# Classical Music Samples in Popular Music



## clare (Nov 6, 2009)

Sometimes it's disastrous (remember that rap version of Prince Igor?! and The Farm doing Pach's Canon, and don't even get me started on Glasvegas' Moonlight Sonata with talking over the top) but sometimes it works really well and I think this is one example.......
John Barry's 'Midnight Cowboy' samples in Scarlette Fever - You Don't Know My Name

here's the video teaser for it.... Video for Scarlette Fever - You Don't Know My Name

any other examples you can think of??? sure there's tons


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

I know of a piece of classical music which uses samples, _On the Transmigration of Souls_ by John Adams:






I realise that's the opposite of what you are after.


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## Herr Direktor (Oct 18, 2009)

Billy Joel - This Night - the chorus is the slow movement of the Patetique sonata by LvB.

Works pretty well I think.

HD


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I tend to go back to the 60's and 70's 'cause that's what I know.

The Supremes (as well as a group called The Toys) had a huge hit with _The Lover's Concerto_ based on Bach's Minuet in G from The Anna Magdelena Notebook. Somehow it is in 4/4 time though.

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, 3rd movement excerpts provided the melody for Sinatra's 1945 hit "Full Moon and Empty Arms." This was quite a few decades before my time, for the record.

Progressive rock giants Emerson, Lake, and Palmer have recorded pieces based on Janecek's _Sinfonietta_, Bartok's _Allegro Barbaro_, Mussorgsky's _Pictures at an Exhibition_ (almost in its entirety), and on and on. People who are real fans might take offense at thinking of them as "pop" music, however, and people who like pop music might not even consider them music at all. I catalog Emerson's Piano Concerto with my classical library.

"Joy" by Apollo 100 in the late 1960's was a sort of upbeat dance version of _Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring_ from Bach, but just oozing with cheese.

Jethro Tull did a hugely sleazy jazz version of Bach's Bouree from Lute suite in E minor that is loads of fun. (Sleazy jazz was their description of it, not mine.) It originally only consisted of the first section, but some forty years after its recording they finally learned the entire piece. They do it as a fairly fast serious version first before lapsing into the sleazy jazz version these days.

Contrary to popular belief, the organ parts of Procol Harem's _A Whiter Shade of Pale_ are NOT by J. S. Bach, but are merely profoundly Bach-like. So says Professor Peter Schickele in one of his Schickele Mix shows.

I'll stop there before it becomes TMI, if it hasn't already.


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## Ignis Fatuus (Nov 25, 2008)

Remember that rap/funk version of Beetoven's 5th? I think the band was A+ or A* or something. I though it was actually quite cool!

Another one is a Rufus Wainright song with Ravel's Bolero.

Not to mention the various pop songs that knowingly or other use the chords of Pachelbel's Canon.


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## classidaho (May 5, 2009)

back in the 50's, Tony Bennet took 'Stranger in Paradise' to the top of the charts for quite some time (Prince Igor).........


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## Dusty (Nov 9, 2009)

Hi All,

Another great example of Classical music used in pop music is the song "Goodbye" as performed by Dusty Springfield.

It is based on (or totally copied from) a piece by JS Bach.

Does anyone know what piece it is based on?

I just started a thread about this in the "non classical" section of this forum, and I have attached an excerpt of the piece if anyone thinks they can identify it.

Here's the thread I posted: http://www.talkclassical.com/7155-goodbye-dusty-springfield.html

Thanks

- Dusty


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Dusty said:


> Here's the thread I posted: http://www.talkclassical.com/7155-goodbye-dusty-springfield.html


I have been researching this but so far to no avail.


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## Herr Direktor (Oct 18, 2009)

Another great example:

Sting - Russians: listen for Lt Keije (sp) in there after the first chorus.


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## Dusty (Nov 9, 2009)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by Dusty View Post
> Here's the thread I posted: Goodbye - Dusty Springfield
> I have been researching this but so far to no avail.


After much research, I have found that the piece "Goodbye" by Dusty Springfield is based on an Aria from near the end of Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

Here is a video of it:






- Dusty


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## 151 (Jun 14, 2010)

Karl Jenkins - Palladio






Jedi Mind Tricks - On The Eve of War


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## Rasa (Apr 23, 2009)

Except Karl Jenkins IS popular music.


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## 151 (Jun 14, 2010)

Rasa said:


> Except Karl Jenkins IS popular music.


Most classical music is popular.

It's not "pop music."


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## Ernie (Jun 6, 2010)

"All By Myself" - Celene Dion (2nd movement Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2)


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## Morris Billy (Jun 30, 2010)

Samples of classical pieces like Mozart, Beethoven, etc...I'm just looking for Endurance songs...Trying to find a song that came out back in like 2000 when Endurance was popular that had a sample of a classical song in it. The song had 2 singers, both white, a male and a female. I believe the course had "save me..." in it, but I can't remember the rest of the words. Thanks!!!


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