I’ll necropost here. I love the Motown bass lines, stuff like
"What’s Going On"
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered”
“Bernadette”
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Other songs I have enjoyed playing are:
Hysteria by Muse
Runaway by Jamiroquai (but also Runaway by Bruno Mars)
Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd
everything by Stevie Wonder really, though “Jammin” is one of my comfort songs to play
But I just started playing fretless so now I’m learning:
“Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush
"Wherever I Lay My Hat", Paul Young’s cover of the Motown classic
"Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" by Paul Young
Not ready yet for Kate Bush’ Babooshka and Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” though I suppose I could get started with some other songs from the Graceland album if I want to eat the fingerboard.
Any other suggestions for a fretless beginner who loves the “mwah” sound?
As a novice I enjoyed a lot of "4 chord pop" because the songs were enjoyable even if the bass lines were mostly just supporting.
Things like Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, lots of early Coldplay or The Fray, Maroon 5, things like this were my bread and butter for something not too tough to figure out and play but still a rewarding song to play with
As a precurser to the genres you mention, I would highly recommend learning some Motown. Some of it can be pretty complicated but a lot of it is great for beginners. Also the basslines aren’t as hidden under the other instruments as some newer stuff. It gives you a great understanding of chords and bassline construction.
Dock of the Bay, Heard it Through the Grapevine, Lovely Day (Bill Withers), Lean on Me, Stand by Me, are ones that come to mind at first. I’d say learn the overall groove with root notes then work on the embellishments.
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