Good Pop + Rock songs drawing inspiration (or reworking) from Classical Music.

(Try to list songs you actually enjoy and name the compositon they reference).

1. Margo Guryan - Someone I Know (Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring")
2. The Move - Night of Fear (Tchaikovsky's "War Of 1812 Overture")

3. King Crimson, "The Devil's Triangle" (Holst's "Mars: Bringer of War" from The Planets)

4. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, "Fanfare for the Common Man" (Copland)

5. The Byrds - She Don't Care About Time (Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring")

6. Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity (Debussy's "pour le piano")
7. Joao Gilberto - Insensatez (Chopin "Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4")

8. Gary Numan, "Trois Gymnopédies" (Satie)

9. Panda Bear - Scherezade (Erik Satie Sarabande No. 3)

10. Nickelback - "Rockstar" (Varèse's Ionisation)

11. Peter Fox - Alles Neu (Shostakovich, Symphony no.7 in C Major Leningrad)

10. Nickelback - "Rockstar" (Varèse's Ionisation)

― Kony Montana

Made me check.

12. The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop (Brahms, Piano Quartet no. 2)

oh, Moka :)

i don't think it's necessarily "good" but

13. the farm - all together now (pachelbel's canon)

xpost: I was more weirded out of anyone in here thinking of Nickelback's rockstar as a good song than I was of them drawing inspiration from Varese.

i love "Rockstar" !

14. Mark Stewart - Stranger Than Love (Satie, Gymnopedie No.1)

15. The Young Gods - La Fille De La Mort (Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5)

16. Shangri-Las - Past, Present and Future (Bach, Moonlight Sonata)

17. Janet Jackson - Someone to Call My Lover (Satie - Gymnopédie No.1)

18. Blood, Sweat & Tears, "Variations on a Theme By Erik Satie" (Gymnopédies No.1 & 2)

looks like Satie's Gymnopédies is the go-to classical piece

Public Image Ltd. - Death Disco/Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake)

19. ^

20. Serge Gainsbourg - Initials B.B. (Dvořák, New World Symphony by Dvořák)
21. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin - Jane B. (Chopin, Prelude No. 4)
+ about another 100 Serge songs!
22. Kraftwerk - Tour de France (Hindemith, Sonata for Flute and Piano)

23. Natural - S Club 7 (Fauré, Pavane)
24 Paparazzi - Xzibit (Fauré, Pavane)

25. Can - EFS No. 99 "Can-Can" (from Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld)

Bach, Moonlight Sonata

!!

26. The Beatles - Because (Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata: "Yoko was playing Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' on the piano ... I said, 'Can you play those chords backwards?', and wrote 'Because' around them. The lyrics speak for themselves ... No imagery, no obscure references."[1][3])

xp, Beethoven! Not sure why i was thinking of Bach.

27. The Toys - A Lover's Concerto (Bach, Minuet in G)

28. Barry Manilow - Could It Be Magic (Chopin, Prelude in C Minor Op 28, No 20)
29. Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday (Sibelius, Symphony No.5, Op.82, Third Movement)
30. Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas ("Troika" from Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite)

31. Spiritualized - Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (Pachabel's Canon)
32. The Beach Boys - California Girls - (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring) - saw some interview where BW talks about 'the shuffle' of Bach's piece inspiring it.

looks like Satie's Gymnopédies is the go-to classical piece

Au contraire!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JdxkVQy7QLM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

Anyway

33. Barry Manilow, "Could It Be Magic" (Chopin's Prelude in C Minor)
34. Eric Carmen, "All By Myself" 9Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor)

That Pachelbel rant is actually really funny. This is a good version, though, by Jun Togawa (song is 'Mushi No Onna'):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-fX_W9sTyM

Though even better is her punk version of the same song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uxpylXf5fQ&feature=related

35. Paul Simon - American Tune (bits from J.S. Bach's St. Matthew's Passion)

36. Bright Eyes - Road to Joy (Beethoven)

People are being awfully nice in not suggesting Sting here.

37. Van Dyke Parks - Number Nine

I mean, I guess you could include Song Cycle, too.

18. Blood, Sweat & Tears, "Variations on a Theme By Erik Satie" (Gymnopédies No.1 & 2)

looks like Satie's Gymnopédies is the go-to classical piece

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram)

Was gonna say that not Gymnopedies but Pachelbel's Canon has got to have one of the most popular chord progression in rock/pop music (I - V - VI - IV). Phil D's video sort of ponders on it in a comical way. Here's another one and a list of song with the same chord progression - it's a 4 chord thing so it's practically impossible not to use it eventually but still a lot of hits with that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk8fB4CRse4

Glyrcerine - Bush
Superman - Five For Fighting
Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson
Push - Matchbox 20
With or Without You - U2
So Far Away - Staind
S.O.S. - Jonas Brothers

What's My Age Again - Blink 182
Lucky Love - Ace of Base
Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
Passenger - Iggy and the Stooges
Tonight and the Rest of My Life - Nina Gordon

Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
No One - Alicia Keys
Until I Fall Away - Gin Blossoms
1, 2, 3, 4 - Feist
Feels Like Tonight - Daughtry
Otherside - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Hurt - Nine Inch Nails
Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick
Beautiful - James Blunt
Apologize - One Republic (/Timbaland)
Spiderweb - No Doubt
Chariot - Gavin Degraw

When I Come Around - Green Day
Holiday - Green Day
Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tattoo - Jordin Sparks
Let it Be - the Beatles
It's My Life - Bon Jovi

Building a Mystery - Sarah McLachlan
Great Escape - Boys Like Girls
Don't Matter - Akon
Teardrops on My Guitar - Taylor Swift

Go Wherever You Will Go - the Calling
The Power of Goodbye - Madonna
Welcome to My Life - a Simple Plan
Shadow of the Day - Linkin Park
Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry
Impress Me Much - Shania Twain

Everywhere - MIchelle Branch
Self-Esteem - Offspring
Big Scary Animal - Belinda Carlisle
Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne
Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson

She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
I Hope You Dance - LeeAnn Womack
I Remember You - Skid Row
My Sacrifice - Creed
Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
One Word - Eliot Yamin

Also this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ

But it takes songs that are I think are originally in a different scale to fit in.

My favorite is the instrumental break in 'The Great Valerio' where Richard Thompson aptly incorporates 'La Balancoir' from Satie's 'Sports et Divertissements'.

The viking metal band Tyr has a track on the Land album which is based off one of Grieg's lyric pieces; works incredibly well.

Most intriguing one posted above has to be Strawberry Switchblade/Sibelius' 5th (!)

one of my favorite Satie-sampling songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDFm-w8qQ-Q

Another Satie favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3nTYUNyfw

anyone mind that I am using this thread to populate this Spotify playlist:

http://open.spotify.com/user/djperry1973/playlist/02nrseuh69fDvSoyluR0Lq

^^ could also add Family Fodder - Big Dig to that list

41. Silver Apples - Program (Vivaldi - Concerto No. 3 in F Major, Op. 8, RV 293, "L'autunno")
42. The Orb - Little fluffy Clouds (Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint Fast (Movement 3))

43. Nancy Sinatra - In My Room (Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor)

And well I don't think its particulary good but the source composition is great and she has some supporters in ILM.

44. Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Vittorio Monti - Czardas)

Ah yes this one is pretty clever:

45. Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley - If I Had Words (Saint-Saëns - Maestoso From Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78)

46. Diane & Annita - A Groovy Kind of Love (Muzio Clementi - Sonatina Op. 36 N. 5 in Sol Maggiore (Parte 2) - 3. Rondò)
47. The Doors - Spanish Caravan (Isaac Albéniz - Asturias)
48. Gwen Stefani - Don't Get It Twisted (Julius Fučík - Entrance of the Gladiators) Also 'sampled' in Yakety Yak.

Ok last ones I promise. These two use a sample as the main melody:

49. Sia - Taken for Granted (Prokofiev - Montagues and Capulets (Dance of the Knights)
50. Jem - They (Bach - Prelude No 12 in F Minor)(Sample lifted from the Swingle Sisters adaptation)

Bjork's Hidden Place has a Schoenberg sample but I don't know if they count as they simply add to the song but it doesn't seem like it's constructed from it.

stretching the definition of pop/rock, but:

51. Venetian Snares - Szamar Madar (Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85)

is the harpsichord? break in "in my life" from anything, or did mccartney just make it up ex nihilo?

George Martin mostly improvised it, I don't think it's anything in particular although it's "Bach-influenced." it's also double speed on the recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMbqh_yNyOs

Jun Togawa - Punk Mushi No Onna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDGzFLIjmE8&feature=related

Khia - My Neck, My Back (Mozart "Lacrimosa" from Requiem mass)

Am I invisible? ;_;

FYI Pachelbel's Canon is a little bit more extensive than just a I-V-vi-IV progression - it's I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V