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Awesome Music / Music

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"Music is a safe kind of high."
— Jimi Hendrix

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    Drum Corps 
  • Santa Clara Vanguard 1989.
  • Star of Indiana 1990 - "Belshazzar's Feast" by William Walton. Majestic and powerful in the extreme!
  • Space chords in general.
  • 1988 Madison Scouts. A mellophone pulls off trumpet range (well, the "equivalent" of a mello and trumpet at the time).
    • Their performance of "Malaguena" will still peel your face off. And they won the DCI Championship that year, beating even the previously undefeated Blue Devils.
  • The Madison Scouts' performance of "You'll Never Walk Alone". EXTREMELY powerful stuff.

    Folk and Filk 
  • The music of Stan Rogers is always good, but "The Mary Ellen Carter" is the essence of gar.
    And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
    With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
    Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
    And, like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!
  • Leslie Fish's "Hope Eyrie" (there performed by Julia Ecklar) is hopeful, and saddening, and beautiful. No surprise it's a Pegasus Award Winner.
  • Mumford & Sons: "Little Lion Man" and "The Cave".
    • There hasn't been a band with so much emotion and poetry in their music in a long, long time. Just listen to "White Blank Page". You can hear the grit in his voice!
    • Not to mention their performance at the 2011 Grammys alongside the Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan. Look at their faces. That's joy, right there.
    • "Hopeless Wanderer"". Mumford & Sons just topped themselves.
  • Laura Marling. "Rambling Man", "Ghosts", and "Night Terror".
    • Mumford and Sons used to be her backing band... then they got famous instead. Now Laura's becoming more famous, however, which is awesome.
  • Gordon Lightfoot made many great songs, but his most famous, and what he considers his finest has to be mentioned here. Ladies and gentlemen, we present: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
  • "The House of the Rising Sun," a traditional folk song which has seen many renditions, most famously by British blues rock group The Animals. There are also renditions by Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, and most Five Finger Death Punch. The first four lines of the song are also used in "The Saints are Coming" by the Scottish punk band The Skids.
  • It may be stuck in the Twilight ghetto, but Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" is too pretty not to like. Sam Beam's voice is heavenly.
  • "The Foggy Dew", an Irish ballad with many renditions. It's amazing. "The world did gaze, with deep amaze, at those fearless men but few who bore the fight that freedom's light might shine through the foggy dew."
  • Californian Americana band The Silent Comedy have a number of these songs to their name, despite their limited recognition and audience. Early on in their career, before the departure of band violinist Ian Kesterson, TSC gave us the likes of "Victory", a sweet but no less soaring fiddle number, and the wonderfully-gritty "Bartholomew", since made famous by Dark Souls. Since then, their sound has become darker, harder, and bluesier, giving us songs such as "Blood on the Rails", a historical piece about worker exploitation. Of all of their songs, though, their straight-up coolest may very well be the pounding, riff-heavy, and inexplicably sinister "Light of Day".
  • Shawn Phillips. His four-octave vocal range, strange yet compelling lyrics that tell many an odd tale, ability to blend various other genres such as funk, world, and jazz into his music, as well as his virtuosity on 12-string guitar make him a forgotten enigmatic legend in folk music. Just listen to "Woman" or "The Ballad of Casy Deiss" and let Mr. Phillips take the wheel.

    Gospel, Hymns, and Other Religious Music 
  • A few Christian hymns qualify. "God of Our Fathers", "Thy Strong Word", and "Built on the Rock" among others. (That last one requires a browser with MIDI support).
    • "The Judgement". This song is... Wow. The powerful singing, the sweeping, uplifting music, and the power in the sheer feeling of it! YES!
    • Also "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is great, if only for the brilliant lyrics by Julia Ward Howe:
      He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave
      He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave
      So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave
      Our God is marching on.
  • The Tridentine Mass of the Roman Catholic Church boasts a lot of awesome sung prayers. In fact there are many arrangements in each of them. These Gregorian Chants are topnotchers in doing so.
    • Asperges Me Domine (Sprinkle Me O' Lord) which is used in the blessing of the congregation with holy water as the priest passes through them is astoundingly solemn and full of reverence.
    • The Nicene Creed Credo III.
  • "How Great Thou Art".
  • "This Is My Song" is set to the so-called "Finlandia Hymn", a rare calm and serene section from Jean Sibelius' otherwise bombastically-awesome Finlandia overture. Also a rare good example of Lyrical Dissonance, taking a tune from a strongly-nationalistic song and putting words to it praying for international co-operation.
  • The "Halleujah" chorus from Handel's Messiah. A surprisingly epic work.
  • "The First Noel", a truly magnificent composition.
  • The hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" tells the story of a climactic battle between the forces of Good on Earth and all the devils in Hell. Just as things are looking bad, the music reaches its final verse, where the organ kicks it into high gear as Jesus comes onto the battlefield and utterly routs Satan.
    • For even more awesome, try John Rutter's arrangement, with an 80-voice choir, organ, and orchestra. The third verse is just the men singing, in a minor key, and sounds as dark as hell itself. The fourth verse builds back up to full power in triumph and joy.
    • "The body they may kill, God's truth abide the still, His kingdom is forever."
  • Ladies and gentlemen... "Amazing Grace".
  • "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", sung by one of the undisputed rulers of choral music.
  • Pick an Evensong hymn, any Evensong hymn. They can be so incredibly peaceful when sung correctly — to the point that it's almost impossible to go away from Evensong feeling angry for any reason. "Abide With Me" and "The Day Thou Gavest" are particularly favoured, the latter because of the imagery of the world rolling onward "into light" while we sleep, while elsewhere, others are waking, and those already awake keep watch.
  • MercyMe's "I Can Only Imagine" asks God what happen when we finally meet Him.
  • "Were You There?" is the sweetest, simplest, most plaintive Easter song in existence. Find a simple arrangement, and let it break your heart.
  • There's a style of gospel hymn from the old revivals that are meant to be sung by a lot of people with a lot of enthusiasm, and some of them are pure Awesome Moments. In particular:
    • "To God Be the Glory".
    • "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder".
    • "Wonderful Grace of Jesus", with a chorus that splits into two melodies, the men singing a deep, rumbling ostinato, and the women joining in with a descant, building in volume, until the two voices meet at the end in three triumphant chords. Pure win.
  • "Agnus Dei" by Michael W. Smith. The text is a scant two quotes from John's Revelation and a simple tune, but with the right voice and the right backup it's got this ethereal quality that sounds like heaven.
  • "The Doxology"... short, sweet, to the point and it gives any listener goosebumps every time.
  • The Navy Hymn, a/k/a "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is probably one of the most comforting ones out there.
  • "Faith of Our Fathers," especially if you're Roman Catholic.
  • Anything by the late Moses Hogan, who arranges spirituals for full choirs completely a capella. Particularly awesome pieces include "Battle of Jericho", "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?", and "Elijah Rock".
  • "Kedushah" is an immensely powerful prayer, building to a crescendo of "ANI ADONAI ELOHEICHEM!" (I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!)
  • "Nearer My God to Thee" aka the soundtrack to the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
  • "Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah". It's downright goosebump-inducing when there's a strong bass singer to back up the congregation singing it.
  • "Yehei Yehei" by The Chevra. It's just five words, "yehei shlama rabba min shemayah" (May there be abundant peace from heaven), repeated through the entire song, but DAMN if it isn't catchy! Also makes awesome dance music.
  • While it could qualify as Video Game music, Christopher Tin's arrangement of the Lord's Prayer in Swahili ("Baba Yetu"), used as the start theme for Civilization IV, is amazing, no matter what footage it's set to.
  • It my not be very well known, but "Jesus Freak" by dcTalk is one of the best examples of the genre; and it's CHRISTIAN ROCK!
  • No Easter Sunday would be complete without "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" / "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today".
  • Put your headphones on and be swept away by the amazing sound of Sacred Harp shape-note hymns, even if you're not religious: North Port (A Seat in Paradise). Fans of Cold Mountain will remember "Idumea" and I'm Going Home.
  • "You're the Lion of Judah" and "Days of Elijah" by Robin Mark.
  • Russian Orthodox music also deserves a mention, for several reasons. One, there is a tradition of Oktavists. They are like a basso profondo, except even lower. Two, it includes full voicing, including regular tenors, baritones, bass-baritones, basses, and bassos profondos, in addition to the Oktavists. HOWEVER, the Oktavist, of which there is usually only a small number singing or in the building, will often be louder and easier to hear than any of the other singers. Perhaps is this nowhere more evident than in the work of the late Vladimir Pasjukov, and, perhaps, no song shows this as much as "Abandon Me Not In My Old Age". This performance in particular is especially awesome, as this song is normally sung by two or three oktavists. Pasjukov is not backed up by any other Oktavists or any amplification. THAT IS ALL HIM. As one of the deepest-voiced oktavists, and one of the deepest-voiced men of all time, his passing is one that, unfortunately, passed under the radar. For a man who can sing so powerfully and beautifully not to be better-known in the west is truly sad.
  • "The Holy City" by Stephen Adams and Frederic Weatherly. With or without lyrics, it's amazing.
  • The oldest complete, readable piece of music, now known only as Hurrian hymn number 6.
  • "By Faith" by Keith and Kristen Getty. "By faith this mountain shall be moved, and the power of the gospel shall prevail. For we know, in Christ all things are possible for all who call on his name."
  • After a concert in Wuppertal, Germany, the Icelandic indie band Árstíðir passed the time by singing a 13th century Icelandic hymn titled "Heyr himna smiður" ("Hear, Smith of the Heavens") in the middle of the railway station. The cathedral-like acoustics of the station make it a sound to behold.
  • David the Great's original melody for Psalm 19. Its proto-plainchant style and soothing effect (noted by one of the Youtube commenters as still working thousands of years after the Lord called David home) fit the contemplative lyrics.
  • "Home" by CityAlight is a joyful song that encompasses the Christian message of hope, and seems to bring heavenly delights in its catchy beats and wonderful lyrics.
    I do not know what I will see,
    when all my tears are wiped away
    But I am sure that it will be,
    the world that I was saved to see

    And He has said that I will know,
    a joy beyond my deepest hope
    A Father's love, a Saviour's peace,
    when I am truly home.

    Grunge 
  • "Call my name / through the dream / and I'll hear you scream again... BLACK HOLE SUN, WON'T YOU COME".
    • Also, "Spoonman" is the best song off of Superunknown.
    • "Live to Rise".
    • Jesus Christ Pose, the best song from Badmotorfinger. Definitely their heaviest song.
  • "Rooster" by Alice in Chains.
    • "Would?" is as awesome, and the Opeth cover is EPIC.
    • Also "I Stay Away".
  • "Touch Me I'm Sick" by Mudhoney.
  • Pearl Jam's live version of "Even Flow", from Live at Lollapalooza 2007. Amazing.
  • Hole's Celebrity Skin album is amazing, especially the title track and "Reasons To Be Beautiful". "Live Through This" is also a worthy addition to a music collection. Say what you will about Courtney Love, but Hole is awesome.
  • Stone Temple Pilots may have gotten flak for sounding too much like Nirvana with their first album, Core, but on the follow-up, Purple, they proved their mettle with songs like "Big Empty". Epic Riff, incredibly tight rhythm section, and the amazing vocal performance by Scott Weiland just seals the deal.

    Other 
  • Beethoven's Last Night is concept album by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, telling the story of Beethoven selling his soul to the devil, (it's a long story) and is generally full of awesome (only to be expected from an album based on Beethoven). The highlight is What is Eternal. All through the song there's this pervading sense of melancholy - that he doesn't think he's good enough, that his work will never be remembered, that his life's worth "ended with his birth". Then about two minutes in, the music fades into a short burst of Ode To Joy. It's quite the Tear Jerker. Beethoven might never fully know his own genius, but we sure as hell will.
    • From the same album, there is the magnificent piece A Last Illusion. Starts off with a short ditty on a classical guitar (The first few phrases of Sonata facile by Mozart) and quickly segues into a very strong rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee on electric guitars, backed by the full orchestra. The last two and a half minutes or so of the song is simply the most amazing, emotionally charged rendition of Ode to Joy that can be summed up in the aforementioned two and a half minutes. Not only does the orchestra come back at full blast, there are at least three guitars, plus two pianists, and a full choir. If Beethoven were alive today, he would be able to hear this. It's that moving.
    • Also Mephistopheles. Not only does the singer sound like a Thrash Metal version of Tim Curry, but it's a Villain Song set to The Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. Just listen to it.
    • Misery is an equally hammy Villain Song that's just as good but more sadistic.
  • A little single name: David Garrett. It's difficult to see in which category he fits.
  • Lux Aeterna. There's a reason so many movie trailers use it.
  • A great deal of the CMOA that gets our blood pumping in those movie trailers is produced by groups such as Immediate Music, X-Ray Dog, and E.S. Posthumus, and licensed out to film distributors for use in their trailers. Hats off to 'em!
    • Their music would be peak CMOA if it weren't for the tiny little fault that... their music cannot be legitimately obtained!
      • Now alleviated (at least partially), with the releases of the various Trailerhead albums and occasional public releases of Themes for Orchestra. Immediate has released various singles on iTunes every few months, in collaboration with various artists.
      • Immediate also sets lyrics to their music, released under the band name Globus. Standouts are "Preliator", "Orchard of Mines", and "Sarabande Suite (Aeternas)". "Europa" is a truly epic song about the bloody history of Europe, while "Black Parade" captures the essence of the Arab Spring.
      • E.S. Posthumus have also released three albums, Unearthed, Cartographer and Makara. The epitome of their epic songs is "Pompeii".
    • "Diem Ex Dei" is one of Globus' best.
  • Canon Rock. There's a reason why this is one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. (Hint: It isn't because of the hat.)
  • Funtastic Power!'s "THIS IS SPARTA!" mix is hilariously epic.
  • When you ask the question of who the greatest pianists of the 20th century were, Fats Waller's name is definitely at the top of the list, and his rendition of "Carolina Shout" does more that show you why. Flawless multitasking isn't just something computers can do, and working it all into something that swings rather than stands stiff is something that the best do with ease.
    • Of course, when it comes to great pianists "all roads lead to Art Tatum," as they say, for his amazing style that somehow took influence from every style that came before it and took them all to the next level. Unfortunately, as occurs in most such cases, pinning down an absolute moment is difficult, but here's a start.
  • This performance of "The Bonny Swans" by Loreena McKennitt and her band. Even if you don't care for the story the lyrics tell, it's got a a violin, and piano and an electric guitar sounding awesome together. And Loreena's voice. More awesomeness by McKennitt: "The Mummer's Dance," "All Soul's Night," and her brilliant adaptation of Alfred Noyes' "The Highwayman."
  • Anything by Beirut. "Elephant Gun" brings the level of ukulele awesomeness up about four million points, and then when the strings and the accordion and the trumpet kick in- live, it creates hordes of swaying, dancing onlookers. "The Gulag Orkestrar" is similarly INCREDIBLE. "They called it mine," indeed.
  • ALL YOUR BASE-BASE-BASE! ARE BELONG TO US! There's also an excellent version with the lyrics set to the music of "Bohemian Rhapsody".
  • "March of Cambreadth" by Heather Alexander is an awesome fighting song.
  • Lemon Demon's "Ask For Nothing" is one of those songs that seems uninteresting the first time, but gets better every time you listen to it. Even though on first listen it sounds like the time signature is screwed up, it's actually in 4/4. It's just disguised as what appears to be 17/8. That takes skill. Also Bad Idea, at least for "Too Much Spare Time" for the flash work, and Word Disassociation for getting away with Word Salad Lyrics, and still being awesome.
  • In need of some blues? Muddy Waters. "Rollin' Stone", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mannish Boy", "Got My Mojo Working", "Louisiana Blues", the music he performed was influential and classic in every way.
  • Kristoph Klover's rendition of Jordin Kare's Fire in the Sky made Buzz Aldrin cry on live television.
  • Jim West, Steve Jay, Rubén Valtierra, and Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz. They have taken any and most genres released in the past thirty years and parodied and homaged it, while playing it, flawlessly.
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic is an excellent parodist and his music is something to behold.
    • While all his songs count, specifics go to the end of "Hardware Store", all of White & Nerdy, and without a doubt, Skipper Dan!
    • Pick a Polka Medley. Any one. Chances are you'll have that song stuck in your head forever.
    • "Ringtone" is amazingly catchy and has an awesome melody to it. It helps that it's a style parody of Queen.
    • Pancreas is a style parody of The Beach Boys, specifically Brian Wilson's Smile album, that reveals an intimate knowledge of all things Wilsonian on Al's part. Of course, the song contains tons of unique instruments and awesome vocal harmonies, especially at the end.
    • "Genius in France"—Al's nine minute tribute to the late Frank Zappa, with none other than Frank's son Dweezil himself on guitar. Because it's as ridiculously complex and awesome as you'd expect it to be, calling this song a parody is immediately out of the question.
  • Sam Spence's "The Lineman". It was made for the NFL, but sounds like an epic superhero theme.
  • Maura O'Connell's "Mystic Lipstick".
  • Roisin Murphy's "Sow Into You" (that's not a misspelling). It's so easy to like.
  • Anything played on a Zeusaphone. How can you not love an instrument that shoots lightning?
  • "Sanctus" by Karl Jenkins. It's a cross between awesome military music and the Ominous Latin Chanting.
    • "Dies Irae", from Jenkins' Requiem, is basically everything great from "Sanctus" ramped up to eleven. The ominous lyrics, combined with the faster tempo and hardcore instrumentals makes it sound like an epic death march.
  • Of all the musical tributes to Michael Jackson after his death, this medley of his songs by Sam Tsui is the most astoundingly awesome and Tear Jerker worthy of them all. And while we're on the subject of Mr Tsui, also check out his amazing cover versions of "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey, "Run" by Snow Patrol, and a High School Musical song.
  • The Doug Anthony All Stars. Rude, crude, hilarious and incredibly NSFW one moment,and the next they blew audiences away with stuff like this. If Paul Mc Dermott's voice doesn't move you, nothing will.
  • Voltaire. When You're Evil That is all.
  • Oingo Boingo. It's Danny Elfman, for crying out loud! For starters, "Dead Man's Party" anyone? Or "Insaniy" perhaps? Hell, "Little Girls" and the Farewell version of "Water" are instant win, period. (In all honesty, whenever Danny Elfman plays a rock song, it's going to be awesome.)
  • Secret Chiefs 3 tend to specialize in this when they're not just dishing out horror instead. Good examples would be "The Three" and "Combat For The Angel".
  • It's doubtful that she can end the planet in a holocaust, but that doesn't make this song any less awesome.
  • Face the Wall by Emilie Autumn. Actually, anything off the 'Unlaced' part of that (instrumental) album.
  • Psychobilly.Ridiculously catchy, upbeat, '50's-style songs about the Zombie Apocalypse.
    • Considered psychobilly for whatever reason is The Quakes' cover of The Killing Moon, originally by awesome 80s group Echo and the Bunnymen.
  • The Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch". It's just... not only so Intercourse with You that it's a legend, but it's sheer greatness.
  • This remix/medley of Wind Waker tunes by Fredde Gredde HAS to be recognized. Not only is it astoundingly beautiful, it was all played and synchronized by ONE GUY. Awesome, indeed.
  • Kronos Quartet do impeccable covers as well as their own material. Their cover of "Purple Haze" may outdo the Jimi Hendrix original.
  • Immediate Music and Globus have albums that are FULL of Awesome Music. Look at any of them, you'll probably enjoy it immensely.
  • The Cossack Patrol. The link won't get you to the best version, which was sung by the Red Russian Army Choir and was powerful enough to make you want to join communism. Even if you're called McCarthy.
    • Moscow 1941 Here's a variation for the school band.
    • The Cossack Patrol sounds exactly like Polyushke Polye by Lev Knipper, another kickass Soviet piece.
  • ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS TO KICK YOUR ASS!!!!!!
  • A lot of Songs to Wear Pants To songs are this, from just about any genre, such as Underage Stalkers and Never Been In Love.
  • William Joseph. The two most notable examples are Piano Fantasy and Within (the orchestra versions).
  • Rodrigo y Gabriela has an interesting story. They are a Mexican duo, that after searching for success in the metal scene decided to move to Europe and eventually changed to flamenco. Listen to their rendition of "Stairway to Heaven". Now listen some of their original songs. Now remember that every single thing you hear is two fucking guitars.
  • YoungBlood Brass Band. Somehow manages to fuse a brass band sound with rap. Sound crazy but it works and works well. Oh, and the sousaphones are powerful enough that your car windows will rattle.
  • "Trains and Winter Rains" by Enya. Made even more awesome by the fact that the entire thing was performed by exactly one person. It's also really catchy.
  • Florence Welch and Dizzee Rascal's live mashup, You've Got The Dirtee Love. The performance was so popular that it was then released as a charity single and shot to # 2 on the charts.
  • Jack Conte from the San Francisco Bay Area is definitely one of the most talented and edgy indie musicians on the Internet, whether he is working alone or with his girlfriend.
  • New Radicals:
    • This song. Just try not to dance along. Even if you're not a dancer, try to listen to it without getting it stuck in your head. Why were they a one-hit wonder?!
    • "You Get What You Give". It speaks volumes when Keith Richards says that's the song he wished he wrote above all others.
  • This reworked piece of The Equalizer soundtrack by Stewart Copeland.
  • Mairead Nesbitt playing Granuaile's Dance. Take Grace Kelly's dancing, add phenomenal violin skills, and you have Mairead. Made even better if you know who Granuaile was.
  • Two words: ERIC. WHITACRE. Here's a small taste of his work.
  • Pogo (Nick Bertke) He's been played at the Guggenheim! Small taste of his work.
  • Who can't resist Christmas done in 8-bit music.
  • This. Also doubles as Heartwarming Music. Also, how, just how, as it possible to not be in LOVE with this song? So sweet.
  • What happens when you fuse together classical violin with hip hop? You get something completely awesome. Nuttin' But Stringz. YES. And what's even better than classical violin and hip hop? Try classical violin, hip hop, and baseball. Bonus points for the fact that this was before their big break on "America's Got Talent".
  • TROLOLOLOLO-LOLOLO-LOLOLOLOLO! Damn, Eduard Khil is the coolest guy ever for singing that. Then listen to the METAL version! Your head will EXPLODE!
  • The song Coolangubra by the band of the same name, featuring percussion, rhythm guitar, and truly epic electric violin. (Note that the *ding!* at the beginning of the video isn't part of the actual song.)
  • Nearly anything by Two Steps From Hell. Listen to Heart of Courage for just a taste. Recognize it? Of course you do, like other artists Two Steps From Hell makes music for movie and game previews, including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows (parts 1 and 2), Mass Effect (2 and 3), Tron: Legacy, Interstellar, Doctor Who, Batman V. Superman, Aquaman and many many more. "High C's" and "American Dream" are some of their greatest works. One particularly awe-inspiring and beautiful piece, however, is Compass.
  • Dub FX. This is a guy capable of creating a musical masterpiece using only his own vocals, looping and effects pedals. This is a taste of what he's capable of.
  • There goes through the world a whisper... Workers, don't you hear it?
  • Fedez' Alfonso Signorini is a mix of pop and rap, with an catchy chorus.
  • The simple children's folk song, "Ghost of John/Tom", one verse usually sung as a round, was given additional lyrics by Kristen Lawrence and turned into a rich, foreboding, even creepier and more haunting song by playing with the tune, adding harmonies, and accompanying it with strings and a pipe organ. With a fugue. And it is glorious. "Ghost of John (Dead Composers Version)".
  • Scott Joplin is by far the most famous ragtime composer, and is responsible for many familiar rags:
    • "The Entertainer". Yes, it's become a standard jingle (usually played much too fast) but the actual piece remains great, and the third section is a moment of ethereal beauty that catches you completely by surprise.
    • Maple Leaf Rag is awesomely... enjoyable.
    • A few others that stand out among Joplin's oeuvre are "The Chrysanthemum", "Peacherine Rag" and "Gladiolus Rag".
    • And for something a bit different, Joplin's "Bethena: A Concert Waltz" is also rather awesomely pretty. Also known for being "that song from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".
  • Astor Piazzolla's nuevo tango combined classical music and jazz into a new form of tango music leading to compositions such as "Suite Punta del Este: I. Introduction: Allegro pesante" (aka Theme from 12 Monkeys and Black Stanley's theme) and "Libertango", a song that sounds like a theme to a Parisian spy thriller. Libertango was later Covered Up by musician Grace Jones in "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)", an 80's reggae/tango/synth combo that never loses the feeling of the original.
  • YouTube channel BGH Music made a composition where all 88 notes on the piano are played just once. Middle C is right at the very end.
  • 8 Bit Universe has hundreds of 8-bit covers of popular songs, both old and new, and many of them are quite awesome. The cover of Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams" sounds oddly epic.
  • The Mysterious Song, while we may never know who made it, is surprisingly catchy, doing a balanced mix of guitars and synth.
  • Miracle Of Sound is a Genre Roulette one-man project from Ireland, dedicated to making the most awesome fan songs ever created. It is a testament to his skill that you can outright hate the franchise that a particular song is about, and still love the song. It's often joked among his fanbase that it is physically impossible for him to write a bad song.
  • Blackmore's Night is a neo-medieval, folk rock group with lyrical themes evocative of Ren Faires and Medieval European Fantasy .
    • "Locked Within A Crystal Ball" uses the rhythm of the 14th century devotional song "Stella Splendens" but punches it up with electric guitars, giving it a darker atmosphere. All while keeping the medieval instrumental feel.
    • "Under a Violet Moon" starts off as a soft acoustic melody that then transitions into a energetic drinking song, complete with rhythmic clapping.
    • "Village Lanterne" is a slow, mournful ballad about those who journey for a greater cause.
    • "Village on the Sand" is what the group describes as "our Pirate Song". And it fits perfectly with a lively electric guitar and a pounding beat that makes you want to dance.

    To be classified 
  • Bad Lip Reading's, er, "cover" of Bruno Mars' The Lazy Song-slash-Lady Gaga's Alejandro. It's both hilariously surreal and awesome at once.
    Is this Idaho? Because I will not limbo in Idaho.
  • Pretty much all of Amanda Palmer's first solo album, but especially "Ampersand". It's just so defiant and powerful and, well awesome. Also "Leeds United", "Runs in the Family", and "The Point of it All". Oh, and by the way, Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman are an Awesome Couple, if that even exists.
  • Imogen Heap's "Hide And Seek". There's something about it that makes it legendary.
  • On the subject of Lux Aeterna, listen... to this.
  • The Ballad of Brisco County Jr. is so awesome NBC ripped it off for all their Olympics ads for the last decade or so.
  • savage genius generally shows up in the anime section, but one of their best, "Still I Love You", is an album only, and deserves a nod here.
  • Ronald Jenkees is an amiable Kentuckian who likes to have a little "disorganized fun" on his keyboard for "YouTubes." When he's feeling a bit more organized, he comes up with stuff like "Throwing Fire."
  • "Dulcissimia" by Corvus Corax. That is folk. First, you can't believe how over the top it is...and then they bring out the chariot.
  • Any march by John Philip Sousa. Of course, the most Awesome Music of his catalog is "The Stars and Stripes Forever".
  • The Swedish Diablo Swing Orchestra does also belong here. Not only do they state that the origin of their music dates back to the 16th century, when the original Orchestra was killed by the church for being too awesome, when you hear the music you're inclined to believe them. Ballrog Boogie!
  • Hybrid's Finished Symphony would damn near be a stock piece of music as a climactic song of triumph, were it not for the 9.5 minute length.
  • Rajaton's "Butterfly" deserves a place on here for sure, but the 3:45 mark of "Dobbin's Flowery Vale" will bring you to your knees.
  • Estradasphere deserves mention here; specifically, the songs "Smuggled Mutation" and "Colossal Risk".
  • Listen to me, my children now...
  • How about "Dragon's Heartbeat" from the soundtrack of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, by Randy Edelman? This seems to get used all over the place, most memorably from Elvis Stojko's figure skating routine in the 1994 Olympics. Timestamp 1:00 in the link is when it gets memorable, and 1:35 is when it gets epic.
  • E Nomine. particularly Schwarze Sonne. Ominous Latin Chanting FTW.
  • "I Kissed A Girl" is another mediocre-at-best Playing To The Fetishes pop song, right? Not when Paul McDermott is singing it. Highlights include the second verse and Mikey Robbins blasting out an awesome guitar solo.
    • A similar moment of awesome came when Los Colorados, a Ukrainian polka band, remade "Hot & Cold".
  • This is the one of the most awesome pieces of music that ever was or ever will be produced by humankind. Listen through once, then listen again when you've found a translation for the lyrics. The music is awesome, and the message is awesome. Tikvah wins. Also, it's Awesome Music for Subliminal and The Shadow themselves, along with the entire TACT Family.
    • As is this, no wonder it was covered as an Easily Forgettable song by Dj Sammy.
  • Labi Siffre's "Something Inside So Strong".
  • Steve Hackett + Steve Howe + Max Bacon + Phil Spalding + Jonathan Mover: GTR's "When the Heart Rules The Mind...
  • While many people consider music to be an important weapon against South Africa's system of apartheid, the protest song "Sun City" by Artists against Apartheid is a particularly powerful moment when a good portion of American and European pop stars musically declared their refusal to play at one of that nation's largest resorts while that tyranny prevailed. Imagine this line in The '80s where money was supposed to reign supreme while principles of justice were sneered at: "You can't buy me/I don't care what you pay!/So don't ask me, Sun City/Cause I ain't going to play!"
    • Not only that, but they also made a piece of music that in its own right is TOTALLY. KICK. ASS. It's a grand all-inclusive alternate universe where Miles Davis is rubbing elbows with Grandmaster Flash, Jefferson Browne jammed with Joan Baez, and Lou Reed and Joey Ramone cavorted with the Fat Boys and Bono and the P-Funk Allstars.
  • Anything by Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain. For example.
  • "This was a triumph..."
  • Cliffs of Dover. Very impressive to see played, and played well at that.
  • Classical Gas. Epic moment at the 0:45 second mark.
  • The two demo tracks for the Impulse Tracker program, Drifting Onwards and Blue Flame. So beautiful that words alone can't describe them...
  • Mr E's Beautiful Blues. Doesn't matter how many things go wrong, it's a beautiful day...
  • Pretty much anything by The Polyphonic Spree, but "Hold Me Now" and "Suitcase Calling" stand out the most.
  • "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MGs, which can really only be described with the word "cool."
  • Dick Dale's version of "Miserlou", a.k.a, "That Slick-Ass Guitar/Gunshot Opening to Pulp Fiction". In addition, majority opinion states that the song was much more awesome before Black Eyed Peas shat all over it.
  • This remix of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" from Bad combined with "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" by the Wu-Tang Clan and "Quiet Storm" by Mobb Deep.
  • John Marnie's "Water on the Moon". Yes, it's about the LCROSS mission, but darned if it doesn't give you chills. "We're on our way, we're on our waaaahaaaaaay!"
  • "Tincan Hitman" by Robotronica.
  • eRa. Voxifera is awesome distilled.
  • This Chinese song.
  • Practically everything by The Smashing Pumpkins. Mostly for "Tonight, Tonight", "Landslide", "Zero", "To Forgive" and "Jellybelly".
  • This is war, like you ain't seen. To an awesome WWII battle, even. Also contains a Heartwarming Moment at the end, when the German soldiers leave the mother and her newborn baby alone.
  • "Matsuri" by Kitaro.
  • "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas" is an utterly epic, 10 minute long musical rendition of Godzilla terrorizing Las Vegas, with the French Horns providing his roar, the bass drum as the cannon blasts aiming to kill him, the musicians screaming "GODZILLA", music teachers tangoing across the stage, a mambo, xylophone hits representing morse code over a telegram, and a blood curling scream. It is absolute epic.
  • The final battle between Neo and Mr. Smith in Matrix Revolutions while the song, Neodammerung plays in the background. Although to the untrained ear the lyrics sound like random ominous chanting, it's really a Hindu Vedic hymn about enlightenment spoken in Sanskrit.
  • Anything by Paul Winter. He rocks. Whales Alive album especially though.
  • "Adiemus" by Karl Jenkins. Epic. Just... epic.
  • Lemon Demon's classic Web hit, "Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny". Pure, unadulterated ''awesome'.
  • Tetris, remixed by 2PM. SO. FREAKING. EPIC.
  • More Tetris, but with a twist: It's the complete history of the Soviet Union, sung to the theme. It's impossible to stop listening.
  • "O Magnum Mysterium" by Tomas Luis de Victoria, especially as sung by the Boston Camerata. 2:32 of pure harmony. There are some pieces of music that make you stand up and cheer, and there are some that make you just lie down and listen. This is one of the latter.
  • Muppet. Bohemian. Rhapsody. The faithfulness to the original video is just astounding (though it did cut out the famous guitar solo right before the equally famous 'Opera' section.) Someone even made a video in which the two videos played in perfect simultation. It will astound you. (Starts around 0:15.)
  • BucketHead is so great he can make a Funk and Blue grass hybrid and make you enjoy it.
  • What happens when someone blends the lyrics of the Nat King Cole classic "Nature Boy" with the Mad Men theme? Well, an actual band was assembled to give us this treat, with the icing on this cake courtesy of the vocals of Allison Williams (daughter of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams).
  • This live collaboration between Japanese turntablist DJ Kentaro and shamisen player Kinoshita Shinichi. Who would have thought that traditional Japanese music could be fused with hip-hop and drum n' bass is such an awesome way?
  • The Jurassic Park theme, slowed down by 1000%... and my GOD does it make you want to weep with the sheer beauty of it.
  • Don McLean's "American Pie" is an eight minute long tribute to the Baby Boom generation. And it's amazing.
  • Zoot Suit Riot.
  • The Evolution of Video Games Epic Medley is a nine-minute long piece of Awesome Music multiplied by 22—it features 22 classic Nintendo and arcade video game theme songs packed in a single medley with transitions and will stun you from beginning to end. And it's made in Mario Paint Composer, with 16-bit limitations.
  • NEDM? NEDM.
  • LOL! INTERNET!
  • Most of DJ AnounymOS's tunes. Notably, BAWWWWW, and of course
  • So I Herd U Liek Musics... (which also happens to be the best tune on 420chan's album Lulz: A Corruption Of LOL).
  • Motown as a whole deserves its own page.
  • Woodkid's Iron. Better known as that one kickass song from Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
    • Not to mention his cover of Adele's "Someone Like You".
    • And now his latest single, the sequel to Iron, Run Boy Run.
  • Gabriel Kahane's song cycle Craigslistlieder. The piano forms a hilarious counterpoint to the lyrics, taken almost verbatim from particularly pathetic Craigslist posts. An example: Neurotic and Lonely
  • Death May Die, a Lovecraftian pastiche of "Auld Lang Syne". Even if you don't like the lyrics, one must admit the instrumentals are AWESOME.
  • Where Eagles Fly combines the power of two very different vocalists, Sarah Brightman and Eric Adams, to create something incredible.
  • Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen, a.k.a. Two Steps From Hell, have some awesome music of their own. Just listen to it. There's a reason it's been used for movie and video game trailers, like Mass Effect 2 and 2009's Star Trek (2009). Here's the trailer for Mass Effect 2, and the trailer for the reboot of Star Trek.
  • In the 90s in Indonesia, there was a group called Padhayangan Project or P-Project whose portfolio was to take one song and then make a parody song from it. For instance, take an already good and powerful song like "Tenda Biru" (Blue Tent) by Desy Ratnasari (then a popular artist/idol)... and they turn it into an utterly hilarious and awesome music out of it (with the same title) with its music video equally funny.
  • Truxton, whose mantra states "0% original content, 100% fun." None of his songs contain anything original, save a few drum loops, it is almost all crazy mashups with unbelievable outcomes. From bass heavy mashup of Flux Pavilion/Green Day/Skrillex/Doctor P to a chilling combination of the "Whistle Concert" from Mega Man 3 and "Wake Me Up When September Ends".
  • This rendition of "Rocking in the Free World" from Benefits for Cliff.
  • Céline Dion: "All By Myself", live from her Taking Chances tour. In fact, regardless on where she performs live, when she starts the "ANYMORE" in the middle of the song, that's when she gets the thunderous applause.
  • The Cat Empire has many awesome songs, but Song For The Day and All Hell are some particularly good examples.
  • Tom Waits produces some epic music. He has three main modes- Terrifying Songs, Heartbreaking Ballads and lounge jazz. Roughly one third of his stuff is unclassifiable.
  • A great amount of music by The Residents is incredibly amazing. Special mention has to go to their album Not Available.
  • "Thousand Violins" by The Tiger Lillies definitely deserves a mention here.
  • "Caliban's Dream", the theme from the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, is to music what Shakespeare is to literature. Words really don't do it justice. Then there's "And I Will Kiss". A magnificent 17 minute piece of orchestral techno laid with synths and breathtaking percussion led by deaf musician Dame Evelyn Glennie, this marked the point when the opening ceremony made billions of people go "HOLY SHIT THIS IS AMAZING".
  • Dweezil Zappa in general considering he can emulate a Hard Rock version of Frank Zappa. Here's his version of The Grinch.
  • Delta Rae is already capable of some amazing things with music. Then you listen to "Bottom of the River." The first section is almost pure vocal, save for the percussion from a chain in an aluminum roasting pan and the sounds of a swamp at sundown. The final third is nearly nothing but melodic sighs, a drum and a bass. It's deceptively simple and pure Southern Gothic win. The first verse alone is eerily epic:
    If you get sleep or if you get none (Cock's gonna call in the morning, baby)
    Check the cupboard for your daddy's gun (Red sun rises like an early warning)
    The Lord's gonna come for your first born son (His hair's on fire and his heart is burning)
    Go to the river where the water runs (Wash him deep where the tides are turning)...
  • Peter, Paul, and Mary's epic rendition of "Hayo, Haya".
  • Although they're mostly known for "To Be With You", a quick trawl through Mr. Big's discography reveals that these guys are really good at delivering awesome music. A few examples that spring to mind: "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy", "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" and "Take Cover" (with some amazing drumming from Pat Torpey, too: it was given praise by Rush's Neil Peart!).
  • Jogeir Liljedahl is an amazing MOD music artist from the early days of the Internet before the World Wide Web became a thing. Here is an archive of a good portion of his works. Helmet Shake by this gent is over five minutes of enchanting computer composed music.
  • This cover of Eminem's "Rap God" by The Animal In Me perfectly mixes Rap music and Screamo music and actually being able to pull off the famous fast part of "Rap God" is a feat that must be heard to be believed.
  • Susumu Hirasawa's Genre-Busting Electropop.
  • The Axis of Awesome has "Why Aren't Lasers Doing Cool Shit?".
  • Brandon & Derek Fiechter compose instrumental theme music styled after many different regions of the world. All of it is very beautifully composed.
  • "To The Beach" by Luis Hermandez is practically tailor-made for a chill beach day playlist.
  • "Tour the States" and "Tour the World" by Renald Francoeur. Who knew Educational Songs could be that awesome, not to mention set to a catchy pop/hip-hop tune? "Count It Out Loud" is also awesome.
  • All of SARO's entries for the 2017 Grand Beatbox Battle. His unique soundscapes, crisp beats, impeccable timing, and savage drops are enough to drive the crowd crazy and blow the judges off their seats, and you can almost see his opponents conceding defeat even before the rounds are over. Suffice to say, he won the competition by a landslide (getting 5-0 votes from the judges every single time).
  • Paris Paloma: "Labour" (video is mildly NSFW) took off like a shot on Tiktok in 2023, with the song's bridge in particular resonating with many women:
    All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid
    Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant
    Just an appendage, live to attend him
    So that he never lifts a finger
    Twenty-four-seven baby machine
    So he can live out his picket fence dreams
    It's not an act of love if you make her
    You make me do too much labour!
  • Chinchilla's "Little Girl Gone" (while the video itself is SFW, the song's lyrics are definitely not) talks about a protagonist who has finally had enough of being talked down to and belittled and is standing up for themselves. It's also a moment of awesome for the singer, who had split with her label and management a year prior to the single's release and had been told that the song would probably be seen as "too left-field" and public unfriendly - within four days after the song's release, it had 200,000 plays on Spotify, was number one on the US' iTunes chart and number two on the worldwide version and had cracked the top forty of The Sky VIP Top 40.
  • The Last Dinner Party is an interesting case. They had been playing music together for over a year before the release of their debut single ("Nothing Matters") but gained enough interest to get them opening gigs for The Rolling Stones (Band) and Nick Cave - not too shabby for a band that had only been performing covers before this!

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