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I'm looking for a term describing the fact that, on a music album, the end of a song is the beginning of the next one, which gives the impression that there is no cut between the two songs.

I'm pretty sure a special term exists and I used to hear it, though I'm not 100 % sure...

Examples : between Perfect and Daphne Descends on The Smashing Pumpkins' album Adore, or between Links 2-3-4 and Sonne on Rammstein's album Mutter.

Thesaurus Rex
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2 Answers2

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It's called a segue, from the Italian segue - "follows", generally meaning a smooth transition.

Wikipedia also mentions that some album notations distinguish track listings through the use of symbols, such as a >, →, or / to indicate songs that flow seamlessly.

aergistal
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  • This term doesn't ring a bell to me at all, but it seems pretty clear that, according to Wikipedia's "Famous examples in rock music" in the Segue article, it is the correct word I was looking for ! Thank you :) – Thesaurus Rex Dec 10 '15 at 10:35
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    If the transition is a contrasting section it might serve as a bridge between songs. – aergistal Dec 10 '15 at 11:29
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    And it's pronounced "seg-way" with two syllables. –  Dec 10 '15 at 23:49
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    "Segue" covers those situations, as in an opera where one number follows another with no dialogue or action in between, though the first number comes to a definite end, and there may be time for the audience to applaud it. Terms for the situation where the first flows seamlessly into the second, without missing a beat, include "dead segue" and "segue as one". The score may use the musical indication "attacca". – Rosie F Sep 16 '19 at 11:39
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You are possibly thinking of the term medley which is two or more distinctly different songs being performed as a single song, where each piece transitions smoothly into the next.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medley

One of the most famous medleys in recorded music is the Beatles' Abbey Road medley, which consists of eight short songs by Lennon and McCartney, performed without a break between them.

https://songstoriesmatter.com/story-behind-abbey-road-medley-the-beatles/

Chris Sunami
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