Sunday is my favorite day, and I’m guessing that could be the same for a lot of you. Consequently, there is no shortage of songs with “Sunday” in the title. So, for any of you looking to put together a Sunday playlist, I’ve selected a few songs to get you started.
Let’s get straight to it and take a look at the first song about Sunday…
Top 50 Songs With “Sunday” in the Title
1 Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
This was a single taken for their debut album, Songs About Jane, released in 2002. The song was the fourth from the album, which for some unknown reason, took until 2004 to see the light of day.
Like the three songs before it, “Sunday Morning” made it into the US Top 40 and also went multi-platinum. So, you could say it is a well known song about Sundays.
Maroon 5 is an easy listening Pop band and, frankly, a good listen for a Sunday if you’re in the right mood. The songs are all easy to listen to, but a bit like Mary Spender, I’ve never been able to get my teeth into the music.
In contrast to the upbeat and slightly too-happy music…
The lyrics are a bit of a different story. They are about a guy who’s missing someone in his life, most likely a love interest, that he’s separated from. The words are too ambiguous to tell why these people are apart.
What’s obvious is that Sundays bring all of these feelings more upfront and central. This appears to be because he’s not busy on this day and, therefore, has time to reflect. Whatever the reasons, he’d be better off sorting out the problem rather than writing a song about it.
These days, Adam Levine, the lead singer, is still with Maroon 5, formerly Kara’s Flowers, after almost three decades. In the interim, he’s decided to buff up, shave his head, and get lots of stupid-looking tattoos to show us how tough he is.
2 Sunday Bloody Sunday By U2
This popular song with Sunday in the title is based on the troubles and conflicts in Northern Ireland during the 1900s. Most of the song concerns the massacre in Londonderry, where 13 people were shot dead by security forces on the 30th of January 1972. However, a similar massacre in 1920 is also referenced.
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” is about the futility of violence and ongoing conflicts brought about by hatred and intolerance.
The song doesn’t look to find fault with any one side. And, in many ways, despite the title, it is essentially apolitical. It’s more concerned with finding a way to stop the violence and stop the needless bloodshed.
It’s fair to say…
The song was released as much as a commentary on violence in areas of South America and Africa as it was about violence in Northern Ireland. Although partisan parties might have or want to hijack the song for their specific agenda, this was never the intention of the song.
The musical structure and arrangement reflect not only the anger but also the frustration of the situation. The music builds and builds with the tension building with it.
This eventually reaches a climax when Bono half shouts and half sings in total exasperation, “How Long – How long must we sing this song?” It’s a heartfelt and powerful line that perfectly sums up the band’s feelings about the futility of the seemingly never-ending cycle of violence.
Did it strike a chord?
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” was released in 1983 to a fairly muted response. It featured as a track from the album War, which was released in the same year. The album was altogether much more successful. It went to #1 in the UK and sold 12 million copies worldwide.
Following the release of the album and one of the best songs with “Sunday” in the title, Bono randomly decided he couldn’t see properly. As a consequence, he started to wear stupid colored glasses. Sadly, no one had the heart to tell him that he looked like a tit.
I’m going to mention it the next time I see him.
3 Sunday Girl by Blondie
It’s fair to say I had a huge crush on Debbie Harry back in the day. When “Sunday Girl” came out, I was leaving home and walking out into the big wide world for the first time. When I did, I made sure I took my Debbie Harry poster, and my copy of Parallel Lines came with me.
For those of you that don’t know, Parallel Lines was Blondie’s third album. It was released in 1979 and contained several hits, including “Sunday Girl.” The other big hits include “Hanging on the Telephone,” “Picture This,” “Heart of Glass,” and “One Way or Another.”
The album was a mega success and sold 16 million copies globally, making it one of the most successful pieces of New Wave music. Now back to “Sunday Girl.” The song was written by the band’s guitarist, Chris Stein.
So, what’s it about?
One popular interpretation is that it’s about what would be known these days as a ‘side chick.’ Allegedly, the song concerns a drug addict and serial cheater who only had time for the girl in the song on Sundays.
If this version is to be believed, apparently, the song was based on the Johnson & Johnson heir and one of Debbie Harry’s model friends. That’s not a very nice story, and if true throws a lot of shade on New York society at the time.
Alternative theories…
Some think it was about a relationship between Chris Stein and Debbie Harry. Others think it’s about Debby Harry’s lost cat. And some even think it was about a girl who could only eat ice cream Sundaes because she was so upset at losing her dad.
Whatever the song’s meaning, I’m sure we can all agree that it’s a great song with the word Sunday in its title.
4 Sunday Papers by Joe Jackson
We’re sticking with 1979 for the release of this classic Sunday song from the album, Look Sharp. Like Parallel Lines, I also put my hand in my pocket to buy Look Sharp. No wonder I never seemed to have any money back in the 70s and 80s!
“Sunday Papers” didn’t do very well in the charts and hardly created a ripple despite being a fantastic song. The album, on the other hand, made it to #20 on the US Billboard 200 Charts and went Gold. Surprisingly, given that this was a more British-centric group, it only made it to #40 in the UK.
The song was a typical Joe Jackson piece of music…
It was a combination of New Wave and Ska with a hint of angst in the vocals. Given the lyrical content, that was frankly all rather fitting.
The song was a contemporary commentary on the awful state of the Sunday Papers in the UK during the 70s. During this period, illegal phone tapping had become commonplace. Journalists would go to any extremes to get a story, and in the process, they had no regard for whom they hurt along the way.
They became known as the “gutter press”…
And for good reason. The stories in the Sunday newspapers were often ridiculously sensationalistic, vile, and all too often completely fabricated. Eventually, the press was punished and brought in line.
But, sadly, for too long, they had a free pass to lie and print whatever they wanted. It was a terrible state of affairs, and no wonder people were angry.
5 Sunday Morning by No Doubt
This was a highly productive period for No Doubt. During this time, they were making much of their best music, and Gwen Stefani was taking an increasingly greater role in the songwriting process. She essentially became the sole lyricist, and the music inevitably started to gravitate to her experiences.
It was the fifth single to be released from their highly popular studio album, Tragic Kingdom, which came out in 1995. The single was released two years later, in 1997, when the album was doing well.
It went to #1 in the US and UK, plus it easily became their best-selling album, with 18 million copies sold. Therefore, you’d have expected the single to have also done well and sold in big numbers.
But that wasn’t the case…
Both chart positions and sales were poor. Now, this could have been because everyone had already bought the album or because people didn’t like the song. On balance, I think it was probably a bit of both, though I think the latter point has more validity.
Here’s why…
Frankly, I think the song was just a little too mean. When Gwen Stefani wrote “Sunday Morning,” she was going through a breakup with a fellow band member. This was their bassist, Tony Kanal, who, at the time of the song’s release, was still in the band.
Since the lyrics are about Gwen Stefani’s personal experiences, it’s no surprise that they refer directly to her relationship with Tony Kanal.
The band had already released an account of Stefani’s break up with Tony Kanal in the smash hit, “Don’t Speak.” This was a beautiful and moving song that dealt with her emotions and feeling in a sad but dignified manner. However, “Sunday Morning” was very different.
The music is still great…
But, lyrically, she appears to be gloating at the outcome. It reads like a woman whose been dependent on a man but then gets over the feelings.
Subsequently, in a big turnaround, the man becomes dependent on her. Then comes the split and the hard comments about how she no longer needs the guy anyway.
Harsh, quite honestly, and very much the opposite of the classy “Don’t Speak.” Emotions can run high after the end of a relationship. However, if you have nothing good to say, then “don’t speak.”
6 Everyday Is Like Sunday by Morrissey
Morrissey is an Indie Rock artist from the north of England who was formerly the frontman for The Smiths. He is well known for his forthright political stances on several issues and is a vocal supporter of animal rights.
Morrissey’s lyrics are generally very straightforward and sometimes almost amusingly so. They also tend to feel somewhat morose and depressing. I think that must come from living in a cold northern British city that spends most of its time in the dark and the rain.
“Everyday Is Like Sunday” is true to type and, like a lot of Morrissey’s songs, is far from happy. It’s based on someone’s boring life in a coastal town where every day seems as dull as the next. This gets to the point where he prays for nuclear annihilation.
So very Morrissey…
There’s no doubt that The Smiths and Morrissey are the polar opposite of bands like The Beach Boys. Despite this, there’s always humor in his songs that are still more than capable of making you smile. There is something special about Morrissey, and a lot of us love his music and his unusual style.
“Everyday Is Like Sunday” was released in 1988 as the third single from his debut solo album, Viva Hate. The singe made it into the Top 10 in the UK. The album went to #1 in the UK and achieved Gold status in the UK and the US.
7 Sunday by Sonic Youth
For the last entry on this list of songs with “Sunday” in the title, we have the American Alternative Rock Sonic Youth group. They formed in 1981 and eventually called it a day exactly thirty years later in 2011. During this time, they released sixteen studio albums and twenty-one singles.
“Sunday” was released in 1988 as their tenth studio album, A Thousand Leaves. “Sunday” was the only track to be released from the album. The single and the album were not especially successful, and the highest chart position they could manage for either was #28 for the single on the Belgian charts.
The song, in a lot of ways, is rather unremarkable, which kind of explains its lack of commercial success. The musical arrangement and chords couldn’t have been much simpler. It had a Grunge feel to it, which was mostly based around a heavy bass riff that I found a little wearing after a while.
As far as this last point is concerned…
It seems like a lot of people felt the same way. What is remarkable about the song is that the band managed to persuade a then-teenage Macaulay Culkin to appear in the video. It even featured him kissing Rachel Miner, who went on to be his future wife.
The song is about a young guy falling in love. When you watch it with the video, that all makes a lot more sense, it’s not a bad song, but it could honestly have been a lot better.
8Sunday Rain by Foo Fighters
9Lazy Sunday by The Small Faces
10Easy Like Sunday Morning by Commodores
11Sunday Will Never Be the Same by Spanky and Our Gang
12Sunday Morning Coming Down by Kris Kristofferson
13Sunday Best by Augustana
14Sunday Morning Song by Jewel
15Another Sunday in the South by Miranda Lambert
16Sunday Love by Bat For Lashes
17Black Sunday by Jethro Tull
18Any Given Sunday by Jamie Foxx ft. Common
19Beautiful Sunday by Daniel Boone
20Sunday Night Buttermilk Waltz by The Band
21Sunday Afternoon by Rachael Sage
22Sunday Never Comes by Latin Quarter
23Bright Sunday by Saint Etienne
24Sunday Sun by Beck
25Sunday Mornin’ by Spanky Wilson
26Sunday Will Be Snow by Johann Johannsson
27Sunday Morning Rain by Jared Evan
28Sunday Morning Without You by The Maine
29One More Sunday in Savannah by Counting Crows
30Sunday Shuffle by Paul McCartney
31Every Sunday by The Stone Roses
32Lazy Sunday Afternoon by The Kinks
33Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James
34Sunday Morning Raindrops by Jimmie Dale Gilmore
35Sunday Driving by The Smashing Pumpkins
36I’ll Be Sunday by Guy Clark
37Sunday Blues by The Almighty
38Sunday Mornin’ Surfin’ Time by The Turtles
39Sunday Girl (French Version) by Blondie
40Lazy Sunday Blues by Jimmy Witherspoon
41Just Another Sunday by Black Veil Brides
42Sunday on the West Side by Dave Grusin
43Sunday Drive by The Early November
44The Sunday Blues by Deana Carter
45Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday) by Moby.
46Sunday in New York by Bobby Darin
47Sunday at Devil Dirt by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
48Super Bon Bon (Propellerheads Mix) by Soul Coughing
49Sunday Shining by Finley Quaye
50Sunday Street by Dave Van Ronk
Looking for Songs with Certain Words?
If so, take a look at our detailed articles on the Top Songs With ‘Girl’ in The Title, the Best Songs with Baby in the Title, the Top Songs With Train in the Title, the Best Songs With Pink In The Title, and the Top Songs With Blue in the Title for lots more great song selections.
Songs With “Sunday” in the Title – Final Thoughts
So, there you have it. I hope at least one of the songs with Sunday in the title was one of your favorites. There were plenty to choose from, but since this was only a short list, apologies for any glaring omissions.
I hope that it at least gave you a few ideas if you’re thinking of putting together a longer playlist of your own.
Until next time, happy listening.
