The table below lists all A-listed songs by artists beginning with B. Some artists are also linked to their own individual pages.
| Artist | Song Title | Topic |
| B-52s | Housework | spring cleaning & household chores |
| Love Shack | jukeboxes | |
| Meet the Flintstones (as the BC-52s) | geology | |
| Roam | motivation | |
| Rock Lobster | the coast | |
| Wig | hats & accessories | |
| Ba-Benzélé Pygmies | Hindewhu | flutes, pipes & whistles |
| Ba Cissoko | Le rêve de l’oiseau (Koto Djime) | fairytales |
| Babe Ruth | The Mexican | 19th century life |
| Babes in Toyland | Fair Is Foul and Foul Is Fair | Shakespeare |
| Baby Huey | Hard Times | poverty |
| Running | running | |
| Babybird | Candy Girl | sweetness |
| The Jesus Stag Night Club | Jesus | |
| You’re Gorgeous | songs that aren’t what they seem | |
| Babymetal | Gimme Chocolate!! | flavour |
| Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!! | doors | |
| Karate | determination | |
| Babyshambles | Albion | England |
| Fuck Forever | upbeat break-up #2 | |
| Baccara | Yes Sir, I Can Boogie | so bad they’re good |
| Bach, Johann Sebastian | Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major | driving songs |
| Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major: I. Allegro | flutes, pipes & whistles | |
| Canon a 2, per tonos (Endlessly Rising Canon) (from The Musical Offering) | finish where they begin | |
| Cello Suite No. 1 in G major: I. Prelude (performed by Yo-Yo Ma) | cello | |
| Ei! Wie schmeckt der Kaffee süsse (from Cantata No. 211) | flavour | |
| Erbarme dich, mein Gott (sung by Michael Chance) | androgynous vocals | |
| Erbarme dich, mein Gott (sung by Marian Anderson) | songs that give you goosebumps | |
| Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major | mathematics | |
| Toccata and Fugue in D minor | organ | |
| Bacharach, Burt | South American Getaway | South America |
| Bachman-Turner Overdrive | Takin’ Care of Business | punctuality |
| Bad Brains | Pay to Cum | incidental music |
| Bad Bunny | La Canción (with J Balvin) | perspiration |
| Bad Company | Shooting Star | hearing, choosing & playing records |
| Bad Daughter | Tiny Sun | audible breaths |
| Bad Religion | American Jesus | Jesus |
| The Handshake | formal agreements | |
| Badalamenti, Angelo | The Nightingale (with Julee Cruise) | nightingales & thrushes |
| Baddiel & Skinner | Three Lions (with the Lightning Seeds) | songs that capture the zeitgeist |
| Badfinger | Matted Spam | misleading or incongruous titles |
| No Matter What | Welsh songs | |
| Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band | Martin’s Funeral | funerals |
| Badly Drawn Boy | In Safe Hands | hands |
| Something to Talk About | recorded for movies | |
| This Song | songs about songs | |
| Badshah | Saturday, Saturday (with Indeep Bakshi & Akriti Kakar) | days of the week |
| Badu, Erykah | Certainly | feminism |
| Green Eyes | eyes | |
| The Healer | healing | |
| Hollywood | Hollywood | |
| Kiss Me on My Neck | spine & neck | |
| Orange Moon | colours | |
| Window Seat | windows | |
| Ye Yo | tautonyms | |
| Baez, Joan | Copper Kettle | making things |
| Diamonds & Rust | can’t live with or without you | |
| Joe Hill | historical figures | |
| One Too Many Mornings | misunderstanding | |
| Prison Trilogy (Billy Rose) | prisons | |
| The Queen of Hearts | queens | |
| Song in the Blood | blood | |
| We Shall Overcome | survival | |
| Bahama Soul Club | No Words (ft Brenda Boykin) | quiet |
| Bailey, Bill | Das Hokey Kokey | left & right |
| Unisex Chipshop | unusual rhymes | |
| Bailey, Mildred | Trust in Me | trust |
| Bailey, Roy | Invisible Married Breakfast Blues (with Leon Rosselson) | the invisible |
| Rolling Home | music for funerals | |
| Bailey Rae, Corinne | Put Your Records On | media for listening to recorded music |
| Bainbridge, Merrill | Under the Water | forgotten follow-ups |
| Baker, Anita | Caught Up in the Rapture | falling in love |
| Fairy Tales | fairytales | |
| Baker, Chet | Everything Happens to Me | luck |
| I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes) | missing someone | |
| Let’s Get Lost | being lost | |
| Like Someone in Love | similes | |
| Make Me Rainbows | rainbows | |
| My Funny Valentine | beauty | |
| My Ideal | perfection | |
| Baker, George (see George Baker Selection) | ||
| Baker, LaVern | Batman to the Rescue | comics & cartoons |
| Saved | starting over | |
| Soul on Fire | slow, sexy love songs | |
| Think Twice (Version X) (with Jackie Wilson) | sweary songs | |
| Bakshi, Indeep | Saturday, Saturday (with Badshah & Akriti Kakar) | days of the week |
| Balaké, Amadou | Taximen | taxis |
| Balfa Brothers | La danse de Mardi Gras | New Orleans |
| Ballard, Hank | How You Gonna Get Respect (When You Haven’t Cut Your Process Yet) (with the Dapps) | hair |
| The Twist (with the Midnighters) | songs with a twist | |
| Ballboy | A Day in Space | spoken word |
| I Hate Scotland | Scotland | |
| I Lost You, But I Found Country Music | lost and found | |
| I Wonder If You’re Drunk Enough to Sleep with Me Tonight | self-deprecation | |
| Kiss Me, Hold Me and Eat Me | kissing | |
| They’ll Hang Flags from Cranes Upon My Wedding Day | weddings | |
| Balloon Farm | A Question of Temperature | heat #2 |
| Balvin, J | La Canción (with Bad Bunny) | perspiration |
| Bam Bam | Where’s Your Child? | anxiety |
| Bananarama | Robert De Niro’s Waiting… | famous people |
| Venus | girl groups | |
| Banarzi, Troy | Fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest | treasure |
| Band | Chest Fever | organ |
| I Shall Be Released | songs with special guests | |
| It Makes No Difference | loneliness | |
| King Harvest (Has Surely Come) | rural songs | |
| Long Black Veil | stiff upper lip | |
| The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down | survival | |
| Stage Fright | theatre | |
| The Weight | debut songs | |
| When I Paint My Masterpiece | painting & painters | |
| Band Aid | Do They Know It’s Christmas? | collaborations & side projects |
| Band of Holy Joy | A Clear Night, A Shooting Star, A Song for Boo | electricity |
| Funambulist We Love You | the circus | |
| I Have Travelled the Buses Late at Night | urban environment | |
| Isn’t That Just the Life | saints & martyrs | |
| Band of Skulls | The Devil Takes Care of His Own | the Devil |
| Patterns | patterns & sequences | |
| Bandit Queen | Miss Dandys | underwear |
| Bandwagon | Breakin’ Down the Walls of Heartache | obstacles |
| Bang Bang Machine | Geek Love | literary songs |
| Bangles | Following | surveillance |
| Hazy Shade of Winter | covers by the opposite sex | |
| If She Knew What She Wants | confusion & delusion | |
| Manic Monday | work | |
| Single by Choice | the number one | |
| Walk Like an Egyptian | walking & running | |
| Banhart, Devendra | I Feel Just Like a Child | children |
| Owl Eyes | owls | |
| Pumpkin Seeds | nuts & edible seeds | |
| Banton, Buju | Murderer | murder |
| Not an Easy Road | searching & seeking | |
| Bar-Kays | Soul Finger | ten words or fewer |
| Barbara | L’aigle noir | raptors |
| Barbara and the Browns | I Don’t Want to Have to Wait | waiting |
| Barbarians | Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl? | the Beatles |
| Barbeau, Anton | Mushroom Box, 1975 | farm produce |
| Barbecue Bob | Black Skunk Blues | ironic songs |
| Barber, Miranda | My Roof Has Got a Hole in It | holes |
| Barber, Samuel | Adagio for Strings | orchestral string instruments |
| Barbieri, Caterina | Rendering Intuitions | drone music |
| Barclay James Harvest | Hymn (Live 1980) | ascension |
| John Lennon’s Guitar | guitars | |
| Bardot, Brigitte | Bonnie and Clyde (with Serge Gainsbourg) | crime |
| Bare, Bobby | Finger on the Button | switches & buttons |
| This Guitar Is For Sale | sales, selling & bargains | |
| Barenaked Ladies | Bank Job | gripping or intriguing narrative |
| The Big Bang Theory Theme | unusual rhymes | |
| Boomerang | can’t live with or without you | |
| Brian Wilson | songwriting | |
| Duct Tape Heart | fixing & repairing | |
| Flying Dreams | empathy | |
| Never Is Enough | alternative outcomes | |
| Odds Are | survival | |
| One Week | extraordinary vocals | |
| Raisins | non sequiturs | |
| Serendipity | chance & coincidence | |
| Silverball | hobbies | |
| War on Drugs | addiction | |
| Bargeld, Blixa | Subterranean World (How Long?) (with Anita Lane) | estimates of distance & time |
| Bark Psychosis | The Black Meat | black |
| Barker, Emily & the Red Clay Halo | Nostalgia | TV theme songs |
| Barnes & Barnes | Fish Heads | startling songs |
| Barnett, Courtney | Anonymous Club | anonymity |
| Avant Gardener | COVID-19 lockdown | |
| Elevator Operator | gripping or intriguing narrative | |
| History Eraser | accents | |
| Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party | fear of missing out | |
| Pedestrian at Best | self-deprecation | |
| Barracudas | I Saw My Death in a Dream Last Night | last night |
| Summer Fun | surprising intros | |
| Barrett, Syd | Dominoes | board games |
| Golden Hair | inspired by poetry | |
| Here I Go | upbeat break-up | |
| Barretto, Ray | Hard Hands | nicknames & pseudonyms |
| Barry, John | Back to Nature | harpsichord |
| Hit and Miss (Jukebox Jury Theme) (as John Barry Seven Plus Four) | jukeboxes | |
| Midnight Cowboy | harmonica | |
| On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | trombone | |
| The Persuaders Theme | instrumental soundtracks | |
| Bartholomew, Dave | The Monkey | misanthropic songs |
| Barton, Edward | I’ve Got No Chicken But I’ve Got Five Wooden Chairs | eccentric songs |
| Bartz, Gary | I’ve Known Rivers | literary songs |
| Basement Jaxx | Jus 1 Kiss | kissing |
| Make Me Sweat (ft Roxanne Shante) | perspiration | |
| Oh My Gosh | flirting | |
| Rendez-Vu | rendezvous | |
| Bashful Brother Oswald | Rabbit in the Log | rabbits |
| Basie, Count | April in Paris | places in Europe |
| I’m Beginning to See the Light (with Ella Fitzgerald) | falling in love | |
| Jumpin’ at the Woodside | ensembles, big bands & orchestras | |
| Silks and Satins | rough & smooth | |
| Basinski, William | Melancholia II | quiet songs |
| Basque Dub Foundation | El Secuestro del Dub | influenced by dub |
| Bass, Fontella | Rescue Me | pick-up lines & marriage proposals |
| Bassey, Shirley | Diamonds Are Forever | precious stones |
| Goldfinger | greed | |
| Bat for Lashes | The Big Sleep | striking album endings |
| Skin Song | skin | |
| Bataan, Joe | Latin Strut | from New York City |
| Bathers | Two Cats on the Piano | cats |
| Battlefield Band | To a Mouse | small things |
| Bauhaus | Bela Lugosi’s Dead | long songs |
| Dark Entries | night & darkness | |
| Hope | hope | |
| Spy in the Cab | spying | |
| Stigmata Martyr | saints & martyrs | |
| The Three Shadows, Part I | horror-inspired songs | |
| Baxter, Les | Cairo Bazaar | markets & fairs |
| Lust (ft Bas Sheva) | wordless vocals | |
| Baxter, Rayland | Yellow Eyes | yellow |
| Bazan, David | Hard to Be | higher education |
| BBC Radiophonic Workshop | Doctor Who Theme (composed by Ron Grainer, produced by Delia Derbyshire) | instrumental soundtracks |
| Doctor Who Theme (composed by Ron Grainer, produced by Delia Derbyshire) | electronic music to 1983 | |
| BBC Sound Archive | Nightingales and Bombers | birdsong |
| Be-Bop Deluxe | Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape | wide open spaces |
| Blazing Apostles | redemption | |
| Crying to the Sky | sky | |
| Jean | tribute songs | |
| Be Good Tanyas | Light Enough to Travel | nightclubs |
| The Littlest Birds | small things | |
| When Doves Cry | unlikely cover songs | |
| Beach Boys | 4th of July | anniversaries |
| A Day in the Life of a Tree | trees | |
| A Young Man Is Gone | actors | |
| Add Some Music to Your Day | music as nutrition | |
| All Dressed Up for School | school | |
| All This Is That | faith | |
| Break Away | breaking things | |
| Busy Doin’ Nothin’ | visitors | |
| Cabin Essence | 19th century life | |
| Caroline, No | disappointment | |
| Cool, Cool Water | refreshment & cooling down | |
| Disney Girls (1957) | nostalgia | |
| Do It Again | regressing & reversing | |
| Do You Like Worms? | misleading or incongruous titles | |
| Don’t Go Near the Water | trash | |
| Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) | joints of the body | |
| Don’t Worry Baby | great backing vocals | |
| Don’t Worry Baby | dares | |
| Forever | devoted love | |
| Fun Fun Fun | hedonism | |
| God Only Knows | alternative outcomes | |
| Good Vibrations | vibrato, tremolo & oscillations | |
| Hang On to Your Ego | id, ego & superego | |
| Heroes and Villains | close harmony singing | |
| Holidays | fictional adverts | |
| In My Room | teenagers | |
| Kokomo | steelpan | |
| Let’s Go Away for a While | holidays | |
| Little Bird | nature | |
| Our Prayer | short songs | |
| Passing By | wordless vocals | |
| Sail On Sailor | the sea | |
| Sloop John B | the Caribbean | |
| Surfin’ USA | sound like other songs | |
| Surf’s Up | falsetto | |
| Take a Load Off Your Feet | feet | |
| Time to Get Alone | volume changes | |
| The Trader | 19th century life | |
| Vegetables | food | |
| The Warmth of the Sun | summer | |
| When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) | getting older | |
| Wind Chimes | notable outros or codas | |
| Wouldn’t It Be Nice | accordion | |
| Wouldn’t It Be Nice | youthfulness | |
| Beach House | A Walk in the Park | parks |
| Take Care | androgynous vocals | |
| Bean, Carl | I Was Born This Way | homosexuality |
| Beastie Boys | An Open Letter to NYC | peace |
| Body Movin’ (Fatboy Slim Remix) | dancing | |
| Johnny Ryall | oddballs, outcasts & outsiders | |
| Rhymin’ and Stealin’ | pirates | |
| Three MC’s and One DJ | three | |
| Twenty Questions (ft Miho Hatori) | eureka moments | |
| Beat | Can’t Get Used to Losing You | loss |
| Doors of Your Heart | doors | |
| Mirror in the Bathroom | mirrors | |
| Rotating Head | joints of the body | |
| Whine & Grine / Stand Down Margaret | politicians | |
| Beat Happening | Hot Chocolate Boy | non-alcoholic drinks |
| Beatles | A Day in the Life | great middle eights |
| A Hard Day’s Night | work | |
| A Taste of Honey | bees | |
| All You Need Is Love | cello | |
| Back in the U.S.S.R. | places in Europe | |
| Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite | advertising | |
| The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill | tigers | |
| Don’t Let Me Down | first love | |
| Drive My Car | songs with jokes | |
| Eleanor Rigby | character songs | |
| The End | words of wisdom | |
| For No One | nothing | |
| Flying | psychedelia | |
| Glass Onion | self-referential songs | |
| Help! | immaturity | |
| Helter Skelter | fairgrounds | |
| Here Comes the Sun | anticipation | |
| Hey Jude | na-na-hey-hey songs | |
| I Am the Walrus | ‘I am’ songs | |
| I Feel Fine | sound like other songs | |
| I Me Mine | id, ego & superego | |
| I Want to Hold Your Hand | pick-up lines & marriage proposals | |
| If I Fell | notable key changes | |
| I’ll Follow the Sun | tomorrow | |
| I’m a Loser | failure | |
| I’m Only Sleeping | waking up | |
| I’m So Tired | tiredness | |
| In My Life | retrospection | |
| It’s All Too Much | drone music | |
| Julia | tribute songs | |
| Komm gib mir deine Hand | foreign language versions | |
| Long, Long, Long | notable outros or codas | |
| Lovely Rita | jobs | |
| Martha My Dear | famous or notable animals | |
| Nowhere Man | stereotypes | |
| Octopus’s Garden | underwater | |
| Only a Northern Song | non sequiturs | |
| Paperback Writer | writing | |
| Penny Lane | brass songs | |
| Rain | notable outros or codas | |
| Rock and Roll Music | music genres | |
| Rocky Raccoon | revenge | |
| Savoy Truffle | chocolate | |
| She Loves You | start with the chorus | |
| She Said She Said | actors | |
| She Said She Said | arguments #2 | |
| She’s Leaving Home | orchestral string instruments | |
| Strawberry Fields Forever | false endings | |
| Taxman | fractions & portions | |
| This Boy | B sides | |
| Tomorrow Never Knows | odd noises & instruments | |
| We Can Work It Out | compromise | |
| While My Guitar Gently Weeps | guitars | |
| Within You Without You | inspired by India | |
| Yellow Submarine | children’s songs | |
| Yesterday | old and new | |
| You Never Give Me Your Money | money | |
| You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away | embarrassment | |
| Beau | Silence Returns | volume changes |
| Beau Dommage | Harmonie du soir à Chateauguay | days of the week |
| La complainte du phoque en Alaska | the circus | |
| Beaujon, Andrew | Truer Than the Wheel | wheels |
| Beautiful South | 36D | prostitution |
| A Little Time | decisive songs | |
| Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud) | survival | |
| Have You Ever Been Away? | stick it to the man | |
| Hold Me Close (Underground) | basements & underground | |
| Liars’ Bar | pubs & bars | |
| Old Red Eyes Is Back | eyes & sight | |
| Perfect 10 | perfection | |
| Prettiest Eyes | passage of time | |
| Song for Whoever | forgetting | |
| The Table | furniture | |
| Tattoo | upbeat break-up #2 | |
| This Old Skin | skin | |
| When I’m 84 | refusal | |
| You Keep It All In | repression | |
| Beauty Room | Soul Horizon | horizons |
| Beaver & Krause | Spaced | drone music |
| Bécaud, Gilbert | Dimanche à Orly | love songs to places |
| L’orange | orange | |
| Bechet, Sidney | Petite fleur | from New Orleans |
| Beck | Devils Haircut | the Devil |
| Guess I’m Doing Fine | chicken and egg | |
| Jack-Ass | sampling & recycling | |
| Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat | hats | |
| Morning | songs to start the morning | |
| The New Pollution | natural disasters | |
| Where It’s At | musical instruments | |
| Where It’s At | two – part 2 | |
| Wow | similes | |
| Beck, Jeff | Hi Ho Silver Lining | ‘high’ songs |
| Nadia | vibrato, tremolo & oscillations | |
| Over the Rainbow | covers by the opposite sex | |
| The Revolution Will Be Televised | resistance | |
| Beckett, Harry | Bracelets of Sound | hats & accessories |
| Bedelt, Klaus | Queen of the Desert | pioneers |
| Bee Gees | Edison | electricity |
| How Deep Is Your Love | slow, sexy love songs | |
| I Started a Joke | smiling & laughing | |
| I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You | songs of desperation | |
| New York Mining Disaster 1941 | Jones & Joneses | |
| Night Fever | youth cults | |
| Stayin’ Alive | falsetto | |
| Beethoven, Ludwig van | Moonlight Sonata (performed by Lee Ashley) | 3/4 time |
| Ode to Joy | hope & resilience | |
| Piano Concerto No. 5 (performed by Alfred Brendel) | great arrangements | |
| Beiderbecke, Bix | Mississippi Mud | earth, soil & dirt |
| Royal Garden Blues (with His New Orleans Lucky Seven) | music venues | |
| Beirut | After the Curtain | theatre |
| Scenic World | accordion | |
| Bel Canto | Baltic Ice-Breaker | stuck or trapped |
| Capio | mixtape closers | |
| Belafonte, Harry | Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) | dawn |
| Jamaica Farewell | islands | |
| John Henry | iron & steel | |
| Love, Love Alone | kings | |
| Scratch, Scratch | itching & scratching | |
| There’s a Hole in the Bucket (with Odetta) | geometric shapes | |
| Try to Remember | nostalgia | |
| Turn the World Around | climate change | |
| We Are the Wave | wide open spaces | |
| Zombie Jamboree | zombies | |
| Be’lakor | Venator | monsters |
| Belew, Adrian | Men in Helicopters (Acoustic) | wilderness |
| Bell, Archie & the Drells | (There’s Gonna Be A) Showdown | effects of fame |
| Tighten Up | dance styles | |
| Bell, Chris | I Am the Cosmos | ‘I am’ songs |
| Bell, Maggie | Souvenirs | memorabilia & souvenirs |
| Bell, William | You Don’t Miss Your Water | idioms & common expressions |
| Bell X1 | The Curtains Are Twitchin’ | neighbours |
| Light Catches Your Face | faces | |
| Belle, Lucinda (see Lucinda Belle Orchestra) | ||
| Belle and Sebastian | Another Sunny Day | passage of time |
| The Blues Are Still Blue | cleansing | |
| The Chalet Lines | moving on | |
| Expectations | school | |
| The Fox in the Snow | winter | |
| I’m Waking Up to Us | upbeat break-up | |
| It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career | alternative outcomes | |
| Judy and the Dream of Horses | songwriting | |
| Lord Anthony | character songs | |
| The Magic of a Kind Word | kindness | |
| Nothing in the Silence | fun | |
| The Stars of Track and Field | sport | |
| Storytelling | writing | |
| Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It | stick it to the man | |
| This Is Just a Modern Rock Song | meta-songs | |
| Belle Stars | Sign of the Times | girl groups |
| Bellowhead | New York Girls | songs that fit every topic |
| One May Morning Early | nightingales & thrushes | |
| Roll Alabama | Liverpool & Merseyside | |
| Belly | Gepetto | toys |
| Beloved | The Sun Rising | the sun |
| Sweet Harmony | quiet songs | |
| Ben, Jorge | Descobri Que Eu Sou um Anjo | surreal songs |
| Filhos de Gandhi (with Gilberto Gil) | inspired by India | |
| Fio Maravilha | substitutions | |
| O Circo Chegou | the circus | |
| País Tropical | nature | |
| Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma) | sport | |
| Take It Easy My Brother Charles | multilingual songs | |
| Zagueiro | songs offering advice | |
| Ben-Ari, Mosh | Jah Is One | left wing politics |
| Benatar, Pat | Hit Me with Your Best Shot | dares |
| Bennett, Lorna | Breakfast in Bed | relaxation & leisure |
| Skank in Bed (with Scotty) | beds | |
| Bennett, Louise | Linstead Market | markets & fairs |
| Bennett, Martyn | Aye? | Scotland |
| Bennett, Tony | New York State of Mind (with Billy Joel | from New York City |
| Some Other Time (with Bill Evans) | procrastination | |
| Stranger in Paradise | sampling & recycling | |
| Benny Goodman Quartet (see Goodman, Benny) | ||
| Benson, Brendan | Metarie | magazines |
| Bentley Boys | Down on Penny’s Farm | farm produce |
| Bentley Rhythm Ace | Spacehopper | jumping |
| Benton, Brook | Hotel Happiness | hotels |
| Rainy Night in Georgia | loneliness | |
| Bergin, Mary | Tom Billy’s / The Langstern Pony | flutes, pipes & whistles |
| Berkeley, Busby | Lullaby of Broadway | dance instrumentals |
| Berklee Indian Ensemble | Kun Faya Kun | high-pitched vocals |
| Berlioz, Hector | Dream of a Night of the Sabbath (Symphonie fantastique, 5th movement) | nightmares |
| Bern, Dan | Shakespeare’s Got a Gun | Shakespeare |
| Bernstein, Elmer | Staccato’s Theme | TV theme songs |
| Berry, Chuck | Brown Eyed Handsome Man | great opening lines |
| Johnny B. Goode | named after men | |
| No Money Down | shopping | |
| Promised Land | California | |
| Roll Over Beethoven | jukeboxes | |
| Route 66 | American west | |
| School Day (Ring Ring Goes the Bell) | school | |
| Sweet Little Sixteen | ages | |
| Too Much Monkey Business | multitasking & being busy | |
| You Never Can Tell | marriage | |
| Berry, Richard & the Pharaohs | Louie Louie | indecipherable songs |
| Best Coast | Goodbye | famous last words |
| Beta Band | Dr. Baker | doctors |
| Dry the Rain | light | |
| Needles in My Eyes | tools | |
| Bethânia, Maria | Carcará | raptors |
| Beths | Little Death | orgasms |
| Better Than Ezra | Under You | from New Orleans |
| Beverley (see Martyn, Beverley) | ||
| Bevis Frond | Stain on the Sun | denial |
| Stoned Train Driver | jobs | |
| Waving | physical gestures | |
| Beyoncé | Crazy in Love (ft Jay-Z) | falling in love |
| Daddy Lessons (ft Dixie Chicks) | fathers and daughters | |
| Formation | artistic trends of the 21st century | |
| Freakum Dress | clothes | |
| Freedom (ft Kendrick Lamar) | pragmatism | |
| Hold Up | adultery & infidelity | |
| If I Were a Boy | alternative outcomes | |
| Irreplaceable | confidence | |
| Irreplaceable | substitutions | |
| Love on Top | notable key changes | |
| Move Your Body | bodily motion & exercise | |
| Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) | na-na-hey-hey songs | |
| Bhatt, V. M. | Ganges Delta Blues (with Ry Cooder) | genre defying |
| Bhundu Boys | Baba Munini Francis | discovery |
| Manhenga | music for funerals | |
| Radio Africa (with Latin Quarter) | Africa | |
| Biafra, Jello | Plastic Jesus (with Mojo Nixon) | plastic |
| Bibb, Eric | Booker’s Guitar | guitars |
| New Shoes | footwear | |
| Bibb, Leon | Rainbow Round My Shoulder | rainbows |
| Biffy Clyro | Bubbles | one word titles |
| Mountains | wide open spaces | |
| Big Audio Dynamite | C’mon Every Beatbox | media for listening to recorded music |
| E=MC2 | inspired by or about films | |
| Sambadrome | South America | |
| Big Black | Bad Penny | lies |
| Kerosene | fire | |
| Steelworker | violence | |
| Big Bopper | Chantilly Lace | telephones |
| Big Brother & the Holding Company | Ball and Chain | keys & locks |
| Piece of My Heart | the heart | |
| Big Country | Chance | chance & coincidence |
| In a Big Country | deserts | |
| Steeltown | iron & steel | |
| Big Dipper | All Going Out Together | natural disasters |
| Big Ghana Band | Unbelievable | disbelief |
| Big Hard Excellent Fish | Imperfect List 2 | list songs |
| Big Maybelle | You’ll Never Know | never |
| Big Star | The Ballad of El Goodo | authenticity & fakery |
| Holocaust | mothers | |
| Jesus Christ | biblical songs | |
| September Gurls | September | |
| Thank You Friends | please & thank you | |
| Thirteen | adolescence | |
| Watch the Sunrise | dawn | |
| Big Thief | UFOF | acronyms |
| Big Three | Cavern Stomp | music venues |
| Big Youth | Foreman vs Frazier | fighting |
| Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing | authenticity & fakery | |
| Bigg Jus | Say Goodbye (ft Jerold Marcellus Bryant) | normal & abnormal |
| Bikini Kill | Rebel Girl | gangs |
| Bill Evans Trio (see Evans, Bill) | ||
| Bill Nelson’s Red Noise (see Nelson, Bill) | ||
| Bimini | God Save This Queen | gender & LGBTQ+ |
| Bird, Andrew | Eyeoneye | breaking things |
| The Happy Birthday Song | birthdays | |
| Scythian Empires | unusual rhymes | |
| Bird and the Bee | Birds and the Bees | bees |
| Birds | Leaving Here | escape |
| Birkin, Jane | 69 année erotique (with Serge Gainsbourg) | dates |
| Je t’aime… moi non plus (with Serge Gainsbourg) | lust | |
| Lost Song | classical songs | |
| Birthday Party | Deep in the Woods | forests & woodlands |
| Happy Birthday | anniversaries | |
| Mutiny in Heaven | heaven & hell | |
| Bishop, Stephen | Little Italy | Italy |
| Bishop Allen | Click, Click, Click, Click | photography |
| Bishops | Mr. Jones | Jones & Joneses |
| Bittova & Fajt | Peřiny (Morning Song) | alarm sounds |
| Bizet, Georges | Au fond du temple saint (The Pearl Fishers’ Duet) (from Les pêcheurs de perles) | conversations |
| En vain pour eviter (from Carmen) | fortune tellers | |
| Flower Song (from Carmen) | flowers | |
| Björk | 107 Steps (with Siobhan Fallon) | capital punishment |
| The Anchor Song | the sea | |
| Bath | swimming & bathing | |
| Come to Me | welcoming | |
| Cover Me | hammer & mallet instruments | |
| Crystalline | unusual time signatures | |
| Cvalda (with Catherine Deneuve) | manual labour | |
| Future Forever | eternity | |
| Headphones | ears & hearing | |
| Hope | suicide | |
| Hyperballad | faith | |
| It’s Oh So Quiet | quiet | |
| I’ve Seen It All (with Thom Yorke) | duets | |
| Mutual Core | geology | |
| Sun in My Mouth | inspired by poetry | |
| Sweet, Sweet Intuition | sixth sense | |
| Thunderbolt | odd noises & instruments | |
| Unison | compromise | |
| Venus as a Boy | beauty | |
| Blacc, Aloe | I Need a Dollar | austerity |
| Black | Fly Up to the Moon (ft Sam Brown) | ascension |
| Sweetest Smile | faces | |
| Black, Cilla | Alfie | great arrangements |
| Liverpool Lullaby | Liverpool & Merseyside | |
| Black, Frank | Bad News (as Black Francis) | omens & prophecies |
| Song of the Shrimp | songs with jokes | |
| Whatever Happened to Pong? | hobbies | |
| Black, Mary | Loving Hannah | change of mind |
| Black, Taska | Sandpaper (ft Ayelle) | sand |
| Black Angels | Haunting at 1300 McKinley | addresses |
| Black Bob | If You See My Rooster (Please Run Him Home) (with Memphis Minnie) | running |
| Joe Louis Strut (with Memphis Minnie & Bill Settles) | fighting | |
| Black Box | Ride on Time | made you fall in love with music |
| Black Box Recorder | Andrew Ridgley | other musicians |
| The Art of Driving | switches & buttons | |
| Being Number One | music industry | |
| Child Psychology | children | |
| The English Motorway System | cars & driving | |
| The Facts of Life | immaturity | |
| French Rock’N’Roll | France | |
| The School Song | teachers | |
| These Are the Things | small things | |
| Black Country, New Road | Sunglasses | hats & accessories |
| Black Eyed Peas | Where Is the Love? | September 11 attacks |
| Black Flag | Rise Above | ascension |
| Six Pack | beer | |
| TV Party | television | |
| Black Francis (see Black, Frank) | ||
| Black Grape | In the Name of the Father | supergroups |
| Reverend Black Grape | preachers, priests & religious leaders | |
| Black Keys | Everlasting Light | lighthouses |
| Gold on the Ceiling | gold | |
| Black Mountain | Bicycle Man | bicycles |
| Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | Grind My Bones | bones |
| In Like the Rose | roses | |
| Black Sabbath | Black Sabbath | sound effects |
| Children of the Sea | loss | |
| Electric Funeral | funerals | |
| Heaven and Hell | sinners | |
| Iron Man | comics & cartoons | |
| Iron Man | time travel | |
| Lady Evil | best bass lines | |
| Paranoid | mental illness | |
| The Sign of the Southern Cross | compass points | |
| War Pigs | horror-inspired songs | |
| Black Sheep | The Choice Is Yours | songs by duos |
| Black Sorrows | Hold On to Me | treasure |
| Black Stalin | Caribbean Unity | the Caribbean |
| Black Star | Astronomy (8th Light) (ft Weldon Irvine) | black |
| Definition | assassination | |
| Thieves in the Night | books #2 | |
| Black Uhuru | General Penitentiary | prisons |
| Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner | visitors | |
| I Love King Selassie | royalty | |
| No Loafing (Sit and Wonder) | waiting | |
| Solidarity | unity | |
| What Is Life? | meaning of life | |
| Youth of Eglington | shooting | |
| Blackalicious | Alphabet Aerobics | choosing & using words |
| Chemical Calisthenics (ft Cut Chemist) | science | |
| Deception | celebrity | |
| Green Light: Now Begin | green | |
| Sleep | relaxation & leisure | |
| Blackberry Smoke | Good One Comin’ On | hedonism |
| One Horse Town | roots | |
| Blackbyrds | Rock Creek Park | parks |
| Blackmore’s Night | Barbara Allen | redemption |
| Locked Within the Crystal Ball | fortune tellers | |
| Blackwell, Scrapper | Carried Water for the Elephant (witih Leroy Carr) | the circus |
| Blades, Rubén | Pedro Navaja (with Willie Colón) | Mexico & Central America |
| West Indian Man (with Son del Solar) | the Caribbean | |
| Blake, Blind | Police Dog Blues | police |
| Blake, James | Take a Fall for Me (ft RZA) | asking, begging & pleading |
| Blakey, Art | Elephant Walk | elephants & mammoths |
| Ife L’ayo (There Is Happiness in Love) (with the Afro-Drum Ensemble) | outstanding percussion | |
| Obirin African (Woman of Africa) (with the Afro-Drum Ensemble) | Africa | |
| Tobi Ilu (with the Afro-Drum Ensemble) | great drumming | |
| Bland, Bobby | Turn On Your Love Light | influenced by gospel |
| Blast, C. L. | Somebody Shot My Eagle | austerity |
| Blaze | My Beat (ft Palmer Brown) | mood-changing music |
| Bleach | The Head That Controls Both Right and Left Sides Eats Meats and Slobbers Even Today | arresting opening lines |
| Bleechers | Come into My Parlour | domestic songs |
| Blegvad, Peter | The Cryonic Trombone (with Andy Partridge) | gases |
| Gold | the obvious | |
| Hangman’s Hill (with John Greaves & Chris Cutler) | hanging | |
| King Strut | using your imagination | |
| Magritte (with John Greaves & Chris Cutler) | works of art | |
| Powers in the Air | sixth sense | |
| Blenders | Don’t Fuck Around with Love | songs offering advice |
| Blessing | Hurricane Room | the Commonwealth |
| Bleu, Chakra | Black Elephant | elephants & mammoths |
| Bley, Carla | Very Very Simple (as the Carla Bley Band) | meta-songs |
| Bley, Paul | M.J. (with Annette Peacock) | more questions than answers |
| Blige, Mary J. | Beautiful (Black Star Remix) | beauty |
| Blind Boys of Alabama | (Jesus Hits Like the) Atom Bomb | God & the Devil |
| Blind Melon | Paper Scratcher | oddballs, outcasts & outsiders |
| Blink-182 | Man Overboard | upbeat break-up #2 |
| What’s My Age Again? | ages | |
| Bliss, Melvin | Synthetic Substitution | substitutions |
| Blitzen Trapper | Furr | dogs |
| Bloc Party | Hunting for Witches | confusion & delusion |
| Block 16 | Morning Sun (ft Jon Lucien) | songs to start the morning |
| Blondie | 11:59 | times of day |
| Angels on the Balcony | theatre | |
| Denis | multilingual songs | |
| Fade Away and Radiate | boring & dull | |
| Hanging on the Telephone | letters, emails & telegrams | |
| The Hardest Part | iron & steel | |
| Heart of Glass | the heart | |
| I Know But I Don’t Know | uncertainty | |
| (I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear | unexplained phenomena | |
| One Way or Another | confidence | |
| Picture This | cleansing | |
| Rapture | genre switch | |
| Rip Her to Shreds | insulting songs | |
| Sunday Girl (French Version) | songs in French | |
| Blondy, Alpha | Afriki | influenced by reggae |
| Blood | Sewer Brain | genre switch |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears | Spinning Wheel | spinning |
| Bloom, Bobby | Montego Bay | the Caribbean |
| Bloom, Kath | Bicycle (with Lauren Mazzacane) | bicycles |
| Bloomfield, Mike | Farther Up the Road | moving on |
| Blow, Kurtis | The Breaks | breaking things |
| If I Ruled the World | conditional phrases | |
| Blue Cheer | Doctor, Please | doctors |
| Blue Dots | Saturday Night Fish Fry | meals & mealtimes |
| Blue Magic | Sideshow | carnivals & funfairs |
| Blue Mink | Melting Pot | recipe songs |
| Blue Nile | From a Late Night Train | trains |
| Headlights on the Parade | parades | |
| Over the Hillside | horizons | |
| Blue Öyster Cult | (Don’t Fear) The Reaper | death |
| Feel the Thunder | ghosts | |
| Godzilla | famous or notable animals | |
| The Marshall Plan | crowds | |
| She’s as Beautiful as a Foot | feet | |
| Veteran of the Psychic Wars | the brain | |
| Blues Brothers | Everybody Needs Somebody to Love | collaborations & side projects |
| Shake a Tail Feather (with Ray Charles) | dancing | |
| Blues Pills | Devil Man | the Devil |
| Blues Traveler | Trust in Trust | trust |
| Bluhm, Tim | Raining Gravel | banks & banking |
| Blunstone, Colin | Caroline Goodbye | goodbye |
| I Don’t Believe in Miracles | disbelief | |
| Say You Don’t Mind | androgynous vocals | |
| Setting Yourself Up | deceptive appearances | |
| Blur | Coffee & TV | home |
| Crazy Beat | rhythm, beat & boogie | |
| Girls & Boys | holidays | |
| Sunday Sunday | the weekend | |
| Sweet Song | songs about songs | |
| This Is a Low | bad weather | |
| To the End (La Comedie) (with Françoise Hardy) | multilingual songs | |
| Tracy Jacks | oddballs, outcasts & outsiders | |
| Trimm Trabb | shoes | |
| The Universal | the future | |
| Blyth Power | Bind Their Kings in Chains | judges & trials |
| Bo, Eddie | Horse with a Freeze Pts 1&2 (as Roy Ward) | stop-start songs |
| Boards of Canada | Aquarius | more questions than answers |
| Dawn Chorus | dawn | |
| In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country | rural songs | |
| Roygbiv | nature | |
| B.o.B | Past My Shades (ft Lupe Fiasco) | eyewear |
| Bob & Earl | Harlem Shuffle | dance styles |
| Bob and Marcia | Pied Piper | leadership |
| To Be Young, Gifted and Black | adolescence | |
| Bob-Cats | Big Noise from Winnetka | double bass |
| Bobo, Willie | Funky Sneakers | footwear |
| Bobo’s (see Palmashow) | ||
| Bocca Juniors | Raise (63 Steps to Heaven) | synth pop 1980-2000 |
| Boden, Jon | Cinnamon Water | swimming & bathing |
| Boeing Duveen & the Beautiful Soup | Jabberwock | whimsical songs |
| Which Dreamed It | ambiguity | |
| Bogan, Lucille | B.D. Woman’s Blues | homosexuality |
| Shave ‘Em Dry | great songwriting 1900-1955 | |
| Boggs, Dock | Wise County Jail | earth, soil & dirt |
| Bogguss, Suzy | Letting Go | higher education |
| Bogle, Eric | And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda | 3/4 time |
| No Man’s Land | peace | |
| Plastic Paddy | plastic | |
| Bohren and der Club of Gore | Midnight Black Earth | genre defying |
| Skeletal Remains | bones | |
| Boine, Mari | Goaskinviellja | raptors |
| Vuoi vuoi mu | from Nordic countries | |
| Bolan, Marc | The Perfumed Garden of Gulliver Smith | gardens |
| Bomb the Bass | Beat Dis | rhythm, beat & boogie |
| Bug Powder Dust (with Justin Warfield) | literary songs | |
| Sandcastles (with Bernard Fowler) | sand | |
| Bombay Sisters | Bhojanam Seyya Vaarungal | meals & mealtimes |
| Bon Iver | For Emma | girls’ names |
| I Can’t Make You Love Me | covers by the opposite sex | |
| Bon Jovi | Livin’ on a Prayer | industry & manufacturing |
| Bonamassa, Joe | Black Lung Heartache | caves |
| Mountain Time | mountains | |
| Bond | Fuego | girl groups |
| Bonds , Gary U.S. | New Orleans | New Orleans |
| Boney M. | Daddy Cool | coolness |
| Rasputin | royalty | |
| Bongwater | Nick Cave Dolls | toys |
| Bonnie and the Treasures | Home of the Brave | freedom |
| Bonnie “Prince” Billy (see Oldham, Will) | ||
| Bonobo | The Keeper (ft Andreya Triana) | peace |
| Sun Will Rise (with Speech Debelle) | determination | |
| Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band | Ali-Baba’s Camel | four-legged livestock |
| Big Shot | funny songs | |
| The Bride Stripped Bare (by “Bachelors”) | music industry | |
| Cool Britannia | Britain | |
| Death Cab for Cutie | accidents | |
| I’m the Urban Spaceman | aliens | |
| The Intro and the Outro | list songs | |
| Little Sir Echo | echoes | |
| Mr. Apollo | forgotten follow-ups | |
| Mr. Slater’s Parrot | whistling | |
| No Matter Who You Vote For, The Government Always Gets In (Heigh Ho) | elections | |
| Rhinocratic Oaths | strange & surreal | |
| Sport (The Odd Boy) | sport | |
| Trouser Press | surreal songs | |
| We Are Normal | normal & abnormal | |
| Boo Radleys | From the Bench at Belvidere | sitting & standing |
| Lazarus | biblical songs | |
| Martin, Doom! It’s Seven O’Clock | conversations | |
| Wake Up Boo! | songs to start the morning | |
| Boogie Down Productions | You Must Learn | lessons in life |
| You Must Learn | knowledge | |
| Booker, James | Junco Partner | from New Orleans |
| Life | great keyboards | |
| Booker T. & the M.G.’s | Chinese Checkers | games |
| Green Onions | food | |
| Time Is Tight | slowing down | |
| Bookshop Band | A Shop with Books In | libraries |
| Boomtown Rats | Don’t Believe What You Read | reading |
| (I Never Loved) Eva Braun | narcissism | |
| Booth, Webster | We’ll Gather Lilacs (with Anne Ziegler) | positive songs |
| Boothe, Ken | Let the Water Run Dry | wells |
| Boris | Blood Swamp (with Sunn O)))) | earth, soil & dirt |
| Boris (with Merzbow) | drone music | |
| Borland, Adrian | Walking in the Opposite Direction | stubbornness |
| Boston | Hitch a Ride | hitchhiking |
| Bostwick, Barry | Over at the Frankenstein Place (with Susan Sarandon & Richard O’Brien) | lighthouses |
| Boswell, John D. | A Glorious Dawn (with Carl Sagan & Stephen Hawking) | eureka moments |
| Boswell Sisters | Mood Indigo | great songwriting 1900-1955 |
| Bottle Rockets | Another Brand New Year | old and new |
| Indianapolis | stuck or trapped | |
| Boutté, Lillian | Am I Blue | from New Orleans |
| Bow Wow Wow | C⋅30 C⋅60 C⋅90 Go! | shopping |
| Go Wild in the Country | rural songs | |
| Bowen, Lorraine | Cup of Tea in Bed | tea |
| Lemon Disinfectant | smells | |
| Pier Song | the coast | |
| Post Office Blues | written correspondence | |
| Bowie, David | A New Career in a New Town | instrumentals |
| All the Madmen | hospitals | |
| Always Crashing in the Same Car | cars & driving | |
| Ashes to Ashes | mistaken identity | |
| Blackstar | stars | |
| Changes | change #2 | |
| Come and Buy My Toys | toys | |
| Fame | funk | |
| Fashion | fear of missing out | |
| Five Years | meta-songs | |
| God Knows I’m Good | deception | |
| Golden Years | whistling | |
| “Heroes” | obstacles | |
| Kooks | fathers | |
| Kooks | survival | |
| Lady Stardust | other musicians | |
| Let’s Dance | start with the chorus | |
| Letter to Hermione | written correspondence | |
| Life on Mars? | questions | |
| The London Boys | youth cults | |
| Look Back in Anger | surprise encounters | |
| Memory of a Free Festival | music venues | |
| Modern Love | punctuality | |
| Moss Garden | onomatopoeia | |
| Neuköln | electronic music to 1983 | |
| Oh! You Pretty Things | oddballs, outcasts & outsiders | |
| Ragazzo solo, ragazzo sola | foreign language versions | |
| Rebel Rebel | gender & LGBTQ+ | |
| Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide | suicide | |
| Space Oddity | without a chorus | |
| Speed of Life | dance instrumentals | |
| Star | celebrity | |
| Starman | aliens | |
| Station to Station | impressive intros | |
| Stay | staying | |
| Subterraneans | indecipherable songs | |
| Time | stop-start songs | |
| Under Pressure (with Queen) | duets | |
| Where Are We Now? | specific or obscure places | |
| The Width of a Circle | id, ego & superego | |
| Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud | capital punishment | |
| Ziggy Stardust | saints & martyrs | |
| Bowlly, Al | Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind (with Ken “Snakehips” Johnson) | quoting Shakespeare |
| Dinner for One Please, James (with Ray Noble & His Orchestra) | meals & mealtimes | |
| Goodnight, Sweetheart | great songwriting 1900-1955 | |
| Hang Out the Stars in Indiana | hanging | |
| Looking on the Bright Side of Life (with Ray Noble & His New Mayfair Orchestra) | optimistic songs | |
| Love Is the Sweetest Thing (with Ray Noble & His New Mayfair Orchestra) | songs that say what love is | |
| Please Don’t Mention It (with Ray Noble & His Orchestra and Anona Winn) | letters, emails & telegrams | |
| Riptide (with Lew Stone & His Band) | tides | |
| The Very Thought of You (with Ray Noble & His Orchestra) | crooners | |
| You Ought to See Sally on Sunday | days of the week | |
| Bowser and Blue | Working Where the Sun Don’t Shine (The Colo-Rectal Surgeon’s Song) | stomach & guts |
| Box Tops | The Letter | letters, emails & telegrams |
| Neon Rainbow | gases | |
| Boy George | King of Everything | kings |
| Same Thing in Reverse | equality | |
| Boyer, Lucienne | Parlez-moi d’amour | great songwriting 1900-1955 |
| boygenius | Anti-Curse | blessings & curses |
| Revolution 0 | notable outros or codas | |
| Brad | Buttercup | odd couples |
| Bradley, Charles | Ain’t It a Sin | funk |
| Why Is It So Hard | biography & autobiography | |
| Bradley, Jan | Mama Didn’t Lie | innocence |
| Brady, Bob & the Con-Chords | Everybody’s Goin’ to the Love-In | obsolete things |
| Brady, Paul | The Lakes of Pontchartrain | New Orleans |
| Bragg, Billy | A13, Trunk Road to the Sea | specific or obscure places |
| Accident Waiting to Happen | insulting songs | |
| Between the Wars | left wing politics | |
| Bread and Circuses (with Natalie Merchant) | bread, cakes, pastry & biscuits | |
| Brickbat | getting older | |
| Christ for President (with Wilco) | Jesus | |
| England, Half English (with the Blokes) | roots | |
| Handyman Blues | decor | |
| Hot Rod Hotel (with Wilco) | hotels | |
| I Guess I Planted (with Wilco) | positive songs | |
| Ingrid Bergman (with Wilco) | famous people | |
| Levi Stubbs’ Tears | music as nutrition | |
| The Man in the Iron Mask | masks | |
| Must I Paint You a Picture | painting & painters | |
| Never Buy the Sun | reading | |
| No One Knows Nothing Anymore | knowledge | |
| The Price of Oil | scandal | |
| Remember the Mountain Bed (with Wilco) | mountains | |
| Rotting on Remand | Liverpool & Merseyside | |
| The Saturday Boy | unrequited love | |
| St. Swithin’s Day | famous last words | |
| Tank Park Salute | fathers | |
| There Is Power in a Union | unity | |
| To Have and to Have Not | social mobility | |
| Waiting for the Great Leap Forward | waiting | |
| The World Turned Upside Down | revolution | |
| Bragg, Johnny | They’re Talking About Me | conspiracy theories & paranoia |
| Brahem, Anouar | Le pas du chat noir | minimalist songs |
| Brahms, Johannes | Wiegenlied (Lullaby) (Opus 49 No. 4) | children’s songs |
| Brakes | Heard About Your Band | boastful songs |
| No Return | hearing, choosing & playing records | |
| Bran Van 3000 | Speed | speed |
| Brand New Heavies | Midnight at the Oasis | deserts |
| Brand, Dollar (see Ibrahim, Abdullah) | ||
| Brando, Marlon | If I Were a Bell (with Jean Simmons) | bells |
| Brandt Brauer Frick | Bop | minimalist songs |
| Caffeine | coffee | |
| Branduardi, Angelo | Highdown Fair | patterns & sequences |
| Brandy | The Boy Is Mine (with Monica) | harps, lyres & zithers |
| Brann, Chris | Diving for Pills (as Wamdue Project) | dance instrumentals |
| Brassens, Georges | Le gorille | mammals |
| Bratmobile | Gimme Brains | intelligence |
| Bravery | An Honest Mistake | misunderstanding |
| Braxton, Toni | Unbreak My Heart | reversing |
| Breach | Everything You Never Had (We Had It All) (ft Andreya Triana) | gifts & giving |
| Bread | The Guitar Man | crowds |
| It Don’t Matter to Me | indifference | |
| Breathless | Help Me Get Over This | never |
| Breaux, Cléoma | Raise Your Window High | from New Orleans |
| Brecht, Bertolt | Die Moritat von Mackie Messer | unsettling songs |
| Breeders | Cannonball | impressive intros |
| Drivin’ on 9 | travelling | |
| Happiness Is a Warm Gun | Beatles covers | |
| New Year | new year songs | |
| Saints | fairgrounds | |
| Bregović, Goran | Kalasnjikov (with the Tzigane Brass Orchestra) | ensembles, big bands & orchestras |
| Brel, Jacques | Au printemps | spring |
| La Bière | beer | |
| La Chanson de Jacky | personal theme songs | |
| La Chanson des vieux amants | songs that give you goosebumps | |
| La Quête | songs in French | |
| La Valse à mille temps | passage of time | |
| Les Bonbons | seduction | |
| Les Marquises | contentment | |
| Ne me quitte pas | songs that make you cry | |
| Quand on n’a que l’amour | devoted love | |
| Brenston, Jackie & His Delta Cats | Rocket 88 | cars & driving |
| Brewer, Teresa | (Put Another Nickel In) Music, Music, Music (with the Dixieland All Stars) | jukeboxes |
| Brian | You Don’t Want a Boyfriend | losers |
| Brian and Michael | Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs | Manchester |
| Brian Jonestown Massacre | Bout de Doigts | underrated artists |
| Reign On | roses | |
| Brides of Funkenstein | Just Like You | audible breaths |
| Party Up in Here | big and meaty | |
| Bridie, David | The Koran, the Ghan and a Yarn | 19th century life |
| Briggs, Anne | Clea Caught a Rabbit | rabbits |
| She Moves Through the Fair | ghosts | |
| The Time Has Come | goodbye | |
| Bright Eyes | First Day of My Life | starting over |
| Hit the Switch | domestic songs | |
| Lover I Don’t Have to Love | anti-love songs | |
| Road to Joy | classical songs | |
| Brightman, Sarah | I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper (with Hot Gossip) | loss |
| Brilliant Corners | Brian Rix | laughter |
| Brilliant Green | Rainy Days Never Stays | channelling pain |
| British Sea Power (see Sea Power) | ||
| Britten, Benjamin | The Bonny Earl o’Moray (with Peter Pears) | indecipherable songs |
| Cuckoo! (from Friday Afternoons) | birdsong | |
| Elegy (O Rose, thou art sick) (from Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings) | doom | |
| Nicolas and the Pickled Boys (from Saint Nicolas) | resurrection | |
| Night Mail (written by W. H. Auden, narrated by John Grierson) | Britain | |
| On a Poet’s Lips I Slept (from Nocturne) | inspired by poetry | |
| Proverb 6 (The Hours of Folly) | proverbs | |
| String Quartet No. 3: IV. Burlesque | without percussion | |
| Broadcast | The Accidentals | accidents |
| The Book Lovers | nerds & geeks | |
| Ominous Cloud | clouds | |
| Brockdorff Klang Labor | Festung Europa | exile |
| Broderick, Peter | I Am Piano | piano songs |
| Brody, Dean | Canadian Girls | Canada |
| Broggs, Peter | No Ism Pon De Riddim | rhythm, beat & boogie |
| Broken Family Band | Alone in the Make-Out Room | arguments #2 |
| Living in Sin | sinners | |
| You Get Me | Valentine’s Day songs | |
| Bromberg, David | The New Lee Highway Blues | road trips |
| Bronski Beat | Hit That Perfect Beat | perfection |
| It Ain’t Necessarily So | cetaceans | |
| Smalltown Boy | 1980s 12” singles | |
| Brooklyn Bridge | Worst That Could Happen | being single |
| Brooklyn Funk Essentials | Istanbul Twilight | influenced by dub |
| The Revolution Was Postponed Because of Rain | distractions & diversions | |
| Brooks, Elkie | Pearl’s a Singer | being lost |
| Brooks, Juanita | Garden of Four Trees (with the Explosions) | gardens |
| Brooks, Mike | Who Have Eyes to See | eyes |
| Broonzy, Big Bill | Black, Brown and White | stereotypes |
| Terrible Operation Blues | illness | |
| Trouble in Mind | impermanence | |
| Brother D with Collective Effort | How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise? | positive songs |
| Brother Rodney | Keep Your Hand on the Throttle | switches & buttons |
| Brötzmann, Peter | Machine Gun | saxophone |
| Broughton, Edgar (see Edgar Broughton Band) | ||
| Brousal, Barbara | Hello (with Dan Zanes) | hello |
| Brown, Arthur (see Crazy World of Arthur Brown) | ||
| Brown, Bobby | Oneness with the Forest | forests & woodlands |
| Brown, Chuck & the Soul Searchers | Bustin’ Loose | motivation |
| Brown, Clarence “Gatemouth” | Alligator Eating Dog | dogs |
| Loup Garou | wolves | |
| Brown, Clifford | Body and Soul (with Sarah Vaughan) | great songwriting 1900-1955 |
| Parisian Thoroughfare | Paris | |
| Brown, Dennis | Halfway Up, Halfway Down | compromise |
| Malcolm X | saints & martyrs | |
| Money in My Pocket | 12″ singles to 1979 | |
| Silhouettes | jealousy | |
| Words of Wisdom | words of wisdom | |
| Brown, Foxy | Candy (ft Kelis) | food |
| Brown, Greg | Two Little Feet | expressing movement of walking |
| Brown, Ian | F.E.A.R. | acronyms |
| Brown, James | Ain’t It Funky Pts. 1-2 | list songs |
| The Boss | boastful songs | |
| Cold Sweat | perspiration | |
| Don’t Be a Drop Out | education | |
| Funky Drummer | sampling & recycling | |
| Get On the Good Foot | fictional adverts | |
| Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved | songs that command or instruct | |
| Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine | bridges | |
| Get Up Offa That Thing | funk | |
| Gravity | gravity | |
| Hell | heaven & hell | |
| Hot Pants | fads & crazes | |
| I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open the Door, I’ll Get It Myself) | control | |
| I Got a Bag of My Own | bags & containers | |
| I Got You (I Feel Good) | flavour | |
| I Refuse to Lose | stubbornness | |
| I Want You So Bad | stop-start songs | |
| It’s a Man’s World (with Luciano Pavarotti) | collaborations & side projects | |
| King Heroin | cocaine & heroin | |
| Please Please Please | please & thank you | |
| Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto | alternative Christmas songs | |
| Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud | call and response | |
| Brown, Joe | I’ll See You in My Dreams | music for funerals |
| Brown, Maxine | Oh No Not My Baby | gossip |
| Oh No Not My Baby | disbelief | |
| Brown, Oscar Jr. | Dat Dere | elephants & mammoths |
| Humdrum Blues | boredom | |
| Brown, Pete & Piblokto | Things May Come and Things May Go, But the Art School Dance Goes On Forever | long titles |
| Brown, Ruth | False Friend Blues | deceptive appearances |
| I Burned Your Letter | starting fires | |
| If I Can’t Sell It, I’ll Keep Sitting on It | furniture | |
| Brown, Sam | Stop | heartbreak |
| Brown, Shirley | Woman to Woman | songs with talking |
| Brown, Vicky | Cité propre: gagner de l’argent par les déchets (ft Final D and the city of Douala) | trash |
| Brown, VV | Shark in the Water | fish & other aquatic life |
| Brown, Zac (see Zac Brown Band) | ||
| Browne, Jackson | Before the Deluge | climate change |
| In the Shape of a Heart | precious stones | |
| The Late Show | famous last words | |
| The Load-Out | concerts | |
| The Pretender | compromise | |
| Browne, Tom | Funkin’ for Jamaica | best bass lines |
| Browning, Emily | Act of the Apostle (with God Help the Girl) | intelligence |
| Browns | The Three Bells | bells |
| Brozman, Bob | Hana Nu Kajimaya (with Takashi Hirayasu) | tradition |
| Pa’ahana (with Ledward Kaapana) | steel guitar | |
| Brubeck, Dave | Blue Rondo à la Turk (as Dave Brubeck Quartet) | finish where they begin |
| The Real Ambassador (with Louis Armstrong and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross) | pioneers | |
| Sixth Sense | sixth sense | |
| Take Five (as Dave Brubeck Quartet) | numbered 1 to 10 | |
| Unsquare Dance (as Dave Brubeck Quartet) | geometric shapes | |
| Brumel, Antoine | Missa ‘Et ecce terræ motus’: Gloria | close harmony singing |
| Brunettes | Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks | urban wildlife |
| Bryant, Dana | Food | cooking |
| Heat | perspiration | |
| The Jackal (with Ronny Jordan) | glamour & style | |
| Bryars, Gavin | Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet | blood |
| BT | Fibonacci Sequence | mathematics |
| B.T. Express | Express | alarm sounds |
| Buarque, Chico | Cálice (with Milton Nascimento) | tyranny & dictatorship |
| Construção | great arrangements | |
| João e Maria (with Nara Leão) | famous or notable duos | |
| Buchanan & Goodman | The Flying Saucer, Part 1 | songs with jokes |
| Buck 65 | Craftsmanship | jobs |
| Riverbed 3 | neighbours | |
| Zombie Delight | zombies | |
| Buckins, Mickey & the New Breed | Reflections of Charles Brown | melancholy songs |
| Buckley, Jeff | Corpus Christi Carol | falsetto |
| Everybody Here Wants You | slow, sexy love songs | |
| Hallelujah | covers better than the original | |
| Lilac Wine | wine | |
| Lover, You Should’ve Come Over | quoting Shakespeare | |
| Satisfied Mind | retrospection | |
| Buckley, Tim | Buzzin’ Fly | insects |
| Dolphins | mammals | |
| The Earth Is Broken | nature | |
| I Must Have Been Blind | mistakes | |
| Once I Was | legacy | |
| Song to the Siren | ancient history | |
| Strange Street Affair Under Blue | body language | |
| Buckshot LeFonque | I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (with Maya Angelou) | empathy |
| Music Evolution | double bass | |
| Budd, Harold | A Stream with Bright Fish (with Brian Eno) | fish & other aquatic life |
| The Plateaux of Mirror (with Brian Eno) | fictional places | |
| Budd, Roy | Get Carter | instrumental soundtracks |
| Budgie | Breadfan | bread & baking |
| Budos Band | Volcano Song | geology |
| Buena Vista Social Club | Chan Chan | comeback songs |
| Dancing Shoes (as Rhythms del Mundo) (ft Arctic Monkeys) | footwear | |
| De Camino a la Vereda | supergroups | |
| Dos Gardenias | two – part 2 | |
| Buffalo Springfield | For What It’s Worth | historical events |
| Buffalo Tom | Birdbrain | fools |
| Taillights Fade | losers | |
| Would Not Be Denied | denial | |
| Buffett, Jimmy | Wings | wings |
| Bug | Can’t Take This No More (ft Daddy Freddy) | start with the chorus |
| Catch a Fire (ft Hitomi) | futility | |
| Poison Dart (ft Warrior Queen) | poison | |
| Skeng (ft Killa P & Flow Dan) | criminals | |
| Bug Central | Nowhere Like Home | urban environment |
| Bugg, Jake | Seen It All | sharp objects |
| Two Fingers | physical gestures | |
| Buggles | Video Killed the Radio Star | old and new |
| Buika, Concha | Jodida Peró Contenta | independence |
| Oro Santo (with Javier Limón) | favourite live versions | |
| Volver, Volver | regressing & reversing | |
| Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir | Polegnala e Todora | choirs |
| Bullet (see Hard Stuff) | ||
| Bunyan, Vashti | Glow Worms | insects |
| Rose Hip November | autumn | |
| Rose Hip November | months of the year | |
| Buoys | Timothy | stuck or trapped |
| Burdon, Eric | Sixteen Tons | power |
| Burdon, Eric & the Animals (see Animals) | ||
| Burgess, Tim | A Case for Vinyl | hearing, choosing & playing records |
| Burial | Night Bus | urban environment |
| South London Boroughs | suburbia | |
| South London Boroughs | debut songs | |
| Burke, Solomon | I’m Hanging Up My Heart for You | hanging |
| We’re Gonna Hold On | songs with special guests | |
| Burnett, Fiona | Flutterby Butterfly | butterflies & moths |
| Burnett, T Bone | Murder Weapon | sharp objects |
| Burning Hearts | Into the Wilderness | wilderness |
| Burning Hell | The Road | fixing & repairing |
| Burning Spear | Black Wa-Da-Da (Invasion) | tautonyms |
| Elephants | elephants & mammoths | |
| Joe Frazier | misleading or incongruous titles | |
| Man in the Hills | rural songs | |
| Marcus Garvey | politicians | |
| Marcus Say Jah No Dead | spiritual songs | |
| Pit of Snakes | collective nouns | |
| Red Gold and Green | colours | |
| Slavery Days | 19th century life | |
| Burnside, R. L. | Fireman Ring the Bell | bells |
| Wish I Was in Heaven | sitting & standing | |
| Burroughs, William S. | Words of Advice for Young People | advice |
| Buscaglione, Fred | Jukebox | Italy |
| Busdriver | Imaginary Places | itching & scratching |
| Bush, Kate | An Architect’s Dream | works of art |
| And Dream of Sheep | relaxation & leisure | |
| Army Dreamers | war | |
| Babooshka | anonymity | |
| Breathing | nuclear war | |
| Cloudbusting | rain | |
| Constellation of the Heart | adventure | |
| Deeper Understanding | internet | |
| The Dreaming | odd noises & instruments | |
| Eat the Music | music as nutrition | |
| The Fog | family | |
| Get Out of My House | books #2 | |
| Hounds of Love | fear | |
| How to Be Invisible | the invisible | |
| Mrs. Bartolozzi | cleansing | |
| Nocturn | the coast | |
| Oh England My Lionheart | England | |
| Pi | numbers | |
| Pi | mathematics | |
| The Red Shoes | inspired by or about films | |
| Rocket Man | space | |
| Rubberband Girl | resilience | |
| The Sensual World | sexy songs | |
| Snowflake | small things | |
| Something Like a Song | mythical beasts | |
| Strange Phenomena | sixth sense | |
| Them Heavy People | lessons in life | |
| This Woman’s Work | mothers | |
| Under Ice | snow & ice | |
| Under Ice | underwater | |
| Waking the Witch | volume changes | |
| Watching You Without Me | birdsong | |
| The Wedding List | revenge | |
| Wow | actors | |
| Wuthering Heights | can’t live with or without you | |
| Busted | What I Go to School For | school |
| Year 3000 | time travel | |
| Butler, Jerry | Giving Up on Love | anti-love songs |
| Hey, Western Union Man | letters, emails & telegrams | |
| Butler, John (see John Butler Trio) | ||
| Butler, Richard | Good Days, Bad Days | reversing |
| Butterbeans and Susie | I Need a Hot Dog for My Roll | innuendo |
| Butterfield Blues Band | Walkin’ Blues | harmonica |
| Butthole Surfers | I Saw an X-Ray of a Girl Passing Gas | bodily fluids |
| Buzzcocks | A Different Kind of Tension | two – part 2 |
| Boredom | boredom | |
| I Don’t Mind | authenticity & fakery | |
| Late for the Train | trains | |
| Love Battery | electricity | |
| Nostalgia | time travel | |
| Paradise | paradise | |
| What Do I Get? | questions | |
| Why Can’t I Touch It? | touch | |
| Byas, Don | Laura | instruments imitating voice & vice versa |
| Byrd, Donald | Where Are We Going? | change #2 |
| Byrd, Gary & the GB Experience | The Crown | ancient history |
| Byrd, Jonathan | Diana Jones | prostitution |
| I Was an Oak Tree | trees | |
| The Waitress | restaurants & cafes | |
| Byrds | Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins | space travel |
| Chestnut Mare | horses | |
| Dolphin’s Smile | cetaceans | |
| Draft Morning | coming of age | |
| Eight Miles High | marijuana | |
| Hickory Wind | trees | |
| Hungry Planet | environment | |
| I Come and Stand at Every Door | nuclear war | |
| I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better | close harmony singing | |
| Mr. Spaceman | aliens | |
| My Back Pages | songs for your teenage self | |
| Pretty Boy Floyd | smuggling & stealing | |
| Renaissance Fair | markets & fairs | |
| She Don’t Care About Time | indifference | |
| Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away | tomorrow | |
| Triad | fetishes | |
| Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) | change | |
| Wasn’t Born to Follow | fate & destiny | |
| What’s Happening?!?! | uncertainty | |
| Why | arguments #2 | |
| Byrne, David | Don’t Fence Me In | unlikely cover songs |
| Glass, Concrete & Stone | buildings | |
| The Jezebel Spirit (with Brian Eno) | ghosts | |
| This Is a Life (with Son Lux & Mitski) | distractions & diversions | |