Surprisingly, there are plenty of songs that feature numbers in their titles. You don’t have to be a music geek to want to see this list – I find them quite fun, maybe of particular interest for only some. But I think once you start getting into these songs you’ll be looking for more.
So, let’s dive right in and see which popular songs have numbers in their titles.
Top Songs with Numbers in the Title
“10,000 hours” – Dan + Shay, Justin Bieber
This song is a perfect example of geeky songwriting. The title got its inspiration from a book written by Malcolm Gladwell which is about a person requiring 10,000 hours to master his craft. Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber make a romantic melody out of this concept with this catchy song that gets stuck in your brain.
“20 Years From Now” – New Found Glory
The title of this song was inspired by the 20-year history the band has in performing. Chad Gilbert, the lead guitarist said it represents all they have learned. The band wanted this song to inspire people to live with freedom instead of getting caught up in ego, pride, arguments, and worries. It is a sweet melody with some words of wisdom.
“4 Minutes” – Madonna
Lots of people love this song because it is written by two of pop’s most popular artists, Madonna and Justin Timberlake. Madonna reported she enjoyed working with Justin, and that before the song was written, the two would have conversations about their lives, relationships, and social issues. The title of the song represents the 4-minute mark of the length of the song ending it with a very exciting build-up that abruptly gets cut off.
“Mambo No. 5” – Lou Bega
This song’s original version is by the King of the Mambo, Perez Prado, but it was popularized by Lou Bega with revised lyrics. Lou said that he envisioned the song becoming a sexy and energetic hit and that his mission was to have fun and make people do a happy dance. All the women he mentioned in the song were supposedly his ex-girlfriends. It certainly became a popular party anthem!
“Eight Days a Week” – The Beatles
This 1964 hit is by far one of the most famous songs on this list, well of it’s The Beatles! Apparently, Ringo invented the phrase “eight days a week” and all the band members knew it would become a great song. According to John Lennon, the song was difficult to record and that it wasn’t that good. However, pop charts still prove differently to this day.
“Nine in the Afternoon” – Panic! At the Disco
This high-beat song gets stuck in your head very quickly, and that was the whole point the band intended. Ryan Ross, the guitarist said they were looking to write a song that covered the last few years and all the positive things that occurred. The lyrics talk about the band, the old melodies that inspired them, and the criticism they got after changing their style from a pop-punk band.
“7 Years” – Lukas Graham
Lukas Forchhammer, the lead vocalist for the band said that the song was inspired by all the difficult times they had in life and who he wants to transform into in the future. It was mainly about wanting to become a good father. He described his father as being a “cool dad” and that he wants to become like pops. It has a slow melody that has great instrumental elements that make it a great tune.
“Six Feet Under” – The Weeknd
The song has a dark side to it, probably what you would expect from a title like this. “Six Feet Under” doesn’t refer to a funeral, in this case, it is actually about a prostitute that ruthlessly cares about the money without one bit of concern for her clients. It is a sad melody and it describes this woman who struggles between finding her dream of being rich and upholding the moral expectations of society.
“3” – Britney Spears
This song is as much controversial as Britney Spears. It is about a sexual act that involves three people. People are very surprised by what the lyrics really mean. Provocative themes that revolve around sex prove to be big hits, and this song is no exception. It made it to the first one-digit song of the Hot 100 list.
“Three Times a Lady” – Commodores
Written by Lionel Richie, this American soul song was written for the Commodores’ album Natural High. It became the band’s Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit. The song made history by becoming the only Motown song to make it to the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. The song took the band to the next level and is still a romantic ballad.
“4:44” – Jay-Z
The song is the title track to Jay-Z’s new LP. It was an apologetic song to his wife Beyoncé that discussed his infidelity and their marital troubles and his side of the story. The first lyrics say “I apologize/Often womanized/Took for my child to be born to see through a woman’s eyes.” For the rest of the song, he continues to name all his regrets and ask for her forgiveness. It is an eight-minute song with different dramatic clips featuring various artists.
“30 Days” – The Saturdays
British-Irish girl group, The Saturdays released this song as the lead single from their album, Living for the Weekend. It was a global hit, making the UK Singles Chart at number seven. The whole concept is how exciting the anticipation is of seeing someone again after missing them for 30 days. Its echoing beats filled dance floors and the chorus makes you want to sing along.
“2 X 2” – Bob Dylan
The meaning behind this song is a mystery. It didn’t become such a popular hit compared to his other songs and he ended up only playing it four times in concert. Comments about his song are scarce probably because of the religious notion of animals coming in two as told in Christian stories. Nonetheless, it became a liked song by many.
“One in a Million” – Hilary Duff
This a breakup song in Hilary Duff’s album Breathe In. Breathe Out. It is about a guy that wasn’t treating the girl right. After a long absence from music, this album was the comeback project for Hillary. Other songs on the album became much more popular, but “One in a Million” remains to be a catchy dance hit.
“Seven Wonders” – Fleetwood Mac
This classic hit takes us back to 1987’s rock hits. It was written by Sandy Stewart, who recorded and turned in a demo to band member Stevie Nicks. The lead vocals were performed by Stevie Nicks where she sings about a love affair of her past. The song made it to #19 on the US Billboard’s Hot 100 list that same year.
“8 out of 10” – Drake
This song by Canadian rapper Drake, debut in his 2018 album, Scorpion making it to the top 20 in Canada and the Czech Republic. It also became #19 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and it stayed in the top 100 for almost one year. He talks about male critics and his popularity among women. He addresses some artists that have dissed his work, making this a bit of a vengeance song.
“Nine Lives” – Def Leppard Featuring Tim McGraw
This was the first duet for the band featuring co-lead vocals. Tim McGraw’s tour manager suggested the collaboration and it turned out to be a success. Some of the music video clips were used for NBA promo clips, which were played before basketball games.
“I Would Die 4 U” – Prince and The Revolution
A super hit from their album Purple Rain. This upbeat dance song was the top 10 hit, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The song represents the message that Jesus proclaimed to his followers “I’m your messiah and you’re the reason why.” It became one of the most popular songs of all time.
“90 Days” – Pink
This song is about the sadness of a relationship that turned sour.
She expresses her fear of losing the person she loves. According to the Journal of Positive Psychology, it takes 90 days to overcome a breakup. This emotionally-charged pop ballad talks about the challenges of life on the road for an artist.
“6 Weeks” – James Morisson
This song came from a very sad period of James Morisson’s life, the death of this father. For six weeks after his death, he closed himself off to the world, secluded dealing with his pain. Fortunately, he came out of his depression, and out with him came this beautiful, but sad song.
“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” – the Proclaimers
Off of their 1988 album Sunshine on Leith, this song did not gain notoriety in North America until 1993 when it was included on the soundtrack for the Johnny Depp/Mary Stuart Masterson romantic comedy, Benny and Joon. It was their one and only hit in the United States.
“One Week” – The Barenaked Ladies
Although released back in 1998, this song remains to be the Canadian rock band’s greatest hit in the United States, despite the fact that they released three albums before Stunt and over a dozen since then. The song appears to be about a quarrel between lovers, but even the band admits, a great deal of the lyrics make no actual sense.
“Ten Minutes” – The Get Up Kids
Released off of what many believe to the band’s breakout and best album of their career, 1999’s Something to Write Home About, Ten Minutes is the band’s most frequently last-played song at their live shows. It’s loud and loved by fans and lets them go off the stage with a party.
“Two Princes” – The Spin Doctors
While their first single from 1993’s Pocket Full of Kryptonite entitled “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” found success in the charts, it was “Two Princes” that became their real hit, even gaining them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Performance by a Duo or Group.
“18 and Life” – Skid Row
This rock ballad, off the band’s self-titled 1988 album, tells the story of Ricky, who due to a gun accident, faces life in prison. It is the band’s biggest hit to date and was listed as number 60 in VH1’s countdown of best hard rock songs of all time. The video garnered some controversy though; due to its graphic nature and gun usage, MTV banned airing it in the late 80s.
“Thunder Kiss ’65” – White Zombie
Originally released in 1992 off the band’s third studio album, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One, the song was also included on two other compilation albums, 2003’s Past, Present & Future and 2006’s The Best of Rob Zombie.
The video, and consequently the single, gained popularity only after it was featured in an episode of Mike Judge’s MTV cartoon, Beavis and Butthead. It gave the band their first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance and came in at number 32 on VH1’s list of Greatest Metal Songs.
“One” – Metallica
Quite possibly the band’s most famous, but certainly the most popular off their fourth studio album, 1988’s …And Justice for All, “One”, an anti-war song, was not only nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance, but they also won it.
The song tells the story of Johnny, who after being badly wounded by a land mine in World War I, lies limbless in a hospital, trying desperately to figure out a way to die. The video itself leans heavily on scenes from the 1971 movie, Johnny Got His Gun.
“Royal Station 4/16” – Melissa Etheridge
Off Melissa’s second studio album, 1988’s Brave and Crazy, Royal Station 4/16 was actually named after where it was recorded, Royal Station Hotel in the United Kingdom.
While it is one of the rock singer’s lesser known tracks, it does have the honor of having had its harmonica parts played by U2’s Bono. It is also featured (along with four of her other songs) on the soundtrack for 1992’s Where the Day Takes You.
“Song 2” – Blur
You might be surprised to learn that “Woo Hoo” is not actually the title of the British rock band Blur’s most famous song from their 1996 self-titled fifth album. It’s just plain “Song 2”, which is (you guessed it) track number two on the album. It is also two minutes long. And coincidentally topped the charts at number two in the United Kingdom, where the band is most popular. It was also featured in animated MTV show, Daria.
“1999” – Prince
Who could release a song in 1982 and have it hit the charts four times in three different decades? Prince, that’s who. The song, off his 1982 self-titled album was in the charts in 1982, 1985, 1999, and then again after the musician’s death in 2016. Despite its catchy tune, the song is actually about the fear of nuclear warfare during the height of the Cold War.
Born and raised in Austin, David is a dedicated writer and avid fragrance lover. When he's not trying out perfumes, he enjoys traveling and exploring new restaurants.