Beethoven's 5th Symphony and Rock
Those who grew up listening to any form of rock may not realize it, but classical music and rock are intertwined. Some bands such as the Moody Blues and later Electric Light Orchestara have implemented symphonic elements in their music, but there is a very popular symphony that became the grounds to many a rock riff.
What's this about?
The photo above shows the notes of the iconic opening to Ludwig von Beethoven's 5th Symphony. This signature "da-da-da-dum," has become a staple of pop culture not to mention being even used as an answering machine message ("Nobody's hooooome,").
The notes of this opening have become the grounds for several signficant rock riffs. On Jethro Tull's live performance of Aqualung at XM Studios, Ian Anderson has stated that each riff is basically the same notes arranged by a different monkey.
What are some examples?
Throughout the 60s and 70s there have been many reworkings of the opening riff - some which even add a note or two. The earliest example of this was Cream's Sunshine of Your Love. Two years later this was followed by Led Zeppelin's notoriously strummed riff of Whole Lotta Love.
The 1970s saw repeated reworkings of this 5th Symphony riff. The aforementioned Jethro Tull's hit song Aqualung opens with a six-note rearrangement of Beethoven's 5th symphony intro, but most noteably the riff is used in the main riff of Deep Purple's Smoke on The Water, and need I say that many people get it wrong?
Later in the decade, the riff's influence lost popularity. The most noteable example of the riff's usage in the late 70s has got to be Eric Clapton's Cocaine, from his 1977 LP Slowhand, whose first three notes are actually reused from Sunshine of Your Love.
Has the riff ever been originally used in rock?
Oh yes! The most noteable usage of the opening of Beethoven's 5th Symphony is the opening to ELO's cover of Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven. The opening (before the guitars) features most of the first part of the symphony before the first two bars (albeit the second bar modified) are used in closing.
Beethoven's 5th Symphony is not the only one of his compositions used in pop music. His other popular composition, Fur Ellise, was sample in Nas' 2003 track I Can. Fur Ellise has also been used as a ringtone for cellphones among other popular uses.
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