List of popular songs based on classical music - Definition and Overview

This is a list of examples of popular songs that are arrangements of, or otherwise make use of, works of classical music. The practice of adapting classical compositions is associated with various popular genres, including Tin Pan Alley, progressive rock, and heavy metal.

n.b. songs are listed in chronological order within each section, then alphabetically - please bear this in mind when editing.

1910s

• "Hungarian Rag," (1913) by Julius Lenzberg - based on the Second Hungarian Rhapsody by Franz Liszt.
• "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (1918), by Joseph McCarthy and Harry Carroll, based on the Fantasie Impromptu in C Sharp Minor by Frederic Chopin.
• "Peter Gink" (1919) by George L. Cobb - based on Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg.
• "The Marine Hymn", L. Z. Philips, (1919) - based on an air from Jacques Offenbach's Genevieve de Brabant

1920s

• "Goin' Home", (1922), popularized by Paul Robeson - based on the "Largo" from Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"

1930s

• "In an Eighteenth-Century Drawing Room" (Raymond Scott) (1930) - based on Mozart's Piano Sonata, K. 545
• "Song of India", arr. Tommy Dorsey, ca. (1937) - based on a theme from Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade
• "The Lamp is Low" - Peter DeRose and Bert Shefter (1939) - based on a Maurice Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess

1940s

• "The Bigger The Figure", by Louis Prima - based on Rossini's Largo et factotum
• "Full Moon and Empty Arms", by Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman (1945) - based on Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.
• "Summer Moon" by Klenner, sung by Lauritz Melchior (1946) - based on Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird (Berceuse)

1950s

• "Stranger in Paradise" (1953), by George Forrest and Robert Wright, in the Broadway musical Kismet; based on a theme from Alexander Borodin's Polovtsian Dances
• "The Song Tschaikovsky Wrote" by ???? (19??) - based on the opening theme from Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1
• "My Reverie" by ???? (19??) - based on Debussy's Reverie
• "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)", by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning, (1956), based on a theme from Chabrier España, Rhapsody for Orchestra

1960s

• "Catch a Falling Star", by Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance, (1958), based on a theme from Brahms' Academic Festival Overture
• "Asia Minor", James Wisner (1960) - based on Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor
• "Nut Rocker", by B. Bumble and the Stingers, (1962), based on Tchaikovsky's "March of the Wooden Soldiers" from the Nutcracker Suite
• "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter From Camp)", Allan Sherman (1963), based on Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" from La Gioconda
• "Rap City", The Ventures (1964) - based on Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor
• "A Lover's Concerto", The Toys (1965) - based on J.S. Bach's Minuet in G from the Anna Magdalena Notebook.
• "Past, Present and Future" The Shangri-Las (1966) - based on Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano sonata No. 14, "Moonlight"
• "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procul Harum (1967) - (loosely) based on J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3, Air (commonly known as Air on a G String).
• "Because", by John Lennon - inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano sonata No. 14, "Moonlight"
• "Jane B" by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin (1969) - based on Frederic Chopin's Prelude No. 4

1970s

• "A Song of Joy", Miguel Rios (1970) – written by Waldo De Los Rios based on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
• "Knife Edge" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1970) - based on Sinfonietta, first movement by Leos Janacek
• "Abaddon's Bolero" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1972) - based on Bolero by Maurice Ravel
• Also Sprach Zarathustra, Deodato (1972) - a funk arrangement of Richard Strauss's composition
• "Cans and Brahms" by Yes (1972) - based on Johannes Brahms Symphony 4, third movement
• "Hoedown" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1972) - based on Rodeo by Aaron Copeland
• "Horizons" by Steve Hackett from Genesis's Foxtrot album (1972) - (loosely) based on Suite For Cello, by J.S. Bach
• "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1972) - entire album based on the work by Modest Mussorgsky
• "Joybringer" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1973) - based on "Jupiter - bringer of jollity" from Gustav Holst's The Planets suite
• "Toccata" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1973) - based on Ginastera's First piano concerto, fourth movement
• "Could It Be Magic" by Barry Manilow (1975) - quotes extensively from Chopin's Prelude in C minor
• "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1975), based on Aaron Copland's work of the same name.
• "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake (1975) - based on Lieutenant Kije Suite, Opus 60, by Sergei Prokofiev
• "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen (1976) - based on Sergei Rachmaninoff piano concerto No. 2
• "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again" also by Eric Carmen (1976) - based on Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony
• "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy (1976) - disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, featured in Saturday Night Fever
• "If I Had Words" by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley (1977) - based on Saint Saens' 3rd symphony (The Organ Symphony)
• "Lady Linda" by The Beach Boys (1978) - based on J.S. Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

1980s

• "Toccata" by Sky (1980) - based on Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
• "Difficult to Cure" by Rainbow (1981) - based on Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" (last movement of the ninth symphony).
• "This Night" by Billy Joel (1983) - adapted from Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata
• "Madame Butterfly" by Malcolm McLaren and the World Famous Supreme Team (1984) - based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly.
• "Russians" by Sting (1986) - based on "Romance" theme from Lieutenant Kije Suite, Opus 60, by Sergei Prokofiev
• "Arpeggios From Hell" by Yngwie J. Malmsteen, based on Beethoven's Piano sonata No. 14, "Moonlight", 3rd movement
• "Icarus Dream Suite" by Yngwie J. Malmsteen (live into 'Far beyond the Sun') based on Tomaso Albinoni's, Adagio.
• "Leningrad" by Billy Joel, quotes at length the motet Waldesnacht, du wundekühle by Johannes Brahms

1990s

• "Operaa House!" by Malcolm McLaren and the World Famous Supreme Team (1990) - based on the "Flower Duet" from Leo Delibes' opera Lakmé
• "Basket Case" by Green Day (1994), based on Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D Major
• "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by Sweetbox (1998), based on Johann Sebastian Bach, Air from the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D-Major
• "Love of my Life" from Supernatural by Santana and Dave Matthews (1999), based on the third movement from Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 3

2000s

• "Graduation (Friends Forever)" by Vitamin C (2000) - based on Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D Major
• "Love U Crazay" and "Those Dogs" by En Vogue, from Masterpiece Theatre (2000), are set to Tchaikovsky’s "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from his Nutcracker, and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.
• "Someone to Call My Lover" by Janet Jackson (2001) uses Erik Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1 (as well as America's "Ventura Highway").
• "Piano & I", by Alicia Keys (2001), based on Beethoven's Piano sonata No. 14, "Moonlight", 1st movement
• "I Can", by Nas (2002) which contains a sample of the classical piece Fur Elise by Beethoven.
• "When I Get You Alone" by Thicke - based on a sample from Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven" (q.v.) - itself based on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

See also

• Pachelbel's Canon
• List of samples

External link

• The Marines' Hymn (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.100010540/default.html) 1919 manuscript