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Here are some of our favourite pop songs that have taken inspiration from Shakespeare
- Maddy Shaw Roberts
- Billy Joel – This Night / Beethoven – Pathétique Sonata. “I have not forgiven myself for not being Beethoven,” Billy Joel said in an interview for CBS. So, in a classic case of ‘if you can’t beat them’, Joel wove in a swung version of the opening melody from the second movement of Beethoven’s ‘Pathétique’ Sonata in his chorus for ‘This Night’.
- Lady Gaga – Alejandro / Vittorio Monti – Csárdás. For the intro of her single ‘Alejandro’, Gaga neatly nabbed Csárdás, the rhapsodic concert piece for violin by Vittorio Monti – which itself was based on a traditional Hungarian folk dance.
- Eric Carmen – All by Myself / Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor. A great ’70s power ballad, reincarnated by Céline Dion in 1996, that finds the melody for its verses in Russian giant Rachmaninov’s most famous piano concerto – pop-classical sampling doesn’t get much more iconic than this.
- Maroon 5 – Memories / Pachelbel – Canon in D. Pachelbel’s ubiquitous cello chord progression has inspired plenty of pop songs – from Kylie Minogue’s ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ to Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’.
- Dan Stubbs
- SONG: Robert Johnson – Crossroad Blues (1937) What it did: Popularised Johnson’s great creation myth – that his fame was the result of a deal made with the Devil at a rural crossroads.
- SONG: Lead Belly/Nirvana – Where Did You Sleep Last Night (1944/1994) What it did: Lead Belly’s 1939 recording of this tragic blues song – which he frequently called ‘Black Girl’ – combined two traditional blues songs dating back to the 1870s, showing how blues itself is rooted in folk traditions.
- SONG: Elmore James – Dust My Broom (1951) What it did: Originally written by Robert Johnson (see ‘Cross Road Blues’, above) under the name ‘I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom’, Elmore James’s version (credited as Elmo James) added a boogie rhythm and slide guitar – and was a watershed moment in the electrification and amping up of the blues sound.
- ALBUM: Etta James – At Last! (1960) What it did: As you’ll see in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, women were at the centre of the ‘urban blues’ scene that stormed the cities in the 1920s and 30s.
- MC Fioti: ‘Bum Bum Tam Tam’ Brazilian rapper MC Fioti also loves his Bach solo Partitas. His hit Bum Bum Tam Tam, and all its 1.6 billion YouTube views, samples Bach’s Partita in A minor for solo flute, BWV1013.
- Eminem: ‘Brainless’ Johann Sebastian joins the American rapper in this 2013 outing. From 43 seconds in, you can catch Slim Shady rapping alongside the fugue subject from Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
- Eddie Van Halen: ‘Eruption’ There’s more Toccata and Fugue-ing from the late heavy metal guitar maestro Eddie Van Halen, in this instrumental epic. Interestingly, the pioneers of heavy metal guitar studied Baroque, Classical and Romantic violin and virtuoso repertoire, and it went on to influence much of their style and technique.
- Jem: ‘They’ Here’s a vocalisation of the Prelude in F minor from Book Two of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier – loud and clear, perfectly placed, and absolutely beautiful.
- Taylor Swift – Love Story. With some not-so-subtle references to The Bard’s tragic tale of star-crossed lovers, it seems only right to start with Taylor’s breakout single Love Story, which sent her to Number 2 in 2009.
- Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet. This track became Dire Straits’ second Top 10 single when it reached Number 8 in 1981. Another single directly referencing the play throughout with character names, Frontman Mark Knopfler took inspiration from Shakespeare in this song about unrequited love.
- Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. Another breakout single featuring a reference to Shakespeare’s tragic love story (spotting a theme yet?)
- One True Voice - Shakespeare’s (Way With) Words. “If I had Shakespeare’s way with words, I would write a sonnet, put your name upon it” is truly a lyric for the ages.
Some of the biggest pop hits of all time, such as “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, were directly inspired by classical music. In these songs, you can hear the influence of classical music in their use of orchestration, dynamics, and melodic hooks.
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Aug 23, 2021 · We look at times when Bach's music has been used in rock 'n roll, jazz, tango, hip-hop, and other genres by musicians like Lady Gaga, Jon Lord, and others.
