# Popular songs that are waltzes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449 "2007-09-25T17:47:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/101 "2007-10-01T13:43:02Z")
**Leffen** Imagine a drummer playing the base drum and hitting the (closed) high-hat cymbals. The bass drum goes ‘boom’. The high-hat goes ‘chick’. 4/4 time is ‘boom-chick, boom-chick’, while 3/4 time is ‘boom chick chick’. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/102 "2007-10-03T01:20:56Z")
This is partly a thank-you for those who helped, and partly a shameless bump for more input. Thanks and keep them coming! ---
**Author:** ![just\_a\_guess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@just\_a\_guess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/just_a_guess)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/103 "2007-10-03T14:12:32Z")
I am a long time lurker- years in fact- and first time poster. This thread inspired me to post. I was actually thinking of this exact topic a few weeks ago, and trying to create a playlist on my Ipod when I saw this topic. I dont have a good addition to the list (there are a number of great suggestions, even if not all are in waltz time), but want to bump this thread for some more contributions. Keep 'em coming! ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/104 "2007-10-03T20:34:10Z")
A couple in my collection that are in 3/4 time are _Love Will Come Through_ by **Travis** and _Fade Together_ by **Franz Ferdinand**. Whether they’re actually waltzable, I don’t know, since I don’t do ballroom. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/105 "2007-10-03T20:48:25Z")
The Spanish version of “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?”, [“Has Amado Una Mujer De Veras?”](http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B000002G3I001005/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_005/002-5628703-1122468), from the Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack. For that matter, “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?”. but I like the Spanish version better. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/106 "2007-10-03T22:26:10Z")
A few more. Alison Krauss, [Baby Mine](http://youtube.com/watch?v=jzoZnivlLhw) (I think this is 6/8, so even though it is a slow song it would be a fast waltz.) Indigo Girls, [Mystery](http://youtube.com/watch?v=exDJlByfR8U) Kansas, [Hold On](http://youtube.com/watch?v=HS3zLUTw7CQ) Lou Reed, [Perfect Day](http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q4pppHD7HNQ&mode=related&search=) REM, [Everybody Hurts](http://youtube.com/watch?v=91euxMQ0Zyg) Rufus Wainwright, [Complainte de la Butte](http://youtube.com/watch?v=B3Y0F_OGzF0), [Hallelujah](http://youtube.com/watch?v=uMrZ7lChK-g) Simon & Garfunkel, [America](http://youtube.com/watch?v=vCbOEZ8c8dM), [Song for the Asking](http://youtube.com/watch?v=7H2XaLRpcgE) Oh, and here is the whole song, [Has Amado una Mujer de Veras](http://youtube.com/watch?v=kxgUAibKUF8). ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/107 "2007-10-08T20:22:04Z")
_Love Will Come Through_ is a good one. Are you sure about _Hallelujah_? I can’t seem to count that out to waltz time, but then, I can’t count that out to any recognizable time- could it be some weird time signature that I’m missing? _America_ definitely works. I think _Everybody Hurts_ may be 6/8- it’d be a very fast waltz. _Hold On_ is definitely a waltz. Listening to my library at random and further research has brought these to my attention: _Sunrise, Sunset_ from **Fiddler on the Roof** , _Goodnight, Irene_ by the **Nitty Gritty Dirt Band** (and numerous others, it’s an old classic), _Scarborough Fair_ by **Simon and Garfunkel** , and _Satellite_ by **Dave Matthews Band**. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/108 "2007-10-08T23:37:59Z")
Amazing Grace is in 3/4 time. But that would be weird and wrong. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/109 "2007-10-09T06:49:42Z")
Listening to _Amazing Grace_, I think it’s too slow to waltz anyway. And I’ve decided that I think _Hallelujah_ is 6/8. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/110 "2007-10-09T13:17:20Z")
[QUOTE=appleciders] Listening to _Amazing Grace_, I think it’s too slow to waltz anyway. And I’ve decided that I think _Hallelujah_ is 6/8. [/QUOTE] I believe that is the correct timing. ---
**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:** [October 9, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/111 "2007-10-09T13:32:59Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] You know those people who never “get” trigonometry? Well, I’m not one of them, but my brain isn’t wired for the aforementioned musical beats. Which brings me to a slightly different, although related, musical hijack: How in the hell do musicians play two completely different musical melodies with each hand? There was an earlier thread with a youtube link to a young musician playing the Simpsons theme on two guitars, but that’s not too exceptional. Prime example, Ray Manzarek played bass with his left hand, while he screamed away lead organ on most Doors music. How the hell can the brain do a recurring “bum-da-da-bum” on one hand and then total improvisation on the other. My brain is not wired accordingly. [/QUOTE] I believe that Ray actually played the bass lines with his _feet_ (organ pedals). Not sure if that makes it a more or less amazing feat of coordination. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/112 "2007-10-09T14:41:16Z")
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/113 "2007-10-09T15:08:49Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. [/QUOTE] Waltz time in the verses, 4/4 in the chorus, I think. I’m told there are a few other time signatures that show up briefly. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/114 "2007-10-09T16:44:27Z")
I thought of a couple more: [ul] [li]Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair”[/li][li]Whitesnake’s “Crying in the Rain” (though this is probably 6/8 with its fast tempo).[/li][/ul] ---
**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:** [October 11, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/115 "2007-10-11T15:59:26Z")
Has anyone mentioned the “Nokia Tune”? Very waltzable, and _very_ popular. ---
**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:** [October 11, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/116 "2007-10-11T16:27:50Z")
[QUOTE=JKellyMap] I believe that Ray actually played the bass lines with his _feet_ (organ pedals). Not sure if that makes it a more or less amazing feat of coordination. [/QUOTE] The types of organ Ray Manzarek used onstage with the Doors–Vox Continental, Gibson Kalamazoo–do not have bass pedals. He played bass parts on a separate Fender keyboard bass (known to the band as “the fart machine”). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/117 "2007-10-11T17:07:41Z")
“The Wrong Road (Round)” – The Go-Betweens “1000 Umbrellas” – XTC ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/118 "2007-10-11T23:23:07Z")
The Harry Potter theme music is a very nice Viennese Waltz. Casa Musica sells a number of dance-specific CDs - here’s their [Best of Slow Waltz](http://www.casa-musica.de/asp2/katalog.asp?typ=detail&Position=3&seite=3&tanz=S&Herkunft=suche&ArtNr=1205&sprache=e&modus=GesamtUebersicht&code=1&Vertrieb=) and [Best of Viennese Waltz](http://www.casa-musica.de/asp2/katalog.asp?typ=detail&Position=5&seite=3&tanz=S&Herkunft=suche&ArtNr=1247&sprache=e&modus=GesamtUebersicht&code=1&Vertrieb=). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/119 "2007-11-05T20:06:59Z")
For something different: “The Tennessee Waltz” as performed by Spike Jones & His City Slickers. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449/120 "2007-11-06T20:31:52Z")
As long as we’re including Christmas carols: _The First Noel_ _Away in a Manger_ _O Tannenbaum_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-that-are-waltzes/420449.md?page=7)