# Identify this song from the Classic Rock era (mellow ballad with acoustic guitar and synthesizer) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 19, 2025, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091 "2025-10-19T04:04:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091/1 "2025-10-19T04:04:48Z")
A song came on my local Classic Rock station the other night, and I didn’t catch the name of it. The first two thirds of it is just the vocalists and an acoustic guitar, a la the first few verses of [Danny’s Song](https://youtu.be/4FDcTyyXQb8?si=VqOCDBnrIOiH-sEp). Then the synthesizer comes in, strong. The synthesizer portion’s melody, key, mood, etc. are all consistent with those of the rest of the song. But it just feels kind of jarring and somewhat wrong. Anyhoo, I’m guessing this was when the synth was new and the band wanted to take a crack at using the new gizmo. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091/2 "2025-10-19T04:14:45Z")
The first thing that popped into my head: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hsJ9YXHqnr8/maxresdefault.jpg "From the Beginning") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsJ9YXHqnr8) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091/3 "2025-10-19T04:19:41Z")
Yes, that is it. Thank you. I seem to have forgotten there were other instruments. And wow, the Prog Rock is strong with that song. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091/4 "2025-10-19T12:47:40Z")
I was going to guess something by Styx, but I guess I would have been wrong. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091/5 "2025-10-19T16:31:38Z")
I was going to guess “Lucky Man”. Acoustic guitar plus synthesizer screams ELP. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091/6 "2025-10-19T19:49:41Z")
Great song. I also recommend reading Keith and Greg’s autobiographies side-by-side and compare each event, year, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-song-from-the-classic-rock-era-mellow-ballad-with-acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer/1024091/7 "2025-10-19T20:32:41Z")
Wow, right on guess **GESancMan!** I got nothing from listening to L&M even Kenny Loggins at Darryl’s House. Wiki says Greg Lake proposed it for King Crimson “In the Court of the Crimson King” but Robert Fripp didn’t think it fit the band’s context. Art some poiint Greg Lake got in touch with Keith Emerson and I can only imagine him playing what is nearly a finished entirely acoustic song and Emerson saying, “Needs a synth and I just dropped a million on this Moog.” Wonder what Fripp ever thought of that closing. It’s old enough to be iconic yet unexpected and sorta out of place all at once.