| Song Title | Artist | Topic |
| Pa koute konsèy | Haitiando | songs offering advice |
| Pa’ahana | Ledward Kaapana & Bob Brozman | steel guitar |
| Pablo Picasso | The Modern Lovers | famous people |
| Pachuco Cadaver | Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | puzzling & mysterious |
| Pacific 202 | 808 State | dance instrumentals |
| Pacific Ocean Blues | Dennis WIlson | cetaceans |
| Padipattu (Breathless) | Shankar Mahadevan | stairs, ladders & elevators |
| Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car | Iron & Wine | angels |
| The Pageant of the Bizarre | Zero 7 | parades |
| Paid in Full | Eric B. & Rakim | sampling & recycling |
| Pain in My Heart | Otis Redding | heartbreak |
| Painkiller | Judas Priest | screams, howls, grunts & shrieks |
| Painovoimaa, valoa | Lau Nau | gravity |
| Paint a Vulgar Picture | The Smiths | celebrity |
| Paint Box | Pink Floyd | last night |
| Paint Her Face | The Records | painting & painters |
| Paint It Black | The Rolling Stones | bereavement |
| Paint Me | Ohio Players | painting & painters |
| Paintball’s Coming Home | Half Man Half Biscuit | offensive, insulting songs |
| Painted It White | Karine Polwart | stick it to the man |
| Painter Man | The Creation | advertising |
| Painting Box | The Incredible String Band | painting & painters |
| Painting by Numbers | Peter Hammill | painting & painters |
| A Pair of Brown Eyes | The Pogues | accordion |
| jukeboxes | ||
| País Tropical | Jorge Ben | nature |
| Palace of the Brine | Pixies | underwater |
| The Palace of Versailles | Al Stewart | historical figures |
| Pale Green Things | The Mountain Goats | memory |
| Pale Spectre | The Wake | visitors |
| Palisades Park | Freddy Cannon | carnivals & funfairs |
| Palo Alto | Radiohead | the future |
| Pancho and Lefty | Townes Van Zandt | ambiguity |
| Pancreas | Weird Al Yankovic | stomach & guts |
| Pandora’s Egg | Avatarium | chicken and egg |
| Panic | The Smiths | Britain |
| Panic Beach | Maria McKee | the coast |
| Panis et Circenses | Os Mutantes | bread, cakes, pastry & biscuits |
| Pantyhose and Roses | Echobelly | control |
| Papa Come Quick (Jody and Chico) | Bonnie Raitt | sisters |
| Papa Don’t Preach | Madonna | fathers and daughters |
| Papa Oggún | Celeste Mendoza y los Papines | myths & legends |
| Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone | The Temptations | fathers |
| Papalina Lahilahi | Genoa Keawe | falsetto |
| Papaoutai | Stromae | stereotypes |
| Paparazzi | Lady Gaga | photos & photography |
| Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag | Pigbag | 1980s 12” singles |
| Paper and Iron (Notes and Coins) | XTC | coins |
| Paper Plane | Status Quo | aviation |
| Paper Planes | M.I.A. | sound effects |
| Paper Scratcher | BLind MeLoN | oddballs, outcasts & outsiders |
| Paper Sun | Traffic | made you fall in love with music |
| Paper Tigers | The Chameleons | tigers |
| Paperback Writer | The Beatles | writing |
| Papua New Guinea | The Future Sound of London | euphoria |
| Paquito el Chocolatero | Gustavo Pascual Falcó | chocolate |
| Parade | Kimya Dawson | parades |
| Parade of Clowns | Mary Coughlan | parades |
| Parades Go By | The Magnetic Fields | parades |
| Paradis perdus | Christine and the Queens | lost and found |
| Paradise | Jean Adebambo | slow, sexy love songs |
| Paradise | Buzzcocks | paradise |
| Paradise | Noname ft Queen SheCago | tigers |
| Paradise | The O’Jays | paradise |
| Paradise | Sade | paradise |
| Paradise by the Dashboard Light | Meat Loaf | bad decisions |
| Paradise Express | Slapp Happy | paradise |
| Paragon Café | Tim Rogers | remembrance songs |
| Parallelograms | Linda Perhacs | mathematics |
| quiet songs | ||
| Paralysed | Gang of Four | unemployment |
| The Paranoia of Power | Mark Stewart & the Maffia | basements & underground |
| Paranoid | Black Sabbath | mental illness |
| Parce mihi Domine | Jan Garbarek & the Hilliard Ensemble | unlikely collaborations |
| Parchman Farm | Mose Allison | prisons |
| Pardon My Freedom | !!! | freedom |
| Paris 1919 | John Cale | dates |
| Paris Blues | Terry Callier | Paris |
| Paris mai | Claude Nougaro | Paris |
| The Paris Match | The Style Council & Tracey Thorn | Paris |
| Paris sera toujours Paris | Zaz | Paris |
| Paris, Texas | Ry Cooder | instrumental soundtracks |
| Parisian Thoroughfare | Clifford Brown & Max Roach | Paris |
| Parlez-moi d’amour | Lucienne Boyer | great songwriting 1900-1955 |
| Parole Parole | Mina with Alberto Lupo | songs with talking |
| Part Time Punks | Television Personalities | hobbies |
| The Particle Song | Army of Lovers | small things |
| The Parting Glass | Liam Clancy | glass |
| Partir | DJ Mehdi | songs in French |
| The Partisan | Leonard Cohen | resistance |
| The Party | Phil Ochs | deceptive appearances |
| Party Fears Two | The Associates | parties & going out |
| Party for Your Right to Fight | Public Enemy | rallying cries |
| Party Hard | Andrew W.K. | parties & going out |
| spirit of 2021 | ||
| Party Lights | Claudine Clark | light |
| Party of Special Things to Do | The White Stripes | playing cards |
| Party Til You Puke | Andrew W.K. | bodily fluids |
| Party Up in Here | The Brides of Funkenstein | big and meaty |
| Pass the Kouchie | Mighty Diamonds | left & right |
| Pass the Peas | The J.B.’s | vegetables |
| Pass This On | The Knife | siblings |
| The Passenger | Iggy Pop | songs that go ‘la’ |
| Passenger Pigeons | The Handsome Family | urban wildlife |
| Passing By | The Beach Boys | wordless vocals |
| Passing By (There Is a Lady, Sweet and Kind) | Paul Robeson | surprise encounters |
| Passing Strangers | Ultravox | strangers |
| Past My Shades | B.o.B ft Lupe Fiasco | eyewear |
| Past, Present and Future | The Shangri-Las | spoken word |
| Pastime Paradise | Stevie Wonder | strange, rare or unlikely words |
| Pastoral Colours (from Labyrinth of Time) | Keith Mansfield | incidental music |
| Pastures of Plenty | Woody Guthrie | farming |
| Pata Pata | Miriam Makeba | onomatopoeia |
| Patches | Clarence Carter | farming |
| Patio Song | Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci | multilingual songs |
| Patito Feo | Mala Rodríguez & Estrella Morente | misanthropic songs |
| Pattern Recognition | Sonic Youth | fads & crazes |
| Patterns | Band of Skulls | patterns & sequences |
| Paul Bogle | The Cimarons | outlaws & rebels |
| Pauline | Eleni Mandell | glamour & style |
| Pavane (choral) | Gabriel Fauré | choirs |
| Pavane pour une infante défunte | Maurice Ravel (performed by Shura Cherkassky) | remembrance songs |
| Pavey Ark | Decoration | wide open spaces |
| Pay to Cum | Bad Brains | incidental music |
| Pay Your Rates | The Fall | taxation |
| Paye (Pay As You Earn) | Mighty Sparrow | taxation |
| Pazarda Bal Var Gelinim | Selim Sesler ft İlkay Akkaya | markets & fairs |
| Peace Go with You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum) | Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson | blessings & curses |
| Peace in the Valley Once Again | The Handsome Family | environment |
| Peace Piece | Bill Evans | great solo performances |
| Peace Train | 10,000 Maniacs | community |
| Peace Treaty | Peter Tosh | formal agreements |
| Peacemaker | The Steeldrivers | iron & steel |
| Peaches | The Stranglers | holidays |
| Peak | Herbert | wilderness |
| Peanut | Sonny Sharrock | nuts & edible seeds |
| Peanut Duck | Marsha Gee | birdsong |
| Pearls | Sade | treasure |
| Pearl’s a Singer | Elkie Brooks | being lost |
| Pearl’s Girl | Underworld | surreal songs |
| Peaux | Kuniko Kato | great solo performances |
| Pecan Pie | Golden Smog | nuts & edible seeds |
| Pedestrian at Best | Courtney Barnett | self-deprecation |
| Pedro Navaja | Willie Colón & Rubén Blades | Mexico & Central America |
| Peek-A-Boo | The Cadillacs | spying |
| Peek-a-Boo | Siouxsie and the Banshees | eyes & sight |
| Peg Leg Woman | Willie King | legs & trousers |
| Penetralia II | Coil | drone music |
| Penguins | Lyle Lovett | birds |
| Pennies for Sale | The Smashing Pumpkins | coins |
| Pennies from Heaven | Billie Holiday | coins |
| The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company Resignation Letter | Matthew Friedberger | companies & corporations |
| Pennsylvania Six-Five Thousand | Glenn Miller & his Orchestra | hotels |
| Penny Lane | The Beatles | brass songs |
| People | !Action Pact! | social mobility |
| People Ain’t No Good | Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | misanthropic songs |
| People Are Strange | The Doors | being scared |
| People Are Strange | Tiny Tim | high-pitched vocals |
| People Get Ready | Curtis Mayfield | revolution |
| People Have the Power | Patti Smith | positive songs |
| People in Tha Middle | Spearhead | compromise |
| People Make the World Go Round | The Stylistics | trash |
| People of the Deer | The Trews | frozen north |
| People of the Snow | Techno Sound Group | frozen north |
| People Take Pictures of Each Other | The Kinks | visual art & photography |
| People Who Died | The Jim Carroll Band | list songs |
| People’s Parties | Joni Mitchell | anxiety |
| Peppermint Twist | Sweet | sweet foods |
| Percy Faith | Damien Jurado | shaggy dog stories & tall tales |
| Perdido | Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra | ensembles, big bands & orchestras |
| Perfect | Fairground Attraction | perfection |
| Perfect | The The | different 7″ versions |
| Perfect 10 | The Beautiful South | perfection |
| Perfect Day | Lou Reed | relaxation & leisure |
| A Perfect Day | Paul Robeson | perfection |
| Perfect Gentleman | Wyclef Jean | unusual rhymes |
| A Perfect Lie | The Engine Room | tattoos & piercings |
| Perfect Mystery | Gong | mysterious & puzzling |
| Perfect Skin | Lloyd Cole & the Commotions | magazines |
| Perfect Sky | Bonnie Pink | sky |
| The Perfect Space | The Avett Brothers | platonic love |
| Perfect Way | Scritti Politti | funk |
| Perfection | Run-D.M.C. | perfection |
| Perfume | Sparks | smells |
| Perfume do Invisível | Céu | the invisible |
| The Perfumed Garden of Gulliver Smith | Marc Bolan | gardens |
| Peřiny (Morning Song) | Bittova & Fajt | alarm sounds |
| Permafrost | Magazine | cold |
| Perpetual Change | Yes | eternity |
| Perpetuum Mobile | Penguin Cafe Orchestra | eternity |
| Perptual Blues Machine | Keb’ Mo’ | rejection |
| Perry County | Philip Jeays | personification |
| Person to Person | Screamin’ Jay Hawkins | telephones |
| Personal Column | Jake Thackray | advertising |
| Personal Jesus | Johnny Cash | God & the Devil |
| Personal Jesus | Depeche Mode | faith |
| Persons Unknown | Poison Girls | anonymity |
| The Persuaders Theme | John Barry | instrumental soundtracks |
| Peter Gunn | Henry Mancini & HIs Orchestra | ensembles, big bands & orchestras |
| Peter Smith Is a Banana | The Deep Freeze Mice | yellow |
| Petite fleur | Sidney Bechet | from New Orleans |
| Petrified Forest | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band | geology |
| Phantasmagoria Blues | Mark Lanegan | fallen heroes |
| Phantom 309 | Red Sovine | zombies |
| Phiên Cho Sông | Lê Sang & Dương Hồng Loan | markets & fairs |
| Philby | Rory Gallagher | spying |
| Phillip My Dear | Mighty Sparrow | castles & palaces |
| Philly Joe | Geri Allen & Timeline ft Maurice Chestnut | clicking, tapping & stomping |
| Philosophy of the World | The Shaggs | philosophers |
| Photograph | Goose house | photos & photography |
| Photograph | Melanie | photos & photography |
| Photograph | Satellites | photos & photography |
| Photograph | Ringo Starr | photographs |
| Photographic (Some Bizzare Version) | Depeche Mode | visual art & photography |
| Photoshop Handsome | Everything Everything | modernity |
| Photosynthesis | They Might Be Giants | power |
| Phunky Coogi | Philou Louzolo | religion |
| The Physician | Gertrude Lawrence | stomach & guts |
| Pi | Kate Bush | numbers |
| mathematics | ||
| Piano Concerto in G major | Maurice Ravel | piano songs |
| Piano Concerto No. 5 | Ludwig van Beethoven (performed by Alfred Brendel) | great arrangements |
| The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) | Tom Waits | drinking |
| Pick Yourself Up | Nat King Cole | underdogs |
| Pickin’ the Blues | Grinderswitch | incidental music |
| Picking the Benelnut (Cai Bin Lang) | Zhou Xuan | nuts & edible seeds |
| Pickles | The Gourds | flavour |
| Pickles | Ritchie Lamy & the Jools Rimet Orchestra | famous or notable animals |
| The Picture | Loudon Wainwright III | photographs |
| Picture Book | The Kinks | family |
| Picture in a Frame | Tom Waits | photographs |
| Picture on the Wall | Natural Ites with the Realistics | chairs |
| Picture This | Blondie | cleansing |
| Pictures of Lily | The Who | unrequited love |
| Pictures of Matchstick Men | Status Quo | visual art & photography |
| Piece of Me | Britney Spears | journalism & the news |
| Piece of My Heart | Big Brother and the Holding Company | the heart |
| Piece of My Heart | Erma Franklin | one-hit wonders |
| Piece of My Heart | Betty LaVette | underrated artists |
| A Piece of Red Cloth | Cui Jian | left wing politics |
| Pieces of a Man | Gil Scott-Heron | pathos |
| Pied Piper | Bob and Marcia | leadership |
| Pier Song | The Lorraine Bowen Experience | the coast |
| Pig Man | Amon Düül II | four-legged livestock |
| Pigeons in the Attic Room | Everything but the Girl | rooms |
| Pigs | Cypress Hill | law enforcement |
| Pilgrim’s Progress | Procol Harum | meta-songs |
| Pills | Bo Diddley | nursing & healthcare |
| Pills | New York Dolls | hospitals |
| Pills | Leon Rosselson | whimsical songs |
| Pinball | Brian Protheroe | futility |
| Pinball Number Count | The Pointer Sisters | children’s songs |
| Pinball Wizard | The Who | overturning the odds |
| Pineapple | Sparks | non sequiturs |
| Ping Pong | Stereolab | repetition |
| Pink Blood | Hikaru Utada | gender & LGBTQ+ |
| Pink Cashmere | Prince | fabrics |
| Pink Champagne | Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers | pink |
| Pink Champagne Blues | Gnod | pink |
| Pink Elephant | Lena | pink |
| Pink Elephants on Parade | Sun Ra Arkestra | surreal songs |
| Pink Frost | The Chills | cold |
| Pink Light | Laura Veirs | dawn |
| Pink Moon | Nick Drake | pink |
| Pink Moon | Tash Sultana | pink |
| The Pink Panther Theme | Henry Mancini | personal theme songs |
| Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red | The Sorrows | pink |
| Pink Thunderbird | Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps | wealth |
| Pink Turns to Blue | Hüsker Dü | blue |
| The Pirate | Hanne Hukkelberg | pirates |
| Pirate Jenny | Lotte Lenya | pirates |
| Pirate Jenny | Nina Simone | pirates |
| Pirates Anthem | Home T, Cocoa Tea & Shabba Ranks | pirates |
| Pisco Sour | Nosequien y los Nosecuantos | cocktails & spirits |
| Piss Factory | Patti Smith | new resolutions |
| A Piss in the Ocean | Conflict | sales, selling & bargains |
| Piss Off | FFS | stick it to the man |
| Pissing in a River | Patti Smith Group | stomach & guts |
| Pistachio | Pee Wee Ellis | nuts & edible seeds |
| Pistola | Mos Def | falling |
| Pit of Snakes | Burning Spear | collective nouns |
| Pithecanthropus Erectus | Charles Mingus | science |
| Pizza Pie | Norman Fox & the Rob Roys | bread & baking |
| A Place Called England | Maggie Holland | accents |
| A Place Called England | The Young’uns | England |
| A Place in Paris | Matt Monro | Paris |
| A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers | Van der Graaf Generator | prophets |
| Plague of Zombies | Scientist | collective nouns |
| Plains of Nazca | Sun Dial | sunsets & twilight |
| Plaistow Patricia | Ian Dury | great opening lines |
| Plan B | Dexys Midnight Runners | Birmingham & the Black Country |
| Planet Dog | Boothby Graffoe | dogs |
| Planet Telex | Radiohead | vibrato, tremolo & oscillations |
| Planned Obsolescence | 10,000 Maniacs | science |
| Plastic Bag | X-Ray Spex | plastic |
| Plastic Dreams | Jaydee | drone music |
| Plastic Flower | Wulan Tuoya | plastic |
| Plastic Jesus | Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon | plastic |
| Plastic Jesus | Paul Newman | plastic |
| Plastic Life | Rubella Ballet | plastic |
| Plastic Lines | No Bird Sing ft Alicia Wiley | photographs |
| Plastic Paddy | Eric Bogle | plastic |
| Plateau | Meat Puppets | wilderness |
| The Plateaux of Mirror | Harold Budd & Brian Eno | fictional places |
| Platinum Tips | Royal Trux | silver & non-ferrous metals |
| Plato’s Fucked Up Cave | Marnie Stern | philosophers |
| Play for Today | The Cure | krautrock |
| Play It All Night Long | Warren Zevon | volume |
| Play It Cool | Freddie King | coolness |
| Play Me Something New | Hat Fitz & Cara | relaxation & leisure |
| Play My Juke Box | Boy Green | jukeboxes |
| Play That Funky Music | Wild Cherry | one-hit wonders |
| Play with Bootsy | Bootsy Collins ft Kelli Ali | gravity |
| Playa del Carmen | Paco de Lucía | Spain |
| Playboy Mommy | Tori Amos | magazines |
| Playground Love | Air | adolescence |
| Playing in the Band | Grateful Dead | unusual time signatures |
| Playing Mahjong | Long-Ge | board games |
| The Play’s the Thing | Peter Hammill | idioms & common expressions |
| Plea from a Cat Named Virtute | The Weakerthans | cats |
| Pleamar de Águilas | Invisible | tides |
| Pleasant Valley Sunday | The Monkees | suburbia |
| Please Don’t Mention It | Ray Noble & His Orchestra with Al Bowlly & Anona Winn | please & thank you |
| Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone | Billie Holiday | please & thank you |
| Please Judge | Roky Erickson | judges & trials |
| Please Mr. Please | Olivia Newton-John | jukeboxes |
| Please Please Please | James Brown | please & thank you |
| Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want | The Smiths | please & thank you |
| Please Read the Letter | Robert Plant & Alison Krauss | departures |
| Please Take a Letter, Miss Brown | The Ink Spots | awkwardness |
| Pledging My Love | Johnny Ace | everlasting love |
| Pliocene | Cosmo Sheldrake | animal sounds |
| Plop Plop Fizz Fizz | Sammy Davis Jr. | stomach & guts |
| Plow to the End of the Row | Adrienne Young | farming |
| Plug Tunin’ | De La Soul | humming |
| Plus Ones | Okkervil River | patterns & sequences |
| Pluto the Dog | Manfred Mann’s Earth Band | dogs |
| The Poacher | Ronnie Lane | hunting |
| Blue Öyster Cult | pockets | |
| The Clouds | pockets | |
| Pocket Calculator | Kraftwerk | synth pop 1980-2000 |
| Pocket Full of Rain | The Paper Kites | pockets |
| Pocket Money | The Gladiators | pockets |
| Pocketful of Miracles | Dionne Warwick | pockets |
| Pockets | Ruth Moody | pockets |
| Podino | Rajasthani Folk Musicians | flavour |
| Poem for Eva | Bill Frisell | steel guitar |
| Poetry: How Does It Feel Now??? | Akua Naru | lust |
| Pogo Dancing | Chris Spedding & the Vibrators | fads & crazes |
| Poinciana | Ahmad Jamal | flowers |
| Point and Kill | Little Simz ft Obongjayer | physical gestures |
| Point Me at the Sky | Pink Floyd | psychedelic songs |
| Point of View Point | Cornelius | Japan |
| Poison | CocoRosie with Antony Hegarty | poison |
| Poison | Gilmore & Roberts | touch |
| Poison | The Prodigy | poison |
| Poison & Wine | The Civil Wars | opposites |
| Poison Arrow | ABC | poison |
| Poison Dart | The Bug ft Warrior Queen | poison |
| Poison in the Well | 10,000 Maniacs | wells |
| Poison Takes a Hold | Play Dead | poison |
| Poisoning Pigeons in the Park | Tom Lehrer | spring |
| Poker Face | Lady Gaga | hobbies |
| Polegnala e Todora | Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir | choirs |
| Police and Thieves | Junior Murvin | law enforcement |
| Police Car | Larry Wallis | cars & driving |
| Police Dog Blues | Blind Blake | police |
| Police Officer | Smiley Culture | police |
| Police on My Back | The Equals | police |
| Policy of Truth | Depeche Mode | lies |
| Politic Man | Soom T | disbelief |
| Political Science | Randy Newman | nuclear war |
| Political World | Bob Dylan | chaos |
| Politician | Cream | left & right |
| Politics of the Sneaker Pimps | Public Enemy | sales, selling & bargains |
| Politrikkks | Dead Prez | elections |
| Polk Salad Annie | Tony Joe White | flowers |
| Polly | Nirvana | crime |
| Polyester Bride | Liz Phair | fabrics |
| Polygon Window | Polygon Window | windows |
| Pompeii | Peter Hammill | ancient history |
| Pomps and Pride | Toots and the Maytals | music as nutrition |
| Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma) | Jorge Ben | sport |
| Pontiac | Lyle Lovett | deceptive appearances |
| Pontiac Blues | Sonny Boy Williamson II | obsolete things |
| Pony | Ginuwine | mammals |
| Pony | Frida Hyvönen | horses |
| Pony | Diana Jones | inheritance |
| The Pony Soldiers | Sam Spence | sound like other songs |
| Poo-Poo in the Prawn | Ian Dury | strange, rare or unlikely words |
| Pool Hall Richard | Faces | winners |
| Poor Butterfly | Sarah Vaughan with Hal Mooney & His Orchestra | butterflies & moths |
| Poor Jason Whyte | The Abyssinians | close shaves & near misses |
| Poor Old Soul (French version) | Orange Juice | foreign language versions |
| Poor Old Soul (Part 1) | Orange Juice | idioms & common expressions |
| The Poor Orphan Child | Carter Family | children |
| Poor Skeleton Steps Out | XTC | hammer & mallet instruments |
| Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman | Fairport Convention | capital punishment |
| Pop Muzik | M | music genres |
| Popcorn | Hot Butter | sweet foods |
| Poptones | Public Image Ltd | out-of-tune songs |
| Popular | Nada Surf | songs offering advice |
| Por un Sueño | Farru | clicking, tapping & stomping |
| Porcelain | Moby | piano songs |
| Porcupine | Nature Zone | rodents |
| Porn Wars | Frank Zappa | taboos |
| Pornopolka | Hedningarna | prayer |
| Porpoise Song | The Monkees | recorded for movies |
| Porquoi es tu devenue si raisonnable? | Cadeau de Mariage | foreign language versions |
| Portait d’un 78 tard | Les Primitifs du Futur | markets & fairs |
| Portobello Road | Cat Stevens | markets & fairs |
| Portofino | Raymond Scott | electronic music to 1983 |
| Porton Down | Peter Hammill | basements & underground |
| Portrait of a Man | Screamin’ Jay Hawkins | painting & painters |
| Portrait of Tracy | Jaco Pastorius | great solo performances |
| Poses | Rufus Wainwright | narcissism |
| Positively 4th Street | Bob Dylan | hatchet jobs |
| Possession | Sarah McLachlan | songs that aren’t what they seem |
| Post Office Blues | Lorraine Bowen | written correspondence |
| Postcard 29 | Jens Lekman | passage of time |
| Postcard from Purgatory | The Dears | limbo |
| A Postcard to Nina | Jens Lekman | volunteering |
| The Poster | The Monkees | the circus |
| Pot au Feu | Delia Derbyshire | musically adventurous |
| Potato Head Blues | Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven | vegetables |
| The Potato Pickers | Sir Vincent Lone | manual labour |
| Pouk Hill | Slade | Birmingham & the Black Country |
| Poupée de cire, poupée de son | France Gall | puppets |
| Pour Some Sugar on Me | Def Leppard | sweet foods |
| Pow R. Toc H. | Pink Floyd | musically adventurous |
| Powderfinger | Cowboy Junkies | coming of age |
| Power Flower | Stevie Wonder | power |
| Power in the Darkness | Tom Robinson Band | tyranny & dictatorship |
| The Power Is On | The Go! Team | energising songs |
| The Power of Orange Knickers | Tori Amos | fashion |
| Power of the People | Monster Truck | unity |
| Powers in the Air | Peter Blegvad | sixth sense |
| Praise You | Fatboy Slim | without a chorus |
| Prangin’ Out (Pete and Mike’s Version) | The Streets | cocaine & heroin |
| Pray On | The Staple Singers | prayer |
| Pray Unto Thee | Mighty Diamonds | prayer |
| Prayer to God | Shellac | hatchet jobs |
| A Prayer to Jah (aka Forward to Jah) | Jay Tees | prayer |
| Praying Ground | The Soul Stirrers | prayer |
| Preacher Man | The Impressions | preachers, priests & religious leaders |
| Preachin’ Blues | Son House | preachers, priests & religious leaders |
| Precarious Stair | Crystal Stilts | stairs, ladders & elevators |
| Precious Lord, Take My Hand / You’ve Got a Friend | Aretha Franklin & the Southern California Community Choir with Rev. James Cleveland | choirs |
| Predictions | Suzanne Vega | fortune tellers |
| Prelude | Kate Bush | animal sounds |
| Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune | Claude Debussy | flutes, pipes & whistles |
| Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major | Johann Sebastian Bach | mathematics |
| The Premium Bond Theme | Roy Wood | gambling |
| Preposterous Tales – Ken McKenzie | I, Ludicrous | pride |
| Present Without a Bow | Kacey Musgraves ft Leon Bridges | knots & ties |
| The President’s Dead | Okkervil River | US presidents |
| Press My Button (Ring My Bell) | Lil Johnson | switches & buttons |
| Pressure Cooking | Labelle | cooking |
| Pressure Drop | Toots and the Maytals | natural disasters |
| Pressure Washer | The Arrogant Worms | hardware |
| The Pretender | Jackson Browne | compromise |
| The Pretender | Foo Fighters | surprising intros |
| Prettiest Eyes | The Beautiful South | passage of time |
| The Prettiest Star | David Bowie | different 7″ versions |
| The Prettiest Thing | David Childers & the Modern Don Juans | superlatives |
| Pretty Boy Floyd | The Byrds | smuggling & stealing |
| Pretty Boy Floyd | Woody Guthrie | criminals |
| Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) | The Offspring | tattoos & piercings |
| Pretty Green | The Jam | jukeboxes |
| Pretty in Pink | The Psychedelic Furs | one night stands |
| The Pretty Pride of Russia | Tom Hickox | ironic songs |
| Pretty Shoes | Jens Lekman | shoes |
| Pretty Vacant | Sex Pistols | personal theme songs |
| The Price of Love | The Everly Brothers | vibrato, tremolo & oscillations |
| The Price of Oil | Billy Bragg | scandal |
| Pride (In the Name of Love) | U2 | songs with or about errors |
| Pride of Lions | Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra | brass songs |
| Priests | Judy Collins | preachers, priests & religious leaders |
| Primary | The Cure | best bass lines |
| Primitive Painters | Felt | visual art & photography |
| Primo on the Parapet | Peter Hammill | edges & ledges |
| Primo Victoria | Sabaton | D-day |
| Primrose Hill | John and Beverley Martyn | London |
| Prince Alone in the Studio | Smog | other musicians |
| Prince Hal’s Dirge | Loudon Wainwright III | Shakespeare |
| Prioritise Pleasure | Self Esteem | id, ego & superego |
| Prisencolinensinainciusol | Adriano Celentano | indecipherable songs |
| Prison Trilogy (Billy Rose) | Joan Baez | prisons |
| Prison Walls | Todd Snider | borders, barriers, walls & fences |
| The Prisoner’s Song | Vernon Dalhart | great songwriting 1900-1955 |
| Private Dancer | Tina Turner | prostitution |
| Private Eye | Bill Lloyd | detectives |
| Private Eye | Sailor | detectives |
| Private Investigations | Dire Straits | detectives |
| Private Life | The Pretenders | influenced by dub |
| The Prize Song (from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) | Richard Wagner (sung by Ben Heppner) | songwriting |
| Processions | Family | sand |
| Procrastination | Amy Winehouse | distractions & diversions |
| Prodigal Son | The Rolling Stones | reunions |
| Prodigal Son | Steel Pulse | lost and found |
| Profondo rosso | Goblin | instrumental soundtracks |
| Profumo | Gianna Nannini | smells |
| Prologue (This Is an Orchestra!) | Stan Kenton | meta-songs |
| Promenade sentimentale | Vladimir Cosma | expressing movement of walking |
| The Promise | Sturgill Simpson | defined or redefined by television |
| Promise You Everything | Steve Earle | promises & choices |
| Promised Land | Johnnie Allan | accordion |
| Promised Land | Chuck Berry | California |
| Promised Land | Joe Smooth | optimistic songs |
| fictional places | ||
| Promised You a Miracle | Simple Minds | promises & choices |
| Promises | Panic Room | promises & choices |
| Promises: Movement 1 | Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders | harpsichord |
| A Proper Sort of Gardener | Maggie Holland | green |
| Prophecies | Philip Glass | chaos |
| Prophet Has Arise | Israel Vibration | prophets |
| Prophets in the Sky | The Cat Empire | prophets |
| The Prophet’s Song | Queen | prophets |
| Prostye Dvizhen’ya | t.A.T.u. | songs that build |
| Protection | Massive Attack | consolation |
| Proto Culture | Del tha Funkee Homosapien ft Khaos Unique | games |
| Proud Mary | Creedence Clearwater Revival | ships & boats |
| Proud Mary | Ike & Tina Turner | wheels |
| Proud Turkeys | Thee More Shallows | poultry |
| Prove It on Me Blues | Ma Rainey | gender & LGBTQ+ |
| Proverb 6 (The Hours of Folly) | Benjamin Britten | proverbs |
| Proverbes | Jacques Dutronc | proverbs |
| Province | TV on the Radio | devoted love |
| P.S. You Rock My World | Eels | bereavement |
| Psychedelic Odin | Julian Cope | power |
| Psychedelic Rock | Ernest Ranglin | psychedelic songs |
| Psychedelic Siren | The Daybreakers | alarm sounds |
| The Psychic | Crash Test Dummies | omens & prophecies |
| Psycho | Jack Kittel | criminals |
| Psycho Killer | Talking Heads | illusions |
| A Psychopath | Lisa Germano | fear |
| Psychotic Reaction | Count Five | mental illness |
| PT-109 | Jimmy Dean | ships & boats |
| A Pub with No Beer | The Dubliners | pubs & bars |
| Public Eyes | Gregory Isaacs | echoes |
| Public Image | Public Image Ltd | self-referential songs |
| Pueblecito Mío | José Mercé | villages |
| Puisque vous partez en voyage | Françoise Hardy & Jacques Dutronc | departures |
| Pull Down Lads | June Tabor | itinerants & migration |
| Pull Up to the Bumper | Grace Jones | one night stands |
| Pulled Muscle | Superchunk | bodily motion & exercise |
| Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) | Squeeze | innuendo |
| Pump It Up | Elvis Costello & the Attractions | raise the heartrate |
| Pump Up the Jam | Technotronic | synth pop 1980-2000 |
| Pump Up the Volume (USA 12″ mix) | M|A|R|R|S | rallying cries |
| Pumped Up Kicks | Foster the People | songs that aren’t what they seem |
| Pumping on Your Stereo | Supergrass | media for listening to recorded music |
| Pumpkin | Tricky | September & October |
| Pumpkin Seeds | Devendra Banhart | nuts & edible seeds |
| Punch and Judy | XTC | puppets |
| Punk as Fuck | American Analog Set | misleading or incongruous titles |
| Punk Prayer | Moddi | prayer |
| Punk Prayer | Pussy Riot | artistic trends of the 21st century |
| Puppet | Tyler, the Creator | puppets |
| The Puppet Has Cut His Strings | Elvis Costello & The Roots | puppets |
| Puppet Life | Punishment of Luxury | puppets |
| Puppet Man | The 5th Dimension | puppets |
| Puppet on a String | Sandie Shaw | puppets |
| Pupu Tupuna | Risto | rabbits |
| Pur ti miro | Claudio Monteverdi (sung by Elin Manahan Thomas & Robin Blaze) | high-pitched vocals |
| Pure Morning | Placebo | morning |
| Pure Pleasure Seeker | Moloko | id, ego & superego |
| Pure Shores | All Saints | girl groups |
| Purity | New Model Army | propaganda |
| Purple | Crustation | purple |
| Purple | Skin | purple |
| Purple Haze | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | purple |
| Purple Haze | Johnny Jones & the King Casuals | screams, howls, grunts & shrieks |
| Purple Rain | Prince and the Revolution | eccentric songs |
| Purple Rose Minuet | Susumu Yokota | classical songs |
| Purple Sky | Gillan | purple |
| Purple Stew | Thurston Harris | recipe songs |
| Purrfect | Funki Porcini | breathing |
| Push the Button | Sugababes | innuendo |
| orgasms | ||
| The Pushbike Song | The Mixtures | audible breaths |
| Pusherman | Curtis Mayfield | ironic songs |
| (Put Another Nickel In) Music, Music, Music | Teresa Brewer & the Dixieland All Stars | jukeboxes |
| Put It Off Until Tomorrow | Dolly Parton | procrastination |
| Put It There Pal | Richard Thompson | physical gestures |
| Put the Needle to the Record | Criminal Element Orchestra | media for listening to recorded music |
| Put Your Hands Together | The O’Jays | prayer |
| Put Your Lights On! | Santana ft Everlast | warnings |
| Put Your Records On | Corinne Bailey Rae | media for listening to recorded music |
| Putin Lights Up the Fires | Pussy Riot | Russia |
| Putnam’s Camp, Redding, Connecticut (from Three Places in New England) | Charles Ives | New England |
| Puttin’ On the Ritz | Fred Astaire | wealth |
| Putting Up Resistance | Beres Hammond | resistance |
| The Puzzle | Ane Brun | puzzling & mysterious |
| Pyaasi | Swarathma ft Shubha Mudgal | compromise |
| Pynk | Janelle Monáe ft Grimes | artistic trends of the 21st century |