During the 1960s and '70s there were a few tunes on the pop music charts that were either influenced or inspired by, or had melodies directly provided by Johann Sebastian Bach. Above are The Toys, singing A Lover's Concerto, which was a hit single during 1965. Note the giant Bach head - very strange.
In 1967, Procol Harum hit the big time with A Whiter Shade Of Pale:
It's a reflection upon the times, that such an unexpected combination of soulful vocal emoting, image laden poetry, and baroque riffing could have been so popular then. It would probably be impossible for a new song like this to get any attention in today's intensely conservative pop music scene, where the same musical forms have been recycled for decades now.
Jethro Tull originally recorded Bouree in 1969; here they are with a more recent on-stage version:
Ian Anderson's telling of how J. S. Bach and guitarist Martin Barre were "drinking buddies" sets up the scene perfectly for a very inventive re-working of Bouree.
Simon And Garfunkel, in a 1981 concert performance of Paul Simon's American Tune (1973):
Truly something for the ages - a well-modulated, perfect rendition of a masterful example of songwriting craft at its finest, with a bit of inspiration from J. S. Bach.