The table below lists all A-listed songs by artists beginning with P. Some artists are also linked to their own individual pages.
Artist | Song Title | Topic |
P-Model | Art Mania | museums, galleries & exhibitions |
Paavoharju | Valo tihkuu kaiken läpi | bright and beautiful |
Pablo | Record Shop | hearing, choosing & playing records |
Pablo, Augustus | Cassava Piece | fractions & portions |
King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown | B sides | |
Pacheco, Johnny | Quimbara (with Celia Cruz) | songs in Spanish |
Pachelbel, Johann | Canon in D | songs that build |
Pachora | Drifting | unusual time signatures |
Pagan Wanderer Lu | Banish Negative Thoughts | futility |
Page, Hot Lips | The Egg or the Hen | eggs |
Feelin’ High and Happy | motivation | |
Page, Jim | I’d Rather Be Dancing | peace |
Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Come Saturday | the weekend |
Young Adult Friction | libraries | |
Painted Places | Breeze on the Tees | North East England |
Paisley, Brad | Accidental Racist (ft LL Cool J) | flags |
Karate (ft Charlie Daniels) | fighting | |
Online | substitutions | |
Whiskey Lullaby (with Alison Krauss) | whiskey | |
Pajo, David | I Am Not Lonely with Cricket | cricket |
Pale Saints | Kinky Love | fetishes |
Paleface | Burn and Rob | mood-changing music |
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da | Missa Papae Marcelli: Gloria | choirs |
Pallas, Tyla J. | The Hellraisers | songs that fit every topic |
Ode to Jackie Leven | biography & autobiography | |
Pallett, Owen | Red Sun No 5 | red |
Pallot, Nerina | Circus | the circus |
English | England | |
Palmashow | Quinoa (as the Bobo’s) | farm produce |
Palmer, Amanda | Australia | Australia |
The Bed Song (with the Grand Theft Orchestra) | chicken and egg | |
The Bed Song (with the Grand Theft Orchestra) | pathos | |
Map of Tasmania (with the Young Punx) | geometric shapes | |
Runs in the Family | inheritance | |
Palmer, Robert | Housework | spring cleaning & household chores |
I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On | apologies | |
Panda Bear | Scheherazade | classical songs |
Take Pills | mental illness | |
Pangaea | Router | equality |
Panic! at the Disco | Girls/Girls/Boys | gender & LGBTQ+ |
I Write Sins Not Tragedies | awkwardness | |
Panic Room | Promises | promises & choices |
Pantera | Mouth for War | anger |
Walk | walking & running | |
Papa Wemba | Dixième commandement | preachers, priests & religious leaders |
Papaoke | Biathlon | winter sports |
Paper Kites | Pocket Full of Rain | pockets |
Paper Lace | Billy, Don’t Be a Hero | volunteering |
Paperfangs | Lifelong | odd couples |
Paragons | Island in the Sun | islands |
Man Next Door (aka I’ve Got to Get Away) | neighbours | |
The Tide Is High | violin | |
Paramore | Misery Business | surprising intros |
Paranoid Visions | From Dublin with Love | Ireland |
Paris | The Days of Old | melancholy songs |
Paris, Bobby | I Walked Away | first & last time |
Paris Studio Group | Accroche-toi Caroline | TV theme songs |
Parish, John | A Woman a Man Walked By (with PJ Harvey) | mistaken identity |
Parisians | Twinkle Little Star | stars |
Parker, Alan | Hot Pants (with Alan Hawkshaw) | clothes |
Parker, Anders | Hoping Machine (with Jay Farrar, Will Johnson & Yim Yames) | persistence |
Parker, Bobby | Watch Your Step | warnings |
Parker, Charlie | Bird of Paradise | paradise |
Koko | more questions than answers | |
Now’s the Time | new resolutions | |
Summertime | from New York City | |
Parker, Dyon | Footprints in the Snow | snow & ice |
Parker, Graham | Everyone’s Hand Is on the Switch | switches & buttons |
Everything Goes | indifference | |
Heat Treatment | heat #2 | |
Parker, Junior | Mystery Train (as Little Junior’s Blue Flames) | trains |
Parker, Ray Jr. | Ghostbusters | companies & corporations |
Parker, Robert | Barefootin’ | dance styles |
Barefootin’ | from New Orleans | |
Parker, Trey | America, Fuck Yeah | America |
Parkins, Zeena | Firebrat | harps, lyres & zithers |
Parks, Aaron | Attention, Earthlings | unusual time signatures |
Parks, Arlo | Hope | hope |
Parks, Van Dyke | Donovan’s Colours | great arrangements |
Parlet | Misunderstandings | misunderstanding |
Parliament | Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadisco-betabioaquadoloop) | underwater |
Flash Light | 12″ singles to 1979 | |
Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) | best bass lines | |
I Just Got Back (From the Final Fantasy, Ahead of Our Time in the Four Lands of Ellet) | fictional places | |
Ride On | spine & neck | |
The Silent Boatman | quiet | |
Unfunky UFO | surprise encounters | |
Parquet Courts | Stoned and Starving | marijuana |
Parr, John | St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) | determination |
Parra, Isabel | Lo Único Que Tengo (with Victor Jara) | hands |
Parra, Violeta | Gracias a la Vida | gratitude |
Parrish, Dean | Determination | single-mindedness |
I’m On My Way | upbeat break-up | |
Parsons, Alan (see also Alan Parsons Project) | Too Close to the Sun | wings |
Parsons, Gram | $1000 Wedding | weddings |
Brass Buttons | mothers | |
Hearts on Fire | great backing vocals | |
The New Soft Shoe | shoes | |
Return of the Grievous Angel | reunions | |
We’ll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning | tomorrow | |
Pärt, Arvo | The Beatitudes | volume changes |
Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten | songs that make you cry | |
Spiegel im Spiegel | mirrors | |
Partisans | Hysteria | confusion & delusion |
Parton, Dolly | 9 to 5 | anti-work songs |
Coat of Many Colors | making things | |
Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) | exile | |
Jolene | named after women | |
Love Is Like a Butterfly | butterflies & moths | |
My Blue Tears (with Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris) | songs by trios | |
My Tennessee Mountain Home | chairs | |
Put It Off Until Tomorrow | procrastination | |
Washday Blues | spring cleaning & household chores | |
When the Sun Goes Down Tomorrow | hitchhiking | |
Partridge, Andy | The Cryonic Trombone (with Peter Blegvad) | gases |
Partridge Family | One Night Stand | strangers |
Pascoal, Hermeto | Slaves Mass (Missa Dos Escravos) | animal sounds |
Passage | XOYO | music as nutrition |
Passengers | Miss Sarajevo | unlikely collaborations |
Passepied | Orange | orange |
Passions | I’m in Love with a German Film Star | inspired by or about films |
Pastels | The Viaduct (Ian Carmichael Remix) | staying |
Pastorius, Jaco | Liberty City | steelpan |
Opus Pocus | hammer & mallet instruments | |
Portrait of Tracy | great solo performances | |
Three Views of a Secret | secrets & secrecy | |
Pate, Johnny | You Can’t Even Walk in the Park | instrumental soundtracks |
Patti Smith Group (see Smith, Patti) | ||
Patton, Charley | Down the Dirt Road Blues | earth, soil & dirt |
Dry Well Blues | wells | |
Mississippi Boweavil Blues | insects | |
Oh Death (with Bertha Lee) | COVID-19 lockdown | |
Oh Death (with Bertha Lee) | songs by duos | |
Patton, Mike | Che notte! | genre switch |
Patty & the Emblems | Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl | confusion & delusion |
Paul, Billy | East | Africa |
Let ‘Em In | welcoming | |
Me and Mrs. Jones | punctuality | |
Your Song | covers better than the original | |
Paul, Les | Smoke Rings (with Mary Ford) | fictional adverts |
Pavarotti, Luciano | It’s a Man’s World (with James Brown) | collaborations & side projects |
Nessun dorma (from Turandot) (composer: Giacomo Puccini) | football | |
Pavement | Carrot Rope | cricket |
Range Life | self-referential songs | |
Shady Lane | false endings | |
Spit on a Stranger | anger | |
Summer Babe (Winter Version) | refreshment & cooling down | |
Unfair | California | |
Paxton, Tom | What Did You Learn in School Today? | propaganda |
Payne, Freda | Band of Gold | memorabilia & souvenirs |
Peaches | Fuck the Pain Away | sweary songs |
I U She | gender & LGBTQ+ | |
Rock Show | concerts | |
Rub | bodily fluids | |
Peaches & Herb | Freeway | wide open spaces |
Peacock, Annette | M.J. (with Paul Bley) | more questions than answers |
Pearl Jam | Brain of J. | conspiracy theories & paranoia |
Education | education | |
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town | faces | |
Even Flow | rough & smooth | |
Indifference | resistance | |
Jeremy | male names | |
Nothing as It Seems | illusions | |
Rats | rodents | |
Pearls Before Swine | Frog in the Window | amphibians |
Pears, Peter | The Bonny Earl o’Moray (with Benjamin Britten) | indecipherable songs |
Pearson, Johnny | Sleepy Shores | easy listening |
Pebbles and Bamm Bamm | Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sun Shine In) | bright and beautiful |
Peddlers | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | wide open spaces |
Peebles, Ann | 99 Pounds | recipe songs |
Dr. Love Power | doctors | |
I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down | breaking things | |
Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love | accidents | |
Peel, David & Death | Who Killed Brian Jones | conspiracy theories & paranoia |
Pegg, Bob | The Werewolf of Old Chapeltown | unexplained phenomena |
Pendergrass, Teddy | Love T.K.O. | sport |
Turn Off the Lights | orgasms | |
Pendulum | Tarantula (with DJ Fresh, Spyda & Tenor Fly) | apologies |
The Tempest | storms | |
Penetration | Don’t Dictate | stubbornness |
Penguin Cafe Orchestra | Milk | genre defying |
Music for a Found Harmonium | musical instruments | |
Perpetuum Mobile | eternity | |
Telephone and Rubber Band | great riffs | |
Penguins | Earth Angel | angels |
Penn, Dawn | You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) | great backing vocals |
Penner, Fred | The Cat Came Back | whimsical songs |
Pennywise | Alien | aliens |
Pentangle | The Hunting Song | hunting |
Let No Man Steal Your Thyme | smuggling & stealing | |
Light Flight | flying | |
Lord Franklin | honorific titles | |
The Trees They Do Grow High | ages | |
Pepe Deluxé | A Night and a Day | books |
In the Cave | odd noises & instruments | |
Pere Ubu | 30 Seconds Over Tokyo | war |
Caligari’s Mirror | inspired by or about films | |
Final Solution | startling songs | |
Heaven | influenced by reggae | |
Non-Alignment Pact | independence | |
Peret | El Muerto Vivo (ft Marina de Ojos de Brujo) | zombies |
Perfect | Handcart Bwoy | overturning the odds |
Perhacs, Linda | Parallelograms | mathematics |
Parallelograms | quiet songs | |
Perkins, Carl | Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll | roots |
Levi Jacket (And a Long Tail Shirt) | brands | |
Perkins, Elvis | While You Were Sleeping | sleep & insomnia |
Pernice Brothers | Grudge Fuck | songs of desperation |
Perrey, Jean-Jacques | E.V.A | psychedelia |
Flight of the Bumble Bee | bees | |
Perry, Katy | Firework | bright and beautiful |
Hot n Cold | driving songs | |
Roar | determination | |
Perry, Lee “Scratch” | Birthday Jamaica Version | anniversaries |
City Too Hot | heat | |
Favourite Dish | accents | |
Roast Fish & Cornbread | food | |
Soul Fire | discordant songs | |
Persson, Nina | Roaring 40s (with Christian Kjellvander) | wind |
Persuasions | Looking for an Echo | singing |
Pet Shop Boys | Always on My Mind | guilt & apology |
Being Boring | boredom | |
Blue on Blue | blue | |
Can You Forgive Her? | homosexuality | |
The Dictator Decides | deceptive appearances | |
Dreaming of the Queen | dreams | |
Go West | migrants & refugees | |
I Want a Dog | pets | |
I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Sort of Thing | normal & abnormal | |
In Denial (with Kylie Minogue) | denial | |
It’s a Sin | retrospection | |
Love Is a Bourgeois Construct | strange, rare or unlikely words | |
My October Symphony | September & October | |
Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) | nerds & geeks | |
Rent | money | |
Shameless | celebrity | |
The Sodom and Gomorrah Show | hedonism | |
This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave | school | |
The Truck Driver and His Mate | North East England | |
West End Girls | urban environment | |
What Have I Done to Deserve This? (with Dusty Springfield) | songs with special guests | |
Pete and the Pirates | Come to the Bar | fictional adverts |
Peter and the Test Tube Babies | Foot Full of Bullets | feet |
Screwed Down | hardware | |
Student Wankers | education | |
The Twitter Song | modernity | |
Wimpeez | restaurants & cafes | |
Peter, Bjorn and John | Young Folks | one-hit wonders |
Peter, Paul and Mary | El Salvador | Mexico & Central America |
I’m in Love with a Big Blue Frog | amphibians | |
Leaving on a Jet Plane | separation | |
Talkin’ Candy Bar Blues | chocolate | |
Peters, Claudette | Come Rise with Me (with Machel Montano) | cricket |
Peters, Gretchen | Five Minutes | passage of time |
Peters and Lee | Welcome Home | visitors |
Peterson, Oscar | Round Midnight | times of day |
Petrie, Grace | Black Tie | gender & LGBTQ+ |
You Build a Wall | resilience | |
Petty, Tom | A Face in the Crowd | anonymity |
American Girl | personal theme songs | |
Don’t Come Around No More | warnings | |
Echo | echoes | |
I Won’t Back Down | resistance | |
Into the Great Wide Open | biography & autobiography | |
Joe | leadership | |
Refugee | great album or mixtape openers | |
Rhino Skin | rough & smooth | |
Room at the Top | rooms | |
Runnin’ Down a Dream | great riffs | |
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (with Prince, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Billy Preston et al) | guitars | |
Peyroux, Madeleine | Gentle on My Mind | gentleness |
Half the Perfect World | fractions & portions | |
PF Project (see Tzant) | ||
Phair, Liz | Fuck and Run | one night stands |
Polyester Bride | fabrics | |
Phantogram | You Don’t Get Me High Anymore | ‘high’ songs |
Phantom Planet | You’re Not Welcome Here | interlopers |
Pharaohs | Freedom Road | freedom |
Pharcyde | Runnin’ | walking & running |
Ya Mama | insulting songs | |
Philadelphia International All Stars | Let’s Clean Up the Ghetto | trash |
Phillips, Esther | Aged and Mellow | ages |
Catch Me I’m Falling (as Little Esther Phillips) | falling in love | |
Double-Crossing Blues (as Little Esther, with the Johnny Otis Quintette & the Robins) | treachery & betrayal | |
No Headstone on My Grave | funerals | |
Scarred Knees | joints of the body | |
T’aint Whatcha Say It’s Whatcha Do (as Little Esther) | start with the chorus | |
Phillips, Shawn | The Bells of Rhymney | bells |
Coal Tattoo | rejection | |
Withered Roses | roses | |
World in Action Theme (with Mick Weaver) | organ | |
Phillips, Utah | The Most Dangerous Woman (with Ani DiFranco) | superlatives |
Phillips, Washington | Denomination Blues (Part 1) | the afterlife |
Phillipson, Petra Jean | Ask the Gods to Pull Down the Sky | high-pitched vocals |
Phish | Julius | omens & prophecies |
Photek | The Hidden Camera | surveillance |
Photos | Barbarellas | music venues |
Phuture | Rise from Your Grave | resurrection |
Physics | I Heart Beer | beer |
Piaf, Édith | Je n’en connais pas la fin | carnivals & funfairs |
La Foule | crowds | |
La Vie en rose | pink | |
Mon Légionnaire | deserts | |
Non, je ne regrette rien | nothing | |
Piazzolla, Astor | Buenos Aires Hora Cero | expressing movement of walking |
Vuelvo al Sur | without percussion | |
Whisky | whiskey | |
Pickett, Bobby ‘Boris’ | Monster Mash | monsters |
Pickett, Lee & the Screamers | Fatty Patty | being fat |
Pickett, Wilson | A Man and a Half | boastful songs |
Hey Jude | Beatles covers | |
Land of 1000 Dances | collecting & listing | |
Mustang Sally | slowing down | |
Mustang Sally | road trips | |
Pickler, Kellie | Going Out in Style | footwear |
Pierce, Webb | There Stands the Glass | glass |
Pierces | Secret | secrets & secrecy |
PIG | Black Mambo | black |
Pig with the Face of a Boy | A Complete History of the Soviet Union Through the Eyes of a Humble Worker, Arranged to the Melody of Tetris | Russia |
Pigbag | Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag | 1980s 12” singles |
Pigram Brothers | Saltwater Cowboy | treasure |
P!nk | Don’t Let Me Get Me | wanting to be someone else |
Family Portrait | family | |
Get the Party Started | spirit of 2021 | |
Who Knew | broken promises | |
Pink, Ariel | Round and Round (as Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti) | fairgrounds |
Pink, Bonnie | Perfect Sky | sky |
Pink Fairies | Do It | songs that command or instruct |
Pink Floyd | Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2 | teachers |
Arnold Layne | storytelling songs | |
Astronomy Domine | space travel | |
Bike | striking album endings | |
Brain Damage / Eclipse | crisis | |
Careful with That Axe, Eugene | the obvious | |
Careful with That Axe, Eugene | favourite live versions | |
Cirrus Minor | laziness | |
Comfortably Numb | illness | |
Corporal Clegg | honorific titles | |
Echoes | finish where they begin | |
Echoes | echoes | |
Embryo | babies | |
Fearless | ascension | |
Flaming | the invisible | |
Grantchester Meadows | rural songs | |
The Great Gig in the Sky | na-na-hey-hey songs | |
Jugband Blues | unsettling songs | |
Learning to Fly | determination | |
Lucifer Sam | mammals | |
On the Run | vibrato, tremolo & oscillations | |
Paint Box | last night | |
Point Me at the Sky | psychedelia | |
Pow R. Toc H. | musically adventurous | |
Remember a Day | innocence | |
See Emily Play | strange & surreal | |
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun | celestial bodies | |
Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict | long titles | |
Shine On You Crazy Diamond | channelling pain | |
Time | fear of missing out | |
Vegetable Man | clothes | |
Wish You Were Here | opposites | |
Pink Martini | Song of the Black Lizard | reptiles |
Pinkshinyultrablast | Holy Forest | surprising intros |
Umi | Russia | |
Pioneers | Long Shot Kick De Bucket | gambling |
Pipettes | ABC | nerds & geeks |
I Like a Boy in Uniform (School Uniform) | fashion | |
Why Did You Stay? | sweetness | |
Pipkins | Gimme Dat Ding | songs that command or instruct |
Piranhas | Space Invaders | games |
Zambezi | the Commonwealth | |
Pitney, Gene | 24 Sycamore | roads & streets |
Backstage | theatre | |
Looking Through the Eyes of Love | eyes & sight | |
Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa | adultery & infidelity | |
Pixies | Allison | named after women |
Bagboy | smells | |
Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons | mountains | |
Broken Face | short songs | |
Cactus | loneliness | |
Caribou | mammals | |
Dead | ancient history | |
Debaser | surreal songs | |
Down to the Well | wells | |
Gigantic | shadows | |
Gouge Away | biblical songs | |
Hey | pick-up lines & marriage proposals | |
In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) | the afterlife | |
Isla de Encanta | islands | |
I’ve Been Tired | great opening lines | |
Monkey Gone to Heaven | environment | |
Nimrod’s Son | speed | |
Palace of the Brine | underwater | |
Snakes | reptiles | |
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf) | B sides | |
Where Is My Mind? | redefined by film | |
Pizzicato Five | Magic Carpet Ride (Japanese version) | foreign language versions |
Nata di marzo | months of the year | |
Twiggy Twiggy | Japan | |
Placebo | Broken Promise | broken promises |
Every You and Every Me | knives | |
Meds | addiction | |
Pure Morning | morning | |
Plain White T’s | Cirque dans la Rue | the circus |
Plan B | Ill Manors | sampling & recycling |
She Said | gripping or intriguing narrative | |
Traded In My Cigarettes | knives | |
Who Needs Action When You Got Words | anger | |
Plant, Robert | 29 Palms | deserts |
Fortune Teller (with Alison Krauss) | fortune tellers | |
Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) (with Alison Krauss) | collaborations & side projects | |
Messin’ with the Mekon | misleading or incongruous titles | |
Network News | news & media | |
Please Read the Letter (with Alison Krauss) | departures | |
Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us (with Alison Krauss) | sisters | |
Planxty | Smeceno Horo | unusual time signatures |
The West Coast of Clare | Ireland | |
Plasmatics | Stop | songs that command or instruct |
Plastic Bertrand | Ça plane pour moi | one-hit wonders |
Plastic Ono Band (see Yoko Ono) | ||
Platters | The Great Pretender | mistaken identity |
The Great Pretender | repression | |
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes | close harmony singing | |
Twilight Time | evening | |
Washed Ashore | wide open spaces | |
With This Ring | weddings | |
Play Dead | Poison Takes a Hold | poison |
Playford, Rob | The Shadow (Process Mix) (with Goldie) | shadows |
Plug (see Vibert, Luke) | ||
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys | Hickory, Walnut & Pine | brown |
Poemss | Miles Away | long-distance relationships |
Pogues | A Pair of Brown Eyes | accordion |
A Pair of Brown Eyes | jukeboxes | |
A Rainy Night in Soho | bad weather | |
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda | war | |
The Body of an American | celebration | |
Bottle of Smoke | horses | |
Boys from the County Hell | made you fall in love with music | |
Fairytale of New York (ft Kirsty MacColl) | duets | |
Fiesta | brass songs | |
House of the Gods | beer | |
If I Should Fall from Grace with God | sinners | |
The Irish Rover (with the Dubliners) | survival | |
Lullaby of London | adult lullabies | |
Misty Morning, Albert Bridge | bridges | |
Navigator | jobs | |
The Old Main Drag | finish where they begin | |
Sally MacLennane | goodbye | |
The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn | retrospection | |
Streams of Whiskey | drinking | |
Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six | the truth | |
Thousands Are Sailing | 19th century life | |
Transmetropolitan | urban environment | |
Turkish Song of the Damned | horror-inspired songs | |
Waxie’s Dargle | coins | |
White City | ensembles, big bands & orchestras | |
Wild Cats of Kilkenny | sound like other songs | |
The Wild Rover | new resolutions | |
Young Ned of the Hill | blessings & curses | |
Pointer Sisters | Automatic | androgynous vocals |
Fire | covers by the opposite sex | |
I’m So Excited | girl groups | |
Jump (For My Love) | jumping | |
Pinball Number Count | children’s songs | |
Slow Hand | touch | |
Yes We Can Can | equality | |
Poison Girls | Jump Mama Jump | spring cleaning & household chores |
Lovers Are They Worth It | rejection | |
Old Tart’s Song | wanting to be someone else | |
Persons Unknown | anonymity | |
Polecats | Make a Circuit with Me | power |
Marie Celeste | rare events | |
Police | Does Everyone Stare | awkwardness |
Every Breath You Take | following & chasing | |
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic | everything | |
Message in a Bottle | hope | |
Mother | musically adventurous | |
Murder by Numbers | murder | |
Roxanne | stop-start songs | |
Synchronicity I | eureka moments | |
Walking on the Moon | songs by trios | |
When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around | spirit of 2021 | |
Polwart, Karine | Azalea Flower | being scared |
Clock of the World (with Krista Detor & Rachael McShane) | clocks & watches | |
Daisy | trust | |
Half a Mile | murder | |
I’m Gonna Do It All | motivation | |
The Light on the Shore | funerals | |
Maybe There’s a Road | prostitution | |
Painted It White | stick it to the man | |
Resolution Road | songs offering advice | |
Rivers Run | immortality & longevity | |
Sorry | scandal | |
The Sun’s Comin’ Over the Hill | bravery | |
Tongue That Cannot Lie | the truth | |
Polyphemus | The Sea Map | maps |
Polyphonic Spree | Light & Day/Reach for the Sun | defined or redefined by television |
Pomme, Lamba | Beatbox & Electric Flute | songs by buskers |
Ponder, Sanford | Frontier | sunsets & twilight |
Poni-Tails | Born Too Late | regrets |
Pony Up! | I Heard You Got Action | innuendo |
Pook, Jocelyn | Yellow Fever Psalm | yellow |
Poole, Charlie | White House Blues | assassination |
Poozies | Neptune | crisis |
The Shepherd’s Wife | meals & mealtimes | |
Sorrows Away | contentment | |
Pop, Iggy | The Endless Sea | wide open spaces |
Funtime | fun | |
Lust for Life | great album or mixtape openers | |
Mask | masks | |
Mass Production | industry & manufacturing | |
The Passenger | songs that go ‘la’ | |
Repo Man | recorded for movies | |
Shades | eyewear | |
Success | call and response | |
Watching the News | news & media | |
Well, Did You Evah! (with Deborah Harry) | duets | |
Pop Group | We Are All Prostitutes | discordant songs |
Pop-Tops | Oh Lord, Why Lord | classical songs |
Pop Will Eat Itself | Can U Dig It? | list songs |
Porcupine Tree | Arriving Somewhere But Not Here | confusion & delusion |
Porter, Gregory | No Love Dying | hope & resilience |
Porthos, Pablo Lubadika | Madeleina | triggering dancing |
Portico Quartet | Monsoon: Top to Bottom | rain |
News from Verona | songs by buskers | |
Portishead | Glory Box | falling in love |
It Could Be Sweet | sweetness | |
Machine Gun | comeback songs | |
Mysterons | old meets new | |
Wandering Star | celestial bodies | |
Portman, Emily | Dotterine | fairytales |
Grey Stone | the coast | |
Portnoy, Gary | Where Everybody Knows Your Name | pubs & bars |
Portsmouth Sinfonia | Also sprach Zarathustra | so bad they’re good |
Portuondo, Omara | ¿Dónde Estabas Tú? | searching & seeking |
Mariposita de Primavera | illusions | |
Silencio (with Ibrahim Ferrer) | quiet | |
Post, Mike | Hill Street Blues (with Larry Carlton) | law enforcement |
Postal Service | Such Great Heights | ascension |
Postmodern Jukebox | All About That Bass | being fat |
Anaconda | curves & spheres | |
Powell, Baden | Tempo de Amor (with Marcia Sousa) | peace |
Powell, Cozy | Dance with the Devil | the Devil |
Powell, Jesse | The Walkin’ Blues (with Fluffy Hunter) | great songwriting 1900-1955 |
Power, Brian | Optimistic (ft Lucita Jules) | happiness |
Powers, Will | Kissing with Confidence | kissing |
Prado, Pérez | Mambo # 5 | dance instrumentals |
Praetorius, Michael | Es ist ein Ros entsprungen | roses |
Prefab Sprout | Cornfield Ablaze | starting fires |
Cue Fanfare | competition | |
Don’t Sing | preachers, priests & religious leaders | |
The Guest Who Stayed Forever | visitors | |
Jesse James Bolero | outlaws & rebels | |
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll | songs that go ‘la’ | |
Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone) | acronyms | |
’Til the Cows Come Home | North East England | |
When Love Breaks Down | long-distance relationships | |
Whoever You Are | strangers | |
Wild Card in the Pack | playing cards | |
Preoccupations | Continental Shelf (as Viet Cong) | geology |
Presidents of the United States of America | Kitty | animal sounds |
Presley, Elvis | A Little Less Conversation | procrastination |
An American Trilogy | roots | |
Are You Lonesome Tonight? | songs with talking | |
Blue Moon of Kentucky | double bass | |
Blue Suede Shoes | shoes | |
Clean Up Your Own Backyard | spring cleaning & household chores | |
Heartbreak Hotel | buildings | |
I Don’t Care If the Sun Don’t Shine | kissing | |
If I Can Dream | comeback songs | |
I’m Leavin’ | departures | |
I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone | left & right | |
In the Ghetto | poverty | |
Jailhouse Rock | gender & LGBTQ+ | |
(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear | great backing vocals | |
Little Sister | sisters | |
Long Black Limousine | coming home | |
Milkcow Blues Boogie | music as nutrition | |
Return to Sender | rejection | |
Suspicious Minds | jealousy | |
Trouble | bad boys & bad girls | |
Viva Las Vegas | holidays | |
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck | spine & neck | |
Western Union | indirect messages | |
(You’re the) Devil in Disguise | opposites | |
Preston, Billy | While My Guitar Gently Weeps (with Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood et al) | guitars |
With You I’m Born Again (with Syreeta) | slow, sexy love songs | |
Pretenders | Back on the Chain Gang | regressing & reversing |
Brass in Pocket | flirting | |
Don’t Get Me Wrong | surprise encounters | |
I Go to Sleep | sleep & insomnia | |
I’ll Stand by You | empathy | |
Kid | babies | |
Lovers of Today | adult lullabies | |
My City Was Gone | regressing & reversing | |
Private Life | influenced by dub | |
Stop Your Sobbing | crying | |
Talk of the Town | rooms | |
Tattooed Love Boys | being a man or a woman | |
Tattooed Love Boys | tattoos & piercings | |
Pretty Things | 13 Chester Street | addresses |
Midnight to Six Man | times of day | |
Previn, Dory | Angels and Devils the Following Day | angels |
Beware of Young Girls | treachery & betrayal | |
Children of Coincidence | chance & coincidence | |
The Lady with the Braid | one night stands | |
Left Hand Lost | hands | |
Mr. Whisper | mental illness | |
With My Daddy in the Attic | domestic songs | |
Price, Alan | Girl of the North Country | North East England |
Jarrow Song | adversity | |
Smells Like Lemon, Tastes Like Wine | flavour | |
The Trimdon Grange Explosion | safety & danger | |
Price, Lloyd | Lawdy Miss Clawdy | Mr, Mrs, Miss & Ms |
Stagger Lee | gambling | |
Pride, Lou | I’m Com’un Home in the Morn’un | tomorrow |
Priests | And Breeding | arresting opening lines |
Diet Coke | non-alcoholic drinks | |
Prigent, Denez | Gortoz a ran (ft Lisa Gerrard) | France |
Prima, Louis | Banana Split for My Baby | ice cream |
I Wan’na Be Like You | children’s songs | |
Just a Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody (with Keely Smith) | great backing vocals | |
Primal Scream | Autobahn 66 | roads & streets |
Come Together | unity | |
Don’t Fight It, Feel It | recreational drugs | |
Higher Than the Sun (A Dub Symphony in Two Parts) | the sun | |
I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have | lesser known originals | |
Kowalski | single-mindedness | |
Loaded | celebration | |
Movin’ On Up | redemption | |
Rocks | retro style | |
Primitives | Crash | bright songs about dark subjects |
Thru’ the Flowers | 7-inch singles | |
Primordial | The Gathering Wilderness | wilderness |
Primus | Moron TV | stupidity |
Tommy the Cat | cats | |
Prince | Alphabet St. | roads & streets |
Baby I’m a Star | stars | |
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker | other songs | |
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker | writing | |
Black Sweat | perspiration | |
Cream | audible breaths | |
Darling Nikki | one night stands | |
Do Me, Baby | orgasms | |
Gett Off | innuendo | |
Head | sexy songs | |
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man | empathy | |
If I Was Your Girlfriend | androgynous vocals | |
Joy in Repetition | repetition | |
Kiss | pragmatism | |
Let’s Go Crazy | songs with vim | |
Little Red Corvette | cars & driving | |
Make-Up | makeup | |
Pink Cashmere | fabrics | |
Purple Rain | eccentric songs | |
Raspberry Beret | hats | |
Ronnie, Talk to Russia | Russia | |
Shhh | quiet | |
Sign o’ the Times | news & media | |
Sister | secret vices | |
Starfish and Coffee | school | |
Strollin’ | fun | |
When Will We B Paid? | waiting | |
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Billy Preston et al) | guitars | |
Prince Buster | 127 Orange Street | addresses |
Al Capone | famous people | |
Dance Cleopatra | ancient history | |
Enjoy Yourself | punctuality | |
Finger | spring cleaning & household chores | |
Ghost Dance | written correspondence | |
Judge Dread | spoken word | |
Shaking Up Orange Street | orange | |
Taxation | taxation | |
Prince Douglas | Jam Love Dub | big and meaty |
Prince Far I | Light of Fire | lighthouses |
Low Gravity | gravity | |
Prince Fatty | Milk and Honey (ft Hollie Cook) | songs for your teenage self |
Prince Paul | Beautiful Night (Manic Psychopath) | violence |
Princess Nokia | Brujas | witches |
Green Line | from New York City | |
Princess Superstar | Quitting Smoking Song | new resolutions |
Prine, John | Boundless Love | spring cleaning & household chores |
Dear Abby | written correspondence | |
Hello in There | indifference | |
If You Were the Woman and I Were the Man (with Cowboy Junkies) | being a man or a woman | |
Illegal Smile | smiling & laughing | |
In Spite of Ourselves (with Iris DeMent) | underwear | |
Jesus the Missing Years | gripping or intriguing narrative | |
Rocky Mountain Time | leaving or being left behind | |
Souvenirs (with Steve Goodman) | melancholy songs | |
Space Monkey | monkeys & apes | |
Spanish Pipedream | lessons in life | |
Prior, Maddy | The Coventry Carol (with the Carnival Band) | anti-Christmas songs |
The Dalesman’s Litany (with Tim Hart) | northern England | |
I Need You to Turn To (with the Girls) | 3/4 time | |
Sheath & Knife | sisters | |
Stitch in Time (with the Girls) | revenge | |
Sweet Thames Flow Softly (with the Girls) | brevity | |
The World Is Turned Upside Down (with the Carnival Band) | inversions | |
Prisonaires | Just Walkin’ in the Rain | water |
Probes | Electricity | songs by buskers |
Processory | In the Unlikely Event of an All Life Erasing Gamma-Ray Burst, This Is the Soundtrack | rare events |
Proclaimers | (I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles | persistence |
King of the Road | kings | |
Let’s Get Married | knots & ties | |
Letter from America | Scotland | |
Sunshine on Leith | gratitude | |
Procol Harum | A Salty Dog | the sea |
A Souvenir of London | memorabilia & souvenirs | |
A Whiter Shade of Pale | misheard, nonsense or inaudible lyrics | |
As Strong as Samson | banks & banking | |
Homburg | hats & accessories | |
Pilgrim’s Progress | meta-songs | |
Prodigy | Charly | comics & cartoons |
Firestarter | fire | |
Poison | poison | |
Professor Elemental | Everything Stops for Tea | addiction |
Prokofiev, Gabriel | The Slap Cellos of Douala (with Peter Gregson) | itching & scratching |
Prokofiev, Sergei | Dance of Knights | Russia |
Promise of the Real | A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop (with Neil Young) | farming |
Propaganda (German group) | Dream Within a Dream | meaning of life |
Propaganda (hip hop artist) | Crooked Way (ft Terence F. Clark) | idioms & common expressions |
Propellerheads | History Repeating (ft Shirley Bassey) | collaborations & side projects |
History Repeating (ft Shirley Bassey) | regressing & reversing | |
Prophet, Chuck | The Left Hand and the Right Hand | left & right |
Protheroe, Brian | Pinball | futility |
Protoje | Who Knows (ft Chronixx) | love songs to places |
Protomartyr | Tarpeian Rock | gravity |
Up the Tower | stairs, ladders & elevators | |
Want Remover | electricity | |
Pruett, Jeanne | Satin Sheets | fabrics |
Psy | Gangnam Style | triggering dancing |
Psychedelic Furs | Heartbreak Beat | forgotten follow-ups |
Mack the Knife | knives | |
Pretty in Pink | one night stands | |
Psychic TV | In the Nursery | strange & surreal |
The Orchids | tattoos & piercings | |
Psychonauts | Circles | circles |
Psychostick | Orange | fruit |
Public Enemy | 1 (PEace) | internet |
911 Is a Joke | hospitals | |
Bring the Noise (with Anthrax & Ice T) | noise | |
Burn Hollywood Burn (ft Ice Cube & Big Daddy Kane) | fire | |
Burn Hollywood Burn (ft Ice Cube & Big Daddy Kane) | inspired by or about films | |
By the Time I Get to Arizona | US cities & states | |
Can’t Truss It | conspiracy theories & paranoia | |
Coinsequences (ft Paris) | chance & coincidence | |
Don’t Believe the Hype | the truth | |
Fear of a Black Planet | fear | |
Fight the Power | protest | |
Night of the Living Baseheads | cocaine & heroin | |
Party for Your Right to Fight | rallying cries | |
Politics of the Sneaker Pimps | sales, selling & bargains | |
Rebel Without a Pause | more questions than answers | |
Shut ‘Em Down (Pete Rock Remix) | revolution | |
Public Image Ltd | Careering | drone music |
Double Trouble | startling songs | |
Poptones | out-of-tune songs | |
Public Image | self-referential songs | |
Religion I/II | sinners | |
Rise | anger | |
Swan Lake (Death Disco) | bereavement | |
This Is Not a Love Song | songs about songs | |
Public Service Broadcasting | Dig for Victory | volunteering |
Elfstedentocht Part 1 | winter sports | |
E.V.A. | space travel | |
Everest | wilderness | |
Gagarin | pioneers | |
Go! | safety & danger | |
If War Should Come | pragmatism | |
The Other Side | musically adventurous | |
ROYGBIV | acronyms | |
Spitfire | determination | |
White Star Liner | white | |
Puccini, Giacomo | Che gelida manina (from La bohème) | hands |
Coro a bocca chiusa (Humming Chorus) | humming | |
In questa reggia (from Turandot) | high-pitched vocals | |
Nessun dorma (from Turandot) (sung by Luciano Pavarotti) | football | |
O mio babbino caro (from Gianni Shicchi) | melancholy songs | |
Un bel dì vedremo (from Madama Butterfly) | leaving or being left behind | |
Un bel dì vedremo (from Madama Butterfly) | the number one | |
Puckett, Gary & the Union Gap | Young Girl | so bad they’re good |
Puebla, Carlos | Hasta Siempre Comandante Che Guevera | hero worship |
Puente, Tito | El Rey del Timbal | great drumming |
Puffy AmiYumi | Asia no Junshin | Asia |
Pug, Joe | Disguised as Someone Else | deceptive appearances |
Pullen, Dwight | Sunglasses After Dark | coolness |
Pulp | A Little Soul | fathers |
Acrylic Afternoons | fabrics | |
Babies | eavesdropping | |
Bar Italia | pubs & bars | |
The Birds in Your Garden | waking up | |
Common People | never | |
Disco 2000 | rendezvous | |
Dishes | miracles | |
Do You Remember the First Time? | questions | |
Help the Aged | getting older | |
I Spy | eyes & sight | |
Last Days of the Miners’ Strike | Yorkshire | |
Live Bed Show | beds | |
Mis-Shapes | nerds & geeks | |
Sheffield: Sex City | specific or obscure places | |
Something Changed | change | |
Sorted for E’s and Wizz | arresting opening lines | |
Sunrise | morning | |
We Are the Boyz | gangs | |
Wickerman | rivers | |
Punch Brothers | Next to the Trash | trash |
Punishment of Luxury | Puppet Life | puppets |
Punk TV | Every Minute Is OK | Russia |
Purcell, Henry | Canzona from Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary | brass songs |
No Stars Shall Hurt You from Above | stars | |
Purify, James & Bobby | I’m Your Puppet | toys |
I’m Your Puppet | puppets | |
Pussy Riot | Punk Prayer | artistic trends of the 21st century |
Putin Lights Up the Fires | Russia | |
Pylon | Danger | warnings |
Pythia | Sword of Destiny | collaborations & side projects |