50 Awesome Song Titles To Use As Writing Prompts

50 Awesome Song Titles To Use As Writing Prompts

Because Writers Write is a resource for writers, we’ve put together a list of awesome song titles for you to use as writing prompts.

Writing prompts are an excellent way to exercise the writing muscle. Writing prompts are suggestions for writers. They are usually words, images, or sentences that describe an idea or a situation. They give writers a starting point.

We also post a daily writing prompt on our Facebook page. If you want to receive a daily prompt, click here to join our mailing list.

50 Song Titles That Ask Questions

We thought lyric titles that pose a question might be an interesting way to choose writing prompts.

If you have a writing group:

  1. Print these titles.
  2. Cut them into one-liners.
  3. Get everybody to pick one from a box.
  4. Or ask people to choose a number from 1-50.

Exercise: Answer the question by free writing for five minutes.

50 Awesome Song Titles To Use As Writing Prompts

[Download the list: 50 Song Titles To Use As Writing Prompts]

  1. Am I Going Crazy? – Korn
  2. Are You The Hypnotist? – Flaming Lips
  3. Baby, Can I Hold You Tonight? – Tracy Chapman
  4. Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’? – Rolling Stones
  5. Do You Believe In Life After Love? – Cher
  6. Do You Believe In Rapture? – Sonic Youth
  7. Do You Know The Way To San Jose? – Dionne Warwick
  8. Do You Love Me? – The Contours
  9. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? – Culture Club
  10. Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio? – Ramones
  11. Have I Told You Lately? – Van Morrison
  12. Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? – Bryan Adams
  13. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival
  14. Have You Seen Her? – Chi-Lites
  15. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby? – Rolling Stones
  16. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? – BeeGees
  17. How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I’ve Been A Liar All My Life – Fred Astaire
  18. How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? – Patti Page
  19. Life On Mars? – David Bowie
  20. Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now? – The Clash
  21. What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted? Jimmy Ruffin
  22. What Does T.S. Eliot Know About You? – East River Pipe
  23. What Happened To You? – The Offspring
  24. What If God Was One Of Us? – Joan Osborne
  25. What Time Is It? – Spin Doctors
  26. What You Waiting For? – Gwen Stefani
  27. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? – R.E.M.
  28. What’s My Age Again? – Blink 182
  29. What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love, And Understanding? – Elvis Costello
  30. Where Does The Ocean Go? – Katie Mellua
  31. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone – Paula Cole
  32. Which One Of Us Is The Fool? – Robert Palmer
  33. Who Are You? – The Who
  34. Who Do You Think You Are? – Spice Girls
  35. Who Makes You Feel? – Dido
  36. Who Wants To Live Forever? – Queen
  37. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses? – U2
  38. Who’s Your Daddy?– Toby Keith
  39. Who’s Crying Now? – Journey
  40. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? – Shania Twain
  41. Why Can’t This Be Love? – Vanhalen
  42. Why Can’t We Be Friends? – War
  43. Why Do Fools Fall In Love? – Diana Ross
  44. Why Do I Keep Counting? – The Killers
  45. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? – Moby
  46. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? – The Beatles
  47. Will You Marry Me? – Paula Abdul
  48. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? – The Shirelles
  49. Would I Lie To You? – The Eurythmics
  50. Wouldn’t It Be Nice? – The Beach Boys

Writing every day is good for you. As we say at Writers Write: ‘A page a day keeps insanity at bay.‘ If you have any interesting lyric titles, please share them with us in the comments section below.

Top Tip: If you want to learn how to write a book, sign up for our online course.

by Amanda Patterson

© Amanda Patterson

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Posted on: 5th January 2014
(189,504 views)

28 thoughts on “50 Awesome Song Titles To Use As Writing Prompts”

  14. Judith Gadbois

    Don’t Fence Me In was by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. It’s been almost a motto for me for 70 years.

  16. Mary Beth Jennings

    “Don’t Fence Me In” was written by Cole Porter and originally recorded by Will Rogers. It is also not a question, which makes it ineligible for this exercise.

  17. Taylor

    Viva Las Vegas -Elvis ….. Keep My Heart Alive -Tenth Avenue North ….. Getcha’ Head in The Game -Hsm 1 ….. I could name a ton…..

  18. Morgan

    Hello My Name Is -Matthew West
    Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go -Wham!
    A Few of My Favourite Things -from The Sound of Music
    I’m Unashamed of You -Chris August

  19. Georgiana Wright

    Oh my so many titles, so little space! “Knock”, Imelda May, “Give That Old Fashioned Morphine” Jolie Holland, “You’re Heart is as Black as Night” Melody Gardot.

  20. Stefani

    If not now, Tracy Chapman. The whole line goes, “if not now, then when”.

    I often find that I use lines from my favorite songs as writing cues, not necessarily the titles.

  23. Bill Gordon

    I’ve Got Tears in My Ears from Lying on My Back in My Bed While I Cry Over You
    ~ Homer and Jethro

  24. Sandra Alexander

    The Crystal Method – “Smile?”
    I’d also add “Sunset Neon” by Blue Stahli although it’s not a question, because of the mood. 🙂

  26. DL Kirkwood

    Fifty of my own make 100. 🙂

    A Room Full of Roses – Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
    Annie Don’t Live Here Anymore – Eartha Kitt
    Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – The Andrew Sisters
    Brown Shoes Don’t Make It – Frank Zappa
    By the Fields of Babylon – Boney M
    Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen
    Do You Think I’m Sexy – Rod Stewart
    Don’t Take Your Guns to Town – Johnny Cash
    Eight Mies High – The Byrds
    Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
    Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
    Happy Together – The Turtles
    Hello, I Love You – The Doors
    How Deep is Your Love – The Bee Gees
    (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones
    I Had Too Much to Dream Last NIght – The Electric Prunes
    I Ran (So Far Away) – Flock of Seagulls I’d Rather Go Blind – Etta James
    I know You’re Out There Somewhere – Moody Blues
    I Wish It Woud Rain – The Temptations
    I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight – Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
    I’m a Fool to Want you – Billie Holiday
    I’m Your Man – Leonard Cohen
    It’s Only Make Believe – Conway Twitty
    In the Year 2525 – Zagger and Evans
    Knick Knack Man – Cartoone
    Lonely Girl – The Chi-lites
    Look Through Any Window – The Hollies
    Lovely Rita, Meter Maid – The Beatles
    Mary, Did You Know? – multiple artists
    One Way Or Another – Blondie
    She’s Not There – The Zombies
    Sir Geoffrey Saved the World – The Bee Gees
    Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
    Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
    Snakes Crawl at NIght – Charlie Pride
    Take Time To Know Her – Percy Sledge
    The Air That I Breathe – The Hollies
    The Butcher Boy – The Andrew Sisters
    The House of the Rising Sun – Eric Burdon and the Animals
    The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
    Those Were the Days – Mary Hopkins
    Two Lovers – Mary Wells
    Turning Japanese – The Vapors
    Under the Bridges of Paris – Eartha Kitt
    Valley of the Dolls – Dionne Warrick
    We Gotta Get Outta This Place – Eric Burdon and the Animals
    Where Did Our Love Go – The Supremes
    Who Are the Brain Police? – Frank Zappa
    Who Can It Be Now? – Men at Work
    You Should Hear How She Talks About You – Melissa Manchester.

  27. hello

    Um, shouldn’t there should be some modern songs here, too? Like…uh…maybe from the 2010’s? Not everyone is ancient.

  28. Writers Write

    Please add whichever ones you want in the comments section. Please remember they should be lyric titles that ask a question.

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