21 Best Songs With Green In The Title

Green is often associated with money and nature, two of the most important things in the world. It’s no surprise then that many musicians have penned songs about the color.

Here are the best songs with green in the title.

1. “Green Light” by Lorde

Song Year: 2017

“Green Light” is one of the newer songs about green, but it was the lead single from her second studio album, Melodrama.

It’s a catchy song about moving on to new things after a relationship. The green light in question tells the listener to go ahead with their plans to move on.

Critics loved it. So did fans. “Green Light” got rave reviews and found a spot in the Top 20 on charts worldwide.

2. “Green Onions” by Booker T. and The MG

Song Year: 1962

This is one of those songs that you’ve heard whether you recognize the title or not. It’s an instrumental, so don’t worry about having never heard anyone singing the words “Green onions.”

The song has a murderously catchy hook played on a Hammond organ, an instantly identifiable sound. These days, “Green Onions” is one of the most recognizable and influential instrumentals in popular music history.

3. “Green River” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Song Year: 1969

When you talk about bands with a distinctive sound, Credence has got to be high on the list. Like Fleetwood Mac, there aren’t a whole lot of other groups that sound like them.

“Green River” came off the band’s third album and became one of their most famous songs. It’s about Green River, a place frontman John Fogarty knew as a kid. That bluesy CCR sound is on full display, propelling the song to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

4. “John Deere Green” by Joe Diffie

Song Year: 1993

There probably isn’t a sweeter couple in country music than Billy Bob and Charlene, the main characters of Joe Diffie’s huge hit from Honky Tonk Attitude. It tells of Billy Bob painting the local water tower with a declaration of his love for the girl in a color he’s intimately familiar with.

It’s a ridiculously catchy song, and some turned their noses up at it as a campy novelty hit. But it made Diffie into a pretty big star. It’s not that it’s the best song ever written, but it’s so endearing to think of Billy Bob making a huge gesture that, to him (if not fancy city folk) was the ultimate romantic move.

5. “O Green World” by Gorillaz

Song Year: 2006

Gorillaz is a virtual band— the four members are cartoon characters. In real life, two Brits named Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett are the flesh-and-blood guys behind the group. They both write songs, and Hewlett handles the animation side.

“O Green World” is a nod to climate change, painting a picture of a world where nature is being destroyed by industrialization and pollution. Albarn’s falsetto voice, interspersed with lower-register notes augmented by distortion, gives the song a chaotic feel. And it works.

6. “Seeing Green” by Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne

Song Year: 2021

Three big names bring their cred to “Seeing Green,” and they trade rhymes expertly throughout the song over a sick, sick beat.

The green in question is money, and the lyrics touch on themes of success, wealth, and fame. So it fittingly samples The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Get Money.” Everybody’s great in the song, but Nicki Minaj stands out. The others aren’t mullets by any stretch, but if this were a battle, she’d win.

7. “The Ballad of the Green Berets” by SSgt. Barry Sadler

Song Year: 1966

Few staff sergeants have number-one hits on their resumes, but SSgt. Barry Sadler does.

“The Ballad of the Green Berets” dropped during the Vietnam War and was a major hit in the States, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lyrics praise the bravery and sacrifice of the Green Berets and honor their commitment to defending freedom and democracy.

Its sing-along chorus made it a popular anthem for the military and supporters of the war effort, and it was a hit despite the controversy surrounding the Vietnam War and the protests of that era.

8. “The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Prong Crown)” by Fleetwood Mac

Song Year: 1970

“The Green Manalishi” was a rare cover song for Fleetwood Mac, as it was written and originally recorded by guitarist Peter Green. The song was released in 1970, during the period when the band was transitioning from a blues-based outfit to a more rock-oriented sound. It’s a concrete record of the band’s evolution that you can hear happening yourself.

The Green Manalishi haunts the narrator’s dreams and promises riches beyond imagination, but these stories never work out well.

9. “The World’s Green Laughter” by The B-52s

Song Year: 1992

“Quirky,” “weird,” and “surreal” are words that everyone resorts to when trying to describe the New Wave music of the B-52s. There’s a reason for that. The band’s music is, well, quirky, weird, and surreal.

“The World’s Green Laughter” toes that line with vocals from the band’s two female members, Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson. The lyrics are cryptic, so can anyone definitively say what it’s about? Judging from other hits from the band (“Planet Claire,” “Rock Lobster”), who knows?

10. “Where the Green Grass Grows” by Tim McGraw

Song Year: 1998

Tim McGraw sings about leaving city life behind to settle down in a more rural area to be closer to nature. It portrays a peaceful and happy life where the grass is green, and the air is clean.

McGraw encourages listeners to leave behind the hustle and bustle of the city and embrace a simpler way of living and paints a convincing picture of the upside of undertaking a change of pace in life.

11. “A Little Green Rosetta” by Frank Zappa

Song Year: 1979

From the title, you might think “A Little Green Rosetta” is about a car or something. But then you realize it’s a Frank Zappa song, so of course, you quickly realize that Rosetta is a little green alien.

The lyrics are playful and humorous, and the music has a jazzy feel to it, as did so much of Zappa’s prodigious output. The message seems to be about the importance of communication and understanding between people of different cultures, and it encourages listeners to embrace differences and be open-minded.