When it comes to making an A-Z of great songs, there are infinite combinations, any number of which would make a fantastic playlist. But what about songs that actually form an alphabet?
It can be a challenge to hunt down great songs that use each letter of the alphabet, especially when it comes to letters like ‘Q’ and ‘X’, but we’ve done it for you. From Ed Sheeran’s ‘The A Team’ to ‘Z to A’ by Sus, these are 26 songs with letters of the alphabet in titles.
Songs With Letters of the Alphabet in Titles
“The A Team” – Ed Sheeran
In this acoustic track, Ed Sheeran sings about a girl trying to get by on the streets. She’s suffering from an addiction to some heavy substances – hence Sheeran’s allusion that the girl is “in the class A team”. The song was based on a real girl, Angel, who Sheeran met and talked to whilst volunteering at a Crisis homeless shelter.
‘The A Team’ was Sheeran’s debut single and was an immediate commercial success, kicking off his career. This was despite the fact that Ed Sheeran made the music video on a budget of £20. The track went on to win Best Song at the Ivor Novello Awards, one of music’s most prestigious songwriting awards.
“B Who I Want 2 B” – Namie Arumo ft Hatsune Miku
This J-Pop track by Namie Arumo and Hatsune Miku sees the protagonist telling the boy she’s seeing that she doesn’t need anyone to guide her through life – she’s sure in herself and who she is.
The track makes reference to the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, which is about a man taming an uncouth woman and teaching her manners. The song maintains that this particular situation is far from a “Tokyo Pygmalion”. ‘B Who I Want 2 B’ was produced by London electronic music producer SOPHIE.
“C U Girl” – Steve Lacey
‘C U Girl’ is a short track from Steve Lacey about the realities and frustrations of being in a long-distance relationship. Lacey misses his girlfriend whilst he’s on tour and she’s at college, singing about how much he wants to see her face. The cover art features a photo of the two of them, faces warped. ‘C U Girl’ was Lacey’s eighth release on SoundCloud.
“D Is For Dangerous” – Arctic Monkeys
In ‘D Is For Dangerous’, front man Alex Turner warns against dating a girl who might at first appear “delightful” but will eventually cause your life to go downhill. “I think you should know you’re his favourite worst nightmare,” he sings. This lyric would eventually inspire the title of the record that the track appears on, Favourite Worst Nightmare.
“The E Street Shuffle” – Bruce Springsteen
‘The E Street Shuffle’ is the opener of Springsteen’s second album The Wild, The Innocent, The E Street Shuffle, the first of his records to very prominently feature the E Street Band. Both the band and the song are named after a road in New Jersey, with the characters in the song also being based off of people Springsteen knew back in New Jersey.
‘The E Street Shuffle’ was born out of Springsteen’s desire to “invent a dance with no exact steps”. Unlike other dance tracks in which the lyrics contain instructions as to how to the dance, this is a vague routine that the people in the song are just doing to get by. The track was covered by Bette Midler in 1980 for her album Divine Madness.
“F U Goodbye” – Peach PRC
“I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen me,” sings Peach in the opening of ‘F U Goodbye’. “I heard you’re doing well now with your comedy.” She confesses that she’s been reminiscing about the relationship she shared with her ex and she wonders if they’d like to meet for coffee – so she can tell them how much she hates them. From their terrible jokes to their performance in bed, she’s got a lot to be angry about. “F*ck you and goodbye,” she tells them.
“G Funk Intro” – Snoop Dogg
‘G Funk Intro’ sees Snoop Dogg introducing his 1993 album Doggystyle and warning his listeners what they’re in for. “This is just a small introduction to the G Funk Era,” he tells them. There’s a few references to his drink of choice, Tanqueray – and a whole lot of dog puns.
“H-Block Song” – Terry O’Neill
This 1916 recording sees Terry O’Neill sing of his love for his native Ireland and his resistance against Britain’s wish to “brand Ireland’s fight eight hundred years of crime.” The song is full of emotion, with O’Neill’s real adoration of his homeland shining through, as well as his anger over Britain’s oppressive system. “Will the last obscenity be this grim H-block cell?” he sings, referencing the many young Irishmen who were imprisoned for fighting for their country’s independence.
“Would That I” – Hozier
Hozier learns to find love with someone new in this folky ballad. Recalling the first time he saw the woman he loves, he describes how she’s blazed like fire through his past heartbreaks and he’s ready to give in to how he feels for her. “I fell in love with the fire long ago,” he sings.
“J-Boy” – Phoenix
French band Phoenix sing about a tumultuous love and a dazzling love interest in ‘J-Boy’. The two of them are dramatic and over the top. “Just because of you, these things I have to go through,” laments the singer. Still, the love is so rare and precious that it feels worth it. “Put two and two together, we’ll make it last forever,” sing the band.
“K.” – Cigarettes After Sex
The ‘K’ in the title of this Cigarettes After Sex track stands for Kristen, the name of the singer’s other half. ‘K.’ sees the speaker missing their girlfriend and craving her company as they navigate their long distance relationship, her absence made especially painful by the precious time they have recently spent together. The singer reminisces the two of them dancing, taking pictures and falling asleep in each other’s arms.
“L Word” – Kara Marni
Unlike in the popular TV show, the ‘L Word’ Kara Marni is referring to is ‘love’. “I said the L word and I meant it,” she sings. “You said the L word, you were on a mission.” Marni describes how she and her partner were in different places and had different intentions when telling each other that they were in love.
“You lie to me just to lie with me,” she reproves. The gap in understanding has caused the relationship to break down, and now Marni is mourning the love she confessed to her partner.
“M+M’s” – blink-182
Blink-182 sing about taking a trip and getting away from it all with a loved one in this sweetly tender track. Over racing electric guitar, the band invite a special someone away on a road trip. “Buy some candy and some cigarettes and we’ll get in my car,” they sing. “We’ll blast the stereo and we’ll drive to Madagascar.” The desire to run is based not on fear, but on the elation they feel being with the person that makes their life complete.
“N 2 Deep” – Drake ft Future
‘N 2 Deep’ is a song in two halves. The first half sees Drake trying to win over a girl that he feels he has a genuine interest in. “You know I need you to be there for me,” he sings. The second half of the song sees Drake regretting sleeping with the girl after drinking, feeling that now he’s got himself way too deep into this situation.
“O” – Coldplay
This magical track from Coldplay sees Chris Martin following a flock of birds that fly across the sky every morning. The sight of them causes him to meditate on love and his relationship – he finds himself looking up to the sky and praying at the sight of them.
“P power” – Gunna ft Drake
We won’t tell you what the ‘p’ stands for in this Gunna track, but you can probably make an educated guess. Gunna brags about the fantastic sex life he has with his girl, over a beat laden with moans.
“Q&A” – Cherry Bullet
South Korean pop group Cherry Bullet find themselves fielding questions from a boy in this upbeat K-pop track. As the conversation continues, they start firing questions back. “The night will continue with our own Q&A,” they sing.
“R U Mine?” – Arctic Monkeys
This track from Arctic Monkeys AM album sees Alex Turner going crazy over a girl. He always wants to be by her side, but he’s not entirely sure where she stands or what they are. All he wants is confirmation that she wants to be in a relationship with him.
“S Club Party” – S Club 7
“There ain’t no party like an S Club party!” sing pop group S Club. The celebratory track sees the gang ready to head out on a night on the town, and they’re confident that they’ll be bringing the party with them. This was the second single from the group’s debut album and served as a great introduction to the group, namechecking each of the members.
“T-Shirt Weather” – Circa Waves
Circa Waves get nostalgic about youthful summers in this sunshiny track. They recall singalongs in the back of cars in hot days and sleeping in until the early afternoon. Now that they’re grown up, summer just doesn’t hit quite the same as it used to.
“u” – Kendrick Lamar
“Loving you is complicated,” repeats Kendrick Lamar in this track from his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. Lamar digs into the darker parts of his psyche in this unsettling track, laying out his insecurities and self-doubt. He described the track as “one of the hardest songs I had to write” to Rolling Stone. The track acts as a mirror reflection of lead single ‘i’, which places emphasis on peace and self-love.
“V. 3005” – Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino promises his loved one that he’ll be “right by your side ‘til 3005.” The song was released as the first single off of the rapper’s second studio album, Because the Internet, and explores his fear of being alone and having no one to look after. Childish Gambino is the rap project of actor Donald Glover.
“W” – Koffee ft Gunna
Reggae artist Koffee encourages listeners to focus on the wins or the ‘w’s in their life rather than the losses in this collaboration with Gunna. The music video for the track sees Koffee weather a storm in her native Jamaica, paying homage to her island home.
“XO” – Beyoncé
‘XO’ is a fantastic piece of pop from Beyoncé’s self-titled 2014 album. Painting a picture of an all-consuming love, Bey describes the two lovers gravitating towards each other in a dark room. “Your face is all I see,” she sings as the instrumental builds to a euphoric high.
“Y Control” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs sing about a man emotionally controlling a woman in this angsty track, referencing the male ‘Y’ chromosome in the track’s title. Given the dark subject matter, it’s no surprise that the track’s music video was a disturbing to many. The track comes from the group’s debut album, Fever To Tell.
“Z To A” – Suspect
An appropriate end to our alphabet is Suspect’s grime track ‘Z to A’. Suspect sings about life in a London gang with typical braggadocio, keen to let his enemies know that he isn’t someone to mess with. “Anything goes for an active ganger,” he sings. The track comes from the rapper’s 2022 album Suspicious Activity.
Final thoughts
From folk all the way to grime, this A to Z of songs with letters of the alphabet in their titles spans an incredibly wide of genres and has a far geographical reach as well. It goes to show that creating playlists like this can lead you to discover music you may have never previously listened to. Once you’ve had a listen to our A to Z of songs, why not have a go at creating your own?
