Rock

"Air on the G String" by J.S. Bach

In 1717, Johann Sebastian Bach was working for Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, the German prince of the House of Ascania. Bach was the prince’s music director. Bach composed his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in honor of Leopold, around 1731. The second movement, entitled, “Air,” was further popularized in 1884 when violinist August Wilhelmj arranged it for piano and violin.

"Great Gig in the Sky" by Richard Wright and Clare Torry

Abbey Road Studios engineer Alan Parsons claimed to have heard EMI staff songwriter and session singer Clare Torry do a version of “Light My Fire” by The Doors on a cover album. Clare Torry disagreed insisting, “I don’t sound anything like Jim Morrison! I never sang ‘Light My Fire.’” What is known is that Parsons brought Torry in to sing on “The Great Gig in the Sky” during the recording sessions for “Dark Side of the Moon.”

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Freddie Mercury

The most-streamed song from the 20th century, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” was written by Freddie Mercury and recorded by the band Queen. In addition to longstanding popularity from its original 1975 release—unexpected due to its six minute runtime—the song's appeal surged again in 1992 when it was featured in the movie, "Wayne's World."