The 100 best pop/rock/etc songs in waltz time

*OK, maybe not.

Speaking of the BBs, I'm listening right now, on a sunny day filled with my doin' mostly nothin', to the great "Busy Doin' Nothin'" and it's really a modified bossa nova--I count it in 2/2, not 4/4...classic bossa time signature...

hehe.

Moose - I'll See You In My Dreams

Well, not exactly. Bossas and sambas are in 2, not 4. If you count bossas--including "Busy Doin'"--in 4, it becomes a fast 4/8, or 8/8, not 4/4. You can hear the "boom" of the 1 and 2 in "Busy" quite clearly. You're right about it being, at times, a convenience, but in bossa nova it's just the way the music is structured. "Waters of March" by Jobim is notable as one of his few songs that are actually in 4/4.

We can make room for it by getting rid of "Kiss From a Rose" and "How Can I Be Sure" (and maybe more), which are in 6/8, not 3/4.

This song isn't in 3/4, so:

Beach Boys - Friends

Nat King Cole: "It's All in the Game"

"The Whole World" does not have a time signature change, and I'm positive that it's in 4/4 throughout the whole song, but it's 4/4 with a swing feel that makes it feel like a sped-up 3/4 measure appears in every beat of the song.

There's a small amount of modern rock bands who owe their success to 3/4 and 6/8 time, including A Perfect Circle ("Judith," "Three Libras"), Chevelle ("The Red," "Closure") and AFI ("Silver And Cold").

Weezer has a decent amount of high-quality 3/4 and 6/8 tracks, including "No Other One," "Devotion," "Waiting On You," and the Rentals' "Naive." (The aforementioned "Holiday" appears to be in 4/4.)

My favorite waltzes of all time are Randy Newman's theme to Ragtime and "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls" by M. W. Balfe (slaughtered by Enya in The Age of Innocence, but still one of my all-time favorite songs...)

!

Pavement, "Stop Breathin'"
Death Cab for Cutie, "No Joy in Mudville"
Stereolab, "Pop Quiz"
High Llamas, "Three Point Scrabble"
Clem Snide, "Your Night to Shine"
Beck, "Dead Melodies"
Blonde Redhead, "Loved Despite of Great Faults"
Rachel's, "The Mysterious Disappearance of Louis LePrince"
Ben Folds Five, "Boxing"
Black Heart Procession, "The Invitation"
Nick Drake, "Saturday Sun"
Pullman, "Lysayna"
Badly Drawn Boy, "Stone on the Water"

"Perpetual Change" by Yes (on the live Yessongs album) has a great middle bit jam in 3/4 time. Bruford drumming. I steal that.

"Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers in That Quiet Earth" has a very nice, long drawn early section in 3/4 time. Phil Collins has a cool beat going on there.

there are others

In response to some posts a bit higher up, the Beatles did 3/4 for a few other tracks. Baby's in Black, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, I Me Mine (on verses), She's Leaving Home. Probably some others. I don't know if I'd put any of them on a 100-best list, though.

As for Blur, for some reason the only one coming to mind is the Parklife b-side Theme From an Imaginary Film.

So my only contribution to the list for the time being is Elliott Smith - Between the Bars.

(The aforementioned "Holiday" appears to be in 4/4.)

Holiday is 12/8.

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away is 6/8. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is 3/4.

Black Sabbath-War Pigs (the intro)

Holiday is 12/8.

Replace with "No Other One."

Weezer has a decent amount of high-quality 3/4 and 6/8 tracks, including "No Other One," "Devotion," "Waiting On You," and the Rentals' "Naive." (The aforementioned "Holiday" appears to be in 4/4.)

"No Other One" is true 3/4 time throughout. The rest are 6/8.

Can't believe nobody's mentioned the best cheesy waltz pop song:
Tom Jones - What's New, Pussycat

'This Boy' - The Beatles

Also, is there any hip-hop in 3/4?

Was that rap in the Adams Family movie in 6/8 or something? "do what they wanna do say what they wanna say"

'This Boy' - The Beatles

That's 12/8.

3/4 = ONE and two and three and
6/8 = ONE two three TWO two three
12/8 = ONE two three TWO two three THREE two three FOUR two three

and 9/8 = ONE two three two two three three two three

Simple time signatures have beats that get broken into two parts, compound time signatures have beats that are broken into three parts. The basic beat in 3/4 is the quarter note, the basic beat in 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 is the dotted quarter. 3/4 is simple triple (three quarter notes), 6/8 is compound duple (two dotted quarters), 9/8 is compound triple (three dotted quarters), 12/8 is compound quadruple (four dotted quarters).

I turned my monitor upside down and tried reading that again and it still sounded like someone threw the silverware drawer down the steps.

6/8 = ONE two three TWO two three
12/8 = ONE two three TWO two three THREE two three FOUR two three

so wait, what's the difference between 12/8 and just going 'ONE two three TWO two three ONE two three TWO two three'? HOW CAN YOU TELL, aside from actually looking at the written music?