10 Songs with Girl in the Title You’ll Really Love

If you’re looking for great songs with girl in the title, look no further, as we will provide you with our favorite songs that are all about strength, empowerment, and just having some good ol’ fashioned fun.

Songs with Girl in the Title You Will Enjoy

Lets begin with a classic Cyndi Lauper track.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper

Everybody knows “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is an iconic feminist anthem that marked the first and biggest single of Cyndi Lauper’s career, but did you know it was actually a cover?

The original “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was released in 1979 by a relatively unknown artist named Robert Hazard who had predominantly done country music before following the electro-pop trend into the ‘80s.

Nonetheless, Lauper’s version is the definitive version because it is instantly recognizable and all-around a fun bop for any party atmosphere. The music is upbeat and Lauper’s bubbly vocals pull you up out of your seat and onto the dance floor every time.

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Material Girl by Madonna

Madonna already had established herself as an act to keep an eye on following the success of her self-titled debut in 1983, but she upped the ante and carved out her place in history when her second studio album, Like a Virgin, came out in 1984. The album featured title track “Like a Virgin” and iconic “Material Girl”, which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned her a new lifelong nickname.

Musically, it is an infectiously catchy tune that fuses dance and synth parts along with a bumping beat and a quirky robot voice that informs us that we are “living in a material world,” all the while Madonna sings about materialism and the finer things in life.

Madonna actually denied claims that she is materialistic and wishes the nickname didn’t stick, especially since she did not write the song. Either way, it’s an iconic classic and helped establish her as a legendary name in pop music.

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Bad Girls by Donna Summer

“Toot toot! Hey! Beep beep!”

There are few songs that make the subject of prostitution as fun as Donna Summer does on her 1979 disco classic “Bad Girls”. Summer got inspiration to write the song after witnessing an employee of Casablanca Records be harassed by a police officer who assumed her to be a prostitute.

The lyrics and music keep things light and fun, portraying the street walkers as ravenous business women challenging their customers to pony up the dough if they “wanna get down,” while simultaneously hinting that these “bad girls” are also “sad girls” who “live everybody else…wanna be a star.” Overall, it adds depth to the characters that may be overlooked amidst the lighthearted presentation.

After all, this song is disco fire. It’s a guitar-strumming, horn-blasting, whistle-blowing, bass-bumping, high-hat riding disco delight, and it’s guaranteed to get you grooving all night.

With such a vibrant single, it’s no wonder the song rapidly topped charts in over seven countries and sold two million copies, making it one of Donna Summer’s most successful songs of her whole career.

Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys

“Girl on Fire” is the lead single from Alicia Keys’ 2012 album of the same name. It’s a soulful R & B ballad backed by bombastic drum beats borrowed from Billy Squier’s “The Big Beat” and Keys’ powerful vocal presence tying it all together. 

The song performed well upon release, peaking at number 2 on the Hot R & B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. It achieved astonishing international success by clinching top spots in Austria, South Korea, and Slovakia, as well as high chart positions in more than 20 other countries.

Lyrically, “Girl on Fire” is an anthem of empowerment. The girl described in the song by Keys is passionate and courageous. She’s “got her head her head in the clouds, and she’s not backing down.” She knows the sky’s the limit and she is capable of great things if she only believes.

There is a realistic element as well, because “nobody knows that she’s a lonely girl.” She’s a fire and a force to be reckoned with on the surface, but she’s also lonely and fallible like the rest of us. 

Keys teaches us that even in the face of self-doubt and adversity, you always must shoot for the stars and strive to do your best every day.

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Just a Girl by No Doubt

No Doubt was enjoying some success on their first two albums when they dropped 1995’s Tragic Kingdom and the lead single “Just a Girl.” Almost immediately, the modest success story that No Doubt was developing blew up into an almost overnight success with “Just a Girl” and subsequent hits like “Spiderwebs” and “Don’t Speak.”

What made “Just a Girl” and other No Doubt singles from this period so unique was the blend of pop sensibility with alt-rock instrumentation and occasional nuances of ska. We get pop production values for a glossy finish, singer Gwen Stefani’s distinct vocal trills, high-hat heavy drum parts, and full-bodied guitar effects.

Lyrically, the song received much acclaim for the feminist lyrics and tongue-in-cheek humor. Stefani sarcastically comments that she’s “just a girl” so society expects that she’ll be naive and need to hold hands with a man to weather the challenges of the real world. 

With all these ridiculous expectations, she’s “had it up to here” and rejects their notions of what it means to be female. Just because she’s “just a girl” doesn’t mean she isn’t just as capable as anyone else.

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I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman by Britney Spears

Britney Spears had well-established herself as 2000’s resident pop princess by the time her third studio album Britney was released. The album absolutely capitalized on all the things that had helped her become the superstar that she was at that time, featuring singles like “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “Overprotected.”

“I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” was the third single from the album that slowed things down and traded the upbeat dance vibes for a powerful coming-of-age ballad speaking to the hard life lessons Britney was learning firsthand.

Britney acknowledges that she “used to think [she] had the answers to everything,” but experience has taught her that “life doesn’t always go [her] way.” She’s no longer a naive young girl, but also not yet a fully realized, confident, self-assured woman.

Although she’s in between, she asks not to be sheltered or protected. She wants the opportunity to face things on her own so she can learn and grow as a person. Although it’s often not regarded as one of Britney’s more iconic singles, it’s still an excellent song with a relatable message and theme.

What a Girl Wants by Christina Aguilera

When thinking of the household names in pop music in the early 2000-era, Christina Aguilera is one of the first to come to mind. “What a Girl Wants” was released in late 1999 as her second single, rapidly topping the Billboard Hot 100 and marking the first number one song for the year 2000.

Musically, there’s a lot of care taken in the instrumentation from synth strings to keyboard chords to an occasional guitar strumming, but all is overshadowed by a bass beat that all but punches you in the face.

Aguilera sings a song of gratitude as the person she’s singing to, presumably a lover, was kind, patient, and understanding while she took time deciding if she truly wanted to be with them. Because of this, she knows that she’s found “somebody sensitive, courageous, sexy, cool” and is “thanking [them] for knowing exactly what a girl wants, what a girl needs.”

The final chorus is especially triumphant as Aguilera lets loose over the backing vocals and shows her exceptional range. Although it was early in her career, many found the performance similar in style to other great singers of the time like Mariah Carey, and forecasted that Aguilera would soon be a superstar.

They were correct.

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I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry

“I Kissed a Girl” hailed from Perry’s second studio album as the lead single, but marked the true beginning of her massive commercial success by dominating radio airwaves as well as the bar and nightclub scene.

Some critics lambasted Perry’s seemingly flippant approach to LGBTQ themes in the lyrics, but the song is generally lauded for raising awareness to a larger audience. 

That audience was very large, as the song held the number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks; an admirable feat for an established act but even more astounding since Perry was brand new on the scene.

It’s a provocative dance tune with a great beat, stellar instrumentation and production value, and more than a few memorable lines. Tell me you don’t think of this song every time someone says “cherry chapstick.”

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Lovesick Girls by Blackpink

K-pop has never been bigger as a genre than now in the early 2020-era, and few acts could contend with the massive success and following that K-pop quartet Blackpink commands.

“Lovesick Girls” is the third single from the highly acclaimed and greatly anticipated 2020 release The Album where the girls sing about heartache, pain, and the relentless pursuit to find love even though they “were born to be alone.” Within 24 hours of its release, the music video racked up over 61 million views, making it one of the biggest video debuts of all time.

It’s a fun song with its bubblegum pop elements fused with high production and smart attention to detail. The group ping pongs between English and Korean, as well as rap-type vocals from Jenny and Lisa while singers Rosé and Jisoo show range and emotion on their parts.

Blackpink juxtaposes the heartache with upbeat dance vibes that subconsciously show the listener that, despite the pain, everything will be just fine in the end. Overall, it presents as an anthemic song of triumph rather than misery.

Between the careful attention to the music, the vocal talent and tight dance performances of the group, and the colorful and eclectic fashion sense that pervades every scene and sequence in the music video, it’s almost easy to explain the phenomenon that is Blackpink.

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Only Girl (In The World) by Rihanna

“Only Girl (In The World)” is the lead single from Rihanna’s fifth studio album, Loud, and showcased more of her raw talent and irrefutable confidence. It was a global commercial success reaching the number 1 spot in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland, while also clinching top 5 honors in France, Germany, and Switzerland. The song would also earn her a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Recording in 2011.

Critics were delighted to see Rihanna move past some of the darker themes present on her previous studio album, Rated R, and return to more lighthearted dance-pop subjects. On “Only Girl (In The World)”, it may seem at a glance that Rihanna is looking for the man to validate her, but it is actually quite the opposite.

“I’m the only one that’s in command ‘cause I’m the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man.”

Rihanna exudes confidence and swagger in every verse, every line, every single note she sings just emanates pure power. The song is driven forward by a low-tone bass synthesizer erupting into a triumphant chorus where the boom-clap rhythm pauses for mere moments before the big drop back into the beat.

It’s a great example of what makes Rihanna as a singer, songwriter, and performer so distinguished and so special.

Conclusion

There are plenty of songs with girl in the title ranging from Franki Valli to the Beastie Boys to Flo Rida, but we felt it more appropriate to showcase the finest female talents the music industry has seen.

There’s a reason why artists like Madonna, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, and Gwen Stefani garnered universal acclaim because they created music that illustrated top-tier talent in an industry and a world that constantly, whether subconsciously or overtly, works against women to uphold the patriarchy.

These songs challenge that notion and seek to break it down, so we can create a more inclusive and more truly equal world together.

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