19 iconic pop songs you didn’t know were directly inspired by classical music

6 August 2024, 17:21

From Billy Joel’s inability to resist a good Beethoven melody to Lady Gaga’s sampling of rhapsodic violin solos, here are the greatest examples of classical samples in pop.

In 19 cases of chicken and egg, we explore the times pop artists were influenced by their classical predecessors.

Read more: 13 unbelievable oboe solos you didn’t even notice in pop music

1. 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’.

   

   Billy Joel - This Night (Audio)

   

   Beethoven – Pathetique Sonata 2nd Movement

2. 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.

   

   Lady Gaga - Alejandro

   

   V. Monti, Czardas - Jennifer Jeon

3. 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.

   

   Céline Dion - All By Myself (Official Remastered HD Video)

   

   Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no.2 op.18 - Anna Fedorova - Complete Live Concert - HD

4. 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’. Now we can add to the list: ‘Memories’, from Californian pop group Maroon 5.

   

   Maroon 5 - Memories (Official Video)

   

   Pachelbel Canon in D Major - the original and best version.

5. Clean Bandit – Mozart’s House / Mozart – String Quartet No. 21

   The chorus of ‘Mozart’s House’ is the first phrase of the Classical composer’s String Quartet No. 21. Band member Grace Chatto says, “Another part of the quartet returns as a breakdown later in the song”, while some of the lyrics touch on “a journey to Mozart’s House, and use various Italian musical terms”.

   

   Clean Bandit - Mozart's House ft. Love Ssega [Official Video]

   

   Mozart String Quartet in D K575 -Doric String Quartet

6. The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army / Bruckner – Symphony No. 5

   Music history’s most iconic bass guitar riff is inspired by seven notes from the first movement of Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony. Lead singer Jack White had classical training as a student, and while the rhythms here are slightly different, his inspiration is unmistakeable.

   

   The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army (Official Music Video)

   

   Anton Bruckner Symphony No 5 in B-flat Major - Sergiu Celibidache, MPO, 1985

7. Elvis Presley – It’s Now or Never / Eduardo di Capua – O Sole Mio

   Elvis takes on the greats of opera with this romantic little ditty, the melody of which is inspired by ‘O Sole Mio’ by Eduardo di Capua (also known as the Cornetto song).

   

   Elvis Presley - It's Now or Never (Official Audio)

   

   Il Volo - 'O Sole Mio (Videoclip)

8. Little Mix – Little Me / Gabriel Fauré – Pavane

   One of the world’s biggest girl bands, Little Mix, knows the power of a good melody – as does French composer, Gabriel Fauré. Their 2013 single ‘Little Me’ nabs the tune of his Pavane in a lo-fi rendition in the intro, while the chorus weaves in Fauré’s chord progression.

   

   Little Mix - Little Me

   

   Fauré: Pavane / Rattle · Berliner Philharmoniker

9. Take That – Never Forget / Giuseppe Verdi – ‘Tuba mirum’ (Requiem)

   Unlikely as it seems, Gary Barlow nabbed a choral and trumpet fanfare from Verdi’s Requiem to kick off one of Take That’s most popular songs.

   

   Take That - Never Forget (Video)

   

   Verdi: Requiem - 'Tuba Mirum'

10. Muse – Plug in Baby / Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D minor

    Once you dive into the world of prog rock and metal, you’ll find classical music at pretty much every turn. Take a listen to the nifty guitar riff for Muse’s ‘Plug in Baby’ – heard that somewhere before? Bach exercised a profound influence over his Classical and Romantic successors, but listen close and you’ll hear his Toccata and Fugue in D minor all over in today’s pop – including Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’.

    

    Muse - Plug In Baby (Official Video)

    

    XAVER VARNUS PLAYS BACH'S TOCCATA & FUGUE IN THE BERLINER DOM

11. Barry Manilow - Could It Be Magic / Chopin - Prelude in C Minor No. 20

    In this rather brilliant clip, Manilow explains how he wound up writing ‘Could it Be Magic’ after a glass of wine. “I thought I had come up with the coolest batch of chords in my composing experience. And then I realised that before that glass of wine, I had been practising my Chopin preludes.” Hear the similarity for yourself...

    

    Could It Be Magic

    

    Frédéric Chopin - Prelude in C Minor (op. 28, no. 20)

12. Mika – Grace Kelly / Rossini – Largo al factotum

    Pop star Mika has admitted on several occasions that he half-inched the melody for Rossini’s ‘Largo al factotum’ from The Barber Of Seville on his hit ‘Grace Kelly’.

    

    MIKA - Grace Kelly (Official Video)

    

    Il Barbiere di Siviglia: "Largo al factotum" (Peter Mattei)

13. Robbie Williams – Party like a Russian / Prokofiev – Dance of the Knights

    In the chorus for Robbie Williams’ musical cocktail of questionable stereotypes, the ex-Take That star samples Prokofiev’s ‘Dance of the Knights’ (also known as The Apprentice song).

    

    Robbie Williams | Party Like A Russian (Official Video)

    

    Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, No 13 Dance of the Knights (Valery Gergiev, LSO)

14. John Denver – Annie’s Song / Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

    A country song with Romantic influences – John Denver was inspired to write ‘Annie’s Song’ during a particularly adrenalin-drenched ski run. But he didn’t realise, until a friend told him later, that his ‘original’ melody is actually the horn solo from the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.

    

    John Denver - Annie's Song (Official Audio)

    

    Tschaikowsky: 5. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Manfred Honeck

15. The Beatles – Because / Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata

    One day, as John Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono was playing Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata at the piano, Lennon asked her to play him the chords once more – but backwards. When she did, it formed the basis of one of The Beatles’ later tracks, ‘Because’.

    

    Because (Remastered 2009)

    

    Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata (1st Movement)

16. Phil Collins – A Groovy Kind of Love / Clementi – Sonatina in G minor

    Originally written by Toni Wine and Carole Bayer Singer, Phil Collins’ hit ‘A Groovy Kind of Love’ is based on a charming Classical piece, but one without too much groove – the opening of the final movement of Italian composer Muzio Clementi’s Sonatina in G minor, Op. 36, No. 5.

    

    Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind Of Love (Official Music Video)

    

    Clementi: Sonatina in G major, op. 36 no. 5 (complete) | Cory Hall, pianist-composer

17. Nas – I Can / Beethoven – Für Elise

    The world of hip-hop and classical music might not seem like natural bedfellows, but seasoned rapper Nas turned a sample of Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’ into a smash it.

    

    Nas - I Can (Official HD Video)

    

    Beethoven - Für Elise (Piano Version)

18. Frank Sinatra – Full Moon and Empty Arms / Rachmaninov / Piano Concerto No.2

    This charming 40s ballad, written by Buddy Kaye and most famously recorded by Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan, borrows from the third movement of Rachmaninov’s epic piano concerto. Kaye extracted the famous theme nearly note-for-note to use as the vocal line of ‘Full Moon and Empty Arms’ – see if you can hear the connection...

    

    FRANK SINATRA - Full Moon and Empty Arms 1945

    

    Storming Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 finale at the Royal Albert Hall | Classic FM

19. Paul Simon – American Tune / Bach – St Matthew Passion

    Paul Simon looked to Bach in 1973 when he took a distinctly Deutsche ditty for his song ‘American Tune’. Simon’s melody and harmony is based on ‘O sacred head now wounded’, which is used with great impact throughout Bach’s 1727 St Matthew Passion.

    

    Paul Simon - American Tune (Official Audio)

    

    O sacred head, sore wounded (Passion Chorale)