# Pop/rock songs lifting from classical music. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2012, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973 "2012-01-28T09:28:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/81 "2013-03-15T11:12:45Z")
The Fifth Estate had a hit in 1967 with a rock version of “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead,” which they combined with the “Bourrée” from the _Terpsichore_ suite (1612) by Michael Praetorius. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/82 "2013-03-18T15:04:03Z")
Just heard one on the radio that was new to me – “[Asia Minor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-7lloS2J_A)” by Kokomo (Jimmy Wisner), which reached #8 on the Billboard chart in 1961. (It’s Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor.) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/83 "2013-03-18T20:29:41Z")
I listened to some pop one time and it was awful. Actually I did listen to pop recently and all I heard was 90’s Euro club/dance music. Looks like hip-hop has discovered 1990’s Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/84 "2013-03-19T22:10:59Z")
[The Fifth Estate’s rocked-up “Bourrée” starts at 0:52 and is reprised at 1:49.](http://youtu.be/gT3QhfiGxRI) ---
**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:** [March 19, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/85 "2013-03-19T22:50:31Z")
The Doors’ [“Hyacinth House”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH78z5hiGD0) features a quote from Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat, Op. 53 (quote starts at 2:09). R. Meltzer, reviewing the album for Rolling Stone, described the passage as “Kokomo classical fancy-stepping.” ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/86 "2013-03-20T00:51:02Z")
> [@Greekfreak](#): > > KISS “Great Expectations” shamelessly rips off Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathetique”. Are you suggesting that there is anything about KISS that is NOT shameless? And I say that in the most admiringly way possible. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/87 "2013-03-20T03:36:24Z")
Indigo Girls strum a little bit of Beethoven’s ninth towards the end of **Cedar Tree**. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/88 "2013-03-20T14:32:48Z")
The Byrds’ lovely B-side “[She Don’t Care About Time](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4eMoFpWFgU)” uses Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” for the guitar solo. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/89 "2013-03-20T14:38:27Z")
> [@Greekfreak](#): > > KISS “Great Expectations” shamelessly rips off Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathetique”. So does Billy Joel’s “This Night,” from the _ **An Innocent Ma** _n album. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/90 "2013-03-20T14:39:30Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Indigo Girls strum a little bit of Beethoven’s ninth towards the end of **Cedar Tree**. And Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow used a big chunk of the “Ode to Joy” in “Difficult to Cure.” ---
**Author:** ![beatlejuice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@beatlejuice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beatlejuice)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/91 "2013-03-20T17:06:00Z")
I believe there was a connection between Moonlight Sonata and the beginning of Chicago’s Color My World. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/92 "2013-03-20T23:25:30Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > But, it’s not nearly as terrific as [SRC’s version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9jn764Wh7g). Big Brother & The Holding Company’s [version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujd0_0K_djk) might trump them all. Gurley’s guitar workout is Phenominal! Janis must have stepped off stage for the boys to do an instrumental, since she’s featured on other songs from this session. ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_Cello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Clark\_Cello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_Cello)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973/93 "2013-03-21T15:03:10Z")
Bright Eyes’ “Road to Joy”, from Beethoven’s 9th symphony (Ode to Joy). [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/18S8D8kHFlE/hqdefault.jpg "Bright Eyes - Road To Joy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18S8D8kHFlE) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-rock-songs-lifting-from-classical-music/610973.md?page=4)