1
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.
Below are songs that contain the letter S anywhere in the name. Each of the 58 songs below opens to a full profile.
Table of contents
List of Songs That Contain S
2
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.
3
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.
4
Closing Time
A 1998 alternative rock single by Semisonic, written by Dan Wilson, ostensibly about a closing bar but partly inspired by impending parenthood.
5
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.
6
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.
7
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.
8
Dreams
A 1977 Fleetwood Mac single written by Stevie Nicks, drawn from her perspective on the relationship breakdown that shaped the "Rumours" album.
9
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.
10
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.
11
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.
12
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.
13
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.
14
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."
15
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.
16
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.
17
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.
18
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."
19
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.
20
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.
21
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.
22
Kids
A 2007 indie electronic single by MGMT built around a sustained synthesizer hook, looking back nostalgically on a generation's childhood.
23
Kiss
A 1986 Prince single, a stripped funk track with a falsetto lead vocal that originally began as a demo for the group Mazarati.
24
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.
25
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.
26
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.
27
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.
28
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.
29
No Scrubs
A 1999 TLC single from the album "FanMail," a contemporary R&B song defining a slang term for an underachieving suitor.
30
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.
31
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.
32
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.
33
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.
34
Pumped Up Kicks
A 2010 indie pop single by Foster the People with a whistle-driven hook, addressing a troubled narrator with implied violent thoughts in upbeat sound.
35
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.
36
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.
37
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.
38
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.
39
Royals
A 2013 minimal electro-pop single by New Zealand artist Lorde, addressing celebrity excess from the perspective of a suburban teenager.
40
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.
41
Single Ladies
A 2008 Beyonce R&B single also known as "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," with a black-and-white music video that became one of the most-imitated of its era.
42
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.
43
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.
44
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.
45
Stand by Me
A 1961 soul single by Ben E. King, drawing on a gospel hymn, with a sustained walking bass line and Latin-influenced percussion.
46
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.
47
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.
48
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.
49
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.
50
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.
51
Venus
A 1969 Dutch rock band Shocking Blue single, later transformed in 1986 by Bananarama into a Hi-NRG dance-pop number-one, with a distinctive ascending guitar lick.
52
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.
53
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.
54
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.
55
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.
56
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.
57
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.
58
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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