Figure This: 4 Outstanding Songs With the Number “Eight” in the Title

We’re about to play a little numbers game for you. Specifically, we’re focusing on the number eight. It’s worked its way into its share of memorable songs over the years. Which is understandable, because it’s pretty handy for rhyming purposes.

We searched through music history for examples of songs with that number in the title. And we came out with four standouts, with many more that could have made this list of “eight” songs.

“Eight Days A Week” by The Beatles

The Beatles were always trying something just a little bit different than keep their audience on their toes. In the case of “Eight Days A Week”, the band utilized a fade-in to start off the track. That makes the moment when John Lennon comes booming forward with the opening lines of the verse that much more potent. It was originally in contention to be the lead track of the movie that would become Help! (The first title considered was Eight Arms To Hold You.) In the UK, “Eight Days A Week” arrived on the 1964 album Beatles For Sale. But in America, it was chosen for release as a single. In that guise, it soared to No. 1 on the pop charts.

“Eight Miles High” by The Byrds

The Byrds’ biggest hits right out of the gate didn’t really come from their own songwriting pens. There was the cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”. Then they scored with “Turn, Turn, Turn,” whose lyrics came from the Bible. “Eight Miles High” answered any doubters wondering if they could do damage with something original. Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby wrote the song. Their vocal harmonies also deliver their share of swoon-worthy moments throughout the track. But the highlight is McGuinn’s trippy 12-string guitar work, which was inspired by the playing of sitar master Ravi Shankar. One of the first major hits of the psychedelic rock era.

“Pieces Of Eight” by Styx

Styx made their big album breakthrough in 1977 with The Grand Illusion. It had been a long road for the Illinois band to get to that level of popularity. Understandably, they started to wonder what came next after they’d achieved their biggest dreams. Those concerns bleed into “Pieces Of Eight”, the title track of their 1978 record, written and sung by Dennis DeYoung. In the song, DeYoung frets over those who pursue monetary goals over all other ambitions. It’s a typically ambitious Styx number. The middle section initially sounds a little like an operetta before howling guitars take over. Styx’s thrilling vocal blend takes over in the refrains. Not a single, but one of their finest tracks nonetheless.

“Dinner At Eight” by Rufus Wainwright

 When Rufus Wainwright emerged as a singer-songwriter in the late 90s, many music fans likely connected the dots to his famous father, Loudon Wainwright III. But perhaps not as many people realized that the achingly beautiful “Dinner At Eight”, found on Rufus’ standout 2003 album Want One, referred to their father-son relationship. The song emanated from a photo shoot involving the two men who brought up some simmering rancor. As songwriters tend to do, Rufus went off and tried to process it in a song. “Dinner At Eight” cycles through a wide range of emotions. But you’re ultimately left with the feeling that the narrator wants to come to some place of understanding and reconciliation.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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