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Posted

I'm compiling a list of classical music themes that were 'borrowed' by pop/rock music writers. The obvious ones are

All By Myself (Eric Carmen, Celine Dion) --> Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2

Annie's Song (John Denver) --> Tchaikowski's First Symphony

This Night (Billy Joel) -->Beethoven "Pathetique" Sonata

Any others?

Posted

The Toys "Lover's Concerto"...but I can't recall the Clssical composer.

It was Johann Sebastian Bach. I don't remember the name of the piece it was based on, though?

Posted

Procol Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale is said to be Bach's "Air On The G String" filtered through Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman"

The song "Groovy Kind Of Love" Sounds a lot like Clementi's "Sonata Rondo"

Joni Mitchell references a lot of classical pieces in her work.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Nutrocker by B.Bumble and The Stingers in 1962, based on Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite." Also recorded by Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1972.

Lot's of other things by Emerson, Lake & Palmer such as Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition", Sibelius" "Karelia Suite", Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique Symphony (#6)".

Posted

Both Elvis Costello ("Accidents Will Happen") and Blues Traveler ("Hook") use the infamous "Canon in D Major" chord progression written by Johann Pachelbel. It's a pretty funny reference in "Hook" because the song is about writing a song with a "hook" in it that will stick in the listener's head. Anyone who has heard Pachelbel's Canon has probably gotten it stuck in their head for at least a few minutes! =:P

Posted

And of course there's "A Fifth of Beethoven" from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, (based on Beethoven's 5th symphony).

And then, extended from that is Thicke's "When I Get You Alone", which is based on "A Fifth Of Beethoven", which in turn is based on Beethoven's 5th.

Also, Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic" starts with a snippet of Chopin's Prelude in C Minor.

There you go. Two more for the list!

Jude

:bow:

Posted

In the early and mid-seventies, there have been several German bands, especially EAST-German bands, which used classic tunes in their music. Bands like "Electra" and "Stern Meissen" adapted (is this the right word?) works from Mozart, Rachmaninov, Bach, Borodin etc. I guess that the blueprint for this was a Dutch band called "Ekseption".

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

The Beatles' Because was written when John was listening to Yoko play Beethoven's Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia (Moonlight Sonata)on the piano. He asked her to go back and forth with the chord progression and he used it to write Because for Abbey Road.

Posted

"Fallin'" by Alicia Keys has a great piano open that I believe is Chopin.

I've always wondered if the open to Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" is based on a classical piece, or if it's original.

Posted

FYI...A Fifth Of Beethoven was performed by Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band....Also, WM&TBAB performed a disco version of A Night On Bald Mountain. Also during the 70's, Meco made quite a carrer of revamping & re-releasing classical pieces as well as movie soundtracks within the disco genre. :afro:

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