# Unlikely composers of rock songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214 "2003-11-03T21:19:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/1 "2003-11-03T21:19:41Z")
One of my favorite bits of trivia is that Cal Coolidge’s second term running mate, Charles Dawes, who became Vice-President of the U.S., composed the melody for the song that became Tommy Edwards’ 1958 hit “It’s All in The Game.” [cite](http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/reviews/allinthegame.html) In that same year, movie star Robert Mitchum co-wrote “The Ballad of Thunder Road” for the classic noir film Thunder Road, spending, according to [this site](http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/easyrider/data/Thunderr.htm) 11 weeks on Billboard hit parade in 1958 and 10 more weeks on the charts in 1962. (Which would be about the time the movie was released to the Saturday matinee and drive-in circuit, IIRC). And of course the “standards” of the twenties through the forties have been mined more than once for rock songs (Think Harpers Bizarre doing Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.”) I’m wondering just how many “unlikely” composers of rock songs we can uncover. And, yes, that would also include nice public-domain “classical” pieces made into rock songs. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/2 "2003-11-03T21:29:29Z")
Lee Strouse was a Broadway composer whose best-known song is the smarmy “Tomorrow” from “Annie.” But he did write at least one rock song for “Bye Bye Birdie”: “Honestly Sincere” Sherman Edwards is best known for his musical 1776, but was a hit songwriter with “See You in September.” Author and playwright William Saroyan had a hit single (with his cousin Ross “David Seville” Bagdasarian) with “Come On-A My House” (thought that predated rock). “Lover’s Concerto” is based on a Bach melody, as is “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/3 "2003-11-03T21:38:39Z")
Chuck Barris wrote "Palisade Park,’ which was a minor hit for Jay and the Americans. Seasons in the Sun, the Terry Jacks one-hit from the 70s, was originally written by Jacques Brel and translated into English by Rod McKuen. Shel Silverstein, the poet/cartoonist/children’s book author, wrote a number of rock and country hits including “Cover of the Rolling Stone” and “A Boy Named Sue.” Michael (Mr. Mike) O’Donoghue dashed off a song for Christine Ebersole to sing on SNL called “Single Bars and Single Women.” Dolly Parton covered it and had a decent-sized hit with it. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/4 "2003-11-04T01:19:04Z")
Though he’s not credited, Thomas Dekker, a 17th Century poet, wrote the lyrics for the Beatles “Golden Slumbers.” McCartney changed only two words: > [@](#): > > Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, > Smiles awake you when you rise ; > Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry, > And I will sing a lullaby (1603) Sausage maker Jimmy Dean was a popular singer/songwriter in the 60s; his biggest hit was **Big Bad John**. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/5 "2003-11-04T02:53:16Z")
Hoyt Axton wrote “The Pusher” for Steppenwolf. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/6 "2003-11-04T03:24:40Z")
**Emerson, Lake and Palmer** did an entire album based on **Mussorgsky’s** _Pictures At An Exhibition_. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/7 "2003-11-04T03:56:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\*Hoyt Axton wrote “The Pusher” for Steppenwolf. \*\* Aha! I remember seeing the cover of the 1969 MCA Release “Early Steppenwolf” (“Recorded Live at The Matrix in San Francisco May 14, 1967”}with a giant quote on the cover that said “Improvising, forming, squeezing and shaping a musical theme which lasted for 20 minutes and finally broke into ‘The Pusher.’” All these years, I took that to mean they’d jammed around until the song had coalesced, and thought “How cool that they had the good fortune to be taping that particular concert.” Understand I never did **buy** the album and listent to it. I just encountered that cover several times over the years and in the back of my mind someday thought it would be cool to listen to someday. So what they actually did was jam for 20 minutes and then go into the Hoyt Axton song. Wow - now I feel retro-whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/8 "2003-11-04T04:34:22Z")
“Because” was inspired by Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, [according to Snopes.](http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/because.htm) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/9 "2003-11-04T04:54:55Z")
Eric Carmen swiped two from Rachmaninov: “All By Myself” uses a melody from Piano Concerto #2 “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again” is from the Second Symphony ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/10 "2003-11-04T04:57:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\*Hoyt Axton wrote “The Pusher” for Steppenwolf. \*\* And “Joy to the World” for Three Dog Night. Which reminds me - William Shakespeare wrote a soliloquy for Hamlet that turned up in the Broadway production “HAIR.” That sorta counts, doesn’t it? Midnight Blue by Louise Tucker is Beethoven’s Pathetique sonata. And Yngwie Malmsteen has covered a bunch of classical pieces in his career. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/11 "2003-11-04T05:13:22Z")
Here’s a weird thought: we know that T.S. Eliot earned a Tony years after his death, because his poems formed the basis for “Cats,” right? And Irving Gordon was eligible to receive a Grammy as best songwriter for “Unforgettable” 40 years after he wrote it, because of Natalie Cole’s popular re-make of the song. Well, back in the 1970s, Sister Janet Mead had a top ten Billboard hit with a musical adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer. Suppose, just SUPPOSE Sister Janet’s record had been nominated for a Grammy. Could Jesus have been nominated for a Grammy? After all, he wrote the lyrics! ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/12 "2003-11-04T05:16:55Z")
Now THERE’S an acceptance speech I would love to hear! ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/13 "2003-11-04T06:07:24Z")
[Here’s](http://stream.realimpact.net/rihurl.ram?file=realimpact/wnyc/rans/ns2177.ra) a link to an episode of one of my favorite Radio shows (New Sounds w/ John Schaffer) with some really great rock/pop interpretations of classical music. (the show begins about a minute and a half into the stream and is 60 minutes long). ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/14 "2003-11-04T06:21:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LifeOnWry \* > \*\*Midnight Blue by Louise Tucker is Beethoven’s Pathetique sonata. \*\* Beethoven is also responsible for the chorus of Billy Joel’s \*_This Night_. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/15 "2003-11-04T08:40:53Z")
What, no mention of “The Great Kat’s” _Beethoven on Speed_? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/16 "2003-11-04T11:32:09Z")
Sam Stone writes: \> Hoyt Axton wrote “The Pusher” for Steppenwolf. LifeonWry writes: \> And “Joy to the World” for Three Dog Night. And his mother wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” for Elvis. RealityChuck writes: \> Sausage maker Jimmy Dean was a popular singer/songwriter in \> the 60s; his biggest hit was Big Bad John. That is a weird way to put things. You make it sound like Jimmy Dean was the heir to a sausage company who happened to write a few songs. Actually, he was a country singer/songwriter who got an offer to use his name for a brand of sausages (and later restaurants). He was no more a sausage maker before that time than Arthur Treacher was an expert in fish and chips or Roy Rogers knew anything particularly about roast beef. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/17 "2003-11-04T11:55:05Z")
Salman Rushdie songs have been performed by U2. Clive James also writes songs, and some group or other is touring with them. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/18 "2003-11-04T11:55:49Z")
Jim Dale of _Carry On_ fame co-wrote “Georgy Girl” by The Seekers. And a few more songs unwittingly co-written by classical composers: Sting - Russians (Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé) The Farm - All Together Now (Pachelbel: Canon) Barry Manilow - Could It Be Magic (Chopin: Prelude in C minor) Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind Of Love (Clementi: Sonatine in G) Neil Diamond - Song Sung Blue (Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 - second movement) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/19 "2003-11-04T11:58:47Z")
And didn’t Pete Waterman say that Kylie’s “I should be so lucky” was actually part of Pachelbel’s Canon? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214/20 "2003-11-04T12:01:59Z")
I think he did, but I can’t hear it and I don’t have my Kylie collection to hand at the moment. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unlikely-composers-of-rock-songs/211214.md?page=2)