The 8 Best Songs in a Waltz Time Signature

I was listening to Beirut’s “A Sunday Smile” last night, and it hit me: This song is in a waltz time signature! No one knows precisely when this famous dance and music style got started, but historians have guesstimated the mid-to-late 16th century. This, in turn, got me thinking: How many other great songs out there was I unwittingly tapping my foot to in 3:4 time? Just how popular and enduring is this musical style? As it turns out, very—here’s eight of the best.

8. Jay-Z – “My 1st Song” (Viennese waltz)

7. Muse – “Blackout”

6. Beirut – “A Sunday Smile”

5. Built to Spill – “Velvet Waltz”

4. Jimi Hendrix – “Manic Depression”

3. Elliott Smith – “Waltz #2 (X/O)”

2. Metallica – “Nothing Else Matters”

1. Bob Dylan – “The Times They Are A-Changin”