List of signature songs
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established recording artist or band is most closely identified with or best known for. This is generally differentiated from a one-hit wonder in that the artist usually has success with other songs as well. There have also been instances where an actor has acquired a signature song by giving a popular vocal performance in a film. Signature songs can be the result of spontaneous public identification, or a marketing tool developed by the music industry to promote artists, sell their recordings, and develop a fan base. Artists and bands with a signature song are often expected to perform it at every concert appearance, usually as an encore on concert tours, sometimes being the last song of the setlist.
Examples of signature songs for selected artists
| Artist | Song | Released | Notes |
| ABBA | Dancing Queen | 1976 | Written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson |
| Christina Aguilera | Beautiful | 2002 | Written and produced by Linda Perry |
| Lynn Anderson | Rose Garden | 1970 | Written by Joe South |
| The Animals | The House of the Rising Sun | 1964 | Traditional folk song |
| Louis Armstrong | What a Wonderful World | 1967 | Written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss |
| Eddy Arnold | The Cattle Call | Written/recorded in 1934 by Tex Owens | |
| Asia | Heat of the Moment | 1982 | Written by John Wetton and Geoff Downes |
| Rick Astley | Never Gonna Give You Up | 1987 | Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman |
| A*Teens | Upside Down | 2000 | The band's first original release |
| Backstreet Boys | I Want It That Way | 1999 | Written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson |
| Jimmy Barnes | Working Class Man | 1985 | Written by Jonathan Cain |
| Count Basie | One O'Clock Jump | 1937 | A 12-bar blues instrumental written by Basie in 1937 |
| Shirley Bassey | Goldfinger | 1964 | The title song from the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger |
| Bauhaus | Bela Lugosi's Dead | 1979 | Considered the harbinger of gothic rock music |
| Beck | Loser | 1993 | Written by Beck and producer Carl Stephenson |
| Tony Bennett | I Left My Heart in San Francisco | 1953 | Written by George Cory and Douglass Cross |
| Chuck Berry | Johnny B. Goode | 1958 | Recorded January 6, 1958 at Chess Records |
| Bikini Kill | Rebel Girl | 1993 | Written by Kathleen Hanna, Billy Karren, Tobi Vail and Kathi Wilcox |
| Blue Öyster Cult | The Reaper | 1976 | Written and sung by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser |
| Bon Jovi | Livin' on a Prayer | 1986 | Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child |
| Jeff Buckley | Hallelujah | 1994 | Originally written and recorded by Leonard Cohen in 1984 |
| Jimmy Buffett | Margaritaville | 1977 | Recorded 1976 at Criteria Studios and Quadrafonic Sound Studios |
| Glen Campbell | Rhinestone Cowboy | 1975 | Originally written and recorded by Larry Weiss in 1974 |
| The Carpenters | We've Only Just Begun | 1970 | Written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams |
| Ray Charles | What'd I Say | 1959 | Recorded on February 18, 1959 |
| Cheap Trick | I Want You to Want Me | 1977 | Written by Rick Nielsen and produced by Tom Werman |
| Chicago | Beginnings | 1969 | Written by Robert Lamm and produced by James William Guercio |
| Eric Clapton | Layla | 1970 | Written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon |
| Marc Cohn | Walking in Memphis | 1991 | Described as an iconic part of the Great American Songbook |
| Cold Chisel | Khe Sanh | 1978 | Their debut single, written by Don Walker |
| John Coltrane | My Favorite Things | 1961 | Published in 1959 by Rodgers and Hammerstein |
| Conway Twitty | Hello Darlin' | 1970 | Written and recorded on November 18, 1969 |
| Culture Club | Karma Chameleon | 1983 | Featured on the group's 1983 album Colour by Numbers |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | Achy Breaky Heart | 1991 | Written in 1990 by Don Von Tress |
| Sammy Davis Jr. | I've Gotta Be Me | 1968 | Written by Walter Marks |
| Doris Day | Que Sera, Sera | 1956 | Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans |
| Dead Kennedys | Holiday in Cambodia | 1980 | Written by Jello Biafra and John Greenway. Recorded 1979 |
| Def Leppard | Pour Some Sugar on Me | 1987 | 3rd single from the 1987 album Hysteria |
| Deep Purple | Smoke on the Water | 1972 | Recorded in December 1971 |
| John Denver | Take Me Home, Country Roads | 1971 | Written by Denver, Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert |
| Diamond Rio | Meet in the Middle | 1991 | Written by Chapin Hartford, Jim Foster, Don Pfrimmer |
| Marlene Dietrich | Falling In Love Again | 1930 | Composed by Friedrich Hollaender |
| Mariah Carey | Hero | 1993 | Written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff |
| Celine Dion | My Heart Will Go On | 1997 | Written by James Horner and Will Jennings |
| The Doors | Light My Fire | 1967 | Recorded in August 1966 |
| Eagles | Hotel California | 1977 | Written by Don Felder, Don Henley, Glenn Frey |
| Electric Light Orchestra | Mr. Blue Sky | 1977 | Written by Jeff Lynne and recorded 1977 at Musicland Studios |
| Duke Ellington | Take the 'A' Train | A jazz standard composed by Billy Strayhorn in 1939 | |
| Lorraine Ellison | Stay with Me | 1966 | Co-written by Jerry Ragovoy and George David Weiss |
| Eminem | Lose Yourself | 2002 | First hip hop song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song |
| Aretha Franklin | Respect | 1967 | Originally written by Otis Redding in 1965 |
| Gloria Gaynor | I Will Survive | 1978 | Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris |
| Brantley Gilbert | Kick It in the Sticks | 2010 | Written by Gilbert, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip |
| Lee Greenwood | God Bless the USA | 1984 | A popular American patriotic song |
| Bill Haley & His Comets | Rock Around the Clock | 1954 | Recorded April 12, 1954 at Pythian Temple studios |
| Bob Hope | Thanks for the Memory | 1938 | Composed by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin |
| Lena Horne | Stormy Weather | 1933 | Written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler |
| Imagine Dragons | Radioactive | 2012 | From their major-label debut EP Continued Silence |
| Billy Joel | Piano Man | 1973 | Selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry |
| George Jones | He Stopped Loving Her Today | 1980 | Written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman |
| Evelyn "Champagne" King | Shame | 1977 | Written by John H. Fitch, Jr. and Reuben Cross |
| The Kingsmen | Louie, Louie | 1963 | Written by Richard Berry in 1955 |
| The Kinks | You Really Got Me | 1964 | Written by Ray Davies and recorded in July 1964 |
| Kiss | Rock and Roll All Nite | 1975 | Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in February 1975 |
| Gladys Knight & the Pips | Midnight Train to Georgia | 1973 | Written by Jim Weatherly |
| John Lennon | Imagine | 1971 | Recorded during May–July 1971 at Ascot Sound Studios |
| Jerry Lee Lewis | Great Balls of Fire | 1957 | Written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer |
| Guy Lombardo | Auld Lang Syne | 1939 | A Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 |
| Julie London | Cry Me a River | 1955 | Written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953 |
| Loretta Lynn | Coal Miner's Daughter | 1970 | Based on the true story of Lynn's life growing up in rural Kentucky |
| Lynyrd Skynyrd | Free Bird | 1973 | First featured on the band's 1973 debut album |
| Men at Work | Down Under | 1980 | Released as the 2nd single from their debut album Business as Usual |
| Kylie Minogue | Can't Get You Out of My Head | 2001 | From the artist's 8th album, Fever, released in 2001 |
| The Moody Blues | Nights in White Satin | 1967 | Written and composed by Justin Hayward, recorded October 1967 |
| Motörhead | Ace of Spades | 1980 | Released as the only single from the bands fourth studio album |
| Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991 | The opening track and lead single from their 1991 album. |
| Oasis | Wonderwall | 1995 | Written by Noel Gallagher, the song was recorded in May 1995. |
| Old Crow Medicine Show | Wagon Wheel | 1994 | Co-written by Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor, recorded in 2003. |
| One Direction | What Makes You Beautiful | 2011 | Written by Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk. |
| Ozzy Osbourne | Crazy Train | 1981 | Released as the first single from Osbourne's debut solo album. |
| Phish | You Enjoy Myself | 1988 | Written by Trey Anastasio, the song is a regular live feature. |
| Poison | Every Rose Has Its Thorn | 1988 | 3rd single from the band's 2nd album and their only US no. 1 |
| The Police | Every Breath You Take | 1983 | Written by Sting and featured on the band's final album |
| Jeanne Pruett | Satin Sheets | 1973 | Originally recorded by Bill Anderson and Jan Howard |
| Lionel Richie | Hello | 1983 | Released as the third single from his second solo album |
| Kenny Rogers | The Gambler | 1978 | Written by Don Schlitz in August 1976 and recorded by several artists |
| The Rolling Stones | Satisfaction | 1965 | The band's first no. 1 in the US. |
| Linda Ronstadt | Blue Bayou | 1977 | Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson |
| Neil Sedaka | Breaking Up Is Hard to Do | 1962 | Co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield |
| Semisonic | Closing Time | 1998 | Released March 1998 as lead single from their second studio album |
| Blake Shelton | Ol' Red | 2002 | Co-written by James "Bo" Bohon, Don Goodman, and Mark Sherrill |
| Carly Simon | You're So Vain | 1971 | Released as the first single from Simon's 3rd studio album |
| Simon & Garfunkel | Bridge over Troubled Water | 1970 | Written by Simon and recorded November 9, 1969 |
| Frank Sinatra | My Way | 1969 | Originally written by French songwriter Jacques Revaux |
| Percy Sledge | When a Man Loves a Woman | 1966 | Written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright |
| Sonny & Cher | I Got You Babe | 1965 | The first single from the duo's debut album |
| Spice Girls | Wannabe | 1996 | Written by the band, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard |
| Bruce Springsteen | Born to Run | 1975 | Released as the first single from his third studio album |
| Rod Stewart | Maggie May | 1971 | Co-written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton |
| Eva Tanguay | I Don't Care | 1922 | Recorded in 1905 |
| Tears for Fears | Shout | 1985 | Released as the second single from their second studio album |
| Shirley Temple | On the Good Ship Lollipop | 1934 | Composed by Richard A. Whiting with lyrics by Sidney Clare |
| The Temptations | My Girl | 1964 | Recorded by the Temptations in 1964 |
| Tiny Tim | Tiptoe Through the Tulips | 1968 | Written by Al Dubin and Joe Burke |
| Randy Travis | Forever and Ever, Amen | 1987 | Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz and recorded in 1987 |
| Vanilla Ice | Ice Ice Baby | 1990 | Samples "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie |
| The Verve | Bitter Sweet Symphony | 1997 | Written by Ashcroft and recorded January–March 1997 |
| Village People | Y.M.C.A. | 1978 | Written by Jacques Morali, Victor Willis and Henri Belolo |
| Andy Williams | Moon River | 1962 | Composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer |
| Joe Williams | Every Day I Have the Blues | 1955 | Written by Aaron "Pinetop" Sparks and Milton Sparks |
| Vanessa Williams | Save The Best For Last | 1992 | Written by Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman and Jon Lind in 1989 |
| Amy Winehouse | Rehab | 2006 | Written by Winehouse from her second album Back to Black |
| Tammy Wynette | Stand by Your Man | 1968 | Co-written by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill |