# Who's alternative and sings over a piano? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114 "2004-05-26T02:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/1 "2004-05-26T02:58:53Z")
Sounds like a riddle, doesn’t it? But no. Sorry. I’m looking for some songs where the only accompaniment is piano. The tricky bit is that I want something more alternative or rock, rather than jazz or other such style where piano is traditional. Something like Five for Fighting’s “Superman” or “100 Years”. Too bad I like those two songs way more than anything else on those albums. I don’t know any way to find something like this other than just random polling… so thanks y’all! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/2 "2004-05-26T03:02:02Z")
If you don’t mind maudlin’, then Nick Cave is your man. Try _The Boatman’s Call_ ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/3 "2004-05-26T03:03:09Z")
Evanescence’s “My Immortal” jumps immediately to mind after having heard it about four dozen times in the past week. It does have a guitar solo in the middle of it though… it’s not a hundred percent piano. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/4 "2004-05-26T03:13:25Z")
Jack Logan’s “Town Crier” (from the album _Bulk_) is a beautiful song with just vocals and piano. It’s kind of short and a little obscure, though. I don’t know “Superman,” but there’s also “Superman’s Song” by Crash Test Dummies, another Canadian band. I’m not a huge fan of theirs, but it’s a distinctive and I guess “interesting” song. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/5 "2004-05-26T03:15:31Z")
My first thought was Ben Folds – though most of his songs also have drums and bass in it, it’s piano-focused. (And he does have a few solo songs.) Love her or hate her, there’s also Tori Amos. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/6 "2004-05-26T03:17:05Z")
Tom Waits? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/7 "2004-05-26T03:35:25Z")
I second Ben Folds. He has a pretty good range but at the same time you know it’s a Ben Folds song from the first note. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/8 "2004-05-26T04:04:48Z")
“Androgynous” by The Replacements. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/9 "2004-05-26T04:19:18Z")
Tori Amos has several songs which would fit the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/10 "2004-05-26T04:26:23Z")
I’ll throw in votes for Ben Folds and Tom Waits, two of my all-time favorite musicians. I like Tori Amos a lot too, although I understand people either love her or hate her. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/11 "2004-05-26T05:14:18Z")
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Rufus Wainwright. It’s his whole schtick - “man at the piano.” Great songwriter. ---
**Author:** ![Apostle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Apostle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apostle)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/12 "2004-05-26T05:23:31Z")
Muse - _Ruled by Secrecy_. A good body of Muse’s work has very pronounced piano instrumentals; _Apocalypse Please_ and _Sunburn_ are two songs I highly enjoy, and they both include a bad-ass pianist. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/13 "2004-05-26T05:30:21Z")
Well, damn. I came in here just to mention Ben Folds and see I’ve been beaten to it four times over. Ah, well. “Mad World” (remake of the Tears for Fears single) by Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules is a beautiful song set to piano. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/14 "2004-05-26T05:55:55Z")
Sarah MacLachlan would also fit the bill. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/15 "2004-05-26T06:05:32Z")
We can’t let this thread go any further without mentioning the late, great **Warren Zevon**. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/16 "2004-05-26T10:53:13Z")
They Might Be Giants - Reprehensible! If I remember correctly, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/17 "2004-05-26T11:33:21Z")
[Happy Rhodes - In Hiding](http://vickie.teemingmillions.com/HappyRhodes_Warpaint12_InHiding.mp3) [Happy Rhodes - Mother Sea](http://vickie.teemingmillions.com/HappyRhodes_MotherSea.mp3) (there is some orchestration in the chorus, but most of it’s piano and voice. (Happy would not mind me posting these) More samples, ranging from very electronic to voice and guitar: [Unofficially authorized Happy Rhodes samples](http://vickie.teemingmillions.com/happy/samples/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/18 "2004-05-26T13:54:04Z")
I third Tori Amos. Songs such as, Winter, Marianne Putting The Damage On (sans brass)_, Doughnut Song_, Silent all these years, Little Earthquakes, Playboy Mommy, Baker Baker, Jackie’s Strength. Her covers of Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit, The Beatle’s(?) Love Song, Amazing Grace, REM’s Losing My Religion, all on piano are pretty good. But it all depends on your tastes. I would also love to throw in a mention for the Counting Crows, (when they were good) songs such as Raining In Baltimore, Long December, Colorblind, Holiday In Spain, Chelsae (sans brass) And Rob Thomas’ Piano Acoustic 3 am. Brilliant. Wow, that’s all a bit dense. It depends on what you want. If you want something with a message, or good piano music, or something for a situation. \*From Boys For Pele, and a bit on the not making much sense side. Good music, but not much sense. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/19 "2004-05-26T15:01:38Z")
The last song on Leah Andreone’s _Alchemy_ counts–I believe it’s called “Lamentation”. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114/20 "2004-05-26T15:55:57Z")
Oddly enough…Sisters of Mercy, 1959. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-alternative-and-sings-over-a-piano/247114.md?page=2)