Scotland the Brave I think of as more the iconic bagpipes song, but Amazing Grace is probably better known to the average American. At least that one they’d know by name, whereas I’m not sure how many would know Scotland the Brave by its name.
What about rock songs with bagpipes? I only know two, but they are both quite outstanding and famous. I think the first everybody would think about is AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll”, but maybe some would say “Biko” by Peter Gabriel, a very different song.
Ya know? I was going to list “Don’t Worry Be Happy” much earlier in the thread as the only well known example of a capella, but here’s the thing: I’ve never actually heard the song! Don’t ask me how I got through the 80s without ever hearing it. That’s like somebody getting through the 80s without ever having heard Phil Collins. So I never posted, because I wasn’t really sure if it was right.
“Biko” has a synthesized bagpipe sound.
There’s Wings’ “Mull of Kintyre,” but I don’t know how many people would recognize that, and it’s not really a rock song.
For the longest time, I thought the Church’s “Under The Milky Way” had pipes in it, but it was just a guitar eBow sound set up to evoke bagpipes. (ETA: Looking it up, apparently recorded into a Synclavier, as well.)
I don’t know how well it did in the US, but for me at least the Flying Pickets’ cover of Yazoo’s “Only You” was the first a-capella song I’ve heard and the first that came to mind. It was a big hit in the UK and in Europe in 1983.
Color me baffled, I never knew this.
“It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” covered by Boyz II Men hit #2 in the US in the early 90s. Don’t know how many people would necessarily remember it – I do. They were everywhere in the early 90s. Slow jams/R&B was bit at the time (I was in high school), but it could be avoided if you hung out in your own musical pockets. But if you listened to Top 40 radio at all, you will have heard it.
I Googled this question in a lazy way. Though it did not reveal new answers, it did reveal a bunch of new genres. Cowboy horror? Impossible synth? Mathematical metal? You can probably take this genre stuff too far.
Yeah, it’s in the Wikipedia write-up:
Gabriel provided lead vocals and piano.[23] The guitarist for “Biko” was David Rhodes, Gabriel’s longtime collaborator.[31] Other participants included Jerry Marotta on drums, Phil Collins on surdo, Larry Fast on synths and synthesised bagpipes, and Dave Ferguson on screeches.[32] However, a 2016 “listener’s companion” to Gabriel’s music named Phil Collins as the drummer on the song, Larry Fast as playing the synthesiser, and Jerry Marotta as playing the snare drum.
A lot of people (including me) thought “In a Big Country” had bagpipes, but it was actually heavily-modified guitars.
“Math rock” is a pretty established genre; I’ve heard of it since at least the mid-90s. I doubt there’s a good example most people would be aware of, though.
The aforementioned Pogues song A Body of an American (as featured in the wire) features bagpipes;
Though they are the Irish not Scottish variety:
Tico Tico No Fuba is the only widely-known Brazilian choro.
How about jazz with bagpipes?
I saw this group play in the 70s. Not my favorite show ever.
Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega
Me and a Gun by Tori Amos
Caravan of Love by The Housemartins
The unique thing about DWBH is the solo+effects aspect, not that it has vocal effects (Pentatonix has made quite the career out of that after all) or that it’s solo a capella.
In fairness Don’t Worry is much better known than the above listings.
What about Barber Shop? Baby On Board…
When I think of Pirate rock, I think of Flogging Molly.
When I think of Celtic Punk, I think of Dropkick Murphys.
When I think of Bluegrass Punk, I think of early Avett Brothers.