4 Wonderful “Waltz” Songs That Add a Classy Flair To Rock and Pop

What is it about the waltz beat that’s so riveting? After all, it’s kind of basic. Even the clumsiest of dancers can pull off the steps to it with a little bit of patience and practice. And yet there’s something about it that makes it extremely poignant, especially when great songwriters utilize it.

The following songs not only adopt the waltz beat, but they also feature the word, or a close variation of it, in the title. Mind your feet, now, and saunter along to these wonderful “waltz” songs.

“Hollywood Waltz” by Eagles

Bernie Leadon, one of the four founding members of Eagles, left the band following One Of These Nights in 1975. He sensed the band moving away from the country rock blend that he preferred. On his swan song, Leadon, along with the help of his brother Tom, helped the band go back to that rootsy well one more time on “Hollywood Waltz”. Tom Leadon, who was a member of Tom Petty’s pre-fame band Mudcrutch, wrote the basics of the song. Needing material for Eagles’ LP, Bernie borrowed the song from his brother. He then fleshed it out with Don Henley and Glenn Frey. With Henley singing lead and those wonderful harmonies behind him, the song luxuriates in lush melancholy.

“Take This Waltz” by Leonard Cohen

The Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca died via assassination in 1936. But his work resonated through the years, so much so that a tribute album dedicated to songwriters interpreting his poetry appeared in 1986. Leonard Cohen, a Lorca fan, took part with “Take This Waltz”. The lyrics are loosely translated from Lorca’s poem “Pequeno Vals Veiens”. Cohen thought highly enough of the song that he also included it on his standout 1988 LP I’m Your Man. And you can understand why he liked it. He gives a commanding vocal performance, with Jennifer Warnes helping out on backing vocals. And Lorca’s themes about tangled, tortured lust and love were right up Cohen’s alley.

“Waltzing’s For Dreamers” by Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson is pretty much incapable of releasing a clunker of an album. But much of the work that he released shortly after going solo again in the 80s following the split from Linda Thompson went a bit underheard. Thanks to better promotion, folks started to notice again in the latter part of the decade. Excellent albums like Amnesia in 1988 made sure of it. “Waltzing’s For Dreamers”, one of Thompson’s most beloved ballads, adorns that record. The narrator of the song hits a bar one night and insists that the bandleader play a song that befits his mood, specifically a waltz. He even uses the dance steps in the chorus: “One step for aching and two steps for breaking.’”

“Waltz #2 (XO)” by Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith found his way to a major label for his 1998 album XO. He took advantage, making an intricate, Beatlesque record that filled out the sound a great deal compared to his previous lo-fi efforts. If anything, the ornate musical backing somehow only heightened the sorrow at the heart of songs like “Waltz #2”. Smith was referencing his somewhat tumultuous relationship in the song’s lyrics. He name-drops other songs (“You’re no good, you’re no good, you’re no good,” he moans) and simplifies his laments (“I’m tired,” he explains in the bridge). And then he uncorks one of the finest two-line refrains ever: “I’m never gonna know you know/But I’m gonna love you anyhow.”

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