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'Light My Fire' - The Doors -

One of rock music's most iconic keyboard intros is played by Ray Manzarek on the Doors' 'Light My Fire.' Manzarek was a virtuoso, playing the song's bass line with his left hand on a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, while performing the main keyboard lines on a Vox Continental using his right hand. The track features an extended solo, a musical interplay between Manzarek and guitarist Robby Kreiger.

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'Baba O’Riley' - The Who -

Peter Townshend composed and played the hypnotic introduction to 1971's 'Baba O’Riley,' swapping his guitar for a Lowery Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ.

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'1999' - Prince -

Always the visionary, in 1982 Prince was urging us all to party like it was 1999. The track was rereleased in 1985, as a double A-side with 'Little Red Corvette.' Prince, a multi-instrumentalist, played a Oberheim OB-X synthesizer on '1999.'

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'Green Onions' - Booker T & The MGs -

An instrumental classic released in 1962, 'Green Onions' is essentially a 12-bar blues underpinned by Booker T. Jones' surging Hammond M3 organ line. Incidentally, Booker T & The MGs was one of the first multiracial bands in music history.

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'Superstition' - Stevie Wonder -

Instantly recognizable, the opening riff to 'Superstition' is Stevie Wonder at his funkiest. Playing a Hohner Clavinet model C, he complements the sound with a base line supplied by a Moog synthesizer.

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'Take On Me' - Aha -

The jaunty intro to 'Take On Me' was achieved using a Roland Juno-60 and Yamaha DX-7. Norwegian band Aha's biggest hit is also memorable for its innovative video, which became an MTV must-see.

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'A Whiter Shade of Pale' - Procol Harum -

One of the evergreen songs of the '60s, Procol Harum's enduring classic is noted for its distinctive, Bach-inspired organ part played on a Hammond M102.

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'Catherine Parr' - Rick Wakeman -

One of rock music's greatest keyboard exponents, Rick Wakeman, known for his stint in the prog rock band Yes, delivers some of his finest work on 'Catherine Parr,' which appears on his 1972 album 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII.'

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'Because' - The Beatles -

The prominent use of the Moog synthesizer on 'Abbey Road' is especially apparent on the ballad 'Because,' which features the band harmonizing over Harrison's keyboard playing and George Martin's harpsichord.

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'Jump' - Van Halen -

While 'Jump' is celebrated for a virtuoso guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen, the track, released as a single in 1983, is driven by a significant multilayered keyboard line performed on a Oberheim OB-Xa, also by Eddie Van Halen.

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'Uptown Funk' - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars -

Melding funk-pop, soul, boogie, and disco-pop musical styles, the megahit that is 'Uptown Funk' employed a big synth sound, played in the music video on a keytar.

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'California Girls' - The Beach Boys -

'California Girls' is distinguished for its orchestral prelude, layered vocals, and chromaticism. Brian Wilson later commented, "I came up with the introduction first. I'm still really proud of that introduction. It has a classical feel." It's actually session musician Al De Lory who's playing the Hammond B-3 organ on the track.

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'What'd I Say' - Ray Charles -

An American rhythm and blues classic, Ray Charles wrote 'What'd I Say' in 1958, the song hitting it big the following year. Charles composed the track on a Wurlitzer electric piano.

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'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' - The Beatles -

A more familiar Beatles song with a keyboard intro is 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.' Its dreamy, ethereal quality was achieved in part using a Lowrey organ.

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'Gimme Some Lovin'' - The Spencer Davis Group -

Steve Winwood's urgent, driving Hammond B-3 organ helped steer 'Gimme Some Lovin'' to a top 10 position in several countries in late 1966.

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'Do It Again' - Steely Dan -

Steely Dan's mellow but musically complex 'Do It Again' features an organ solo by Donald Fagen, played on a Yamaha YC-30 with Fagen also employing a sliding pitch-bending control. The solo only appears on the album version of the song, released as a single from 1972's 'Can't Buy a Thrill.'

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'Highway Star' - Deep Purple -

Deep Purple's Jon Lord provided the classically-inspired keyboard solos on 'Highway Star,' the opening track on the band's 1972 album, 'Machine Head.' Lord plays a Hammond C-3.

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'Fanfare for the Common Man' - Emerson, Lake & Palmer -

Up there with Rick Wakeman as one of rock's most celebrated keyboardists is Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ELP's seminal instrumental piece 'Fanfare for the Common Man' is taken from the band's 1977 'Works Volume I' album.

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'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)' - Journey -

A single release taken from their 1983 album 'Frontiers,' 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)' was first performed live by Journey the previous year, during the band's Escape tour. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain is the guy playing the Roland Jupiter-8.

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'The House of the Rising Sun' - The Animals -

Memorable for its guitar-led arpeggio introduction, The Animals' version of 'The House of the Rising Sun' is lifted midway by Alan Price's pulsating organ part, played on a Vox Continental.

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'Scarecrow' - Pink Floyd -

Written by Syd Barrett, 'The Scarecrow' opens with Richard Wright's plaintive keyboards, an introduction that primes the senses for a later Baroque, psychedelic folk instrumental section—a sound typical of Pink Floyd in 1967.

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'Dreamer' - Supertramp -

Taken from Supertramp's 1974 album 'Crime of the Century,' 'Dreamer' was composed on a Wurlitzer piano by vocalist Roger Hodgson, though both Hodgson and Rick Davies shared keyboard duties.

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'You're My Best Friend' - Queen -

Written by the band's bass player, John Deacon, 'You're My Best Friend' is taken from the band's 1975 album, 'A Night at the Opera.' It opens with a repetitive Wurlitzer electric piano riff, which Deacon plays.

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'Abacab' - Genesis -

The work of Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks underpinned much of the band's output since its formation in 1967. 'Abacab' from 1981 developed from a jam session and features elaborate arrangements produced on a Roland JD-800 synthesizer.

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'No More Heroes' - The Stranglers -

One of the most successful singles released by the Stranglers, 'No More Heroes' gave prominence to Dave Greenfield's swirling keyboards. In fact, the Stranglers' signature sound was based on his musical style, whether using a Hohner Cembalet, Hammond L-100 electric organ, Minimoog synthesizer, or Oberheim OB-Xa.

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'Love Will Tear Us Apart' - Joy Division -

English band Joy Division had a huge hit with 'Love Will Tear Us Apart.' The single was released in June 1980, one month after vocalist Ian Curtis had taken his own life. Guitarist Bernard Sumner takes up keyboard duties on the track. Sumner, together with bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris, would later form the hugely influential New Order. 

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'Runaway' - Bon Jovi -

'Runaway,' the debut single by Bon Jovi released in 1984, features Roy Bittan on keyboards. Bittan, better known for his work with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, uses Yamaha, Korg, and Kurzweil keyboards as part of his live rig.

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'Smile Like You Mean It' - The Killers -

Lead vocalist Brandon Flowers and bassist Mark Stoermer of The Killers apparently wrote 'Smile Like You Mean It' in a matter of minutes. Soaring new wave synthesizers add texture to the band's raw guitar sound.

Sources: (Dig!) (Songfacts) (Moog Music)

See also: The piano—key moments in its history

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