| Song Title | Artist | Topic |
| Xam Xam | Touki | tautonyms |
| Xanadu | Rush | fictional places |
| XOYO | The Passage | music as nutrition |
| Y Blodyn Gwyn | Mary Hopkin | Welsh songs |
| Y Penderfyniad | Edward H. Dafis | Welsh songs |
| Y Viva España | Sylvia Vrethammar | stereotypes |
| Ya A’Asaal | Abdel Aziz El Mubarak | favourite live versions |
| Ya El Medan | Cairokee ft Aida El Ayouby | wide open spaces |
| Ya Ho | The Viceroys | pirates |
| Ya Hozna | Frank Zappa | inversions |
| Ya Mama | The Pharcyde | insulting songs |
| Yabay | Dhafer Youssef | high-pitched vocals |
| Yahtzee Champ | Cadillac Jones | board games |
| Yakety Axe | Mark Knopfler & Chet Atkins | guitars |
| Yakety Yak | The Coasters | arguments |
| Yamore | Salif Keita & Cesária Évora | androgynous vocals |
| Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) | The Decemberists | ghosts |
| Yard Broom | The Skatalites | spring cleaning & household chores |
| Yazdah | Trio Chemirani | songs by trios |
| Ye Yo | Erykah Badu | tautonyms |
| Year 3000 | Busted | time travel |
| Year of the Cat | Al Stewart | loss |
| Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan | Mohammed Rafi | Asian cities |
| Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera | A. R. Rahman & Berklee College | great arrangements |
| Yehlisan’umoya Ma-Afrika | Busi Mhlongo | peace |
| Yèkatit | Mulatu Astatke | months of the year |
| Yellow | Coldplay | colours |
| Yellow Bee | Charley Patton & Bertha Lee | songs by duos |
| Yellow Brick Road | Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | fairytales |
| Yellow Daffodils | Malia | retrospection |
| Yellow Dog Blues | Bessie Smith | yellow |
| Yellow Eyes | Rayland Baxter | yellow |
| Yellow Fever | Fela Kuti | yellow |
| Yellow Fever Psalm | Jocelyn Pook | yellow |
| Yellow Fly | Ivor Cutler | yellow |
| Yellow Moon | The Neville Brothers | yellow |
| The Yellow of the Flowers | The Rheingans Sisters | eternity |
| Yellow Submarine | The Beatles | children’s songs |
| Yellow Submarine | Roots Manuva | Beatles covers |
| Yellow Triangle | Christy Moore | geometric shapes |
| Yelp, Bellow, Rasp & Cetera | Vivian Stanshall | misheard, nonsense or inaudible lyrics |
| Yere Faga | Oumou Sangaré | suicide |
| Yes | McAlmont & Butler | upbeat break-up |
| Yes, Anastasia | Tori Amos | historical figures |
| Yes Sir, I Can Boogie | Baccara | so bad they’re good |
| Yes We Can | Lee Dorsey | unity |
| Yes We Can Can | The Pointer Sisters | equality |
| Yester-me, Yester-you, Yesterday | Stevie Wonder | memory |
| Yesterday | The Beatles | old and new |
| Yesterday Is Here | Tom Waits | regressing & reversing |
| Yesterday Once More | Carpenters | songs that go ‘la’ |
| Yesterdays Tomorrows | Tindersticks | tomorrow |
| Yiddisha Nightingale | Maude Maggart | nightingales & thrushes |
| Ying Tong Song | The Goons | misheard, nonsense or inaudible lyrics |
| Yip Roc Heresy | Slim Gaillard | cooking |
| Yma o Hyd | Dafydd Iwan | roots |
| Y.M.C.A. | Village People | youthfulness |
| Yodeling Cowboy | Jimmie Rodgers | wordless vocals |
| Yonkers | Tyler, the Creator | misanthropic songs |
| Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Part 1) | The Flaming Lips | fantasy |
| You | Atmosphere | restaurants & cafes |
| You | Gold Panda | drone music |
| You + Me = Love | The Undisputed Truth | different 7″ versions |
| You Ain’t Dolly (And You Ain’t Porter) | Ashley Monroe & Blake Shelton | hearing, choosing & playing records |
| You and Me, Bess | Joanna Newsom | horses |
| You & Me Song | Joy Crookes | everlasting love |
| You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks | Funkadelic | community |
| You and Your Sister | This Mortal Coil | siblings |
| You Are Not Mine | Emma Langford | the obvious |
| You Are the Blood | Sufjan Stevens | blood |
| You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve | Johnny Boy | shopping |
| You Are the Light | Jens Lekman | light |
| You Are the Sunshine of My Life | Stevie Wonder | happiness |
| You Build a Wall | Grace Petrie | resilience |
| You Can Call Me Al | Paul Simon | aliens |
| You Can Close Your Eyes | James Taylor | adult lullabies |
| You Can Get It If You Really Want | Jimmy Cliff | positive songs |
| You Can Get It If You Really Want | Desmond Dekker | optimistic songs |
| You Can Have Him | Nina Simone | songs that aren’t what they seem |
| You Can Have My Husband (But Please Don’t Mess with My Man) | Irma Thomas | infidelity |
| You Can Leave, But It’s Going to Cost You | Marvin Gaye | judges & trials |
| You Can Leave Your Hat On | Randy Newman | hats |
| You Can’t Always Get What You Want | The Rolling Stones | mixtape closers |
| fairness |
| words of wisdom |
| You Can’t Bring Me Down | Suicidal Tendencies | apologies |
| You Can’t Even Walk in the Park | Johnny Pate | instrumental soundtracks |
| You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover | Bo Diddley | proverbs |
| You Can’t Outsmart a Woman | Kell Osborne | intelligence |
| (You Caught Me) Smilin’ | Sly and the Family Stone | smiling & laughing |
| You Come Through | PJ Harvey | platonic love |
| You Could Not Decide | French Kicks | indecision |
| You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice | The Lovin’ Spoonful | shyness |
| You Don’t Get Me High Anymore | Phantogram | ‘high’ songs |
| You Don’t Know Me | Ray Charles | secrets & secrecy |
| You Don’t Know Me | Alison Krauss | secret admirers |
| You Don’t Know Nothing About Love | Lorraine Ellison | following & chasing |
| You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) | Dawn Penn | great backing vocals |
| You Don’t Mess Around with Jim | Jim Croce | underdogs |
| You Don’t Miss Your Water | William Bell | idioms & common expressions |
| You Don’t Own Me | Lesley Gore | arguments |
| control |
| You Don’t Want a Boyfriend | Brian | losers |
| You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla) | The Dickies | monkeys & apes |
| You Fake It/You Make It | Angelica | authenticity & fakery |
| You Gave Me Love | Crown Heights Affair | gifts & giving |
| You Get Me | The Broken Family Band | Valentine’s Day songs |
| You Get What You Give | New Radicals | proverbs |
| You Goin’ Miss Your Candyman | Terry Callier | missing someone |
| You Got Me | The Roots ft Erykah Badu & Eve | music venues |
| You Got to Move | Reverend Gary Davis | bright songs about dark subjects |
| You Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dog Around | Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers | dogs |
| You Happy Puppet | 10,000 Maniacs | puppets |
| You Have Did the Right Thing When You Put That Skylight In | Arthur Russell | windows |
| You Haven’t Done Nothin’ | Stevie Wonder | politicians |
| You Hit Me Where It Hurts | Kim Weston | bad decisions |
| You Hung the Moon | Elvis Costello | tides |
| You Just May Be the One | The Monkees | the number one |
| You Keep It All In | The Beautiful South | repression |
| You Keep Me Hangin’ On | The Supremes | hanging |
| You Know I’m No Good | Amy Winehouse | infidelity |
| You Know, You Know | Mahavishnu Orchestra | outstanding percussion |
| You Made Me Realise | My Bloody Valentine | great middle eights |
| (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman | Aretha Franklin | great backing vocals |
| You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) | Sylvester | 12″ singles to 1979 |
| You Make Me Feel So Young | Frank Sinatra | joyous songs |
| You Might Say | Bugge Wesseltoft ft Sidel Endresen | compromise |
| You Must Learn | Boogie Down Productions | lessons in life |
| knowledge |
| You Need Love | Muddy Waters | sampling & recycling |
| You Never Can Tell | Chuck Berry | marriage |
| You Never Give Me Your Money | The Beatles | money |
| You Ought to See Sally on Sunday | Al Bowlly | days of the week |
| You Said Something | PJ Harvey | New York |
| You Set the Scene | Love | striking album endings |
| (You Shine) Brighter Than Light | Joensuu 1685 | getting brighter |
| You Shook Me All Night Long | AC/DC | one night stands |
| You Should Never Should Have Opened That Door | Ramones | bad decisions |
| You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) | Dead or Alive | spinning |
| You Stay Here | Richard Shindell | staying |
| You Suffer | Napalm Death | ten words or fewer |
| You Take Me Up | Thompson Twins | industry & manufacturing |
| You Tell Me | The Go-Betweens | gossip |
| You to Me Are Everything | The Real Thing | everything |
| You to Thank | Ben Folds | please & thank you |
| You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth | Meat Loaf | kissing |
| You Trip Me Up | The Jesus and Mary Chain | falling |
| You Want It Darker | Leonard Cohen | adult lullabies |
| You Wear It Well | Rod Stewart | violin |
| You Win Again | Hank Williams | victory |
| You’ll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties | Jona Lewie | celebration |
| You’ll Get By | Show of Hands | spirit of 2021 |
| You’ll Lose a Good Thing | Barbara Lynn | warnings |
| You’ll Never Know | Big Maybelle | never |
| You’ll Never Walk Alone | Gerry and the Pacemakers | community |
| Young Adult Friction | The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | libraries |
| Young at Heart | Frank Sinatra | youthfulness |
| Young Folks | Peter, Bjorn and John | one-hit wonders |
| Young Girl | Gary Puckett & the Union Gap | so bad they’re good |
| Young Hearts Run Free | Candi Staton | lessons in life |
| The Young Librarian | Ange Hardy | libraries |
| Young Male Suicide Blessed by Invisible Woman | Jackie Leven | provocative, strange or humorous titles |
| A Young Man Is Gone | The Beach Boys | actors |
| Young Ned of the Hill | The Pogues | blessings & curses |
| Young Pilgrims | The Shins | meaning of life |
| Youngstown | Bruce Springsteen | iron & steel |
| Your Arms Around Me | Jens Lekman | fixing & repairing |
| Your Arse, My Place | Elastica | seduction |
| Your Body Is a Wonderland | John Mayer | discovery |
| Your Cheatin’ Heart | Hank Williams | cheating |
| Your Feet’s Too Big | Fats Waller | funny songs |
| Your Ghost | Kristin Hersh | Halloween |
| Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad | Tammy Wynette | jukeboxes |
| Your Guardian Angel | The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus | survival |
| Your Hand in Mine | Explosions in the Sky | TV theme songs |
| two – part 2 |
| Your Honour | Pluto Shervington | infidelity |
| Your House | Alanis Morissette | hidden tracks |
| Your Husband Is Cheating on Us | Denise LaSalle | adultery & infidelity |
| Your Kiss Is Sweet | Syreeta | kissing |
| Your Letter | Joan Armatrading | reading |
| Your Love Is Killing Me | Sharon Van Etten | songs that say what love is |
| Your Love Is King | Sade | songs that say what love is |
| Your Mamma Won’t Like Me | Suzi Quatro | bad boys & bad girls |
| Your Mind Is On Vacation | Mose Allison | insulting songs |
| Your Molecular Structure | Mose Allison | small things |
| Your Mother and I | Loudon Wainwright III | divorce |
| Your Mother’s Got a Penis | Goldie Lookin Chain | schadenfreude |
| Your New Twin Sized Bed | Death Cab for Cutie | beds |
| Your Past Life as a Blast | Okkervil River | brothers & sisters |
| Your Revolution | DJ Vadim ft Sarah Jones | other songs |
| Your Secret Love | Luther Vandross | secrets |
| Your Side of the Bed | Little Big Town | furniture |
| Your Silent Face | New Order | silence |
| Your Song | Elton John | forgetting |
| Your Song | Billy Paul | covers better than the original |
| Your Woman | White Town | one-hit wonders |
| You’re Crazy for Taking the Bus | Jonathan Richman | buses |
| You’re Gonna Get Next to Me | Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis | persistence |
| You’re Gonna Miss Me | 13th Floor Elevators | missing someone |
| You’re Gorgeous | Babybird | songs that aren’t what they seem |
| You’re in a Bad Way | Saint Etienne | songs to start the morning |
| You’re Missing | Bruce Springsteen | murder |
| You’re Not Welcome Here | Phantom Planet | interlopers |
| You’re Seeing Too Much of the Telly | Al Read | television |
| You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care) | Buddy Holly | geometric shapes |
| You’re So Vain | Carly Simon | glamour & style |
| (You’re the) Devil in Disguise | Elvis Presley | opposites |
| You’re the Doctor | Ty Segall | honorific titles |
| You’re the Top | Ella Fitzgerald | perfection |
| You’re Wondering Now | The Specials | famous last words |
| Yours Truly, 2095 | ELO | machines, robots & computers |
| Youth | Disturbance | hope |
| Youth | Foxes | songs that capture the zeitgeist |
| Youth | Soft Cell | getting older |
| Youth Against Fascism | Sonic Youth | US presidents |
| Youth in Asia | Dirty Sanchez | Asian cities |
| Youth of Eglington | Black Uhuru | shooting |
| Youth of Today | Amy Macdonald | freedom of expression |
| You’ve Been Cheatin’ | The Impressions | cheating |
| You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It?) | The Undertones | asking, begging & pleading |
| You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away | The Beatles | embarrassment |
| You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two | Ron Moody | smuggling & stealing |
| You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling | The Righteous Brothers | crooners |
| You’ve Made Me So Very Happy | Blood, Sweat & Tears | happiness |
| You’ve No Clue Do You | King Creosote | board games |
| Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi Na | Momoiro Clover Z vs Kiss | painting & painters |
| YYZ | Rush | Canada |
| Z-Machine, Sad Robot Goes Funny | Squarepusher | songs that express excess |
| Zadok the Priest | George Frideric Handel | crowns |
| Zagueiro | Jorge Ben | songs offering advice |
| Zambezi | The Piranhas | the Commonwealth |
| Zaz Turned Blue | Was (Not Was) & Mel Tormé | unlikely collaborations |
| Zebra | John Butler Trio | double bass |
| Zen Archer | Todd Rundgren | ambiguity |
| Ziggurats of Cinnamon | Anne Dudley & Jaz Coleman | markets & fairs |
| Ziggy Stardust | David Bowie | saints & martyrs |
| Zika 101 | MC Bugg-Z | unusual rhymes |
| Zimbo (All My Colours) | Echo & the Bunnymen with the Drummers of Burundi | collaborations & side projects |
| Zinedine Zidane | Vaudeville Smash ft Les Murray | football |
| Zion | The Flames | paradise |
| Zobi la mouche | Les Négresses Vertes | accordion |
| Zombie | The Cranberries | zombies |
| Zombie | Fela Kuti | protest |
| Zombie Apocalypse | King Mas | zombies |
| Zombie by the Cranberries by Andrew Jackson Jihad | Andrew Jackson Jihad | kindness |
| Zombie Christmas | Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler | zombies |
| Zombie Delight | Buck 65 | zombies |
| Zombie Jamboree | Harry Belafonte | zombies |
| Zombie Prophecies | The Taikonauts | zombies |
| Zone | Rhythm Makers | dance instrumentals |
| Zonghuá | Laibach | national anthems |
| Zoo Scrapbook | Frank Sidebottom | hobbies |
| Zoo Station | U2 | places in Europe |
| Zoobi Doobi | Sonu Nigam & Shreya Ghoshal | stupidity |
| Zoom | Fat Larry’s Band | COVID-19 lockdown |
| Zoom Zoom Zoom | Los Bárbaros | tautonyms |
| Zooropa | U2 | advertising |
| Zoot Suit | The High Numbers | fads & crazes |
| Zouk la sé sél médikaman nou ni | Kassav’ | the Caribbean |
| Zseb | Gidnim’Rém | pockets |
| Zungguzungguguzungguzeng | Yellowman | misheard, nonsense or inaudible lyrics |