1
All Along the Watchtower
A 1967 folk-rock song written by Bob Dylan, later transformed by Jimi Hendrix into a definitive electric rock interpretation in 1968.
Below are songs that contain the letter O anywhere in the name. Each of the 86 songs below opens to a full profile.
Table of contents
List of Songs That Contain O
2
Always on My Mind
A country ballad first cut by Brenda Lee in 1972, made a hit by Willie Nelson in 1982, and remade as a synth-pop single by Pet Shop Boys in 1987.
3
Anaconda
A 2014 hip-hop single by Nicki Minaj, built on a sample of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" with new verses and a music video that broke 24-hour view records.
4
Bad Romance
A 2009 electropop single by Lady Gaga, co-written with RedOne, built on a hooked vocal refrain and a heavily art-directed music video.
5
Blowin' in the Wind
A 1963 Bob Dylan protest folk song featuring rhetorical questions about peace, war, and freedom, popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary.
6
Bohemian Rhapsody
A 1975 progressive rock epic by Queen, written by Freddie Mercury, fusing ballad, opera, and hard rock sections in a six-minute single.
7
Boogie Wonderland
A 1979 disco single by Earth, Wind and Fire featuring the Emotions on backing vocals, with brisk horn arrangements and a sustained dance groove.
8
Born to Run
A 1975 Bruce Springsteen single layered with dense Phil Spector-influenced production, depicting young lovers planning to escape a dead-end town.
9
Bridge Over Troubled Water
A 1970 piano-led ballad by Simon and Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon and sung by Art Garfunkel, drawing on gospel and soul vocal traditions.
10
California Dreamin'
A 1965 folk-rock song by the Mamas and the Papas, written by John and Michelle Phillips, evoking a longing for California during an East Coast winter.
11
Closing Time
A 1998 alternative rock single by Semisonic, written by Dan Wilson, ostensibly about a closing bar but partly inspired by impending parenthood.
12
Comfortably Numb
A 1979 progressive rock song by Pink Floyd from "The Wall," with verses by Roger Waters and a sustained David Gilmour guitar solo over an orchestral arrangement.
13
Crazy in Love
A 2003 R&B and hip-hop single by Beyonce featuring Jay-Z, built on a horn sample from the Chi-Lites' "Are You My Woman."
14
Despacito
A 2017 Spanish-language reggaeton single by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee that became one of the most-streamed songs in recorded music history.
15
Don't Stop Believin'
A 1981 arena rock anthem by Journey, built on a sustained piano motif by Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry's high lead vocal, set to a city girl meeting a small-town boy.
16
Don't Stop Me Now
A 1978 Queen single written by Freddie Mercury, built on a fast piano figure and a chorus that celebrates a euphoric night out.
17
Edge of Seventeen
A 1981 Stevie Nicks single built on a sixteenth-note guitar figure by Waddy Wachtel, written about the deaths of John Lennon and Nicks's uncle.
18
Empire State of Mind
A 2009 hip-hop single by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, celebrating New York City with a piano hook built around Keys's chorus.
19
Englishman in New York
A 1987 single by Sting written about the writer Quentin Crisp, who had recently moved from London to Manhattan, with a Branford Marsalis saxophone solo.
20
Every Breath You Take
A 1983 single by The Police, written by Sting, that pairs a repeated guitar riff with possessive lyrics often misread as a tender love song.
21
Eye of the Tiger
A 1982 rock single by Survivor written for the film "Rocky III" at the request of Sylvester Stallone, built on a heavy palm-muted guitar opening.
22
Firework
A 2010 pop single by Katy Perry, an empowerment-themed dance-pop song built on a kick-drum-driven chorus and Perry's belted vocal lines.
23
Folsom Prison Blues
A 1955 Johnny Cash country single later re-recorded live at Folsom State Prison in 1968, capturing a famous concert response from inmates.
24
Friday I'm in Love
A 1992 single by The Cure, an unusually bright pop song from a band better known for darker textures, marking each day of the week.
25
God Only Knows
A 1966 Beach Boys song written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, featuring a French horn introduction and complex shifting harmonic motion.
26
Good Riddance
A 1997 acoustic ballad by Green Day, also known as "Time of Your Life," written by Billie Joe Armstrong about a former girlfriend.
27
Good Vibrations
A 1966 Beach Boys single produced by Brian Wilson over six months across multiple studios, featuring an Electro-Theremin and a modular sectional structure.
28
Heartbreak Hotel
A 1956 Elvis Presley single, his first RCA release, inspired by a newspaper story about a suicide and built on a stark blues arrangement.
29
Heroes
A 1977 David Bowie single recorded in West Berlin, co-written with Brian Eno, partly inspired by a couple kissing near the Berlin Wall.
30
Hotel California
A 1976 Eagles single, an allegorical song about excess and the American dream, featuring a closing dual-guitar harmony solo by Don Felder and Joe Walsh.
31
I Want to Hold Your Hand
A 1963 Beatles single that became the band's first U.S. number one and triggered the wave known as the British Invasion.
32
I Will Always Love You
A 1973 Dolly Parton country ballad transformed in 1992 into a worldwide pop hit by Whitney Houston for the film "The Bodyguard."
33
Jailhouse Rock
A 1957 Elvis Presley single written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the film of the same name, opening with a famous repeated guitar punctuation.
34
Jolene
A 1973 Dolly Parton country single, an address to another woman pleading with her not to take the singer's partner, set to a fast acoustic strum.
35
Just the Way You Are
A 1977 Billy Joel ballad addressed to his first wife Elizabeth, featuring a soprano saxophone solo by Phil Woods on the original recording.
36
Karma Chameleon
A 1983 Culture Club single, a country-influenced pop song with a prominent harmonica part by Judd Lander and Boy George's sung lead vocal.
37
Karma Police
A 1997 Radiohead single from "OK Computer," a piano-led track with an extended ambient outro, with a music video shot in a single moving-vehicle take.
38
Like a Rolling Stone
A 1965 Bob Dylan single, a six-minute electrified track that helped define the album-era expansion of pop song length and form.
39
London Calling
A 1979 single by The Clash, a post-punk track addressing nuclear anxiety and the Three Mile Island accident, with a Morse-code "SOS" guitar coda.
40
Lose Yourself
A 2002 Eminem single from the soundtrack of the film "8 Mile," with a piano motif and Eminem's stark rap verses about seizing one opportunity.
41
Love Me Tender
A 1956 Elvis Presley ballad adapted from the 1861 Civil War-era folk song "Aura Lee," recorded for and named after his first film.
42
Money
A 1973 Pink Floyd single from "The Dark Side of the Moon," built on a seven-beat bass riff and featuring a sampled tape loop of cash registers.
43
Moves Like Jagger
A 2011 single by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera, a whistled-hook dance-pop track named after Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
44
Mrs. Robinson
A 1968 Simon and Garfunkel single, written for the film "The Graduate," with references to Joe DiMaggio and a brisk acoustic guitar rhythm.
45
Nine to Five
A 1980 Dolly Parton single written for the film of the same name, a country-pop song about office workers featuring typewriter sound effects.
46
No Scrubs
A 1999 TLC single from the album "FanMail," a contemporary R&B song defining a slang term for an underachieving suitor.
47
Nothing Compares 2 U
A 1985 Prince song originally recorded by The Family, transformed in 1990 by Sinead O'Connor's stark vocal version into a worldwide number one.
48
November Rain
A 1991 Guns N' Roses single, an eight-and-a-half-minute piano-led rock ballad written by Axl Rose, with extended guitar solos by Slash.
49
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
A 1968 Beatles song from "The White Album," with a ska-influenced rhythm written by Paul McCartney, telling a brief storybook narrative of Desmond and Molly.
50
Old Town Road
A 2018 country-trap single by Lil Nas X, built on a sample of a Nine Inch Nails instrumental, that became the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 number one.
51
One
A 1991 single by U2, a sustained ballad written during recording sessions in Berlin for "Achtung Baby," addressing fractured intimacy.
52
Only You
A 1982 single by British electronic duo Yazoo, written by Vince Clarke, with Alison Moyet's soul-influenced vocal over a synthesizer arrangement.
53
Oops I Did It Again
A 2000 Britney Spears single, the title track from her second album, with production by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub and a memorable spoken-word interlude.
54
Piano Man
A 1973 Billy Joel song narrating a slow night at a Los Angeles piano bar, drawn from his own experience working as a lounge pianist during a contract dispute.
55
Quando Quando Quando
A 1962 Italian bossa nova song composed by Tony Renis with lyrics by Alberto Testa, later widely recorded in English by Engelbert Humperdinck and others.
56
Queen of Hearts
A 1981 country-rock single by Juice Newton, written by Hank DeVito, becoming one of the year's most-played U.S. radio singles.
57
Quiet Storm
A 1975 Smokey Robinson song that gave its name to a U.S. R&B radio programming format featuring smooth, slow soul and jazz-influenced ballads.
58
Riders on the Storm
A 1971 song by The Doors, recorded shortly before Jim Morrison's death, featuring electric piano by Ray Manzarek and a sustained thunderstorm sound effect.
59
Rock with You
A 1979 Michael Jackson single from "Off the Wall," produced by Quincy Jones, with a smooth disco-funk arrangement and Jackson's tightly phrased lead vocal.
60
Rolling in the Deep
A 2010 Adele single, a soul-influenced rock track produced by Paul Epworth, blending acoustic guitar opening with a gospel-influenced chorus.
61
Royals
A 2013 minimal electro-pop single by New Zealand artist Lorde, addressing celebrity excess from the perspective of a suburban teenager.
62
Shape of You
A 2017 Ed Sheeran single, a dancehall-influenced pop track that topped charts in over forty countries and broke streaming records for its era.
63
Somebody That I Used to Know
A 2011 indie pop single by Gotye featuring Kimbra, a dialogue duet about a breakup, built on a Luiz Bonfa guitar sample.
64
Stairway to Heaven
A 1971 Led Zeppelin track that opens with a fingerpicked acoustic guitar pattern, builds through electric instrumentation, and closes with a guitar solo by Jimmy Page.
65
Sweet Caroline
A 1969 Neil Diamond single inspired in part by a Life magazine photo of Caroline Kennedy as a child, with a singalong chorus phrase widely echoed at sports venues.
66
Sweet Child o' Mine
A 1987 Guns N' Roses single built on a Slash guitar riff that began as a string skipping exercise, with Axl Rose's lyric about his then-girlfriend.
67
Take On Me
A 1985 synth-pop single by Norwegian band a-ha, featuring a distinctive synthesizer hook by Magne Furuholmen and Morten Harket's high falsetto chorus.
68
Tom's Diner
A 1987 a cappella Suzanne Vega song remixed in 1990 by DNA into a club hit, and later used as the audio test signal for the development of the MP3 codec.
69
Toxic
A 2003 Britney Spears single, an electropop track produced by Bloodshy and Avant featuring an opening sample of "Tere Mere Beech Mein" by Lata Mangeshkar.
70
Uptown Funk
A 2014 funk-influenced single by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, built on horn arrangements and a chord pattern referencing 1980s Minneapolis funk.
71
Uptown Girl
A 1983 Billy Joel single written about the woman who became his second wife, model Christie Brinkley, in a doo-wop style with a Frankie Valli vocal reference.
72
Use Somebody
A 2008 Kings of Leon single, a slow-burn alternative rock track that became the band's commercial breakthrough in the United States and Europe.
73
Video Killed the Radio Star
A 1979 single by British synth-pop duo The Buggles, lamenting changes brought to popular music by television, which famously became MTV's first music video.
74
Vogue
A 1990 Madonna single, a house-influenced dance track referencing the New York ballroom dance practice and namechecking Old Hollywood stars.
75
Waterloo
A 1974 ABBA single that won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden, becoming the band's international breakthrough.
76
We Are the Champions
A 1977 Queen anthem written by Freddie Mercury, often paired with "We Will Rock You" on sports broadcasts and at championship events worldwide.
77
What's Going On
A 1971 Marvin Gaye single from his concept album of the same name, addressing the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the conditions of urban America.
78
Wonderwall
A 1995 Oasis single written by Noel Gallagher, with an open-tuned acoustic guitar pattern and Liam Gallagher's lead vocal, becoming the band's signature track.
79
X Gon' Give It to Ya
A 2002 DMX single from the soundtrack to the film "Cradle 2 the Grave," produced by Shatek King with a heavy synth bass riff.
80
XO
A 2013 Beyonce single, a midtempo pop song addressed to a partner against a sense of mortality, with production by Ryan Tedder and Beyonce.
81
Yellow
A 2000 Coldplay single from their debut album "Parachutes," a guitar-led ballad that became the band's international breakthrough.
82
You Are the Sunshine of My Life
A 1972 Stevie Wonder single, a soft soul ballad with electric piano and an introductory verse sung by Jim Gilstrap and Lani Groves.
83
You've Got a Friend
A 1971 Carole King song from her album "Tapestry," and also a 1971 James Taylor recording that became his only U.S. number-one single.
84
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
A 1946 song written for the Disney film "Song of the South" by Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
85
Zombie
A 1994 Cranberries single written by Dolores O'Riordan about a 1993 IRA bombing in Warrington, with a distorted guitar arrangement uncommon in the band's earlier work.
86
Zorba's Dance
A 1964 instrumental piece by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, written for the film "Zorba the Greek" and adapted from a traditional Cretan dance form.
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