1
Africa
A 1982 soft-rock single by American band Toto, written by David Paich and Jeff Porcaro, featuring layered synthesizers and an evocative chorus about longing.
Below are songs that contain the letter R anywhere in the name. Each of the 81 songs below opens to a full profile.
Table of contents
List of Songs That Contain R
2
Africa Unite
A 1979 Bob Marley and the Wailers track from the album "Survival," a reggae anthem calling for pan-African political unity and shared identity.
3
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.
4
American Pie
An eight-and-a-half-minute 1971 folk-rock song by Don McLean that obliquely recounts the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper.
5
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.
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
Careless Whisper
A 1984 saxophone-driven pop ballad written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, released as Michael's first solo single during the Wham! era.
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
Creep
A 1992 alternative rock single by Radiohead about social alienation, marked by a heavily distorted guitar transition into the chorus.
15
Day Tripper
A 1965 Beatles single built on a riff by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, released as a double A-side with "We Can Work It Out."
16
Dreams
A 1977 Fleetwood Mac single written by Stevie Nicks, drawn from her perspective on the relationship breakdown that shaped the "Rumours" album.
17
Drive
A 1999 alternative rock single by Incubus, a downtempo guitar ballad about anxiety and forward motion despite uncertainty.
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
Fast Car
A 1988 folk-rock single by Tracy Chapman about a working-class couple trying to escape poverty, built on an arpeggiated acoustic guitar figure.
23
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.
24
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.
25
Free Bird
A 1973 Lynyrd Skynyrd track that opens as a slide-guitar ballad and closes with an extended three-guitar instrumental jam, a defining Southern rock recording.
26
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.
27
Gangsta's Paradise
A 1995 hip-hop single by Coolio featuring L.V., built on a sample of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" and written for the film "Dangerous Minds."
28
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.
29
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.
30
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.
31
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.
32
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.
33
Hurt
A 1995 Nine Inch Nails song written by Trent Reznor, transformed in 2002 into a defining late-period recording by Johnny Cash.
34
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.
35
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.
36
Jeremy
A 1991 Pearl Jam single inspired by the real-life suicide of a 15-year-old Texas student in front of his classmates, with a music video that received heavy MTV play.
37
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.
38
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.
39
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.
40
Kashmir
A 1975 Led Zeppelin track built on a sustained guitar riff in an unusual time signature, with strings and brass orchestration over a long instrumental form.
41
Killer Queen
A 1974 Queen single written by Freddie Mercury, an early commercial breakthrough featuring layered vocal harmonies and a vaudevillian piano arrangement.
42
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.
43
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.
44
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.
45
Material Girl
A 1984 Madonna single from "Like a Virgin," a synth-pop song about an unapologetic pursuit of wealth, with a music video referencing Marilyn Monroe.
46
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.
47
Mr. Brightside
A 2004 single by The Killers, an indie-rock breakthrough about jealousy and an imagined infidelity, with a sustained eighth-note guitar pattern by Dave Keuning.
48
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.
49
No Scrubs
A 1999 TLC single from the album "FanMail," a contemporary R&B song defining a slang term for an underachieving suitor.
50
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.
51
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.
52
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.
53
Paper Planes
A 2007 alternative hip-hop single by M.I.A., built on a sample of The Clash's "Straight to Hell" and a chorus interrupted by gunshot sound effects.
54
Pretty Hurts
A 2013 Beyonce track from her self-titled visual album, with verses about beauty competition pressures and a music video set at a fictional pageant.
55
Purple Rain
A 1984 Prince single, the title track of his sixth album and the accompanying film, building over eight minutes through ballad and extended guitar solo sections.
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
Respect
A 1967 Aretha Franklin recording of an Otis Redding song, rearranged into a feminist anthem with a spelled-out title refrain and a sax solo by King Curtis.
59
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.
60
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.
61
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.
62
Royals
A 2013 minimal electro-pop single by New Zealand artist Lorde, addressing celebrity excess from the perspective of a suburban teenager.
63
Smells Like Teen Spirit
A 1991 Nirvana single that helped break grunge into the mainstream, with a four-chord guitar riff and Kurt Cobain's mumbled vocal phrasing.
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
Thriller
A 1983 Michael Jackson single, the title track of his sixth album, featuring a spoken-word coda by horror actor Vincent Price.
67
Time After Time
A 1984 Cyndi Lauper single, a soft-pop ballad with synthesizer texture and a chorus phrase echoed across decades of pop culture.
68
Tiny Dancer
A 1971 piano-led ballad by Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin, written about Maxine Feibelman, Taupin's then-girlfriend and later wife.
69
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.
70
Umbrella
A 2007 Rihanna single featuring Jay-Z, with a "ella ella" chorus refrain that became one of the most recognizable pop phrases of its era.
71
Under Pressure
A 1981 collaboration between Queen and David Bowie, built on a bass riff developed during a jam session at Mountain Studios in Montreux.
72
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.
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
Waterloo
A 1974 ABBA single that won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden, becoming the band's international breakthrough.
75
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.
76
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
A 1968 Beatles song written by George Harrison from "The White Album," featuring an uncredited lead guitar performance by Eric Clapton.
77
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.
78
Yesterday
A 1965 Beatles single composed by Paul McCartney as a melody he dreamed, recorded with a string quartet arrangement and McCartney as the sole performing Beatle.
79
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.
80
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.
81
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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