The great thing about rock music is its umbrella can include many different subgenres. Rock is not a sound, but an attitude. Jazz is art. Country music is too limiting sonically and in terms of great musicianship, but rock has no limits.
This means an instrument like a piano can be as powerful, and rock as hard, as a guitar. It is all in the approach. And the artists that follow knew exactly how to approach each tune.
Plus, not all the tracks are straight-forward rockers. The first one is, but one takes liberties with the melody and one is more of a ballad. But make no mistake that without the piano, the songs would have failed.
Five piano-driven songs that rock
Ben Folds Five - "Song for the Dumped" (1997)
This song was released as the last single from the Ben Folds Five's second record. The track is the epitome of what the rest of the record sounds like: Punk-infused piano rock that is as angry as the song title implies. There are moments of tenderness on the record, such as the outstanding single, "Brick," but there might be few songs in the history of rock that scream punk with a piano more than "Song for the Dumped."
The lyrics are classic Folds (who, let's be honest, is really the band, especially as the "Five" included in the band's name was truly only three people with Folds being the main songwriter and creator of the songs) as they are at times funny, hurt, angry, and biting. The song lets you know where it is coming from right away with the opening stanza, "So you wanted/To take a break/Slow it down some and/Have some space/Well f**k you too."
If you have ever been hurt, felt wronged, or want to scream but aren't a fan of black metal, this is the track for you. Folds remains as funny and biting today, but his albums, which are not released very often, are more tempered in the aggressiveness of the music. This is old Ben Folds and possibly his best version. Classic.
The Dresden Dolls - "Missed Me" (2003)
Not only is this song underrated, but the Dresden Dolls as a whole are. Maybe their sound is a bit esoteric, but it shouldn't be. They fuse too many quality styles excellently to be misunderstood. In fact, they could choose any one - punk, dance hall, cabaret - and they would likely be a success. But with "Missed Me" they add a dash of lots of different styles and an abundance of piano.
The subject of the track is fairly brutal. The narrative sings about a person who abused her when she was young and groomed her to do so. The narrator still kind of unsees the truth about the situation, though she appears somewhat honest with herself. This song is not for young children, but the Dresden Dolls do such a wonderful job with the sound that any adult should give the song a listen.
Billy Joel - "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" (1977)
There are lots of people who likely knew this song, but nearly 50 years later the track is beginning to fade away a bit while Billy Joel's more poppy songs take more attention away. "We Didn't Start the Fire" has likely been heard by more people now than this stellar track from Joel's fantastic album, The Stranger. That is a real shame as "Scenes..." is like three grades higher than "...Fire."
This is three songs in one but all about characters in one single restaurant who do not know each other. This is a more fleshed-out melody and a lot more complex track than "Piano Man." Joel's piano is the alpha and omega of the song, though. The tune begins with a sweet yet melancholy feel and ends much the same way, but in the middle, we learn about the antagonists and get a ride from rock to soul to blues. It is brilliant.
Tom Waits - "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)" (1976)
There has been no other artist like Tom Waits at the height of his powers. He not only sings about the characters in his songs, but he forms the music around them as well. This track is a classic example as Waits sings about a drunkard and has the piano falter and play out of tune as well. Even with that, this is a moment of beauty and want and need.
The narrator on the track is stuck in a bar looking for a waitress for another drink while speaking ill-formed sentences. This all could have gone south by a less talented artist, but Waits is in full control even though his antagonist is not. That is a bit of the point, though. Waits the songwriter is observing but Waits the character is completely stuck in time while being out of time on the piano. This is real art.
Elton John - "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" (1972)
Like Billy Joel's song above, this gem gets a bit lost by Elton John's more poppier tunes. But this is one of John's most honest vocal performances with fairly straight-forward lyrics to boot. The production is what makes the track perfect, however, as the instrumentation is sparse which lets John's voice and the piano stand out even more.
Bernie Taupin's lyrics are also some of his best with lines such as "While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters/Sons of bankers, sons of lawyers/Turn around and say good morning to the night/For unless they see the sky/But they can't and that is why/They know not if it's dark outside or light". This track is ultimately a love song to New York City, but it aches and pines for closeness with other human beings and its beauty permeates.