Another song (from 1968) with harpsichord: “Love is Blue” by Paul Mauriat.
The first one I thought of: Golden Brown by The Stranglers
Another Beatles harpsichord song: “Piggies”
There’s a harpsichord in the Stone Poneys’ cover of Different Drum.
For a lot of people the first time they heard a harpsichord was when they saw Lurch playing one on The Addams Family.
It just now occurred to me that even Eminem, in The Real Slim Shady, made use of the harpsichord sound. Whether it was actually his idea or the studio people I have no idea, but it’s very distinctive and I thought so when the song first came out. (I must have played it a thousand times!)
You would definitely want to check out “In Another Land”, by the Rolling Stones (actually this is about the only Bill Wyman song the Stones ever did).
REM’s Out Of Time album has baroque influences on display on it too, especially on songs like Half A World Away.
No harpsichord, but I’ve always felt that Ian Anderson’s flute makes most of Jethro Tull sound a bit medieval.
Absolutely! And I loved the sound: still do.
Not to be pedantic – which means I’m about to be pedantic – but neither David Cassidy nor Shirley Jones wrote that song. Neither did Wes Farrell, to my surprise. It was written by Tony Romeo, who also wrote songs for Al Martino, The Cowsills, and The Everly Brothers.
Of course, their “Bouree” is a jazz treatment of an actual baroque piece (“Bourree in E minor”, by J. S. Bach). I think “To Cry You A Song” has a very baroque sounding riff, although it’s done in a hard rock style.
I am so impressed with myself. I haven’t heard that song for like 20 years, and yet I can play it in my head and hear the part you’re talking about, clear as a bell. And the cello right after that. I never knew I could do that.
My mom always said that everybody’s good at something. Glad I found out what I’m good at before I died, and not surprised at all to learn that it’s something next to useless.
Didn’t The Doors use a harpsichord sometimes? Can’t remember which song(s).
“Love Me Two Times” definitely did anyway.
I think that The Partidge Family used a harpsichord on more than just that one song. Doesn’t Come On Get Happy start with one?
I just checked YouTube and the version that’s up doesn’t, but I think the opening was cut.
Isn’t the melody of Paul Simon’s American Tune heavily inspired by/related to a J.S. Bach melody?
I’m bumping this thread because I’ve just recently discovered another great example of the baroque sound in a pop song. In this case, it’s Do You Know What I Mean by Lee Michaels: a song that I have heard a billion times, but never noticed the harpsichord until just the other day.
It’s most noticeable during the bridge (1:19). There’s sort of a little harpichord solo underneath the organ and vocals.
Procul Harum did this in a lot of their music.
Not the instrumentation, but the minor progressions remind me a lot of the works of Jacques Brel and other Francophone songwriters of the '60s.
There’s also a taste of Eurovision pop in there.
For contemporary harpiscord revival check out Vampire Weekend, particularly Taxi Cab. ETA: and of course M79 for far more baroquosityness.