12 pop songs with a classical touch
Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling in Love
The world-famous ballad Can’t Help Falling in Love might seem like a purely American love classic, but nothing could be further from the truth. Its melody actually dates back to 1784, when composer Jean-Paul-Égide Martini wrote the song Plaisir d’amour. This melancholic piece, contrasting the joy of love with the painful realisation that it is often fleeting, has been sung and adapted countless times through the centuries, including, of course, by the undisputed King of Rock ’n’ Roll.
The Beatles – Because
For this 1969 track, John Lennon took inspiration from Beethoven’s famous Moonlight Sonata. The story goes that his wife, Yoko Ono, was playing the piece at home on the piano when Lennon asked her to play the chords backwards. That simple experiment became the foundation of what would eventually turn into the song Because.
Walter Murphy – A Fifth of Beethoven
You could hardly get more literal: even the title points directly to the classical work it’s based on. In 1976, Walter Murphy turned the music world upside down with A Fifth of Beethoven. The iconic opening motif of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony was given a groovy disco beat in his hands. Where Beethoven’s composition expressed drama and struggle, Murphy’s version radiated pure seventies glamour. The track shot straight to the top of the US charts!
The version of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony shown below is performed by the Gewandhausorchester, recorded in 1999. On 13 November 2025, the orchestra will appear at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven under the direction of its chief conductor, Andris Nelsons.
Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade of Pale
Singer Gary Brooker never made a secret of the fact that the melody of A Whiter Shade of Pale was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s famous Air. Not necessarily the original Baroque piece from the eighteenth century, but rather the 1871 arrangement by German violinist August Wilhelmj. He played the Air a few notes lower – hence the well-known Air on the G String – giving the piece its melancholic tone which, in the twentieth century, paved the way for one of the greatest pop songs of the sixties.
Billie Eilish – Goldwing
It’s not necessarily one of Billie Eilish’s best-known tracks, but it opens with a note-for-note rendition of Gustav Holst’s Hymn to Vena. Both the music and the text are identical: “He hath come to the bosom of his beloved. Smiling on him. She beareth him to highest heav’n. With yearning heart, on thee we gaze. O gold-wing’d messenger of mighty gods.” Even the title of Eilish’s version can be found in Holst’s hymn!
Robbie Williams – Party Like a Russian
With Party Like a Russian, Robbie Williams showed just how well classical and pop can come together. The foundation of the song is the dramatic Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet. Its heavy, pounding melody gave Williams exactly the grandeur he was looking for. With a playful wink, he turned it into a flamboyant pop anthem, bringing the classical work not only to the ballet stage but also to the dance floor.
Coolio – C U When You Get There
In 1997, Coolio gave his hit C U When You Get There a surprising classical twist. The chorus and its instantly recognisable accompaniment are based on Canon in D by Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel, one of the most performed and beloved works in classical music. By combining Pachelbel’s signature chord progression with rap and R&B, Coolio created a track that sounded both modern and timeless. It proved that even a seventeenth-century composition could effortlessly find new life in the hip-hop culture of the nineties.
Maroon 5 – Memories
And we’re staying with Pachelbel’s Canon in D for the next track. Not without reason, of course, as the piece has served as a rich source of inspiration for countless artists. Among them Maroon 5, who interpreted it in a very different way from Coolio. The band transformed the classical work into a contemporary pop ballad about loss and cherished memories, whereas Pachelbel’s original was above all calm and solemn.
Eric Carmen – All By Myself
Eric Carmen scored a major hit in 1975 with All By Myself, but the melody wasn’t entirely his own. The iconic chorus is directly based on Sergei Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto, one of the most beloved works of Romantic music. Carmen took Rachmaninov’s sweeping harmonies and translated them into a pop ballad about loneliness and longing. The result was a classic in its own right, later covered by countless artists from Céline Dion to Frank Sinatra.
In the video below, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto is performed by Yuja Wang. On Sunday 2 November 2025, she will appear at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven together with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Billy Joel – This Night
Billy Joel revealed his love for classical music with the song This Night. The chorus is directly built on the second movement of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata. Joel transformed the sonata’s melody into a soulful pop ballad, complete with doo-wop-style vocal lines. He never made a secret of where the inspiration came from, in fact, Beethoven is even credited as a co-author.
On Saturday 25 October, Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata will be performed by master pianist Ivo Pogorelich.
The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
It may well be one of the most recognisable bass riffs of recent decades: the one from Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. But did you know that this riff bears a strong resemblance to Anton Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony? Frontman Jack White discovered the work while studying classical music and was determined to keep the iconic riff he based on it in reserve, just in case he was ever asked to write a James Bond theme. When he realised that chance was rather slim, he decided to release the track anyway.
Barry Manilow – Could it be magic
Barry Manilow transformed Frédéric Chopin’s melancholic masterpiece Prelude in C minor, Opus 28 No. 20 into a grandly built pop ballad. Nearly a century and a half later, the piano prelude thus became the foundation for a worldwide hit.
The version of Chopin’s Prelude in C minor shown below is performed by Seong-Jin Cho. On Thursday 13 November, he will perform at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven together with the Gewandhausorchester.