What You’ll Find In This Guide

  • Violin-forward rock songs from classic, indie, punk, prog, alternative, baroque pop, and rootsy Americana-rock
  • Hits from big names, like the Rolling Stones or The Smashing Pumpkins
  • Case studies in experimentation. Think electric violins, orchestral arrangements, violin samples that are played with violin IRL, & even bowed guitars
  • Groups with dedicated rock violinists, like ELO and Kansas

We’ve grouped songs by subgenre and vibe so you can find your next setlist addition (or playlist favorite) fast.

From blistering solos to moody string sections, violins in rock aren’t just decoration — they’re often what pushes a track from memorable into legendary territory. Whether it’s backing a searing guitar riff or replacing it entirely with expressive, melodic power, the violin is the unsung hero of rock arrangements.

This guide explores violins in rock music — not just where they make cameos, but where they truly matter. From classic anthems and symphonic power ballads to gritty punk, Americana-rock, prog, and modern indie, these songs span decades and subgenres. If it rocks and it bows, you’ll find it here. 

We’ve got 91 songs, and counting, for you to sink your teeth into. So, if you’re a violinist looking for inspiration, a gigging musician expanding your setlist, or just someone who appreciates the beautiful collision of strings and distortion, this roundup is for you.

First: Why Violins Belong in Rock Music

Rock has always embraced bold sounds, and the violin brings an edge no other instrument can replicate.

Violins can be dramatic, emotional, and unapologetically expressive. They hold their own in the most intense tracks…yet can also soften a song with cinematic texture. From gritty fiddles to polished orchestration, violins prove their place in rock again and again.

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Some tracks feature full string sections, others use a single electric violin as a lead. But sometimes, like with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, the guitar is played with a violin bow for ethereal, otherworldly tones.

Rock Songs With Violin: Curated by Subgenre & Era

These songs feature violin (and often, distortion pedals, too).

Classic Rock & Orchestral Power

Big choruses. Stadium-sized emotion. And sweeping string arrangements that made rock feel larger than life. These classics defined a generation and proved the violin has a permanent place in rock’s golden age.

  1. “Kashmir” – Led Zeppelin (1975)
  2. “Baba O’Riley” – The Who (1971)
  3. “Jungleland” – Bruce Springsteen (1975)
  4. “Dust in the Wind” – Kansas (1977)
  5. “Wish You Were Here” (early version with violin) – Pink Floyd (1975)
  6. “Acadian Driftwood” – The Band (1975)
  7. “Country Honk” – The Rolling Stones (1969)
  8. “Out of the Blue” – Roxy Music (1974)
  9. “Flight of the Phoenix” – Grand Funk Railroad (1972)
  10. “You Wear It Well” – Rod Stewart (1972)

Psychedelic & Experimental Rock

The violin was a natural fit for rock artists who colored outside the lines. From eerie textures to swirling sonic experiments, these songs highlight how strings elevated the strange, surreal, and sublime.

  1. “Venus in Furs” – The Velvet Underground (1967)
  2. “Wild Turkey” – Jefferson Airplane (1971)
  3. “Milk Train” – Jefferson Airplane (1972)
  4. “Eleanor Rigby” – The Beatles (1966)
  5. “Image of Me” – The Flying Burrito Brothers (1970)
  6. “Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)” – Neil Young (1969)
  7. “Sea of Joy” – Blind Faith (1969)
  8. “Echoes” – Pink Floyd (1971)
  9. “Bittersweet Symphony” – The Verve (1997)
  10. “The Rain Song” – Led Zeppelin (1973)

Alternative, Grunge & ‘90s Rock

The ‘90s gave the violin room to brood, scream, and shine. In alt-rock, grunge, and moodier rock-adjacent Britpop hits alike, string sections provided a lush contrast to distortion-heavy guitars and angsty vocals.

  1. “Tonight, Tonight” – The Smashing Pumpkins (1995)
  2. “Linger” – The Cranberries (1993)
  3. “Whatever” – Oasis (1994)
  4. “Glycerine” – Bush (1994)
  5. “Losing It” – Rush (1982)
  6. “Loser” – Beck (1994)
  7. “Burn the Witch” – Radiohead (2016)
  8. “Nude” – Radiohead (2007)
  9. “Come As You Are” – Nirvana (1991)
  10. “Vapour Trail” – Ride (1990)

Indie, Post-Rock, & Modern Cinematic Rock

In the hands of modern and indie artists, violins became emotional architects, layering atmosphere, building tension, and adding gorgeous depth to ambient and epic rock anthems.

  1. “Sigur 3 (Untitled)” – Sigur Rós (2002)
  2. “Wait” – M83 (2011)
  3. “Your Hand In Mine” – Explosions in the Sky (2003)
  4. “Rebellion (Lies)” – Arcade Fire (2004)
  5. “The Suburbs” – Arcade Fire (2010)
  6. “Cosmic Love” – Florence + The Machine (2009)
  7. “Fake Palindromes” – Andrew Bird (2005)
  8. “Ho Hey” – The Lumineers (2012)
  9. “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” – Iron & Wine (2007)
  10. “Ends of the Earth” – Lord Huron (2012)

Folk Rock, Roots Rock, & Americana-Influenced

Roots rockers know that nothing pairs with gritty guitar and storytelling lyrics quite like a fiddle. These tracks balance earthy authenticity with powerful emotional punch.

  1. “Rag Mama Rag” – The Band (1969)
  2. “Paper in Fire” – John Mellencamp (1987)
  3. “This Ol’ Cowboy” – Marshall Tucker Band (1974)
  4. “Travelin’ Prayer” – Billy Joel (1973)
  5. “I and Love and You” – The Avett Brothers (2009)
  6. “Cigarette Daydreams” – Cage the Elephant (2013)
  7. “Harvest Moon” – Neil Young (1992)
  8. “The Ghost Inside” – Broken Bells (2010)
  9. “The Funeral” – Band of Horses (2006)
  10. “Meet Me in the Woods” – Lord Huron (2015)

Punk, Post-Punk & Alt-Punk

Raw emotion meets orchestral chaos. In punk and its post-punk offspring, violin adds unease, elegance, and unexpected intensity—sometimes haunting, sometimes cathartic.

  1. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” – U2 (1983)
  2. “Lose This Skin” – The Clash (1980)
  3. “Violence” – Mott the Hoople (1973)
  4. “Stop Right There” – The Hollies (1967)
  5. “Cuts You Up” – Peter Murphy (1989)
  6. “The Universal” – Blur (1995)
  7. “Whatever Happened To My Rock ‘n’ Roll” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (2001)
  8. “The Killing Moon” – Echo & the Bunnymen (1984)
  9. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – Joy Division (1980)
  10. “Just Like Heaven” – The Cure (1987)

Unexpected, Bowed, or Experimental

Here’s where things get wild. From guitars played with violin bows to orchestral pop left turns, these tracks bend genre and instrument alike. Expect the unexpected.

  1. “Dazed and Confused” – Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page bowed guitar) (1969)
  2. “Dream Police” – Cheap Trick (1979)
  3. “Directly from My Heart to You” – Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (1970)
  4. “Come On Eileen” – Dexys Midnight Runners (1982)
  5. “Amy” – Elton John (1972)
  6. “Black Water” – The Doobie Brothers (1974)
  7. “Violin” – Kate Bush (1980)
  8. “And the Healing Has Begun” – Van Morrison (1979)
  9. “Once Upon a Long Ago” – Paul McCartney (1987)
  10. “Hurricane” – Bob Dylan (1976)

Bands That Rocked Violin Every Time: Dedicated Violinists in Rock

Some bands don’t just feature the violin — they built their entire sound around it. And that’s why they deserve their own section. 

Whether it’s a full-time member bowing through every set or a band that consistently centers violin in its arrangements, these groups made strings part of their core identity.

Dave Matthews Band

Violinist: Boyd Tinsley

 A defining part of the DMB sound for decades, Tinsley’s electric violin wasn’t just embellishment — it traded solos with sax, anchored melodies, and added a bluesy, jam-ready edge to their live energy. Top hits from DMB include:

  • “Ants Marching” (1994): Violin hooks and plucked fills are central to the groove
  • “Crash Into Me” (1996):  Warm, melodic violin swells shape the atmosphere
  • “Tripping Billies” (1996): Fast fiddle-style violin leads the charge

Kansas

Violinist: Robby Steinhardt

Kansas treated the violin like a lead guitar, letting Steinhardt soar across progressive, baroque, and hard rock arrangements.

  • “Point of Know Return” (1977): A violin-led prog-rock anthem
  • “Dust in the Wind” (1977): Poignant violin lines shaped this ballad into a classic
  • “Song for America” (1975): Full violin melodies in symphonic rock form

Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)

Violinists: Mik Kaminski, Wilfred Gibson (studio)

No violin songs with rock list is complete without ELO, who seamlessly wove orchestral strings — including violin — into glam rock and electric pop.

  • “10538 Overture” (1972): The violin is the riff
  • “Livin’ Thing” (1976): Dramatic strings dance behind every chorus
  • “Mr. Blue Sky” (1977): Layered string parts (including violin) add bounce and grandeur

Seriously, if you don’t know ‘em, give them a listen! 

Yellowcard

Violinist: Sean MackinPop-punk’s rare violinist, Mackin, helped define Yellowcard’s sound, often using the violin where other bands would go full guitar solo.

  • “Ocean Avenue” (2003) : Anthemic with lead violin lines
  • “Only One” (2003): Strings add emotional punch between verses
  • “Way Away” (2003): Opens with a violin riff, sets the tone for the whole album

The Waterboys

Violinist: Steve Wickham

Wickham’s electric violin became a signature of the band’s blend of Celtic folk and rock — wild, poetic, and powerfully expressive.

  • “The Whole of the Moon” (1985): Lush with strings throughout
  • “We Will Not Be Lovers” (1988): Fiddle takes the lead like it’s a punk song
  • “A Girl Called Johnny” (1983): Violin adds haunting character to the band’s debut

The Corrs

Violinist: Sharon Corr

Pop-rock meets traditional Irish fiddle in The Corrs’ melodic, radio-friendly catalog.

  • “Runaway” (1995): Romantic, flowing violin lines
  • “Breathless” (2000): Polished pop-rock with subtle string work
  • “What Can I Do” (1997): Fiddle breaks add charm to the chorus

Arcade Fire

Violinists: Sarah Neufeld & Owen Pallet

Layered and cinematic, Arcade Fire’s sound has always been string-forward — often featuring Neufeld and Pallett in studio and live sets.

  • “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” (2004): Violin pulses under the melody
  • “Rebellion (Lies)” (2004): Urgent strings help build the anthemic tension
  • “The Suburbs” (2010): Arrangements wrap orchestral swells around indie-rock structure

Mumford & Sons

While they don’t have a full-time violinist, strings are core to their sound — especially live, where fiddle takes the spotlight.

  • “I Will Wait” (2012): Stomping rhythms, fiddle-infused breakdowns
  • “Ghosts That We Knew” (2012): Soft, string-centered balladry
  • “Little Lion Man” (2009): Banjo, guitar, and violin combine in explosive folk-rock

Rock Boldly with CodaBow

Rock music thrives on bold expression. Your bow should, too. Whether you’re jamming on an electric, laying down a gritty solo, or adding haunting beauty to a ballad, your bow needs to keep up.

CodaBow’s performance-ready carbon fiber bows are built for crossover creativity. Designed for amplified play, fast transitions, and tonal clarity, they give you the flexibility to explore rock’s rawest and most refined sounds.

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