200+ Songs with Colors in the Title

Color and music go hand in hand, as many artists seek to bring a sense of color to the sounds that they create. Today, we’ve dug into the history of music to find as many great songs as we could that use a color in the title.

We’ve broken down our selections into categories of colors, starting with the colors of the rainbow in order: red, orange, yellow, green, and purple and then going into some other common colors used in songs. Plus a category for the straggler colors that we felt deserved a mention.

Then, under each category, the songs are listed in order of release year. We’ve tried to keep it under 20 songs for any given color, as some of them truly have a lot of songs (ahem: blue and black) that use the color in the name.

Giving yourself criteria such as having a color in the title can be an excellent way to discover new music from artists that you haven’t heard before.

Enjoy below our comprehensive list of songs with a color in the title!

20 Songs with Red in the Title

1. Robert Johnson – “They’re Red Hot” (1936)

This song was later covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their acclaimed 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

2. Nat King Cole – “Red Sails in the Sunset” (1951)

Note this song was written by Hugh Williams and Jimmy Kennedy in 1935, and brought back to popular appeal in 1951 by Nat King Cole.

3. King Crimson – “Red” (1974)

4. Sammy Hagar – “Red” (1977)

5. Prince – “Little Red Corvette” (1982)

6. UB40 – “Red Red Wine” (1983)

Many people think that “Red Red Wine” is by Bob Marley, but alas, it’s actually by UB40.

7. Nena – “99 Red Balloons” (1983)

8. Rush – “Red Sector A” (1984)

9. Chris de Burgh – “Lady in Red” (1986)

10. Bruce Springsteen – “Red Headed Woman” (1992)

11. Sublime – “Saw Red” (1994)

12. Chevelle – “The Red” (2002)

13. Arctic Monkeys – “Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured” (2006)

14. The White Stripes – “Red Rain” (2007)

15. The Shins – “Red Rabbits” (2007)

16. Rihanna – “Red Lipstick” (2011)

17. Taylor Swift – “Red” (2012)

18. Childish Gambino – “Redbone” (2017)

Also see our full analysis of this song, The Meaning of Childish Gambino’s “Redbone”.

19. Tennis Courts – “Red Wine” (2021)

Tennis Courts are an indie rock band that was formed in Extra Chill’s hometown of Charleston, SC. “Red Wine” and the rest of their debut EP was produced by Mark Bryan of Hootie & The Blowfish.

20. Big Thief – “Red Moon” (2022)

14 Songs with Orange in the Title

1. Nat King Cole – “Orange Colored Sky” (1950)

The legendary Nat King Cole makes another appearance in the Orange category with his 1950 hit “Orange Colored Sky”.

2. Johnny Cash – “Orange Blossom Special” (1965)

3. Love – “Orange Skies” (1966)

4. The Doors – “Orange County Suite” (1970)

5. R.E.M. – “Orange Crush” (1988)

6. Van Morrison – “Orangefield” (1989)

7. The Mountain Goats – “Orange Ball of Love” (1995)

8. Erykah Badu – “Orange Moon” (2000)

9. Vic Mensa – “Orange Soda” (2013)

10. Big Thief – “Orange” (2017)

11. Mt. Joy – “Orange Blood” (2022)

12. Human Resources – “Orange Tree” (2022)

Another band that is local to our hometown of Charleston, SC, “Orange Tree” was one of the most exciting indie rock releases in the Charleston music scene in 2022.

13. Pinegrove – “Orange” (2022)

14. Noah Kahan – “Orange Juice” (2022)

14 Songs with Yellow in the Title

1. Bryan Hyland – “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini” (1960)

2. The Beatles – “Yellow Submarine” (1966)

3. Donovan – “Mellow Yellow” (1966)

4. Joni Mitchell – “Big Yellow Taxi” (1970)

5. Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (1973)

6. Tony Orlando and Dawn – “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” (1973)

7. Pearl Jam – “Yellow Ledbetter” (1992)

8. Coldplay – “Yellow” (2000)

Check out our full lyrical analysis of “Yellow” by Coldplay.

9. Arctic Monkeys – “Old Yellow Bricks” (2007)

11. Lorde – “Yellow Flicker Beat” (2014)

12. Rayland Baxter – “Yellow Eyes” (2015)

13. Cardi B – “Bodak Yellow” (2018)

14. Soccer Mommy – “yellow is the color of her eyes” (2020)

16 Songs with Green in the Title

1. Booker T. & the M.G.’s – “Green Onions” (1962)

2. Tom Jones – “Green, Green Grass of Home” (1966)

3. Gary Lewis & The Playboys – “Green Grass” (1966)

4. The Lemon Pipers – “Green Tambourine” (1967)

5. Pink Floyd – “Green Is The Colour” (1969)

6. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Green River” (1969)

7. Sugarloaf – “Green-Eyed Lady” (1970)

8. Steely Dan – “Green Earrings” (1978)

9. Elvis Costello – “Green Shirt” (1979)

10. R.E.M. – “Green Grow the Rushes” (1985)

11. Sonic Youth – “Green Light” (1986)

12. Van Morrison – “Green Mansions” (1991)

13. Tom Waits – “All The World Is Green” (2002)

14. The National – “Green Gloves” (2007)

15. Schoolboy Q – “Collard Greens” ft. Kendrick Lamar (2013)

16. Band of Heathens – “Green Grass of California” (2017)

27 Songs with Blue in the Title

Blue is probably the most popular color to be used in a song title. It would be impossible to list every single excellent song that uses the word “blue”.

Note that in order to keep this list to a reasonable number, we have not included any songs that use the plural version of blue.

1. Elvis Presley – “Blue Suede Shoes” (1956)

2. The Marcels – “Blue Moon” (1961)

3. Patsy Cline – “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (1963)

4. The Velvet Underground – “Pale Blue Eyes” (1969)

Also check out Charleston, SC band Daddy’s Beemer and their cover of “Pale Blue Eyes”.

5. Joni Mitchell – “Blue” (1971)

6. The Who – “Behind Blue Eyes” (1971)

7. Allman Brothers Band – “Blue Sky” (1972)

8. Neil Diamond – “Song Sung Blue” (1972)

9. Grateful Dead – “Stella Blue” (1973)

We have taken the liberty of including an excellent live version of “Stella Blue” from 1974 instead of the studio version. Also see our full assortment of Grateful Dead content.

10. Willie Nelson – “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (1975)

11. ZZ Top – “Blue Jean Blues” (1975)

12. Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky” (1977)

13. Bob Dylan – “Tangled Up in Blue” (1975)

Bob Dylan’s classic song “Tangled Up in Blue” was often covered by his good buddy Jerry Garcia, including this time in 1980.

14. Willie Nelson – “Blue Skies” (1978)

15. New Order – “Blue Monday” (1983)

16. Madonna – “True Blue” (1986)

17. U2 – “Bullet the Blue Sky” (1987)

18. George Strait – “Blue Clear Sky” (1996)

19. Eiffel 65 – “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” (1999)

20. The White Stripes – “Blue Orchid” (2005)

21. Wilco – “Sky Blue Sky” (2007)

22. Jay-Z – “Blue Magic” (2007)

23. Lana Del Rey – “Blue Jeans” (2012)

24. Beck – “Blue Moon” (2014)

25. Vince Staples – “Blue Suede” (2014)

26. Keith Urban – “Blue Ain’t Your Color” (2016)

27. Brave Baby – “Blue Year” (2021)

Yet another local Charleston, SC band makes its way onto this list in the form of “Blue Year” by Brave Baby, which actually premiered on Extra Chill upon its release at the end of 2021.

10 Songs with Purple in the Title

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Purple Haze” (1967)

Also see our full analysis on the Meaning of “Purple Haze”.

2. Frank Zappa – “Purple Lagoon” (1979)

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Purple Stain” (1999)

5. D12 – “Purple Pills” (2001)

6. Nas – “Purple” (2002)

7. The Internet – “Purple Naked Ladies” (2011)

8. A$ap Rocky – “Purple Swag” (2011)

9. Sofi Tukker – “Purple Hat” (2019)

10. Big Wild – “Purple Sand (My Home)” (2019)

29 Songs with Black in the Title

1. Lead Belly – “Black Betty” (1939)

Yes, this is the same song that was made famous by Ram Jam in 1974.

2. Nina Simone – “Black Is the Color (of My True Love’s Hair)” (1959)

3. Rolling Stones – “Paint It, Black” (1966)

James Brown – “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” (1968)

4. The Beatles – “Blackbird” (1968)

5. Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath” (1970)

6. Santana – “Black Magic Woman” (1970)

7. Led Zeppelin – “Black Dog” (1971)

8. The Hollies – “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)” (1972)

9. The Doobie Brothers – “Black Water” (1974)

10. Stevie Wonder – “Black Man” (1976)

11. Steely Dan – “Black Cow” (1977)

12. AC/DC – “Back in Black” (1980)

13. Metallica – “Fade to Black” (1984)

14. Pearl Jam – “Black” (1991)

15. Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun” (1994)

16. Wu-Tang Clan – “Black Shampoo” (1997)

Also check out our post about the Wu Tang Clan Members and their real names.

17. Goo Goo Dolls – “Black Balloon” (1998)

18. Redman & Method Man – “Blackout” (1999)

Did you know that Method Man loves lacrosse?

19. Kool Keith – “Black Elvis” (1999)

20. Nas – “Black Zombie” (1999)

21. Amy Winehouse – “Back to Black” (2006)

22. My Chemical Romance – “Welcome to the Black Parade” (2006)

23. Lupe Fiasco – “All Black Everything” (2011)

24. My Morning Jacket – “Holding On To Black Metal” (2011)

Also see our writeup on the best My Morning Jacket songs.

25. Kanye West – “Black Skinhead” (2013)

26. SUSTO – “Black Jesus” (2015)

SUSTO is also from Charleston, SC, and we have covered them extensively on the site since the early days.

27. Kendrick Lamar – “The Blacker the Berry” (2015)

28. Death Cab for Cutie – “Black Sun” (2015)

29. Rae Sremmurd – “Black Beatles” (2016)

13 Songs with White in the Title

1. Jefferson Airplane – “White Rabbit” (1967)

2. Procol Harum – “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)

3. The Moody Blues – “Nights in White Satin” (1967)

4. Cream – “White Room” (1968)

5. The Velvet Underground – “White Light/White Heat” (1968)

6. The Clash – “White Riot” (1977)

7. Billy Idol – “White Wedding” (1982)

8. Dido – “White Flag” (2003)

You may know this song as the single from Dido or as the track famously sampled on Eminem’s “Stan”.

9. Conor Oberst – “White Shoes” (2005)

10. Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal” (2008)

11. Lorde – “White Teeth Teens” (2013)

12. Jason Isbell – “White Man’s World” (2017)

13. Action Bronson – “White Bronco” (2018)

10 Songs with Brown in the Title

1. The Coasters – “Charlie Brown” (1959)

2. Nina Simone – “Brown Baby” (1965)

3. Van Morrison – “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)

4. Bob Marley – “Mr. Brown” (1970)

See our list of the best Bob Marley songs.

5. The Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar” (1971)

6. Grateful Dead – “Brown-Eyed Women”

While never released on an official studio album, “Brown-Eyed Women” is a Grateful Dead staple that appeared on their Europe ’72 album.

7. Boney M- “Brown Girl in the Ring” (1975)

8. Bob Dylan – “Brownsville Girl” (1986)

9. Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli) – “Brown Skin Lady” (1998)

10. Beyoncé – “Brown Skin Girl” (2019)

17 Songs with Gold in the Title

1. Grateful Dead – “The Golden Road” (1967)

2. Neil Young – “After the Gold Rush” (1970)

3. Neil Young – “Heart Of Gold” (1972)

See our full analysis on the meaning of “Heart of Gold”.

4. Stevie Wonder – “Golden Lady” (1973)

5. David Bowie – “Golden Years” (1975)

6. America – “Sister Golden Hair” (1975)

7. Fleetwood Mac – “Gold Dust Woman” (1977)

8. Spandau Ballet – “Gold” (1983)

9. The Stone Roses – “Fools Gold” (1989)

10. Sting – “Fields of Gold” (1993)

11. Kanye West – “Gold Digger” (2005)

12. TV on the Radio – “Golden Age” (2008)

13. The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling” (2011)

14. Kurt Vile – “Goldtone” (2012)

15. A$AP Rocky – “Goldie” (2012)

16. Chet Faker – “Gold” (2014)

17. Fousheé – “Gold Fronts” feat. Lil Wayne (2019)

8 Songs with Silver in the Title

1. Fleetwood Mac – “Silver Springs” (1976)

2. Echo & the Bunnymen – “Silver” (1984)

3. The Pixies – “Silver” (1991)

4. Nirvana – “Silver” (1992)

5. The Black Keys – “Flash of Silver” (2004)

6. Rilo Kiley – “Silver Lining” (2004)

7. The Flaming Lips – “Silver Trembling Hands” (2009)

8. Masego & Shenseea – “Silver Tongue Devil” (2021)

9 Songs with Pink in the Title

1. Nick Drake – “Pink Moon” (1972)

2. The Psychedelic Furs – “Pretty in Pink” (1981)

3. Bruce Springsteen – “Pink Cadillac” (1984)

4. Weezer – “Pink Triangle” (1996)

5. Aerosmith – “Pink” (1997)

6. The Flaming Lips – “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1” (2002)

Check out our list of songs about robots.

7. Frank Ocean – “Pink Matter” ft. André 3000 (2012)

8. Janelle Monáe – “Pynk” (2013)

9. James Bay – “Pink Lemonade” (2018)

10 Songs with Other Colors in the Title

1. Duke Ellington – “Mood Indigo” (1930)

2. The Monkees – “Shades of Grey” (1967)

3. Tommy James & The Shondells – “Crimson and Clover” (1968)

4. Grateful Dead – “Scarlet Begonias” (1974)

5. Grateful Dead – “Touch of Grey” (1987)

The only number one hit produced by the Grateful Dead. See our full analysis of the song here.

6. Modest Mouse – “Grey Ice Water” (1996)

7. Coldplay – “Violet Hill” (2008)

8. Turquoise Days – “Grey Skies” (2010)

9. Sunrhé – “Something Like Lavender” (2020)

Another South Carolina artist makes the list in Sunrhé, with her 2020 single “Something Like Lavender”.

10. Taylor Swift – “Lavender Haze” (2022)

12 Songs with Multiple Colors in the Title

1. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette – “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” (1973)

2. The Who – “Blue Red and Grey” (1975)

3. The Stranglers – “Golden Brown” (1981)

4. Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney – “Ebony and Ivory” (1982)

5. Michael Jackson – “Black or White” (1991)

6. MF DOOM – “Red and Gold” (1999)

7. Mos Def – “Blue Black Jack” (2004)

8. Wiz Khalifa – “Black and Yellow” (2010)

9. Portugal. The Man – “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” (2013)

10. Frank Ocean – “Pink + White” (2016)

11. Travis Scott – “Green & Purple” (featuring Playboi Carti) (2017)

12. SUSTO – “House of the Blue Green Buddha” (2019)

“House of the Blue Green Buddha” comes from SUSTO’s 2019 album, Ever Since I Lost My Mind, which we interviewed songwriter Justin Osborne about in advance of its release.