Win Nick’s PC Voucher

at

Thank Fede it’s Friday.

Who’s up for a music competition?

This week the question comes courtesy of reader Clampers Outside who suggests your favourite piano song or a song whose melody is led by a piano.

So there you have it.

Here’s mine.

Reply below to be in with a chance of bagging yourself a €20 Currys PC World voucher redeemable in any Currys store.

The winner will be chosen by my piano tuner.

Please include a video link if possible, thanks.

Lines MUST close on Saturday Midday.

Nick says: Good luck!

Earlier: Last week’s winner

Sponsored Link

171 thoughts on “Win Nick’s PC Voucher

  1. Harry

    David Bowie’s Life on Mars (featuring Mike Garson on piano)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRnbuDvk7zM

    Not too many songs are about a typical teenage girl being sent off to the movies by her parents, she gets stood up by her friend, boyfriend perhaps? And she somewhat despondently takes her seat in the stalls. Few early rock-era songs feature a girl where she is simply the subject of a song, not an object of beauty or lust or distraction, and Bowie also neatly captures the essence of a teenager’s life filled with emotional highs and lows of the worlds slights and petty injustices….

    Rick Wakeman plays masterful piano on the original track, in fact Wakeman played the same piano that Paul McCartney used for the recording of “Hey Jude”

    Enjoy!

    Rick Wakeman sublimely playing piano “Life on Mars”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saM1QXdGh_8

  2. Fergalito

    “Fill Your Heart” from the seminal Bowie album – Hunky Dory – one of those albums that i arrived at in or around 13 years of age and formed part of my damascene transition from twee-greatest hits albums and pop mulch to something with a bit more heft and bite. It’s a cover, not a Bowie original and it may be slight and fanciful but the sun is shining outside, the day is warm and who can’t get with the message of forgetting your head and being free … ! The piano on it is stunning … so good that you wonder if the pianist had extra fingers.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIog1vxXN4U

    My second (and final submission) is the awesome The The tune Uncertain Smile. While not strictly piano led the closing joanna solo by Jools Holland at the end of it really makes it leap from excellent to sublime. Story goes he rocked up to the studio on his motorcycle on a sweltering hot July day, dressed head to toe in leather gear, say down, did the take in one, apologised for the mistake and bolted. I’ve listened to this umpteen times and cannot find any mistake ! I don’t think Matt Johnson can either …. hairs on the back of me neck every time i hear it !

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bErFXjUGvQ

    1. Fergalito

      +1

      Othello is magnificent.

      There’s footage out there of a gig he did in The Sugar Club where he rips the michael out of Sting. Completely deconstructs his style of song-writing and exemplifies this by playing The King of Pain whilst stomping on the piano with his feet :)

    1. Clampers Outside

      Nice piece Janet :)

      I had a quick listen to a few tracks on that playlist… It’s now added to my home screen for later :)

    1. Junkface

      Excellent! Oh my God that animated video was a favourite in the 80’s. Great song.

  3. truelovewaits

    Martha by Tom Waits. It is surprising that Tom Waits was only 23 when he recorded this song as it is a wonderfully evocative story of an older man looking back on a youthful love-affair and captures a sense of mature reflection on the past tinged with regret.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXQwDb7AUmo

  4. Clampers Outside

    Loving the pics so far :) And Janet throwing about those obscure, to me anyway, French tracks, love it!

    My first roll of the dice is Kings of Convenience’s ‘Misread’… a summer time feel with a very upbeat rhythm yet carries a certain melancholy too when you listen to the lyrics…

    “How come no one told me
    All throughout history
    The loneliest people
    Were the ones who always spoke the truth

    The ones who made a difference
    By withstanding the indifference
    I guess it’s up to me now
    Should I take that risk or just smile?”

    But it’s all about the rhythm of the piano that I love about this track :)

    https://youtu.be/WOxE7IRizjI

      1. Clampers Outside

        Lovely track… And strangely familiar :)

        Looking forward to going through these posts properly tomorrow morning :)

  5. CapernosityandFunction

    The The – Uncertain Smile

    https://youtu.be/v08Si-3qN_0

    The piano doesn’t come in until around 3 minutes 13 seconds of this version, however, it is worth waiting for. Forget about Jools Holland’s boogie woogie blow outs on Later . . . . this is him in his Squeeze-era pomp. Even though the piano takes up only a portion of this track, I don’t think there are many songs that are so defined by this one instrument than this.

    1. millie bobby brownie

      This is magnificent. Never heard it before but it’s now a favourite.

  6. CapernosityandFunction

    Orbital – Kein Trink Wasser

    https://youtu.be/cvuiXb–Lu8

    The Haydns of house, the Elgars of electronica the Offenbachs of being off your head. If classical composers were working with modern instruments this is what they would be producing.

    1. Clampers Outside

      Oh my god…. I’d sooooo forgotten about that track, and album… Must dig it out.

      Great pick! Was like a flashback there for a mo, grinnin’ ear to ear now :)

    1. Clampers Outside

      Oh my…. this is why I love these comps. That is a thing of beauty, brand new to me so thanks for posting :)

    1. Andy Pipkin

      May I be so bold to add this gem,

      https://youtu.be/Rrt1gIO_yVA

      The Island – Paul Brady

      Went to see him in the Olympia years ago, with a girl whom I thought was well outta my league, but ended up kissing her throughout this song!!

      Good times!!

    1. Clampers Outside

      That is simply divine SOQ.

      Thoroughly enjoyed it… drifted away with it sooo easily, cheers dude :)

      1. millie bobby brownie

        It’s Friday, the bottle of rose is chilled and all is right with the world Andy, thanks for asking. Hope you’re keeping well pal x

  7. K. Cavan

    A pile of great tracks here. This, by ex-Raspberries singer Eric Carmen, is the ultimate piano ballad, the verse is based on the 2nd movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op.18. There’s a very long version about, with a lengthy & lovely orchestral section. https://youtu.be/V-6X7VR9Abo

  8. K. Cavan

    For rock’n’roll piano-led songs, though, this is a stonker, “All The Way From Memphis”. Mott The Hoople were my favourite band through teenage years, even though most of their career, before they hit paydirt with Bowie’s “All The Young Dudes”, happened when I was still in short trousers. I got on board just in time for their last two, most successful albums, then they broke up. Oh well, I got their best years. https://youtu.be/ubBpu3MHmtM

  9. f_lawless

    Young-Holt Unlimited “Soulful Strut” 1968
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKYgtwsqnxs
    Lazy summer funky vibes.

    The song was originally recorded with vocals (“Am I the Same Girl?”) but the producer decided to remove them and overdub a piano solo instead. Turned out to be a shrewd move – the piano version went to no.3 in the US pop charts. The vocal version was released 3 months later but only reached no.79.

    Funnily enough, neither Eldee Young nor Red Holt is believed to have played on the track which was apparently the work of unnamed session musicians.

    1. Clampers Outside

      Me too.

      Was it yourself posted another of theirs, Young Holt Unlimited, a couple of weeks back. Enjoyed that too :)

      (I add the ones I like from these comps to various playlists)

      1. eamonn

        No not me, in fact I am away to learn a little more on the very subject of Young Holt Unlimited, thank f_lawless.

  10. Andy Pipkin

    Right!
    I’m probably going to get gate for this, but I loved her back in the day and this song has stuck with me ever since, the piano is just brilliant and transformers back to my youth!!

    https://youtu.be/8Ms3mJFkSeg

    Enjoy and have a happy weekend!!

    1. Clampers Outside

      Was playing this yesterday morning when my dearest walked in… “are you playing Debbie Gibson” she asked, with a grin :)

  11. Eugene McAuley

    There are so many but I have to choose my all time favourite song. Tom Waits, Kentucky Avenue, his voice and his piano telling us a story of a boy growing up with Hobo jungles, Church keys, Rattlesnakes and sliding down the drain to New Orleans in the fall.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GvZK8Wl7RQ8

  12. Noa

    The Night I Heard Caruso Sing by Everything But The Girl

    This song has been haunting me a lot recently, a beautiful piano piece, and when Tracey Thorn joins in with Ben Watt it becomes a sublime piece to listen to.

    https://youtu.be/6GFK5IChs40

  13. Andy Pipkin

    Final one!
    Having been a roadie since I was sixteen, I can relate too this kid, but it’s the magic in the piano and melody, apparently it was totally improv, but still a great tune!
    Tiny Dancer – Elton John

    https://youtu.be/_qW9wqUI4Lg

    Enjoy!!

        1. millie bobby brownie

          The movie, you mean? I actually haven’t seen it yet, much to my eternal shame.

          Worth the watch?

          1. Clampers Outside

            I wouldn’t describe myself as a John fan. I like some of his stuff but not an avid listener, but the movie was a very enjoyable watch :) Its a trip!

  14. H

    I know I’m out of time (as usual), I actually did have my suggestion ready yesterday but an unexpected caller turned up laden with food so the rest of the day was spent either eating or wondering whether I had room for just a bit more – I did but I probably won’t need to eat again until Wednesday now!

    Anyway my choice, which my seem a bit obvious, is one of my all time favourite songs, the brilliant Billy Joel with Piano Man

    https://youtu.be/gxEPV4kolz0

  15. Clampers Outside

    Ben Folds Five’s Song For The Dumped was my introduction this band.
    The track always puts a smile on my face. It’s likely the first time I ever realised you can be as angry on piano as much as you can be on a guitar… if that makes sense :)

    The piano playing from 1.45 is a joy to be hold varying from fast and light to down right pounding on the keys

    https://youtu.be/XVk_e31dnlE

  16. millie bobby brownie

    I’m gonna throw one more in the ring, just because.

    It moved me years ago when I first heard it – I think it’s impossible not to feel moved by the melody of this song, which so clearly tells a story – and I love it still. It got me into piano, and this is one I played for my two babies when they were still growing in the womb, which makes it very special for me.

    The River Flows in You – Yiruma

    https://youtu.be/zwJQE0HkYZw

  17. Clampers Outside

    Hania Rani ‘F Major’ is a hauntingly beautiful piano piece with an equally beautiful video shot in Iceland.
    I know, not a song, and moving towards classical with this one but she is mesmerising… Prepare to drift away on this one… :)
    https://youtu.be/bB34_eLCLKo

    1. Clampers Outside

      If you enjoyed that, here’s Hanis in this 25 minute studio session that is full of close ups of those intricate finger play moments.

      Again, mesmerising dexterity… Enough to make you want to learn or wish you had :)
      Pure escape stuff this… for me anyway.
      https://youtu.be/kFRdoYfZYUY

        1. Andy Pipkin

          Clampers
          I think you should pick this weeks winner as it was your idea, and I know you listen to every suggestion every week.
          Fair play!!

          1. Clampers Outside

            Ah no, nice idea… but I couldn’t take the pressure man! Lol!

            Janet, Gorugeen and SOQ have all posted beautiful tracks… by the way. Top surprises so far this morning.
            None of which I’ve heard before, which one of the joys of this comp, new music…. and I’m only half way through :)

  18. CapernosityandFunction

    U2 – October

    https://youtu.be/kqdJ6CsXt4Y

    U2 have used piano effectively on some of their tracks. This is my favourite. It is bleak and spare and seems to be a song bereft of hope. There is, however, a little flicker of light in the lyrics. The band were going through their Christian phase (bar Adam) at this stage, so the hope is underpinned by a strong faith. Sermon over.

  19. Gorugeen

    One for the road. 10000 Maniacs cover/reworking of Patti Smith’s because the night. This version being the superior one by some margin. One of the most memorable MTV unplugged series; remember when MTV was about music?!
    https://youtu.be/6JNcGhBWJZA

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      my first memory of MTV was legging it home to hear Metallica’s tune played at the same time every day, I can sing it in my head but can’t for life of me remember the name, bangs head in a different way to teenage me ;)

  20. eamonn

    Dr rubberfunk – bossa for devil
    https://youtu.be/FJBpCuq71pY
    a favourite of mine for a long time, not listened to it in an age
    turns out i still like it
    happy saturday to one and all –
    may the sun shine warm on your backs, and a smile radiate joy from your faces

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie