3 Spelling Songs That You Need To Hear (We Don’t Have To Spell It Out)

In the 60s and 70s, rock and roll, soul, and R&B dominated charts and shaped the decades. However, as artists continued to ride the wave of new genres, another category of songs seemed to be trending. That would be the spelling song. Here are a few songs with lettered titles, specifically from this era.

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“T-R-O-U-B-L-E” by Elvis Presley

In this song, Elvis Presley sings about an attractive girl at the bar who he thinks is likely to cause some major “T-R-O-U-B-L-E”.

Well, hello T-R-0-U-B-L-E
What in the world you’re doin’ A-L-O-N-E?
Say, good L-double O-K-I-N-G
I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

This song is not to be confused with “Trouble”, which helped Presley relaunch his career in 1967. There’s also a version of “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” by Travis Tritt, which was released in 1993.

“D-I-V-O-R-C-E” by Tammy Wynette

In “D-I-V-O-R-C-E”, the narrator sings about keeping the news of her divorce hidden from her four-year-old son. To do so, she spells out the word instead of saying it, of course.

Our little boy is four years old and quite a little man
So we spell out the words we don’t want him to understand
Like T-O-Y or maybe S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E
But the words we’re hiding from him now
Tear the heart right out of me.

Honestly, the whole concept around this song is pretty funny; it’s hard not to be a fan. Not to mention, the idea that “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” is centered around is certainly one that Wynette could understand, as she herself was married five times.

“L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole

As far as songs with letter titles go, this is probably the magnum opus. You might recognize this Nat King Cole classic from movies like 1998’s The Parent Trap or even Sleepless In Seattle.

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can
Love is all that I can give to you.

Since the original version’s release, several artists have released their own covers. These include versions by King’s daughter, Natalie Cole, Joss Stone, and Michael Bublé.

Photo by: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images