The Themes Most Covered In Music & Which Are The Best

There are some topics in music that are covered time and time again. No matter what the genre, we find discussions around them relatable and in music finding a connection is the most important thing. 

But what are the themes that are found most frequently in music? And what are the best songs when it comes to them? We decided to delve deep into some of the more common topics of conversation in song lyrics to find out…

Love

Love is of course the main topic of conversation for pretty much any artist, and in all type of contexts too. From The Beatles to Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran to The Buzzcocks, all have discussed love at some point in their careers.

That’s because everyone experiences it. Whether it be with a partner, a pet, a hobby, love is all around us, to quote Wet Wet Wet.

When it comes to the very best love songs, we took inspiration from TimeOut’s 50 best love songs of all time, which named the following in the top 10…

1. This Magic Moment – The Drifters
2. Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
3. Unchained Melody – the Righteous Brothers
4. Slow Show – The National
5. At Last – Etta James
6. Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
7. God Only Knows – the Beach Boys
8. Be My Baby – the Ronettes
9. Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. Something – The Beatles

Heartbreak

Of course, often with love comes heartbreak and there are plenty of artists out there that simply love to sing about it. Adele’s albums are choc-a-bloc with heartbreak songs, while Taylor Swift finds virtually all her inspiration from break-ups. 

They’re the perfect songs to put on when we’re going through our own difficult times, sobbing away in a corner to the likes of Mariah Carey or Gloria Gaynor. But what are the best heartbreak songs? Popular magazine Country Living ran through their top 10:

1. Because of You – Kelly Clarkson
2. We Belong Together – Mariah Carey
3. I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz
4. When I Was Your Man – Bruno Mars
5. A Drop In The Ocean – Ron Pope
6. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
7. Stay With Me – Sam Smith
8. Dreaming With A Broken Heart – John Mayer
9. Goodbye In Her Eyes – Zac Brown Band
10. Lose You To Love Me – Selena Gomez

Gambling

Gambling songs are up there with some of the most unique and some of the best. Over the years there have been some huge hits, while many artists are still writing about them today, with online casino sites like casino777.nl as popular as ever, meaning it’s still a hugely relatable subject.

While we’re not seeing any songs about playing slots on your mobile or playing roulette in virtual reality just yet, there have been some pop classics over the last few years from the likes of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, however. Sometimes, the old ones are the best ones though and that’s certainly the case with Gambling.com’s top 10…

1. Black Queen – Stephen Stills
2. Mr Mudd and Mr Gold – Townes van Zandt
3. Gamblin’ Man – Lonnie Donegan
4. Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts – Bob Dylan
5. Gambler’s Blues – B.B. King
6. The Jack – AC/DC
7. The Card Cheat – The Clash
8. Rambling, Gambling Willie – Bob Dylan
9. Go Down Gamblin’ – Blood Sweat and Tears
10. Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley

Drinking

While it’s not big or it’s not clever, alcohol is also a hugely popular subject matter in popular music, drinking until the sun comes up, partying all night long…yada yada.

They’re often either party anthems or darker blues songs, and it really is a subject that does cover all genres of music as you’ll establish from this top 10 put together by TimeOut magazine…

1. Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys
2. Streams of Whiskey – The Pogues
3. Gin & Juice – Snoop Dogg
4. White Lightning – George Jones
5. Lilac Wine – Nina Simone
6. Whiskey River – Willie Nelson
7. Tequila – the Champs
8. Too Drunk to F*ck – Dead Kennedys
9. Sippin on Some Syrup – Three 6 Mafia
10. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) – The Doors