# Great Rock/Pop Songs With An Accordion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284 "2012-04-09T18:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/1 "2012-04-09T18:26:24Z")
I was listening to “What It Takes” by Aerosmith. It’s a great song, and has an accordion in it. Then the other day I heard Paul Simon;s “Boy in the Bubble.” Also great, also with an accordion. (Or a synthesizer that sounds like an accordion. Same thing.) Any other examples? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/2 "2012-04-09T18:46:32Z")
I don’t know what you consider great rock/pop. Most of _They Might Be Giants_’ catalog has accordion. I think a lot of it is great. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/3 "2012-04-09T18:49:29Z")
The Stones’ [“Backstreet Girl”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhLdRwQVBt4) (Brian Jones on accordion). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/4 "2012-04-09T18:50:48Z")
Back to the beginning. Rock Around the Clock. Bill Haley and the Comets featured an accordion. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/5 "2012-04-09T18:52:06Z")
Jethro Tull: “Queen and Country” Emerson, Lake & Palmer: “C’est la Vie” ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/6 "2012-04-09T19:04:54Z")
“Stereo Love” is a recent dance song with one. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/7 "2012-04-09T19:05:35Z")
[Bugs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYu9F2J9TbI) by Pearl jam ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/8 "2012-04-09T19:07:13Z")
“My Bologna” by “Weird Al” Yankovic What? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/9 "2012-04-09T19:17:53Z")
The Bonzo Dog Band’s “The Intro and the Outro” has General DeGaulle on accordion as part of their all-star session musicians. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/10 "2012-04-09T21:01:16Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The Bonzo Dog Band’s “The Intro and the Outro” Don’t forget “My Pink Half of the Drainpipe.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/11 "2012-04-09T22:16:58Z")
Arcade Fire > **[Richard Reed Parry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Parry_%28musician%29)** > > Richard Reed Parry (born October 4, 1977) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, best known as a core member of the Grammy Award-winning indie rock band Arcade Fire, where he plays a wide variety of instruments, often switching between guitar, double bass, drums, celesta, keyboards, and accordion. > Parry comes from a musical family. His late father was David Parry of the folk band Friends of Fiddler's Green. His mother, Caroline Balderston Parry, was a poet and musician, and h... ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/12 "2012-04-09T22:42:13Z")
I think the Band used an accordion from time to time. “When I Paint my Masterpiece” seems to have it. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/13 "2012-04-09T23:01:09Z")
[How Can I Be Sure](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuKeSUUK-A4), Young Rascals ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/14 "2012-04-10T01:03:11Z")
[Squeeze Box](http://youtu.be/49H0IfoILwQ) by **The Who** , of course. (Though, oddly, the accordion isn’t exactly front and center in the mix.) ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/15 "2012-04-10T01:35:12Z")
“_[Sweethearts Together](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbm3bwlCAfk)_” by the Stones, and “_[Streets of Bakersfield](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5P6zdlPJ34&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL56F080DDD2E3762D)_”, a country rocker by Dwight Yokum and Buck Owens. Both feature conjunto accordianist Flaco Jiminez. > [@](#): > > Posted by \*\*RealityChuck \*\* > I think the Band used an accordion from time to time. “When I Paint my Masterpiece” seems to have it. Not sure how the original recording was orchestrated, but when The Band reassembled for Dylan’s 30th anniversary bash they used two accordians on _Masterpiece_. For the life of me, I can’t remember who was playing them. SS ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/16 "2012-04-10T02:24:07Z")
R.E.M. 's “I Believe” isn’t bad. ---
**Author:** ![florez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@florez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/florez)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/17 "2012-04-10T02:53:26Z")
Pull Up to the Bumper Grace Jones ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/18 "2012-04-10T04:31:13Z")
The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” Dave Edmunds’ “Bail You Out” John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Check It Out” The Young Rascals’ “How Can I Be Sure?” The Hooters’ “Karla With a K” Billy Joel’s “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/19 "2012-04-10T04:34:25Z")
The song is not everyone’s cup of tea, but Springsteen’s Sandy (4th of July) has great accordion by the late Danny Federici. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284/20 "2012-04-10T05:26:47Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > R.E.M. 's “I Believe” isn’t bad. And more recentlly, to great effect on “Oh My Heart.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eN1f4AFgiAc/maxresdefault.jpg "R.E.M. - Oh My Heart (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN1f4AFgiAc) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-rock-pop-songs-with-an-accordion/618284.md?page=2)