31 Rock Songs With Piano

22. “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger

Song year: 1979

As part of Bob Seger’s album “Stranger In Town,” “Old Time Rock and Roll” was a hit as the Carter administration wound down. Its honky tonk feel makes for a fun listen and a nostalgic look back to the good old days.

But most Gen Xers never heard it until Tom Cruise, to the opening descending line from the piano, slid across the floor in his underwear after his parents left town in “Risky Business.” For many people, that piano riff evokes that image and none other.

23. “Desperado” by the Eagles

Song year: 1973

The award for most effective grace note in a piano introduction goes to “Desperado.” It helped land the song on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest songs ever. Those were rock songs, mostly, but “Desperado” is a decidedly country tune.

The grace notes, along with the iconic piano-only intro, help evoke the loneliness and isolation of an outlaw riding the range all alone.

24. “Imagine” by John Lennon

Song year: 1971

John Lennon’s biggest hit is a far cry from the high-energy and high-concept stuff he did at various points of his career with The Beatles.

The key to the song’s effectiveness lies in its simplicity— a simple piano part, a singable melody, and a simple message. With just a few chords and very few voicing variations, Lennon gave us an anthem of peace and love that did more than any of his bed-ins or other stunts.

25. “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John

Song year: 1972

The C major arpeggios at the beginning of “Tiny Dancer” are as recognizable as any piano licks in the modern oeuvre. While it took Elton John’s record company some time to release it as a single, and when they did, it didn’t do all that well, it has become one of his most beloved hits.

It doesn’t bring to mind Sir Elton’s wardrobe antics or his frenetic live performances, but it stands as a beautiful piece of music that hearkens back to his early LA days.

26. “Firth of Fifth” by Genesis

Song year: 1973

Genesis keyboard player Tony Banks wrote a lot of great music for the band, and the group had bigger hits than “Firth of Fifth,” but Banks’ work on the piano in the intro and throughout the song is intricate and shows a refined technique on the instrument.

The song seems to be about some kind of medieval journey, but the glorious organ chords and Peter Gabriel’s distinctive voice, added to the standout piano work, almost make the song’s subject matter irrelevant. It’s a weird song, but it’s still pretty cool.

27. “In My Life” by The Beatles

Song year: 1965

Not exactly driven by the piano, “In My Life” contains one of the coolest piano solos in rock music. It almost doesn’t fit with the rest of the song but somehow doesn’t seem out of place.

Sir Paul couldn’t play the solo he wanted to at tempo, so producer George Martin slowed the recording speed and had Paul play the solo at half-speed and an octave lower. The result is a clean, well-constructed solo that has a unique sound it wouldn’t have had it been recorded at speed.

28. “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel

Song year: 1976

Billy Joel’s jazzy paean to The Big Apple is a tour of the city and a tour-de-force of Joel’s preternatural ability to get a piano to say exactly what he wants it to say.

He wrote the song in California, and Joel’s forlorn homesickness is on full display.

Live, this song is an opportunity for Joel to go off-script and play some mind-boggling improv as an intro, meaning few other piano players enjoy playing this for an audience, because who can top that?

29. “You’re An Ocean” by Fastball

Song year: 2000

Saloon-inspired piano tones remain uncommon in pop-rock, which may be why the piano part that’s the backbone of Fastball’s “You’re An Ocean” is so charming.

Also, the song, despite never rising higher than number 25 on any chart, verges on being a perfect piece of pop music. The unusual chord changes that peek their heads out now and then are rare enough to be surprising, but not enough to be a distraction.

The occasional bluesy riffs only make the piano part cooler.

30. “Clocks” by Coldplay

Song year: 2002

Few bands have utilized hemiola in their songs as well as Chris Martin and Coldplay did in the intro of “Clocks.”

Even though they played the Super Bowl one year, Coldplay hasn’t broken through to worldwide success and acclaim, but “Clocks” is one of those songs that everybody knows, even if they don’t know who sings it. And those first piano notes are hyper-recognizable.

31. “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem

Song year: 2007

Open fifths and open fifths in the left and right hand, respectively, kick off “All My Friends.” The rhythm seesaws between eighth and sixteenth notes for a few measures before the rest of LCD Soundsystem kicks in, and the piano churns along, unchanged except for dynamics, for almost eight minutes— on the album version, anyway.

You’d think it would get boring, but you’d be wrong. The lyrics capture the in-between many of us go through as we leave our 20s, so you’d think this was a downer. It’s not, and that has a lot to do with a super cool and ridiculously simple (though deceptively difficult to play) piano line.

Best Rock Songs With Piano, Final Thoughts

So many rock songs with piano had to be left off this list, but we’ve tried to represent a wide variety of rock music featuring the piano. From Jerry Lee to Elton to Ben, the instrument has a rich history in the rock world.