Song Title | Artist | Topic |
N17 | The Saw Doctors | Ireland |
NaCl (Sodium Chloride) | Kate & Anna McGarrigle | science |
Nadia | Jeff Beck | vibrato, tremolo & oscillations |
Nadie Sabe | Mabe Fratti | cello |
Nag Nag Nag | Cabaret Voltaire | made you fall in love with music |
Nagasaki Nightmare | Crass | murder |
Naked | Neneh Cherry | nudity |
Naked | Lizzo | nudity |
Naked | Anoushka Shankar | nudity |
Naked All Night | Rita Coolidge | nudity |
Naked Checkers | Hayes Carll | board games |
Naked Cousin | PJ Harvey | nudity |
The Naked Dutch Painter | Stew | unusual rhymes |
Naked Man | Randy Newman | nudity |
The Name of the Game | ABBA | falling in love |
Names | Cat Power | ages |
Nancy (With the Laughing Face) | John Coltrane Quartet | faces |
Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin) | Mountain | books #2 |
Napoleon | Ani DiFranco | France |
Napoleon Loves Josephine | We Are the Physics | odd couples |
Narcissist | The Libertines | narcissism |
Narcissus | Alanis Morissette | narcissism |
Narcissus (Bar & Grill) | Peter Hammill | narcissism |
Nasty Gal | Betty Davis | gossip |
Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds | Manic Street Preachers | companies & corporations |
Nata di marzo | Pizzicato Five | months of the year |
Nathan Jones | The Supremes | named after men |
National Anthem | Lana Del Rey | greed |
The National Anthem | Radiohead | national anthems |
National Express | The Divine Comedy | buses |
National Shite Day | Half Man Half Biscuit | companies & corporations |
Native New Yorker | Odyssey | New York |
Natty Supper | The Chantells | meals & mealtimes |
Natural Born Killaz | Ice Cube & Dr. Dre | crime |
Nature Boy | Nat King Cole | great songwriting 1900-1955 |
Nature, the Gentlest Mother | Aaron Copland (performed by Sanford Sylvan and David Breitman) | gentleness |
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane | Ray Charles | babies & childbirth |
Naughty Miranda | Indians in Moscow | startling songs |
Nautilus | Bob James | underwater |
Navigator | The Pogues | jobs |
Naxalite | Asian Dub Foundation | Asia |
Ne me quitte pas | Jacques Brel | songs that make you cry |
Né So (Home) | Rokia Traoré | migrants & refugees |
Neat Neat Neat | The Damned | tautonyms |
Necessary Genius | David Holmes ft Raven Violet | single-mindedness |
Necromancer | Van der Graaf Generator | magic |
Necropolis | Julian Cope | krautrock |
The Needle and the Damage Done | Neil Young | cocaine & heroin |
Needle in the Camel’s Eye | Brian Eno | raise the heartrate |
Needle in the Hay | Elliott Smith | cocaine & heroin |
Needle of Death | Bert Jansch | futility |
Needles | System of a Down | addiction |
Needles in My Eyes | The Beta Band | tools |
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) | Arcade Fire | children |
Neighborhood #2 (Laïka) | Arcade Fire | oddballs, outcasts & outsiders |
Neighborhood Watch | Dilated Peoples | surveillance |
Neighbour Neighbour | Davey Graham | neighbours |
Neighbourhood | Space | neighbours |
The Neighbours’ Cat | Leon Rosselson | cats |
Nel cimitero di Tucson | Gianfranco & Gian Piero Reverberi | Italy |
Nella Fantasia | Unknown opera singer and cellist | songs by buskers |
Nellie the Elephant | Mandy Miller | elephants & mammoths |
Nellie the Elephant | Toy Dolls | the circus |
Nem Vem Que Não Tem | Wilson Simonal | laughter |
Neon Baby | The Comet Is Coming | bright and beautiful |
Neon Lights | Kraftwerk | light |
Neon Rainbow | The Box Tops | gases |
Neon Sign | Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers | bright and beautiful |
N.E.P.A. (Never Expect Power Always) | Tony Allen with Afrobeat 2000 | never |
Neptune | The Poozies | crisis |
Nerve Gas | The Destructors | gases |
Nervous Breakdown | Eddie Cochran | anxiety |
Nessun dorma (from Turandot) | Giacomo Puccini (sung by Luciano Pavarotti) | football |
Network News | Robert Plant | news & media |
Neuköln | David Bowie | electronic music to 1983 |
Never | The House of Love | never |
Never as Tired as When I’m Waking Up | LCD Soundsystem | tiredness |
Never Buy the Sun | Billy Bragg | reading |
Never Can Say Goodbye | The Jackson 5 | goodbye |
Never Ending Happening | Bill Fay | eternity |
Never Give Up | Nocturnal Emissions | single-mindedness |
Never Give Up on a Dream | Rod Stewart | Canada |
Never Go West | Seasick Steve | compass points |
Never Gonna Break My Faith | Aretha Franklin ft the Boys Choir of Harlem | resilience |
Never Gonna Cry Again | Eurythmics | never |
Never Here | Elastica | hatchet jobs |
Never Is Enough | Barenaked Ladies | alternative outcomes |
Never Loved You More | Trembling Blue Stars | never |
Never Never | The Assembly | never |
Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up | Barry White | everlasting love |
Never Played a 45 | Macka B | plastic |
Never Say Goodbye | My Bloody Valentine | conversations |
Never Say Nups to a Nepalese | Man | Welsh songs |
Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth | Sparks | COVID-19 lockdown |
Never Went to Church | The Streets | legacy |
New Age | The Velvet Underground | celebrity |
New Birds | Arab Strap | decisive songs |
A New Career in a New Town | David Bowie | instrumentals |
New Dawn Fades | Joy Division | songs of desperation |
New Day Rising | Hüsker Dü | dawn |
A New Day Yesterday | Jethro Tull | old and new |
A New Dug Grave | Gillian Welch | funerals |
New England | Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers | New England |
New Face in Hell | The Fall | books |
New Generation | Albert Ayler | euphoria |
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84) | Simple Minds | getting brighter |
New Immigration Law | Cocoa Tea | migrants & refugees |
New Kicks | Le Tigre | peace |
New Kid in Town | Eagles | old and new |
The New Lee Highway Blues | David Bromberg | road trips |
New Life | Depeche Mode | fresh starts |
New Orleans | Gary U.S. Bonds | New Orleans |
New Orleans (After the City) | Hot 8 Brass Band | New Orleans |
The New Pollution | Beck | natural disasters |
New Rose | The Damned | falling in love |
New Shoes | Eric Bibb | footwear |
New Shoes | Paolo Nutini | old and new |
New Skin | Siouxsie and the Banshees | skin |
The New Soft Shoe | Gram Parsons | shoes |
New Speedway Boogie | Grateful Dead | concerts |
New Way New Life | Asian Dub Foundation | inspired by India |
New World in the Morning | Roger Whittaker | tomorrow |
New World Water | Mos Def | reckless consumption |
New Year | The Breeders | new year |
New Year | The Go Find | new year |
New Year Son | The Amazing Broken Man | new year |
New Year’s Day | Atlas Sound | new year |
New Year’s Day | U2 | super solos |
New Year’s Resolution | Lootpack | new resolutions |
new year |
New Year’s Resovolution | Donovan | new year |
New York City | John Lennon | from New York City |
New York City | T. Rex | amphibians |
New York City | They Might Be Giants | New York |
New York City Song | Dion | genre switch |
New York Girls | Bellowhead | songs that fit every topic |
New York Groove | Hello | clicking, tapping & stomping |
New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down | LCD Soundsystem | love songs to places |
New York Mining Disaster 1941 | Bee Gees | Jones & Joneses |
New York Minute | Don Henley | estimates of distance & time |
New York State of Mind | Billy Joel & Tony Bennett | from New York City |
Newest Industry | Hüsker Dü | wastelands |
Newmyer’s Roof | Craig Finn | September 11 attacks |
News at Ten | The Vapors | news & media |
News for the Delphic Oracle | The Waterboys | philosophers |
News from Verona | Portico Quartet | songs by buskers |
News of the World | The Jam | newspapers |
Newspaper Man | The Tate Gallery | newspapers |
Next | The Sensational Alex Harvey Band | songs that express excess |
Next Door Neighbour | Ray Davies | neighbours |
The Next Step | Kamasi Washington | bodily motion & exercise |
Next to the Trash | Punch Brothers | trash |
Next Year People | Colin Hay | farming |
Ni Tú ni Nadie | Alaska y Dinarama | Spain |
Nibelungen | Nico | myths & legends |
Nicaragua, Nicaraguita | Carlos Mejía Godoy | Mexico & Central America |
Nice Boys | Rose Tattoo | bad boys & bad girls |
A Nice Cup of Tea | Gracie Fields | tea |
Nice Weather for Ducks | Lemon Jelly | water |
Nick Cave Dolls | Bongwater | toys |
Nick of Time | Bonnie Raitt | passage of time |
punctuality |
Nickname | Bobby Rush | nicknames & pseudonyms |
Nicolas and the Pickled Boys (from Saint Nicolas) | Benjamin Britten | resurrection |
The Night | Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons | night & darkness |
A Night and a Day | Pepe Deluxé | books |
Night and Day | Art Tatum & Ben Webster | songs with special guests |
The Night Before | Lee Hazlewood | hangovers |
Night Bus | Burial | urban environment |
Night Falls on Hoboken | Yo La Tengo | towns |
Night Fever | Bee Gees | youth cults |
The Night G.G. Allin Came to Town | Drive-By Truckers | restaurants & cafes |
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes | Bobby Vee | surveillance |
The Night I Heard Caruso Sing | Everything but the Girl | singing |
Night Mail | Benjamin Britten & W. H. Auden (narrated by John Grierson) | Britain |
Night Nurse | Gregory Isaacs | brands |
Night Nurse | Sinéad O’Connor | nursing & healthcare |
Night of Chill Blue | The Chills | sky |
Night of the 4th of May | Al Stewart | arguments #2 |
Night of the Living Baseheads | Public Enemy | cocaine & heroin |
Night of the Vampire | Roky Erickson & the Aliens | teeth |
Night Owl | Dick Dale | owls |
Night Owl | Gerry Rafferty | owls |
Night Prowler | AC/DC | following & chasing |
Night Shift | Siouxsie and the Banshees | horror-inspired songs |
The Night Shift Lullaby | Magnolia Electric Co. | adult lullabies |
Night Sweats | Findlay | perspiration |
The Night the Carousel Burnt Down | Todd Rundgren | fairgrounds |
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down | The Band | survival |
(Night Time Is) The Right Time | Ray Charles | great backing vocals |
Night Train to Munich | Al Stewart with Lawrence Juber | spying |
Night Vision | Suzanne Vega | eureka moments |
The Night Watch | King Crimson | visual art & photography |
A Night with the Jersey Devil | Bruce Springsteen | horror-inspired songs |
The Nightingale | Angelo Badalamenti & Julee Cruise | nightingales & thrushes |
Nightingale | Rocco Deluca & the Burden | nightingales & thrushes |
Nightingale | Gilberto Gil | nightingales & thrushes |
Nightingale | Carole King | nightingales & thrushes |
Nightingale | Roxy Music | nightingales & thrushes |
Nightingale | Laura Veirs | nightingales & thrushes |
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square | Nat King Cole | nightingales & thrushes |
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square | Vera Lynn | London |
Nightingales and Bombers | BBC Sound Archive | birdsong |
Nightmare | The Whyte Boots | revenge |
The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas | Nick Garrie | nightmares |
Nightmares | Clipse ft Bilal & Pharrell Williams | anxiety |
Nightporter | Japan | album tracks better than singles |
Nights in White Satin | The Moody Blues | rough & smooth |
Nights on Broadway | Candi Staton | following & chasing |
Nightswimming | R.E.M. | autumn |
Nijinoshippo (Trace of a Rainbow) | Contrary Parade | rainbows |
Nimrod’s Son | Pixies | speed |
Nina Cried Power | Hozier ft Mavis Staples | tyranny & dictatorship |
Nincompoop | Desmond Dekker | fools |
Nine | Patti Smith | movie & TV stars |
Nine Million Bicycles | Katie Melua | estimates of distance & time |
Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do) | Creedence Clearwater Revival | compromise |
Nintendo Thumb | Heath McNease | switches & buttons |
Nippon Manju | Ladybaby | so bad they’re good |
Nite Flights | The Walker Brothers | genre switch |
Nite Klub | The Specials | sound effects |
Nite Owl | Gene Chandler | owls |
Njia Walk (Street Walk) | The Fatback Band | expressing movement of walking |
Njilou | Baaba Maal | extraordinary vocals |
Njósnavélin | Sigur Rós | minimalist songs |
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika | Soweto Gospel Choir | Africa |
No Banker Left Behind | Ry Cooder | pirates |
No Buredi (No Bread) | Fela Kuti | bread & baking |
No Cars Go | Arcade Fire | songs with vim |
No Children | The Mountain Goats | arguments |
the truth |
No Class | Motörhead | insulting songs |
No Discrimination | Tony Allen & the Afro Messengers | ensembles, big bands & orchestras |
No Doubt About It | Hot Chocolate | unexplained phenomena |
No End to Me | Cadaver Club | immortality & longevity |
No Escape | The Restarts | climate change |
No Expectations | The Rolling Stones | departures |
No Face, No Name and No Number | Traffic | anonymity |
No Fracking Way | David Rovics | wastelands |
No Fun | The Stooges | handclaps |
No Gods and Precious Few Heroes | Dick Gaughan | fallen heroes |
No Government | Nicolette | left wing politics |
No Headstone on My Grave | Esther Phillips | funerals |
No Ism Pon De Riddim | Peter Broggs | rhythm, beat & boogie |
No Lazy Sunday Afternoon | The Last Resort | days of the week |
No Loafing (Sit and Wonder) | Black Uhuru | waiting |
No Looking | The Raincoats | violin |
No Love | Joan Armatrading | indirect messages |
No Love Dying | Gregory Porter | hope & resilience |
No Mama – No Papa | Patti Jerome | chairs |
No Man’s Land | Eric Bogle | peace |
No Matter What | Badfinger | Welsh songs |
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) | The T-Bones | stomach & guts |
No Matter What Sign You Are | Diana Ross & the Supremes | star signs |
No Matter Who You Vote For, The Government Always Gets In (Heigh Ho) | Bonzo Dog Band | elections |
No Mercy | Nils Lofgren | decisive songs |
No Milk Today | Herman’s Hermits | loneliness |
No Money Down | Chuck Berry | shopping |
No Moon in Paris | Marianne Faithfull | Paris |
No More | Youth of Today | refusal |
No More Auction Block for Me | Paul Robeson | fresh starts |
No More Cake | Chai | makeup |
No More Ghettos in America | Stanley Winston | urban environment |
No More Heroes | The Stranglers | hero worship |
No More I Love You’s | Annie Lenox | leaving or being left behind |
No More Mr. Nice Guy | Alice Cooper | refusal |
No More Runnin’ | Animal Collective | running |
No Nose Job | Digital Underground | tattoos & piercings |
No One Came | Deep Purple | effects of fame |
No One Knows Nothing Anymore | Billy Bragg | knowledge |
No One Was Like Vermeer | Jonathan Richman | painting & painters |
No Other | Gene Clark | tides |
No Profit in Pain | Gruff Rhys | nursing & healthcare |
No Pussy Blues | Grinderman | fixing & repairing |
No Quarter | Led Zeppelin | snow & ice |
No Return | Brakes | hearing, choosing & playing records |
No Rust on My Spade | Otis Gibbs | fixing & repairing |
No Show Jones | George Jones | Jones & Joneses |
No Stars Shall Hurt You from Above | Henry Purcell | stars |
No Such Thing | John Mayer | reunions |
No Surprises | Radiohead | silence |
No Thugs in Our House | XTC | taboos |
No Tiene Billete | Fruko y sus Tesos | sound effects |
No Trouble on the Mountain | Richard “Groove” Holmes | mountains |
No Woman, No Cry | Bob Marley & the Wailers | the Caribbean |
No Words | Bahama Soul Club ft Brenda Boykin | quiet |
No Wow | The Kills | songs by duos |
No Xmas for John Quays | The Fall | anti-Christmas songs |
Nobody | Ry Cooder | fairness |
Nobody But Me | The Human Beinz | narcissism |
Nobody Cares | Superorganism | authenticity & fakery |
Nobody Does It Better | Carly Simon | recorded for movies |
Nobody in Town Can Bake a Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine | Bessie Smith | bread, cakes, pastry & biscuits |
Nobody Knows the Way I Feel Dis Mornin’ | Clara Smith | waking up |
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out | Bessie Smith | poverty |
Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party | Courtney Barnett | fear of missing out |
Nobody Told Me | John Lennon | solo Beatles songs |
Nobody Wins Till the Game is Over | Sir Mack Rice | competition |
Nobody’s Child | The Alexander Brothers | worst songs |
It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine | Blind Willie Johnson | reading |
Nocturn | Kate Bush | the coast |
Noise, Disorder and Chaos | The Wankys | chaos |
Noise, Noise, Noise | The Damned | noise |
Nomathemba | Ladysmith Black Mambazo | a cappella |
Non-Alignment Pact | Pere Ubu | independence |
Non, je ne regrette rien | Édith Piaf | nothing |
None Shall Escape the Judgement | Johnny Clarke | end of the world |
Nont for Sale | Sudan Archives | clicking, tapping & stomping |
Norman | Max Romeo & the Upsetters | playing cards |
Norman Bates | Landscape | id, ego & superego |
Norman Fucking Rockwell | Lana Del Rey | offensive, insulting songs |
North of Heaven | Edwyn Collins | paradise |
North to Alaska | Johnny Horton | frozen north |
Northern Lights | Death Cab for Cutie | rainbows |
Northern Lites | Super Furry Animals | steelpan |
Northern Skies | I Am Kloot | sky |
Northern Sky | Nick Drake | devoted love |
Northwest Passage | Show of Hands | frozen north |
Northwest Passage | Stan Rogers | searching & seeking |
Nos Horizontes do Mondo | Virginia Rodrigues | cello |
Nosferatu Man | Slint | horror-inspired songs |
Nostalgia | Emily Barker & the Red Clay Halo | TV theme songs |
Nostalgia | Buzzcocks | time travel |
Nostalgia | Readers Wifes | movie & TV stars |
Nostradamus | Al Stewart | prophets |
Not an Easy Road | Buju Banton | searching & seeking |
Not John | Loudon Wainwright III | assassination |
Not Lost Enough to Be Rescued | Ian McNabb | loss |
Not My Responsibility | Billie Eilish | shame |
Not One of Us | Peter Gabriel | interlopers |
Not Ready to Make Nice | Dixie Chicks | arguments |
Not Waving, But Drowning | Loyle Carner | physical gestures |
Nothin’ | Townes Van Zandt | nothing |
Nothing | The Fugs | refusal |
Nothing | Vice Squad | minimalist songs |
Nothing as It Seems | Pearl Jam | illusions |
Nothing But a Heartache | The Flirtations | nothing |
Nothing But Blue Skies | Jackie Wilson | sky |
(Nothing But) Flowers | Talking Heads | the future |
Nothing Came Out | The Moldy Peaches | comics & cartoons |
Nothing Can Stop Us | Saint Etienne | anticipation |
Nothing Compares 2 U | Sinéad O’Connor | nothing |
Nothing Else Matters | Scala & Kolacny Brothers | covers by the opposite sex |
Nothing Ever Happens | Del Amitri | boredom |
Nothing Has Been Proved | Dusty Springfield | newspapers |
Nothing in the Silence | Belle and Sebastian | fun |
Nothing Lasts Forever | Echo & the Bunnymen | finishing |
Nothing on the Dry Land | Tom McRae | tides |
Nothing to Do with Me | Stereolab | denial |
Nothing to My Name | Cui Jian | bravery |
Nottamun Town | Shirley Collins & Davey Graham | surreal songs |
November Rain | Guns N’ Roses | impressive videos |
Novocaine for the Soul | Eels | great middle eights |
Now I’m a Farmer | The Who | farming |
Now Is the Winter | GLM | quoting Shakespeare |
Now Is Tomorrow | Definition of Sound | tomorrow |
Now My Heart Is Full | Morrissey | books |
Now That We’ve Found Love | Third World | 12″ singles to 1979 |
Nowhere Is Home | Dexys | roots |
Nowhere Like Home | Bug Central | urban environment |
Nowhere Man | The Beatles | stereotypes |
Nowhere to Run | Martha and the Vandellas | stuck or trapped |
Now’s the Time | Charlie Parker | new resolutions |
Nuages | Django Reinhardt | songs in French |
Nuclear War (Version 2) | Yo La Tengo | nuclear war |
children performing |
Nuclear Waste | Oi Polloi | power |
The Number of the Beast | Iron Maiden | religion |
Numbers | Kraftwerk | numbers |
Numbers | Soft Cell | bad decisions |
anonymity |
The Nurse | Nurse | nursing & healthcare |
The Nurse | The White Stripes | nursing & healthcare |
Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience | Natalie Merchant | opposites |
Nursing Home | Ministry | nursing & healthcare |
The Nut Brown Maiden | The Corries | brown |
Nutbush City Limits | Ike & Tina Turner | funk |
Nutty | Thelonious Monk | nuts & edible seeds |
N.Y. State of Mind | Nas | New York |
NY3 | Robert Fripp | conversations |
Nyalimagotee | S. E. Rogie | quiet songs |
NYC | Interpol | New York |
Nylon Dress | Steven Amechi & His Empire Rhythm Skies | fabrics |