Elton John is a singer-songwriter, composer and pianist who came to popularity during the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s. His songs like his signature song Crocodile Rock and his breakthrough hit Your Song were hugely popular and remain favorites. Nearly all of John’s songs were co-written with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. John has garnered several [...]
Category Archives: How to Play Songs on Piano
How to play My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
Who could forget the epic song My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion? Not many people, considering the song went to #1 all over the world. With beautiful music marked by emotive, progressive chords and the incredible vocals of Celine Dion the song broke sales records the world over. The song combines powerful music [...]
How to play Hero by Mariah Carey
Hero is a song by Mariah Carey about self-empowerment. It explores the concept that everyone is a hero if they just look inside and search for the inner strength to find the way. The song is from Carey’s fourth album, the 1993 Music Box. It was the second single release off the album and it [...]
How to play Never Had a Dream Come True by S Club 7
The song Never Had a Dream Come True was a song by manufactured pop group S Club 7. The group enjoyed several successful songs during their time as S Club 7. The group rose to fame after starring in the BBC series Miami 7. When they released the song Never Had a Dream Come True [...]
How to play Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Keane is an English alternative rock band known for its use of piano instead of guitar in its rock music. A common feature in the band’s music was the inclusion of a distorted piano effect and various synthesizers giving the band’s songs a more electronic sound. The band achieved initial breakthrough success with the album [...]
How to play With a Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker
Some songs are so good that other musicians can’t help but create their own cover of the song. With A Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker is one of those songs. The song was actually written and performed by The Beatles originally, but Joe Cocker’s version of the song became a classic. Cocker [...]
How to play When You’re Gone by Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne has gone through several reinventions of herself and her music has never been easily confined to any one genre. Her songs have been called pop punk, teen pop, power pop and alternative rock. There is one thing that has remained consistent about Lavigne, however; she can produce hits. Her debut album Let Go [...]
How to play Yesterday by the Beatles
The Beatles were a hit producing machine when they released the song Yesterday. The song would become the band’s third song in a consecutive string of #1 hits on the American charts, the others being I Feel Fine, Eight Days a Week, Ticket to Ride, Help! and We Can Work it Out. The song was [...]
How to play My Immortal by Evanescence
With their heavy metal sound offset by the melancholy vocals of lead singer Amy Lee, Evanescence is a band that is hard to categorize. Though critics have tried, most closely defining the band as gothic metal or gothic rock. Evanescence became popular in 2003 with the release of their single My Immortal. The band gained [...]
How to play Piano Man by Billy Joel
Billy Joel was having a rough time in life when he was working as a piano player in a lounge. His first album had failed and he was having issues with his record company. However, his time at that piano bar was a blessing in disguise because it inspired him to write the song Piano [...]
How to play Moondance by Van Morrison
Moondance is a great jazzy song that theoretically should have been released on the album of the same name in 1970 but wasn’t released as a single until seven years later. Moondance is a song about Autumn by Irish musician Van Morrison. When it was released in 1977 it was the A-side to Cold Wind [...]
How to play Lady Madonna by The Beatles
Lady Madonna is a song by The Beatles that was inspired by the bluesy sound of rock pianist Fats Domino. The Beatles were known to experiment with a variety of sounds. Just as they have influenced a variety of musical genres long after their breakup, so were they inspired by a variety of musical styles. [...]
How to play Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel
Billy Joel already had four studio albums that were moderate hits when he released his breakthrough album The Stranger. The album was a huge success topping the charts propelled by the single Just the Way You Are. Just the Way You Are is a love song by Billy Joel for his first wife. The couple [...]
How to play It’s Too Late by Carole King
It’s Too Late is a song by Carole King off her wildly successful album Tapestry. Long before releasing the album King had found success as a songwriter for other artists. When she finally sang her own songs and released Tapestry she was met with success as a singer as well. Her album Tapestry garnered four [...]
How to play Imagine by John Lennon
Occasionally, there is a song written that becomes the anthem for a movement or a generation, Imagine has endured as that song for decades. Written by John Lennon after he embarked on his solo career, Imagine is a call for peace and a utopian society. The song is Lennon’s signature song and was ranked by [...]
How to play If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
From an early age Alicia Keys earned praise for her amazing singing voice, skillful piano playing and emotion-filled lyrics. She wowed audiences and critics alike with her debut album Songs in A Minor and continued that with the follow up album The Diary of Alicia Keys. That album produced four songs that hit the top [...]
How to play I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
I Will Survive is a song by Gloria Gaynor and is an anthem from the days of disco. The song was also the biggest hit for Gaynor. I Will Survive was actually an accidental hit. It was the B-side song that became a hit when disc jockeys began playing I Will Survive instead. The song [...]
How to play Hurt by Christina Aguilera
Like many of her songs, Christina Aguilera’s song Hurt was a hit for her. Marked by her remarkable singing ability and moving lyrics, Hurt is not just a ballad, it’s a power ballad. Aguilera co-wrote the song that discusses losing love and dealing with the hurt that happens. Aguilera has a hand in most aspects [...]
How to play How to Save a Life by The Fray
How to Save a Life is a song that helped bring mainstream success to American rock band The Fray. The song has some pretty deep lyrics and some serious piano playing to match. How to Save a Life’s storyline is about trying to reach out to someone and in essence “save a life.” The song [...]
How to play Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright lent his beautiful tenor voice to the cover of one of the most lyrically poetic songs, Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen. The performance appears on the DVD Live at The Fillmore, that accompanied the album Want Two by Wainwright. Live at The Fillmore was a DVD that highlighted live concert footage from a 1994 [...]
How to play Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis
Great Balls of Fire is a single by Jerry Lee Lewis that rocketed him to fame when it was released in 1957. The song’s title was taken from a Southern slang phrase that was considered blasphemous. Because of that and Lewis’ overtly sexual overtones in his performances many radio stations banned his music from air [...]
How to play Funeral March by Frederic Chopin
It’s a song that many people are familiar with but may not even know it. The Funeral March by Frederic Chopin is often used to represent death in popular culture, especially in cartoons and video games. The Imperial March, played whenever the character Darth Vader entered a room in the Star Wars trilogy, bears a [...]
How to play Fallin’ by Alicia Keys
Fallin’ is a song by American R&B artist Alicia Keys. The song is an emotion-filled look at relationships and the ups and downs that inevitably happen. Though Keys wrote the song, she almost didn’t record it. It was originally meant for another artist but Keys felt strongly about the song and wanted to record it. [...]
How to Play Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
One of the most classic contemporary love songs is Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. The duet has become a favorite whenever the situation calls for a romantic song. It’s become almost a standard song to play at weddings. Endless Love is the biggest hit of Diana Ross’ career but just one of [...]
How to play Brick by Ben Folds Five
Brick is a song by the band Ben Folds Five that deals with the topic of abortion and how it affects two individuals and their relationship. Though the 1997 song tackled a deeply emotional issue for Ben Folds who wrote it about his high school girlfriend, the song received major radio airplay. It remains one [...]
How to play Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
The progressive rock group Queen was known for its elaborate live shows and the flamboyant stage presence of its lead singer Freddie Mercury. The song Bohemian Rhapsody was perhaps the most perfect example of the band’s outrageous style. Bohemian Rhapsody is the quintessential Queen song that lends itself to an elaborate production. The song is [...]
How to play Because of You by Kelly Clarkson
Because of You is one of many hits by former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson had a hard time shaking her American Idol image, but by the time she released her second album, Breakaway she proved that she had star power. That album released Because of You, a song about the effects of a [...]
How to Play You’re So Vain by Carly Simon
When Carly Simon released the song You’re So Vain it became her biggest hit but Simon wasn’t going to name names. Since its release she has left audiences in the dark about who the song is about.Through the years she has alluded to several possibilities and provided several clues however she’s never publicly confirmed who [...]
How to play Autumn Leaves by Nat King Cole
The song Autumn Leaves is a much-recorded song that was originally a 1945 French song called Les feuilles mortes. It was introduced in the 1946 film Les Portes de la Nuit. A year later American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics for the song and it became a jazz and pop standard in both French [...]
How to play Crocodile Rock by Elton John
Crocodile Rock is one of Elton John’s first and biggest hits. The song pays tribute to the sounds of the 50s and 60s both with the sounds that influence the song itself and also the lyrics.The writer waxes nostalgic about the rock and roll songs of that era and a relationship he had at the [...]
How to play Trouble by Coldplay
Since coming on the scene Coldplay has seen its share of hits. The band’s debut album Parachutes spawned several hits including Yellow, Shiver and Trouble and received generally positive acclaim. The band’s music has been so well accepted that there have been plenty of offers to license the band’s music for commercial purposes. Coldplay has [...]
How to play We’ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters
We’ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters had an unlikely beginning. Richard Carpenter heard it one late night on a commercial for Crocker Bank in California. The Crocker Bank commercial used the song in a wedding-themed commercial advertising its services to new couples but featured no mention of the bank in the lyrics. Richard Carpenter [...]
How to play Stand By Me by Ben E. King
Ben E. King didn’t realize he had a hit on his hands when he co-wrote Stand By Me. Originally, he had written it for The Drifters, of which he was lead singer. However, the group passed on the song and Redding recorded it instead. The song became a hit not once but twice. First at [...]
How to play Summertime by Ella Fitzgerald
Summertime is a song by The First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald. Known for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and in general, her incredible voice, Fitzgerald enjoyed a career that spanned 59 years. Fitzgerald began her career singing with big bands. When music saw a shift to jazz Fitzgerald began incorporating [...]
How to play Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay
Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay is one of the most well-known songs by American soul singer Otis Redding. Redding’s career was cut short when he died in a plane crash. His death came just prior to the release of the album The Dock of the Bay, which contained the single Sittin’ On The [...]
How to play New York State of Mind by Billy Joel
New Yorkers have something of a love affair with New York City, and Billy Joel is no exception. After spending several years on the West Coast of the United States Joel returned to the East Coast with a song in his heart – a love song for New York City. He came up with New [...]
How to play Love Song by Sara Bareilles
Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles struggled to find a hit until her record label gave her some advice that all at once enraged her and prompted her to find some renewed motivation. The result was her first smash hit Love Song. The song talks about her refusal to write a commercial love song on demand.The song earned [...]
How to play Let It Be by The Beatles
English rock band The Beatles undoubtedly had a spectacular run as a band. They had throngs of fans, were the inspiration for several copycat bands and even influenced fashion trends with their mop tops and stylish suits. They have remained as influential as they were when they first appeared on the scene even though they [...]
How to play Apologize by OneRepublic
Apologize by OneRepublic is a song about dealing with the pain of a failed relationship and moving on. The song garnered the band a lot of attention on MySpace. However, when Timbaland produced it as a remix and included it on his Timbaland Presents: Shock Value album the song received an international audience. Apologize went on to become an international hit.
How to play Bad Day by Daniel Powter
The song Bad Day was a tremendous hit for Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Powter. It has been popularly used as a song of defeat, though the song itself has achieved mega success. It gained immense popularity when it was used in farewell video packages when contestants were eliminated from American Idol in Season 5. It’s also [...]
How to play Angel by Sarah McLachlan
When Sarah McLachlan read an article in Rolling Stone magazine about the drug-related death of Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, and other musicians who turned to drugs to deal with the pressures of the industry, she was inspired to write the song Angel.
Despite such a somber subject, McLachlan called the writing process of Angel, “a real joyous occasion.” Since its release, the song has been used in television shows and soundtracks to highlight emotional scenes. It was used as a song of comfort and healing following the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and the Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
How to play Hey Jude by The Beatles
Hey Jude is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. The song, as are all songs by the band, is credited to Lennon/McCartney. Paul McCartney actually wrote the song for John Lennon’s son Julian during his parent’s divorce. The song was later thought by several people to have been written for them. One [...]
How to play Desperado by The Eagles
Desperado is a ballad by The Eagles. The song is one of the band’s signature songs, though it wasn’t a commercial success when it was released. In fact, the song, though it was the title track of the album wasn’t even released as a single. Since its release the song and the album have come [...]
How to play Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos
Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos is a song that she was inspired to write to explore the themes of betrayal between women. The song explores the idea of “cornflake girls” being girls who are narrow-minded and prejudiced and “raisin girls” who are open minded and multi-cultural. Because of the title of the song, Amos has [...]
How to play Clocks by Coldplay
Clocks is a release off the second studio album by Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The album was a major success and the song received critical praise for its unique sound. The song features a tempo that builds and is structured around an incredible piano riff. In fact, Clocks is most notable [...]
How to play Candle in the Wind by Elton John
Candle in the Wind by Elton John is a beautiful tribute to Marilyn Monroe after her death. The song paints a picture of a vulnerable Monroe whose persona was bigger than herself and expresses sorrow that her life was cut short. The song was written by John’s longtime musical partner and collaborator Bernie Taupin and [...]
How to play Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bridge Over Troubled Water is a classic folk song by Simon and Garfunkel that is an all-time classic. Initially there was some disagreement over who would sing the song. Paul Simon penned the song intending for Art Garfunkel to sing it accompanied by piano. Garfunkel liked Simon’s singing on the demo and thought Simon should [...]
How to play Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
Norah Jones’ career hit a high when she released the song Come Away With Me, off the album of the same name. However, success didn’t come quickly. Though it received critical acclaim the song was slow to climb the charts. Ultimately it went on to sell 20 million copies and the album went platinum. Jones’ [...]
How to Play American Pie by Don McLean
American Pie’ by Don McLean is a unique, classic country rock song, well known for its cryptic lyrics and distinctive, catchy melody.
It is a great song to learn on piano because of its relative ease and enduring popularity. The melody and baselines closely follow the main vocal melody which makes it very distinctive.
The ‘American Pie’ full video lesson brings all of the songs elements (introduction, verse, chorus and outro) together and breaks them into manageable, easily learned chunks.