1
A Day in the Life
A 1967 Beatles song closing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," combining two unfinished pieces by Lennon and McCartney with a 40-piece orchestral crescendo.
Below are songs that contain the letter Y anywhere in the name. Each of the 41 songs below opens to a full profile.
Table of contents
List of Songs That Contain Y
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
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.
4
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.
5
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."
6
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."
7
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.
8
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.
9
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.
10
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.
11
Get Lucky
A 2013 disco-funk revival single by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, built on a sustained four-chord progression and live guitar.
12
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.
13
Happy
A 2013 Pharrell Williams single written for the soundtrack of the animated film "Despicable Me 2," built on a four-on-the-floor handclap beat.
14
Hey Jude
A 1968 Beatles single written by Paul McCartney for John Lennon's son Julian, with a sustained four-minute coda built on a repeated "na na na" refrain.
15
I Want It That Way
A 1999 Backstreet Boys single written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, with a chord pattern built around the tension between verse and chorus.
16
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.
17
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."
18
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.
19
Juicy
A 1994 hip-hop single by The Notorious B.I.G., built on a sample of Mtume's "Juicy Fruit," recounting his rise from Brooklyn to stardom.
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
Layla
A 1970 Derek and the Dominos single, written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, with a sustained guitar riff opening and an extended piano coda.
22
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.
23
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.
24
My Way
A 1969 Frank Sinatra single adapted from the 1967 French song "Comme d'habitude," with new English lyrics written by Paul Anka.
25
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.
26
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.
27
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.
28
Royals
A 2013 minimal electro-pop single by New Zealand artist Lorde, addressing celebrity excess from the perspective of a suburban teenager.
29
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.
30
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.
31
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.
32
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.
33
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.
34
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.
35
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.
36
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.
37
Yellow
A 2000 Coldplay single from their debut album "Parachutes," a guitar-led ballad that became the band's international breakthrough.
38
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.
39
YMCA
A 1978 Village People single, a disco track about the Young Men's Christian Association with a chorus accompanied by a widely-known arm-spelling dance.
40
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.
41
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.
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