I think of the Hammond organ as the Whiter Shade of Pale organ. When its sound grabs me in other songs, I say that I like their use of the Whiter Shade of Pale organ.

Of course, the Hammond organ goes back to something like 1934, a little while before A Whiter Shade of Pale.

Here are some of my favorite Hammond organ songs that span a few decades.

A Whiter Shade of Pale – Procul Harum

I wasn’t alive in 1967, but I think this song struck me for the first time in 1989 when I saw New York Stories with my mom.

Spider – White Snake

This one’s good for emotional detoxing.

And if you’re interested in instruments (of which I know nothing), I’m not positive, but I think this technician is the David Morrin who’s credited with keys on Spider’s album.

Toussaint McCall – Nothing Takes the Place of You

I’m eternally grateful to my friend Becky for turning me on to this song during a Hammond discussion.

Booker T and the MGs – Fuquawi

Booker T’s famous for his Hammond playing, and this jam bares his talents as much as Green Onions and Homegrown.

Toussaint McCall – Shimmy

Booker T and Toussaint: Dueling Hammonds. Becky recommends the B-side to Nothing Takes the Place of You:

The Charlatans – Come in Number 21

This was part of the soundtrack to my first trip to England.

The Zombies – Time of the Season

All my life, anytime I’ve heard the first nanosecond of the opening bass line of this song, I’ve lost my mind with joy. What I love is the bass, and the “ahh,” and the vocals … and the organ is pretty groovy too.

Other Awesome Organs

I’m on Fire – Bruce Springsteen

The first and most prominent sound in this spectacular song could sort of be a Hammond B-3 but is, well, not a Hammond B-3.

Simon Dupree and the Big Sound – Kites

This does not, my research indicates, involve a Hammond, but rather a Mellotron. Still, I felt like including this one because it’s so completely weird and I love it.

Here’s a pretty interesting Spotify playlist of Hammond organ songs, created by The Guardian.

Top image: I think it’s a Hammond organ. By Flickr user David DeHetre.