Top 10 Sing-Along Pop Songs

One of the great things about pop music is that is catchy lyrics and melodies are perfect for singing along, whether alone in the car or shower, at a karaoke bar, or as part of an audience. Here is a list of 10 favorites that might inspire you the next time you decide to burst into song.

01
of 10

Bon Jovi - 'Livin' On a Prayer' (1986)

Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer

Mercury

Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" stands as one of the genuinely iconic songs of 80s rock. The band performed an acoustic version as part of a concert to help heal after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This was the band's second consecutive No. 1 pop hit single, following "You Give Love a Bad Name," and it was the second in a string of eight consecutive top 10 pop hit singles by the band.

02
of 10

Journey - 'Don't Stop Believin'' (1981)

Journey - Don't Stop Believin'

Columbia

Well before its use in the television smash hit "Glee," this Journey classic was recognized for its sing-along power. The Chicago White Sox used the song as an anthem on their way to the 2005 World Series championship, and it figured prominently in the heavily watched final episode of "The Sopranos" in 2007. In 2008, the song became the first "catalog" recording to sell over two million digital copies. When first released, "Don't Stop Believin'" peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's pop singles chart, Journey's second top 10 hit. The "Glee" cover reached No. 4 on the same chart in 2009. Such is its enduring popularity that its digital sales overall have topped seven million as of 2018—so far, more than any other song recorded in the 1980s.

03
of 10

Neil Diamond - 'Sweet Caroline' (1969)

Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline

MCA

The evolution of Neil Diamond's 1969 No. 4 pop hit single into one of the most popular sing-along songs of all time began at Boston's baseball stadium Fenway Park, where "Sweet Caroline" was used to engage the crowd. It is now a mainstay at all baseball games, a favorite with karaoke singers, and a sure bet with wedding cover bands. To date, it has sold over a million digital copies.

Neil Diamond has stated that his inspiration for writing "Sweet Caroline" was Caroline Kennedy, daughter of ​President John F. Kennedy. Neil Diamond sang it to her as part of her 50th birthday celebration in 2007.

04
of 10

Van Morrison - 'Brown Eyed Girl' (1967)

Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl

Bang Records

"Brown Eyed Girl" is the song that launched Van Morrison's solo career. It went to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and then over time became one of the most frequently played songs on pop radio. 

"Brown Eyed Girl" was one of eight songs recorded over a two-day period in 1967 that were intended to be the A and B sides of four singles. In spite of the song's popularity, the language used in a contract that Morrison signed with Bang Records precluded him from receiving any royalties for writing or recording the song. 

05
of 10

Don McLean - 'American Pie' (1971)

Don McLean - American Pie

United Artists

"Bye, bye Miss American Pie / Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry / And them good ole boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye / Singin' this'll be the day that I die." 

When Don McLean recorded what are now some of the most iconic lyrics in pop music, he was just a young singer-songwriter with only one very minor chart hit to his credit. But once he wrote it, he knew it had the potential to be a hit. He has said in interviews that he wrote the first verse as a way to deal with his grief over the untimely early death of Buddy Holly. He knew it was a "big song" that also summed up a lot about what was happening in America at the time as well. Audiences loved it, and "American Pie" spent four weeks at No. 1 on the pop singles chart.

06
of 10

Beatles - 'Hey Jude' (1968)

Beatles - "Hey Jude"
Beatles - "Hey Jude".

Apple

As the legend goes, Paul McCartney wrote this song to try to cheer up a young Julian Lennon when his parents, John and Cynthia Lennon, were breaking up. Regardless of how it came about, it soon had the world singing along about taking a sad song and making it better.

"Hey Jude" was the first single released on the Beatles' label Apple Records. At seven minutes in length, it was one of the longest pop hit singles of all time. It spent nine weeks at No. 1 and earned Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2013, Billboard named it the 10th "biggest" song of all time.

07
of 10

Billy Joel - 'Piano Man' (1973)

Billy Joel - Piano Man

Columbia

The lyrical context of Billy Joel's classic "Piano Man" is a piano player who is paid to encourage the crowd to join him and sing along. It is a song that fits comfortably into a wide range of settings, from upscale cocktail bars to rowdy juke joints. The lyrics are based on Joel's real-life experiences as a piano player at the Executive Room bar in Los Angeles.

The original recording of "Piano Man" ran approximately five and a half minutes. Columbia Records decided it was too long to release as a single and cut it down to just over three minutes. "Piano Man" climbed to No. 25 on the pop singles chart and reached the top five on the adult contemporary chart.

08
of 10

Rick Springfield - 'Jessie's Girl' (1981)

Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl

RCA

This classic song about lusting after a friend's girlfriend has become one of the most popular of bar sing-alongs. Rick Springfield says that the inspiration was the girlfriend of a friend whom he admired from afar. When "Jessie's Girl" was released, it marked Springfield's return to concentrating on his music career after several years focusing on acting.

"Jessie's Girl" took off slowly, but it eventually went to No. 1 on the pop singles chart. It was Springfield's only No. 1 hit, and it earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal.

09
of 10

Queen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (1975)

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Elektra

When the movie "Wayne's World" showed Wayne and Garth rocking out to this classic in their car, it reflected what so many of us had been doing for the past 15 years. Sure, it's over the top and maybe even a little goofy, but it's also easy to sing along to and full of killer hooks.

Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" reached No. 9 on the U.S. pop singles chart when first released. After the popularity of "Wayne's World," the song returned to the chart and climbed all the way to No. 2.

10
of 10

UB40 - 'Red Red Wine' (1984)

UB40 - Red Red Wine

A&M

"Red Red Wine" was written and first recorded by Neil Diamond, but it is the UB40 version that has become a real sing-along favorite. Their recording reached the pop top 40 on initial release in 1984, but then it returned in 1988 and went all the way to No. 1. The song's lyrics are about drowning one's sorrow over a relationship gone bad—in a bottle of red wine.

UB40 had significant success in the U.S. giving other previously recorded hits the band's particular reggae-style spin. They reached No. 1 again with their version of Elvis Presley's classic "Can't Help Falling In Love." A cover of the Temptations' "The Way You Do the Things You Do" reached No. 11 on the pop singles chart.