The Songs canon

Sourced and sung.

Every song chosen by hand, with the recording to play it.
Browse all 2,393 songs or filter by genre, subject, artist, and year.
She Loves YouThe Beatles

She Loves You

1963 · From The Beatles' Second Album

Lennon and McCartney started it on a tour bus after a Newcastle show; Martin thought the sixth-chord ending corny.

★ 8.8
Let's Stay TogetherAl Green

Let's Stay Together

1971 · From Greatest Hits

Willie Mitchell and Al Jackson handed Green a track; he reportedly had the lyric in five minutes.

★ 8.6

One (U2)

1991 · From Achtung Baby

Berlin sessions nearly ended the band until the Edge played two chord sequences back to back and the song arrived.

★ 8.1

Back for Good

1995

Barlow says it took fifteen minutes to write; the BRIT Awards debut pushed the release forward to an instant number one.

★ 5.5

Open Arms

1982

Cain carried it over from the Babys, whose singer dismissed it; six weeks at number two proved him wrong.

★ 5.3

On Bended Knee

1994

Only the Beatles had replaced themselves at number one before Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis handed the group this.

★ 5.1
Warning SignColdplay

Warning Sign

2002 · From A Rush of Blood to the Head

Buckland gave up on a guitar part and played maracas instead, and Martin's slow crawl back still aches.

★ 4.5
Hold Me NowThompson Twins

Hold Me Now

1983

Three days at RAK Studios in London, a row patched up, and marimbas in place of the usual dance-floor sheen.

★ 4.5
R&B · Pop

Water Runs Dry

1994

Four voices, one Babyface song about a relationship drying up, and another number two for the Philadelphia group.

★ 4.2

Madness

2012

Nineteen weeks at number one on Billboard's Alternative chart, and Bellamy wrote it after conceding an argument to Kate Hudson.

★ 3.7

Baby Come Back

1977

Beckett and Crowley wrote it after two bandmates' breakups, and Lambert and Potter's production held number one for three weeks.

★ 3.6