180+ Songs With Numbers in the Title

Carson suffers from a serious case of melophilia. Geeking out on her favorite music artists is her guilty pleasure.

There's no shortage of songs with numbers in their titles. What I find most interesting about these songs is the link between music and math. Back in school, I used to think that if you were good at math, then you must be terrible at music. I was like that, so I thought most people were.

As I listened to more and more songs, however, I found that all musical pieces have patterns. These patterns connect math and music (we all know that they make for an awesome combination). I could go on and on, but that's a topic for another article.

For now, let's check out some popular songs with numbers in their titles and explore what they mean.

Songs With the Number One in the Title

Song Title: "10,000 hours"

Song Artist: Dan + Shay, Justin Bieber

Song Year: 2019

A geek may be the last thing you'd think of when trying to describe songwriters. But, sometimes, they can be the geekiest. This song is a perfect example. The title was inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's book, which explains that it takes a person 10,000 hours to become a master of his craft. Justin Bieber and Dan + Shay put a romantic twist on this idea, writing a catchy piece of music that sticks in your head.

Songs With the Number One in Them

Songs With the Number Two in the Title

Song Title: "20 Years From Now"

Song Artist: New Found Glory

Song Year: 2017

Lead guitarist Chad Gilbert explained in an interview that this song was the culmination of all the things the band had learned after performing for over 20 years. He said that, as you reflect on your life, you realize that wasting time on arguments, pride, and worrying about the little things won't change anything. They wanted this song to encourage people to let go and live life with true freedom.

Songs With the Number Two in Them

Songs With the Number Three in the Title

Song Title: "3"

Song Artist: Britney Spears

Song Year: 2009

While there are plenty of songs with numbers in the title, only a few are as controversial as this song by Britney Spears. The reason is simple: It refers to a sexual act involving three people. Many people find it surprising when they learn the true meaning behind the song's lyrics. But even with its provocative theme, the song proved to be a huge hit. It was the first one-digit song to top the Hot 100.

Songs With the Number Three in Them

Songs With the Number Four in the Title

Song Title: "4 Minutes"

Song Artist: Madonna

Song Year: 2008

I love this song because it was written by two of my favorite artists, Madonna and Justin Timberlake. Madonna always has nice things to say when she's collaborating with Justin. She shared that, before writing a song, the two talk about situations from their lives, relationships with people, and problems in society. This song is named "4 Minutes" because that's the length of the song. There's an interesting buildup toward the end, but it cuts off suddenly at that 4-minute mark.

Songs With the Number Four in Them

Songs With the Number Five in the Title

Song Title: "Mambo No. 5"

Song Artist: Lou Bega

Song year: 1999

While Lou Bega popularized this song, it was actually the King of the Mambo, Perez Prado, who debuted it in 1952. Bega added lyrics to the original, mentioning a lot of different women (who were, supposedly, his former girlfriends). He said that all he wanted from the song was to make people happy through its sexual and energetic theme.

Songs With the Number Five in Them

Songs With the Number Six in the Title

Song Title: "Six Feet Under"

Song Artist: The Weeknd

Song Year: 2016

We all know what "six feet under" means. But, this song puts a unique spin on the saying. This song is about a prostitute who would do anything for money. She doesn't care about her clients one bit. All she wants is to have more money in her pocket and to get rich. When you think about it, this is a very sad song. It depicts someone who struggles to find the balance between amassing fortune and doing what society deems as acceptable.

Songs With the Number Six in Them

Songs With Number Seven in the Title

Song Title: "7 Years"

Song Artist: Lukas Graham

Song Year: 2015

I didn't think much of this song until I learned about what inspired the band to write it. According to the band's lead vocalist, Lukas Forchhammer, the song was about the hard things he went through in life and who he hopes to become in the coming years. He said that it was primarily about his goal of being a good father. Lukas continued by describing his father as a "cool dad." He wants to be just like him.

Songs With the Number Seven in Them

Songs With the Number Eight in the Title

Song Title: "Eight Days a Week"

Song Artist: The Beatles

Song Year: 1964

This is probably one of the most famous songs with numbers in its title. Given that it's a Beatles song, that's not too surprising. Paul McCartney said that it was Ringo who came up with the phrase "eight days a week," and all of them knew it would make for a great song title. While millions of fans love the song, John Lennon said it wasn't good and that the band struggled to record it.

Songs With the Number Eight in Them

Songs With the Number Nine in the Title

Song Title: "Nine in the Afternoon"

Song Artist: Panic! At the Disco

Song Year: 2008

This is the kind of song that gets stuck in your head the first time you listen to it—and that's exactly what the band wanted. According to guitarist Ryan Ross, they wanted to write a song about the things that happened over the past few years, looking at them from a positive standpoint. The song clearly talks about the band, the old music that inspired them, and the criticism they received after changing their sound (no longer sounding like a pop punk band).

Songs With the Number Nine in Them

Comments

Mitch-1 on May 01, 2020:

Huh, I thought these songs would definitely be on here, but here they are I guess:

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

1985 - Bowling For Soup

I Would Die 4 U - Prince

Liz Westwood from UK on April 18, 2020:

I hadn't realised that there were so many. This is a good list.