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

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The word “feel” gets right to the heart of what so much great rock and roll is about. A title built around feeling can mean romance, excitement, memory, desire, confidence, or something much harder to explain. This list moves from soul and singer-songwriter classics to hard rock, soft rock, and some of the biggest records of the 1970s. A few of these songs changed the sound of popular music, while others simply captured an emotion so perfectly that people never stopped playing them. These ten recordings show how much musical ground one small word can cover.

# 10 – Do You Feel Like We Do (Live) – Peter Frampton

“Do You Feel Like We Do” first appeared on Peter Frampton’s 1973 album Frampton’s Camel, but the live version turned it into a rock classic. Frampton recorded the famous Frampton Comes Alive! performance at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on June 14, 1975. The extended arrangement gives the band plenty of room to stretch while Frampton moves between guitar solos, vocals, and the talk box that became inseparable from his stage sound. Released on the 1976 live album, the performance helped transform Frampton from a respected guitarist into one of the decade’s biggest stars. Few live recordings are so closely connected with an artist’s entire career, which makes “Do You Feel Like We Do” a natural way to open this list.

Read More: Top 10 Peter Frampton Songs

# 9 – Peaceful Easy Feeling – The Eagles

Eagles - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 by Eagles

“Peaceful Easy Feeling” comes from the Eagles’ 1972 self-titled debut album and helped establish the sound of the band’s earliest records. Jack Tempchin wrote the song, while Glyn Johns produced the recording at Olympic Sound Studios in London. Glenn Frey sings the lead vocal, with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner helping create the harmonies that became such an important part of the Eagles’ identity. Released as the album’s third single, the song reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its relaxed melody and open-country atmosphere sound effortless, but that ease is exactly what made the record so difficult to imitate.

# 8 – Feel Your Love Tonight – Van Halen

“Feel Your Love Tonight” comes from Van Halen’s groundbreaking 1978 debut album. Ted Templeman produced the recording at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, with Donn Landee engineering the sessions. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar gives the song its attack, while Michael Anthony’s bass and Alex Van Halen’s drums keep the groove moving underneath David Lee Roth’s vocal. The track also makes great use of the background vocals that helped separate early Van Halen from so many other hard-rock bands. “Feel Your Love Tonight” may sit deep in an album filled with classics, but it captures the swagger, hooks, and sheer fun that made the first Van Halen record explode out of the speakers.

Read More: Top 10 Van Halen Songs

# 7 – I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown

Pure Dynamite / Live at the Royal by JAMES BROWN (2015-05-13)

“I Got You (I Feel Good)” is one of the records that made James Brown sound like nobody else in popular music. Brown recorded the hit version at Criteria Studios in Miami on May 6, 1965, producing the session. Maceo Parker’s alto saxophone solo gives the track another burst of energy between Brown’s shouts, screams, and perfectly controlled rhythmic phrasing. Released in 1965, the single reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Brown’s highest-charting pop hit. More importantly, the record points directly toward the funk revolution Brown would keep pushing forward for the rest of the decade.

Read More: Top 25 James Brown Songs

# 6 – I Feel The Earth Move – Carole King

“I Feel the Earth Move” opens Carole King’s 1971 masterpiece Tapestry with one of the most exciting piano riffs of the singer-songwriter era. King wrote and recorded the song at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, with Lou Adler producing. The album credits include Danny Kortchmar on guitar, Charles Larkey on bass, and Joel O’Brien and Russ Kunkel among the drummers who contributed to Tapestry. Released with “It’s Too Late,” the single spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. “I Feel the Earth Move” gives Tapestry an immediate jolt of physical excitement before the album moves into quieter, more reflective moments.

Read More: Top 10 Carole King Songs

# 5 – Feelin’ Alright – Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright” transformed Dave Mason’s Traffic song into something completely different. Cocker recorded his version for the 1969 debut album With a Little Help from My Friends, not the later self-titled Joe Cocker! album. Denny Cordell produced the recording, with Artie Butler on piano, Carol Kaye on bass, David Cohen on guitar, Paul Humphrey on drums, and backing vocals from Merry Clayton, Brenda Holloway, and Patrice Holloway. Cocker’s rough vocal turns the song into a mixture of frustration, soul, and release that became one of his defining performances. The recording didn’t become a giant hit immediately, but later releases and decades of radio play made it one of the songs most closely associated with Joe Cocker.

Read More: Top 10 Joe Cocker Songs

# 4 – Feel Like Makin’ Love – Bad Company

“Feel Like Makin’ Love” comes from Bad Company’s 1975 second album, Straight Shooter. Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs wrote the song, and the recording perfectly balances a gentle acoustic opening with one of the band’s biggest electric-guitar choruses. Rodgers handles the lead vocal and rhythm guitar, with Ralphs on lead guitar, Boz Burrell on bass, and Simon Kirke on drums. Released as a single in 1975, the song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 in the United Kingdom. “Feel Like Makin’ Love” remains one of Bad Company’s signature records because the shift from tenderness to hard rock never sounds forced.

# 3 – I Feel Fine – The Beatles

"Red & Blue" The Beatles Vinyl Collection - 1962-1966 / 1967-1970 - 54 Tracks / 4 LPs [2014 Release]

“I Feel Fine” begins with one of the most important accidents-that-was-not-an-accident in rock history. John Lennon deliberately built the opening around amplifier feedback, giving The Beatles one of the earliest intentional uses of guitar feedback on a major pop record. The band recorded the song at EMI Studios on October 18, 1964, with George Martin producing. Lennon wrote the song, credited as always in this period to Lennon-McCartney, while Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr complete the performance. Released in November 1964, “I Feel Fine” reached number one in both Britain and the United States and showed that The Beatles were already turning the recording studio itself into part of the composition.

Read More: Top 100 Beatles Songs

# 2 – More Than A Feeling – Boston

“More Than a Feeling” introduced Boston to the world in 1976 and still sounds like one of the most carefully constructed records ever to become a classic-rock staple. Tom Scholz wrote the song and recorded much of the debut album at his Foxglove home studio in Massachusetts before the band had even secured its record deal.

On the studio recording, Scholz plays guitar and bass, Brad Delp handles lead and harmony vocals, and Sib Hashian plays drums. Scholz and John Boylan produced the track, layering the guitars and vocals into the huge sound that became Boston’s trademark. Released as the band’s debut single, “More Than a Feeling” reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and immediately established Boston as a major new rock band.

# 1 – Feels Like The First Time – Foreigner

“Feels Like the First Time” was Foreigner’s debut single and the perfect introduction to the band’s combination of hard rock and huge pop hooks. Mick Jones wrote the song while putting together the group that would become Foreigner, and Lou Gramm’s vocal gave the track the power it needed to break through American radio. The recording features Jones on guitar, Ian McDonald on rhythm guitar, Al Greenwood on keyboards, Ed Gagliardi on bass, and Dennis Elliott on drums behind Gramm. Released from Foreigner’s self-titled debut album in 1977, the single reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Few debut singles announce a band’s identity this completely, which is why “Feels Like the First Time” takes the number-one spot on this list.