically done with music theory. In fact, fans still can’t figure out exactly what the time signatures used in this song are. Some say 3/4, others say 12/8, and some believe the song can be counted in a combination of 3/4, 2/4, and 3/4. Personally, I think 16/8 makes the most sense. But again, I’m terrible at music theory, so what do I know?

“Question!” by System Of A Down

This is one of my favorite SOAD songs, so I had to include it on this list of alternative rock songs with unique time signatures. Always known for being on the weird side of metal, SOAD’s song “Question!” features four different time signatures throughout the track. It starts in 9/8, then moves into a 5/4 riff, and the whole of the band plays in 3/4 during the choruses. The song ends in 4/4. Lesser bands could have tried to pull this and would have failed miserably. SOAD made it look easy.

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