-
Great piano intros
I always love great song intro’s that often make the song, like guitar intros that was a topic posted here before, but there are songs with great piano intro’s too. As Paul McCartney said of “And I Love Her”, George’s guitar intro makes the song.
In this little video, David Bennett does some great piano intro’s that reminds me of some great music from the past.
What are some of you favourite songs with a great piano intro?
-
57 Replies
-
I will kick it off with one of MLT’s greatest and most beautiful songs with a wonderful piano intro by none other than Papa Rudi. By the way, check out some of the MLT’s 2007 concert video of awesome Saxophone playing by Michaela. A very talented Fab4 indeed.
-
Oh boy, Jung, 80 intros in 16 minutes. Cool stuff. And unfortunately there’s not that much left to introduce. Impressive. This shows once again that it’s impossible to imagine pop and rock music without the piano and how the piano enriches music.
PS: A little memory test: listen to all 80 pieces and see if the following songs have already been played.
PPS: the original version of Mad World (Tears for Fears) has no piano intro.
-
-
Diana,
I love Tears for Fears too. Thanks for posting the cover version of „Mad World“. Yes I know it and I like it very well. Calm, relaxed and yet haunting. Wonderful. My all time favorites from Tears for Fears: „Pale Shelter“, „Shout“ and this one with a likewise beautiful piano introduction (yeah, funny how time flies):
-
Jurgen, Head Over Heels is a great song, one of the best from the 80s along with Shout. Tears For Fears is definitely one of my favourite 80s bands. Thanks for posting all these great songs here.
-
Mad World is so beautiful Diana, and love the melody. Thanks for sharing it.
-
-
…and this one…
-
Juergen,
Alan Parsons Project is awesome. Listen to the similarities between that and Pink Floyd’s Us and Them. In my minds ear I always consider this as a piano intro even though there is a lot more going on. For me, the piano sets the tone of the song. This video was always a hi-light for me at their shows, watching the video on a huge round screen while the band played below was always very moving.
JP
Here is a nice Piano version. He actually plays the whole intro, so it may take a moment to recognize those iconic notes.
-
Thanks JP,
the song “Us and Them” by Pink Floyd was not present to me, although I own the album Dark Side of the Moon (I think I need to rummage around in my record cupboard again 🙂 ). You’re right, the parallels between Alan Parson and this song are amazing. The Pink Floyd album came first though. I wonder if musicians are always so conscious of what other bands are influencing them at the moment.
Yes, the piano joins in somewhere in the background and somehow points the way, really interesting.
I would like to present a live performance by the band „One Republic“ here. They changed the original from the radio or single version and it is resulting in a very nice piano intro:
Jürgen
-
Jurgen, that Alan Parson’s song is great, such a soothing feelings comes on when I hear that. I like that and Eye In The Sky.
JP, Pink Floyd’s Us and Them evokes very similar feelings as the the Alan Parson’s song, quite amazing.
-
David Bennett took most of the good ones, but here are a few other few piano intros that I really like, not necessarily because they are technically brilliant, but because they do such a great job setting the mood of the song:
-
-
David!
I love both of these songs!
-
-
David, I tried to reply earlier, but my comments go lost. Those 3 are so beautiful, especially Mandy. You are right, the piano part doesn’t necessarily have to be very technically brilliant, but if done right can really set the mood for the entire song effectively.
This one I think is a good example, a very simple intro piano part of just repeating dissonant notes, that evokes a lonely desolate mood, that is accompanied by a beautiful melody that together is so, so moving. Gets me every time.
-
-
X
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Diana Geertsen.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Diana Geertsen.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
-
x
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Diana Geertsen.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
-
I think of Carly Simon every time I enjoy a hamburger.
-
David, It’s kind of amazing that iconic ketchup bottle was kept as is for so long and continues, despite the fact the new plastic squeeze mustard containers worked much better in getting the mustard out. But ketchup wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t come out so slow with ANTICIPATION.
-
X
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Diana Geertsen.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
-
-
Here I are two more beautiful piano intros:
-
It is difficult to speak of an intro to the songs of „Cœur de pirate“ alias Béatrice Martin, because the piano playing runs like a red thread through the entire song. What I like about her music is that she creates beautiful moods with quite minimalistic means. Although a young Canadian from Montreal, her music is somehow a homage to French chanson.
-
Jurgen, two beautiful songs, especially enjoyed the one by Couer de pirate. Montreal is one of the most European cities in Canada I think, along with Quebec City that I visited in 2019 just before the pandemic. The cruise we took went down the Atlantic coast and ended up in Boston which was also another city filled with historic sites.
Here is another one with a beautiful piano intro lead in that plays out throughout the song.
-
Here is a big one by Chicago, one of my favourites songs of theirs. The song is built around a simple piano riff that is quite beautiful.
Log in to reply.
