| The Top 10 Ringtones of All Time
By Jonathan
Bentz
The Cool Ringtones Blog
reports on the Top 10 Ringtones
of all time.
Morgantown, West Virginia.
-- If you want to stand out
in a crowd, the ringtone you
choose can be a big step in
the right direction.
So you want a great ringtone,
but have no idea what makes
one great? Follow the advice
below and learn where the bar
has been raised by the top
10 list below, dubbed the first
class of the ringtone Hall
of Fame.
Separating great ringtones
from the rest of the bunch
requires a series of judging
criteria. First and foremost,
a great ringtone must come
from a great song. While it
is possible for great songs
to yield disappointing ringtones,
the opposite is impossible.
The ringtone must also be easily
recognizable to many people.
Everyone wants that ringtone
that makes people smile and
say, “I love that song” when
your phone rings.
From a musical standpoint,
the ringtone must be created
from one of three song portions:
the intro, the hook, or the
solo. The success of these
three parts to the musical
equation are make or break
for hit songs, making them
essential to the success of
a ringtone. Because of the
technology format, songs that
make great ringtones also need
to have simple layers. Songs
with dueling drums or guitars
cause a ringtone to sound cluttered,
making it difficult to identify
by ear. The intros to songs
like “Stairway to Heaven” and “A
Thousand Miles” make
great ringtones because they
are catchy and easy on the
ear.
In addition to coming from
a particular section of a song,
great ringtones must also feature
a strong, repetitious percussion
line. Whether that persistent
pulse comes from the bass line
of “Drop It Like It’s
Hot” or from the synthesizers
in “Take On Me,” the
ability for many people to
recognize a specific song comes
from that repetition.
While the final keystones are
being cemented into the ringtone
shrine, here are the first
ten inductees into the Ringtone
Hall of Fame:
1. “In Da Club” – 50
Cent
Besides
being Billboard’s inaugural
Ringtone of the Year in 2004,
50’s first #1 hit has
a bass line built for making
heads bob. The strings section
adds suspense to the song and
puts high notes on top of the
gutter base line. Having “In
Da Club” as a ringtone
means the party is never farther
away than your phone.
2. “Stairway to Heaven” – Led
Zeppelin
The calming
woodwind that accompanies Page’s
slow guitar picking makes for
rock – and ringtone – heaven
on earth. Several portions
of this song have been made
into ringtones, but the tone
depicting the song’s
introduction is truly a classic.
3. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd
Skynyrd
Music fans
of all ages get a smile on
their face at the first sound
of this southern-rock classic.
Change a party’s atmosphere
from get together to jamboree
by a simple “ring-ring.” The
MP3 version is a required tone
for country and classic rock
fans.
4. “Super Mario Brothers” Game
Theme
The essential
ringtone for gamers. The polyphonic
tone is an exact replication
of the track from 16-bit Nintendo.
5. “Halloween” Movie
Theme
Perfect
custom tone for friends named
Michael Myers. One of the most
popular ringtones of all time
that can outsell pop hits year
round.
6. “The Next Episode” -
Dr. Dre
While many
hip-hop ringtones sound poor
due to the overuse of dull
bass lines, “The Next
Episode” features thumping
bass and a pulsating G-funk
guitar lick, creating the bench
mark for multi layered ringtones.
7. “Mission Impossible” Theme
Song
Another
incredibly popular ringtone
despite its age that will only
get more popular as the third
installment of the movie franchise
begins filming. Perfect as
a custom tone for those over-demanding
bosses in the workplace.
8. “Sandstorm” – DaRude
Like “Super
Mario Brothers,” a distinct
song replica is created by
the polyphonic ringtone. A
must for fans of techno music
and another, sure fire, party-starter
tone.
9. “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” Theme
Song
The only
hip-hop song your father can
rap over is one of the most
recognizable ringtones available.
The beat is so contagious that
setting it as your default
ringer in a public place will
cause a room to begin rhyming
along as if they were Will
Smith.
10. “The Jetsons” Theme
Song
While the
Jetsons had a lot of great
things in their future world,
one thing they don’t
have is their own song as a
phone ringer. We don’t
have flying automobiles yet,
but show off the evolution
of cell phone technology with
the upbeat polyphonic ditty.
Getting ringtones for your
cell phone from websites like
MonsterTones (http://www.monstertones.com)
or Ringing Phone (http://www.ringingphone.com)
has become one of the hottest
ways to set yourself apart
on today’s scene. Any
of these ten ringtones will
do the trick.
Jonathan
Bentz is the Associate
Editor of Cool Ringtones
Blog.
www.coolringtones.blogspot.com
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