were keen on handclaps - Lazy Line Painter Jane being perhaps the best example

Come Out 2Nite - Kenickie
The Boy With The Arab Strap - Belle and Sebastian

'Here Comes The Sun'

any excuse to post a Phil Lynott clip.

Car Wash by Rose Royce - Clap, Clap, Clap, ClapClapClapClap.

Apples in Stereo

The real clapping action is around 1:35

Yes? No...

I'll get me coat....

First three that sprang to mind...

I believe she's lying - Jon Brion
intro to Fakin' It - Simon and Garfunkel

When they come in for the last coupla choruses (2:30).

...'House Of The King' by focus - the only iconic piece of music to be underpinned by Morris dancer handclaps throughout. The intro here, incidentally, is in fact the coda to another Focus tune, 'anonymous' - courtesy of a dodgy track ident on a CD compilation. But it works, serendipitously, brilliantly nonetheless. Including the handclaps. As for the guitar solo at 1:54 - was there ever a more sublime 24 seconds of recorded progressive rock in Christendom?

Handclaps are integral to lots of great dynamic pop music. Practically the lead instrument in I Want To Hold Your Hand, for example. And there must have been some red-raw hands up at Tamla Motown back in the day.

But in a more 'easy' vein I have a soft spot for the sound of those Chris Montez A&M records where the conceit is that the accompanying handclaps are being provided by an appreciative audience casually groovin'-alonga-Chris. I always picture them, both girls and boys, wearing cashmere sweaters in pastel hues, 'slacks' and corduroy shoes. They're smiling and nodding their heads. And why not?

Carwash by Rose Royce

"You're gonna miss me" - Lulu and the Lampshades:

Bit of a lost pop classsic:

Not the name that would first come to mind when it comes to handclaps - but the clapping in 'Ghosts' from 'The Gift' is excellent.

[Fraser - not sure if this has been pointed out to you before - or if it's just me - but if I'm using Chrome (on a PC) I can't seem to embed videos. This isn't a problem with Firefox or IE].

Edit: (using Firefox...)

I Wanna Hold Your Hand ( claps )?

You can always add your own, like this guy around 1.28 to good effect.

Seems wrong to miss this out. Notation included, if you want a little challenge. You'll need a partner - one of you claps red, one blue.

Wonderful flamenco handclaps at about 4.12

When this musical first appeared, many Western actors apparently found the exotic Spanish/Latin rhythms of "America" extremely tricky.

but effective.

...in the second section.

Basic clapping, virtuoso skipping:

....only three claps in this song. Perfect.

It's difficult to make out the exact recipe for the percussion in this. Hand clapping is certainly in there (possibly doctored) plus foot stomping, and people banging and shaking anything within reach. Which is what makes it such a great sing-along song:

hand clapping and thigh slapping. I think S&G were sitting opposite each other in the studio as they performed it. Probably as close as they got during the BOTW sessions

The handclaps at the end of Fashion, help create an almost hynotic last couple of minutes or so. They start around the 3 minute mark.

but it does it for me :-)

I guess it helps if you remember the Clap Trap