Song lyrics can be legendary for many reasons. Sometimes it’s the pure genius of the words, the meaning behind them or simply because they just sound so darn good.

We’ve compiled some of the greatest song lyrics out there, and although they may be memorable for all the right (or wrong) reasons, one thing’s for sure…you’ll probably know them all!

Iconic Lyrics

“Is this the real life, is this just fantasy? / Caught in a landslide no escape from reality”
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

“Maybe you’re the same as me / We see things they’ll never see / You and I are gonna live forever”
Oasis – Live Forever

“You can’t always get what you want/but if you try sometimes you might just find you get what you need”
Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want

“There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known / Nothing you can see that isn’t shown / There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be / It’s easy / All you need is love”
The Beatles – All You Need Is Love

“Sing us a song, you’re the piano man / Sing us a song tonight / Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody / And you’ve got us feelin’ alright”
Billy Joel – Piano Man

“Bye, bye Miss American Pie / Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry / And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye / Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die”
Don McLean – American Pie

“We don’t need no education / We don’t need no thought control / No dark sarcasm in the classroom / Teachers leave those kids alone / Hey teachers, leave those kids alone”
Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall

“Jealousy, turning saints into the sea / Swimming through sick lullabies / Choking on your alibis”
The Killers – Mr Brightside

Emotive Lyrics

“Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony this life / Trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to the money then you die”
The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony

“And you can tell everybody this is your song / It may be quite simple but now that it’s done / I hope you don’t mind / I hope you don’t mind / That I put down in words / How wonderful life is while you’re in the world”
Elton John – Your Song

“We can be heroes / Just for one day”
David Bowie – Heroes

“Love is not a victory march / It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah”
Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah

“I hear babies crying, I watch them grow / They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know / And I think to myself / What a wonderful world”
Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World

“Somewhere over the rainbow / Skies are blue / And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true”
Judy Garland – Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Expressive Lyrics

“You gotta fight for your right to party”
Beastie Boys – (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)

“Here I go, it’s my shot, feet fail me not / This might be the only opportunity I got”
Eminem – Lose Yourself

“Oh no not I, I will survive / Oh, as long as I know how to love / I know I’ll stay alive”
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T / Find out what it means to me”
Aretha Franklin – Respect

“Like a virgin, hey / Touched for the very first time / Like a virgin / With your heartbeat / Next to mine”
Madonna – Like A Virgin

Catchy Lyrics

“Now that it’s raining more than ever / Know that we’ll still have each other / You can stand under my umbrella / You can stand under my umbrella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh”
Rihanna – Umbrella

“My loneliness is killin’ me / I must confess I still believe / When I’m not with you I lose my mind / Give me a sign, hit me baby one more time”
Britney Spears – Baby One More Time

“I like big butts and I cannot lie / You other brothers can’t deny”
Sir Mix-a-Lot – Baby Got Back

“If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it”
Beyonce – Single Ladies

“Rah rah ah-ah-ah/ Ro-mah, ro-mah-mah/ Gaga oh-la-la/ Want your bad romance.”
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance

And don’t even get us started on “P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face (mum-mum-mum-mah)” …clearly the key to a pop hit is repetition! What are your favourite song lyrics? What special significance do they have for you? Follow us on Twitter and let us know ?