10 Best Songs With The Word 'Beat' In The Title

Feature Photo: U2start, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The word “beat” can mean rhythm, movement, victory, struggle, or the simple pulse that keeps a song alive. That range makes it a perfect word for rock and pop titles because every artist can take it somewhere different. Some of the songs on this list are built around the musical beat itself, while others use the word to describe love, endurance, or confrontation. The selections move from 1960s pop and early punk to country songwriting, new wave, arena rock, and one of the biggest pop-rock records ever made. These ten songs show just how many directions one word can take.

# 10 – The Beat Goes On – Sonny And Cher

“The Beat Goes On” became one of Sonny & Cher’s defining records when it climbed to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. Sonny Bono wrote and produced the song, which also appeared on the duo’s album In Case You’re in Love. The lyric watches fashion, money, youth, and culture keep changing while human behavior somehow keeps repeating itself. The famous bass pattern gives the record a cool, hypnotic groove that separates it from the duo’s more dramatic hits. “The Beat Goes On” still sounds effortless, and that steady pulse makes it a perfect song to open this list.

Read More: Top 10 Sonny & Cher Songs

# 9 – Beat On The Brat – The Ramones

“Beat on the Brat” comes from the Ramones’ revolutionary 1976 self-titled debut album. Joey Ramone wrote the song, and the band recorded it at Plaza Sound in New York during the January 1976 sessions that produced the album. Craig Leon and Tommy Ramone produced a record built around speed, simplicity, humor, and almost no unnecessary decoration. “Beat on the Brat” takes an absurdly blunt title and turns it into two minutes of catchy punk rock that could only have come from the Ramones. The song remains one of the clearest examples of how the band made something unforgettable out of the most basic possible ingredients.

Read More: 11 Essential Ramones Songs

# 8 – Eat To The Beat – Blondie

“Eat to the Beat” is the title track from Blondie’s 1979 fourth studio album. Mike Chapman produced the record as the band followed the enormous success of Parallel Lines with another album that moved easily between rock, pop, new wave, disco, and punk. The title track has a fast, restless energy that fits an album built around constant stylistic movement. Eat to the Beat reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Platinum in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The song itself was never one of the album’s major singles, but it captures Blondie sounding playful, sharp, and completely comfortable ignoring genre boundaries.

Read More: Top 10 Blondie Songs

# 7 – Quick Is The Beat Of My Heart – Styx

“Quick Is the Beat of My Heart” comes from Styx’s 1972 debut album, Styx. Lewis Mark wrote the song, while James Young handled the lead vocal. Bill Traut and John Ryan produced the album during the Wooden Nickel period, years before Styx developed the polished arena-rock sound that would make the band famous. The track has a darker, more unsettled mood than the big hits that came later, giving listeners a glimpse of a group still figuring out exactly what it wanted to become. “Quick Is the Beat of My Heart” earns its place here as a deep cut from the very beginning of the Styx story.

Read More: Top 10 Styx Songs

# 6 – We Got The Beat – The Go-Go’s

VH1 Behind The Music - Go-Go's Collection

“We Got the Beat” became one of the Go-Go’s biggest hits and one of the defining singles of the early 1980s. Charlotte Caffey wrote the song, and the band first recorded an earlier version before cutting the familiar version for the 1981 debut album Beauty and the Beat. Richard Gottehrer and Rob Freeman produced the album recording, with Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Gina Schock supplying the entire band performance. The single climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1982 and helped turn Beauty and the Beat into a number-one album. “We Got the Beat” is simple, fast, and ridiculously infectious, which is exactly why it still works.

Read More: Top 10 Go-Go’s Songs

# 5 – With Every Beat Of My Heart – Taylor Dayne

“With Every Beat of My Heart” was released in October 1989 as the lead single from Taylor Dayne’s second studio album, Can’t Fight Fate. Lotti Golden, Tommy Faragher, and Arthur Baker wrote the song, while Ric Wake produced the recording. The track keeps Dayne’s powerful voice at the center of a polished dance-pop arrangement that still leaves room for the romantic lyric to land. It became her fifth consecutive Top 10 single in the United States, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100. “With Every Beat of My Heart” captures Dayne at the height of the run that made her one of the most recognizable pop voices of the late 1980s.

Read More: Top 10 Taylor Dayne Songs

# 4 – To Beat The Devil – Kris Kristofferson

“To Beat the Devil” appeared on Kris Kristofferson’s 1970 debut album, Kristofferson. The song tells the story of a struggling songwriter facing hunger, doubt, rejection, and the temptation to give up. Kristofferson delivers much of it like a conversation, allowing the storytelling to carry more weight than any polished studio trick could have added. The debut album also contained songs such as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” showing just how strong his writing already was. “To Beat the Devil” remains one of his most personal early songs because it turns the difficult life of a songwriter into a story about refusing to surrender.

Read More: Top 10 Kris Kristofferson Songs

# 3 – Two Hearts Beat As One – U2

“Two Hearts Beat as One” comes from U2’s 1983 album War and was released as its second single on March 21, 1983. Steve Lillywhite produced the recording at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin during the sessions that pushed U2 into a much bigger international audience. Adam Clayton’s bass and Larry Mullen Jr.’s drums give the song a physical pulse while The Edge builds sharp guitar textures around Bono’s vocal. U2’s official history notes that Bono wrote the song on his honeymoon, which gives its urgency a more personal source than some of the political material surrounding it on War. “Two Hearts Beat as One” remains one of the most energetic songs from the band’s early years.

Read More: Top 10 U2 Songs

# 2 – Beat Of Your Drum – David Bowie

“Beat of Your Drum” appears on David Bowie’s 1987 album Never Let Me Down. Bowie produced the album with David Richards, combining the glossy scale of mid-1980s pop production with a renewed emphasis on guitars. “Beat of Your Drum” is the third track on the original album and features a guest guitar solo from Peter Frampton. The song moves from dark, restrained verses into a huge chorus, creating one of the record’s strongest contrasts. “Beat of Your Drum” may come from one of Bowie’s most debated albums, but the track has enough strange energy to stand on its own.

Read More: 10 Best David Bowie Songs

# 1 – Beat It – Michael Jackson with Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather

“Beat It” takes the number-one spot because Michael Jackson created a genuine rock record without losing any of the rhythmic precision that made Thriller a pop masterpiece. Jackson wrote the song, Quincy Jones produced it, and Jackson served as co-producer. Steve Lukather plays guitars and bass on the recording, Jeff Porcaro handles the drums, and Eddie Van Halen delivers the guitar solo that became one of the most famous guest performances in pop history. Released as a single in early 1983, “Beat It” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks. The song brought rock guitar, pop songwriting, dance rhythm, and MTV-era visual storytelling together in a way that almost nobody had done before. More than four decades later, “Beat It” still sounds enormous, which is why it belongs at number one.

Read More: Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs