3,324 articles
Wade in the Water
Wade in the Water is a traditional African American spiritual with no known author, first published in the 1901 Fisk Jubilee Singers songbook. Its refrain draws on John 5:4; its Underground Railroad code-song reputation lacks historical evidence.
Wagon Wheel (song)
"Wagon Wheel" is a country-folk song co-written by Bob Dylan (1973 chorus "Rock Me Mama") and Ketch Secor; recorded by Old Crow Medicine Show in 2004, and taken to No. 1 and RIAA Diamond certification by Darius Rucker's 2013 cover.
Waiting for Love (Avicii song)
Waiting for Love: 2015 Avicii single from Stories, co-produced with Martin Garrix, uncredited vocals by Simon Aldred of Cherry Ghost, premiered at Ultra 2015, UK peak number 6, lyrics structured around days of the week.
Waiting Room (song)
"Waiting Room" is a 1988 song by the Washington, D.C. post-hardcore band Fugazi, known for its circular bass riff, rhythmic pause, and call-and-response vocals between Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto.
Wake Me Up (Avicii song)
"Wake Me Up" is a 2013 Avicii song, lead single of True, fusing folk and EDM with vocals by Aloe Blacc and guitar by Mike Einziger; No. 1 in over 25 countries, 4x Platinum, over 3 billion Spotify streams.
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a 1984 Wham! single written and produced by George Michael, from a Ridgeley note typo; first UK and US number one for the duo, from Make It Big.
Wake Me Up When September Ends
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a Green Day song, track 11 on the 2004 album American Idiot and a 2005 single, written by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool about the September 1982 death of Armstrong's father.
Walk Like an Egyptian
Walk Like an Egyptian is a 1986 hit by The Bangles, written by Liam Sternberg and produced by David Kahne for Different Light; it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, peaked at number 3 in the UK, and popularized a stiff-armed dance pose.
Walk of Fame (song)
Walk of Fame is a 2025 song by Miley Cyrus featuring Brittany Howard, track 9 on Something Beautiful, a six-minute disco-rock/hi-NRG single released May 28, 2025 on Columbia.
Walk on the Wild Side (Lou Reed song)
Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed's 1972 single from Transformer, produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, portrays five real Warhol Factory figures; it peaked at UK number 10 and US number 16 and was Reed's only top-ten hit.
Walk This Way
Walk This Way: Aerosmith song by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, 1975 on Toys in the Attic; its 1986 Run-DMC cover produced by Rick Rubin peaked at No. 4, first rap Top 10 hit.
Walking in Memphis
"Walking in Memphis" is Marc Cohn's 1991 gospel-piano hit from his Atlantic debut album, written after a 1985 Memphis trip to cure writer's block; it peaked at No. 13 in the US, won Cohn the 1992 Best New Artist Grammy, and was later covered by Cher (1995) and Lonestar (2003).
Walking in the Air
"Walking in the Air" is a song written by Howard Blake for the 1982 animated film The Snowman, accompanying the snowman's flight with the boy.
Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song)
"Walking on Sunshine" is a 1985 pop hit by Katrina and the Waves, written by Kimberley Rew and sung by Katrina Leskanich. First recorded in 1983 for a Canada-only debut, the Scott Litt-mixed 1985 re-recording reached No. 8 in the UK and No. 9 in the US.
Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda, Australia's unofficial national anthem, is an 1895 folk song with lyrics by Banjo Paterson and melody attributed to Christina Macpherson, written at Dagworth Station near Winton, Queensland, and recorded over 600 times.
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a Michael Jackson song from Thriller, produced with Quincy Jones and released as the album's fourth UK single in May 1983 on Epic Records.
Wannabe
Wannabe, Spice Girls debut single released 8 July 1996 on Virgin; seven weeks at UK Number 1, 31 countries, US Hot 100 Number 1 in 1997; written with Stannard and Rowe, the launch of Girl Power.
Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi song)
Wanted Dead or Alive: 1986 Bon Jovi power ballad written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, third single from Slippery When Wet, a cowboy-themed road song that peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and inspired MTV Unplugged via the 1989 VMAs acoustic set.
War (The Temptations song)
"War" is a 1970 anti-Vietnam War protest song by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, first recorded by the Temptations but made a three-week No. 1 hit by Edwin Starr.
War Pigs
War Pigs is Black Sabbath's anti-war opening track on Paranoid (1970), originally titled Walpurgis; Geezer Butler's lyrics attack Vietnam War profiteers, and the album was renamed after the last-minute hit single Paranoid.
Wasted Love
Wasted Love is JJ's (Johannes Pietsch) operatic pop song with a techno ending that won Eurovision 2025 in Basel for Austria with 436 points, the country's third win.
Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)
"Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" is Silentó's 2015 debut single and dance-instruction hit; it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, went RIAA gold, and drove 2015's viral whip and nae nae dance craze.
Watch the Party Die
Watch the Party Die is the fan-given name of an untitled Kendrick Lamar song released on Instagram on September 11, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET as the VMAs began; his first release since "Not Like Us," critiquing the music industry.
Water Under the Bridge
"Water Under the Bridge" is a song by Adele, co-written and produced by Greg Kurstin. It was released on November 4, 2016, as the final single from her album 25.
Waterfalls (TLC song)
"Waterfalls" (1995) by TLC, from CrazySexyCool, written by Left Eye Lopes, Marqueze Etheridge, and Organized Noize; Billboard Hot 100 number one, first No. 1 song referencing AIDS, four 1995 MTV VMAs.
Watermelon Sugar
"Watermelon Sugar" is a song by English singer Harry Styles from his 2019 album Fine Line, re-released as a single in 2020 and winner of the 2021 Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Wavin' Flag
Wavin' Flag: 2009 song by Somali-Canadian rapper K'naan from the album Troubadour, written with Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Jean Daval; reworked as the Coca-Cola Celebration Mix anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and a Haitian charity single.
WDA (Whole Different Animal)
"WDA (Whole Different Animal)" is a 2026 hip-hop dance single by K-pop girl group aespa featuring G-DRAGON, released May 11, 2026 as a pre-release single of the album LEMONADE, peaking at number 4 on Billboard Taiwan.
We Are Charlie Kirk
We Are Charlie Kirk is an AI-generated gospel power ballad credited to anonymous act Spalexma, released September 16, 2025, six days after Charlie Kirk's assassination; it topped Spotify's Viral 50 Global chart and became a viral ironic meme.
We Are Family (song)
"We Are Family" is a 1979 disco song written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for Sister Sledge, peaking at No. 2 Hot 100 and No. 1 R&B, adopted by the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates and the LGBT community, and added to the National Recording Registry in 2016.