Top 10 Best Piano Pop Songs
#10: “Angel” (1997) Sarah McLachlan
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The go-to song for any television show craving for a tearjerker. Appearing on McLachlan's fourth album, the Billboard Hot 100 top 5 hit is a sorrowful ballad inspired by the death of Smashing Pumpkins keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin due to a heroin overdose. Bolstered by her own passionate performance and the minimalistic piano accompaniment, “Angel” toes the line between tragic and uplifting, as the lyrics sympathize with a desire to escape from reality but stress to not take responsibility for other people's issues and focus on loving yourself.
#9: “Fallin'” (2001) Alicia Keys
The lead single from Alicia Keys' debut album, "Songs in A Minor," "Fallin'" is a mesmerizing tour-de-force that propelled the then newcomer right to the top of the industry. Only 20 at the time, Keys presented a mature take on relationships which acknowledged that every couple experiences ups and down. Influenced by gospel and soul music, "Fallin" gradually builds into an epic and emotional crescendo that showcases Keys' fantastic vocal range and charisma. Peaking at number one on the Hot 100 charts, the Grammy Awards named "Fallin'" as the “Song of the Year.”
#8: “Clocks” (2002) Coldplay
A moment of inspiration can be enough to conceive a masterpiece. Composed just a couple of months prior to the release of the band's second album, "Clocks" came to fruition during one random night when the iconic piano riff popped into Chris Martin's mind. Originally left for the third album, "Clocks" was considered too good to sit on and ended up winning a Grammy "Record of the Year" Award for Coldplay. Routed in psychedelic rock, the atmospheric piano melody reflects the contrasting lyrics pitting urgency against helplessness. Coldplay could not have released a better single as a follow-up to "The Scientist."
#7: “Isn't She Lovely” (1976) Stevie Wonder
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Stepping away from all the gloom and doom, here we have a classic song that embraces life. A child prodigy, and among the more successful musicians of the late 20th century, Stevie Wonder wrote "Isn't She Lovely" as a tribute to the birth of the singer's daughter and this sense of happiness can be felt in every delightful chord. Technically, "Isn't She Lovely" was never released as a commercial single, but it still managed to creep onto the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. A mix of jazz and pop elements, Wonder's song is guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face.
#6: “Someone like You” (2011) Adele
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"Rolling in the Deep" declared that the British Singer was here to stay, "Someone like You" established Adele as a bonafide superstar. Peaking at the top of the UK and US pop charts, “Someone like You” stripped down the instrumental to a hypnotic melody and allowed the singer to cut loose. As the last track on an album dealing exclusively with a bitter end to a relationship, the song presents a more self-reflective and personal account that focuses on the future rather than the past. Cathartic and beautiful, Adele's ballad is simply unforgettable.
#5: “Your Song” (1970) Elton John
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From "Rocket Man" to "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word," Elton John knows a thing or two about piano ballads. Created in conjunction with longtime collaborator, Bernie Taupin, for the singer's sophomore record; "Your Song" was originally released as a B-Side but ended up being the musician's first significant hit. Taupin's innocent lyrics romanticize a relationship from the perspective of a self-deprecating man who stumbles into a declaration of love. Complimented by a simple string progression, the piano instrumental and Elton John's delicate vocal performance echo the lyrical content perfectly.
#4: “Imagine” (1971) John Lennon
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Certain songs transcend the medium to the point that almost everyone recognizes them; "Imagine" is one of those tracks. Hailing from the minds of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, this pure piano ballad might just be the most commercially viable political anthem of all time. Promoting the notion of a world free from religion, politics, or countries; "Imagine" is sweet like honey, but remains an effective anti-capitalistic tune, which was – ironically – the best-selling single of Lennon's solo career. While the lyrics don't dig too deep, Lennon's earnest performance and the smooth instrumental add weight to the overall production.
#3: “Piano Man” (1973) Billy Joel
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Semi-autobiographical in nature, there is a reason that Billy Joel is known as the piano man. Inspired by a brief stint the musician spent as a lounge singer in a Los Angeles bar, the characters who appear in the lyrics are based on real-life people that visited this establishment. At the time, "Piano Man" was only a moderate hit, but the success of Joel's 1977 album, "The Stranger," pushed the song back into the limelight and it is now considered a classic. Poetic and haunting, "Piano Man" serves its namesake well.
#2: “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975) Queen
Damn, but Freddie Mercury could out-sing the best of the best. Split into an opera, stadium rock, and piano ballad sections; "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a progressive rock masterpiece that confounded critics upon release but grew in popularity and stature. Due to the way the song combines multiple musical styles, Queen's epic cannot be confined into any specific genre, but the piano section makes up the longest part of the track and contains some of Mercury's best verses. While nowhere near as grandiose as the later segments, "Bohemian Rhapsody's" emotional core is established during the ballad section. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “All Of Me” (2013) John Legend “A Thousand Miles” (2002) Vanessa Carlton “Don’t Look Back In Anger” (1996) Oasis
#1: “Let It Be” (1970) The Beatles
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The song that marked the end of an era. The title track from The Beatles' final studio album, Paul McCartney announced his departure after "Let It Be" was released as a single. Described as more of a McCartney track than a Beatles song by John Lennon, "Let It Be" soars due to its iconic piano theme that is supported by an orchestral backing and a brilliantly on point, but edgy guitar solo by George Harrison. Lyrically, McCartney stated that it had nothing to do with religion, but instead referenced a dream the musician had about his late mother.
