10 Most Iconic Keyboard Songs In Rock Music
5. In the End - Linkin Park
Right off the bat, this song is not really getting points for being the hardest thing in the world to play. The nu metal scene was never really known for having jaw dropping piano parts or anything, and the opening notes of this song aren't especially difficult to find when you've had some experience behind the ivories. What makes this one special is how it makes you feel when you sit down and listen to it.
For most millennials, this is the kind of thing that you can identify in just a couple seconds, setting the scene for this angsty nu metal song to take shape. Aside from the simple chord progression, most of the appeal of this piano part comes with the effects going on around it. The minute that you hear it, the piano almost sounds beat up, barely being able to sound like normal keys with all of the digital distortion around it. When you finally get dropped into the rest of the song with Mike's verse though, the mix swallows the piano, almost illustrating how much the digital side of nu metal has taken the human side of playing away.
As the track plays on, you can still always hear the piano still seeping through the cracks, trying desperately to get your attention before being stifled. It's struggling to hold on, but the sound of those keys is determined not to be ignored, kind of like what Linkin Park were trying to do around the exact same time.