Hair has always been more than just strands on our heads—it’s identity, rebellion, transformation, and self-expression wrapped into one powerful symbol. The best songs about hair and haircuts capture these emotional moments when we sit in that salon chair contemplating change, or when we run our fingers through freshly styled locks feeling like an entirely new person. From punk rock anthems celebrating wild mohawks to pop ballads mourning a drastic chop, these tracks prove that our relationship with hair is deeply personal and universally relatable. Whether you’re preparing for a bold transformation or just appreciating the cultural significance of hair in music history, this collection showcases the most memorable hair-themed tracks that have resonated across generations and genres.
“Hair” by Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga’s 2011 empowerment anthem from Born This Way transforms hair into a metaphor for freedom and self-expression, with the pop superstar delivering one of her most straightforward yet emotionally resonant performances. The production combines electronic dance beats with rock guitar elements, creating an anthemic soundscape where Gaga’s vocals soar over pulsing synthesizers and driving percussion that builds toward explosive choruses. Lyrically, she connects hair to personal liberation and identity, referencing how her hairstyle choices have helped her express different facets of her personality throughout her career. The song’s bridge features particularly powerful vocal moments where Gaga’s range and emotional commitment elevate the track beyond simple pop construction into genuine self-affirmation, making it a standout on an album already packed with identity-focused anthems.
“Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne
While not explicitly about hair, Avril Lavigne’s 2002 breakthrough hit prominently features hair as a class marker, with the “ballet girl” character’s perfect appearance contrasting sharply with the skater boy’s rebellious aesthetic. The production captures early 2000s pop-punk perfectly, featuring distorted power chords, energetic drumming from Travis Barker-influenced patterns, and Lavigne’s bratty vocal delivery that made her an instant icon for teenage rebellion. The song’s narrative uses physical appearance—including hairstyles—to explore themes of superficial judgment and missed connections, with Lavigne’s own straight-haired, tie-wearing tomboy image becoming central to her brand identity. “Sk8er Boi” reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and established Lavigne as a voice for kids who didn’t fit traditional pop star molds, proving that hair and style choices carry significant cultural weight in youth identity formation.
“Hairspray” by Rachel Sweet
Rachel Sweet’s contribution to the 1988 Hairspray soundtrack captures the early 1960s obsession with perfectly teased and sprayed bouffants through upbeat rockabilly-influenced production. The song’s retro arrangement features prominent saxophone, doo-wop influenced backing vocals, and Sweet’s playful delivery that honors the period setting while maintaining contemporary energy that prevents it from feeling like mere pastiche. Sweet’s performance emphasizes the ritualistic nature of hair preparation and the cultural significance of achieving the perfect look in an era when hair height directly correlated with social status among teenagers. The track’s production choices deliberately evoke the Phil Spector wall-of-sound approach, with layered instrumentation creating a dense, exciting sonic experience that mirrors the density of those famous 1960s hairstyles themselves.
“Long Haired Lover from Liverpool” by Little Jimmy Osmond
Little Jimmy Osmond’s 1972 novelty hit became an unlikely number-one success in the UK, with the then-nine-year-old performer singing about admiring someone with long hair in a track that perfectly captured early 1970s hair culture. The production features orchestral pop arrangements typical of the era, with strings, horns, and a memorable melody that stuck in listeners’ heads despite—or perhaps because of—its simplicity and Osmond’s youthful vocals. The song’s success demonstrated how hair length had become a genuine cultural flashpoint during the early 1970s, when long hair on men represented countercultural values and rebellion against establishment norms. Osmond’s wholesome delivery of material celebrating long hair showed how even mainstream pop was acknowledging the era’s changing beauty standards, making this track a fascinating cultural artifact beyond its commercial success.
“Don’t Cut Your Hair” by Ruel
Australian singer-songwriter Ruel’s 2018 track approaches hair from a romantic preservation perspective, with the teenage artist asking a partner not to change their appearance in a song that showcases his mature vocal tone and songwriting sensibility. The production features minimalist R&B influences with prominent bass, subtle electronic elements, and plenty of space for Ruel’s vocals to remain front and center throughout the intimate arrangement. Lyrically, the song explores how we attach emotional significance to our partners’ physical features, with hair serving as a symbol of continuity and the fear of change in relationships, delivered with emotional wisdom beyond Ruel’s years. The track’s streaming success on platforms like Spotify introduced Ruel to international audiences and demonstrated how younger artists were continuing to explore hair themes through contemporary production approaches that prioritize vocal performance over dense instrumentation.
“Hair” from the Musical Hair
The Cowsills’ 1969 recording of the title song from the groundbreaking rock musical Hair became the definitive version, celebrating long hair as a symbol of peace, love, and countercultural resistance. The production combines rock instrumentation with pop sensibilities, featuring the family group’s tight harmonies over driving drums, electric guitars, and an arrangement that builds from restrained verses to explosive, celebratory choruses. The lyrics explicitly connect hair length to personal freedom and rejection of societal expectations, with references to growing hair long despite disapproval from authority figures becoming an anthem for the late 1960s youth movement. The Cowsills’ version reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, demonstrating how a musical theater song could achieve mainstream success when it captured genuine cultural tensions and the spirit of its historical moment through authentic performance and production choices that honored both rock and pop traditions.
“Bald Head” by The Specials
The Specials’ 1979 ska track offers a completely different perspective on hair—or rather, the intentional absence of it—celebrating skinhead culture through their signature two-tone sound. The production features the upbeat ska rhythm that defined the band, with prominent horns, offbeat guitar chops, and Terry Hall’s deadpan vocal delivery providing ironic distance from the subject matter. The song addresses the skinhead subculture that had recently become associated with right-wing politics, though the original skinhead movement of the late 1960s had different cultural origins connected to Jamaican rude boy culture and working-class British youth. The Specials’ approach to the topic demonstrates how hair—or shaved heads—carries complex cultural meanings that shift across time and context, with the band’s multiracial lineup and anti-racist stance reclaiming skinhead aesthetics from racist appropriation through musical celebration that emphasized the style’s original inclusive, music-centered origins.
“Whip My Hair” by Willow Smith
Willow Smith’s 2010 debut single became an instant anthem for youthful confidence and self-expression, with the then-nine-year-old daughter of Will Smith delivering an energetic performance that transcended her age. The production, handled by Jukebox and Ronald “Jukebox” Jackson, features driving hip-hop beats, synthesizer hooks, and a memorable chorus built around the hair-whipping gesture that became a cultural phenomenon and dance move. The song’s message encourages listeners to embrace their individuality and not worry about others’ opinions, using hair as the central metaphor for self-confidence and freedom, delivered through Willow’s surprisingly mature vocal presence and rhythmic precision. “Whip My Hair” peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and launched Willow’s music career while spawning countless covers, parodies, and dance videos that demonstrated the song’s viral appeal in the emerging social media landscape of the early 2010s.
“Short Skirt/Long Jacket” by Cake
While primarily focused on describing an ideal partner, Cake’s 2001 alternative rock hit includes specific hair preferences among its detailed character portrait, delivered through the band’s distinctive deadpan style. The production features John McCrea’s speak-singing vocal delivery over a funky bassline, minimal guitar work, and prominent trumpet that creates Cake’s signature sound combining rock, funk, and alternative sensibilities into something utterly unique. The song’s catalogue of preferences, including the desire for someone with “fingernails that shine like justice” and hair-related specifics, demonstrates how physical attributes including hairstyles contribute to attraction and identity in relationships. “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” received significant alternative radio play and has remained one of Cake’s most recognizable tracks, partly due to its use in various television shows and commercials that appreciated its quirky specificity and memorable musical hook built around Vince DiFiore’s trumpet melody.
“Bitch Better Have My Money (Hair Flip Moments)” by Rihanna
Rihanna’s 2015 trap-influenced banger features multiple music video moments where her hair becomes part of the aggressive, confident performance, with each flip punctuating threats and demands. The production from Deputy and Kanye West collaborator WondaGurl features heavy bass, minimal melodic elements, and plenty of space for Rihanna’s commanding vocal delivery to dominate the mix. While not explicitly about hair in the lyrics, the accompanying visual presentation made Rihanna’s various hairstyles—from long braids to short bobs—central to the song’s aesthetic of power and control. The track’s commercial performance and cultural impact demonstrated how contemporary pop stars use hair transformations and movements as part of their artistic expression, with Rihanna’s constant style evolution becoming as discussed as her musical output. For those wanting to catch every detail in Rihanna’s intricate vocal production and the track’s deep bass frequencies, checking out our headphones comparison guide can help you experience the full sonic range of modern pop production.
“I Want My Mullet Back” by Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus’ tongue-in-cheek 2011 track playfully addressed his famous hairstyle from the “Achy Breaky Heart” era, demonstrating self-awareness about how his mullet had become inseparable from his public image. The production features country-rock instrumentation with prominent electric guitars, drums, and Cyrus’ distinctive twang delivering humorous lyrics about missing the hairstyle that defined his career peak. The song acknowledges how certain hairstyles become so associated with particular artists that they transcend mere fashion choices to become integral parts of their brand and public perception. Cyrus’ willingness to joke about his most famous aesthetic choice showed how artists can embrace rather than run from their image evolution, treating hair changes as part of their personal and professional journey worth celebrating rather than hiding.
“Haircut” by Ryan Beatty
Ryan Beatty’s 2018 indie-pop track uses getting a haircut as a metaphor for emotional transformation and moving on from past relationships, delivered through his smooth vocals and sophisticated production. The song features lush synthesizers, subtle guitar work, and production from Romil Hemnani of BROCKHAMPTON that creates an atmospheric soundscape allowing Beatty’s vulnerable lyrics to shine. Beatty’s approach treats the haircut as both literal change and symbolic fresh start, exploring how physical transformations help us mark emotional transitions and create distance from previous versions of ourselves. The track demonstrates the continued relevance of hair symbolism in contemporary indie music, with younger artists finding new ways to explore timeless themes through modern production techniques that blend electronic and organic instrumentation in ways that feel both current and emotionally timeless.
“Shave ‘Em Dry” by Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan’s 1935 blues recording stands as one of the most explicit early recordings in American music history, using hair-related double entendres alongside much more graphic content. The sparse production features just Bogan’s powerful vocals and basic guitar accompaniment, typical of pre-war blues recordings but shocking in its lyrical content even by today’s standards. While the song’s primary focus isn’t actually hair, the title and certain references use grooming and shaving as metaphors for sexual content, demonstrating how blues artists used coded language and symbolism to discuss taboo subjects. Bogan’s recording remained relatively obscure until rediscovered by blues historians and collectors, serving as an important reminder that discussions of hair and grooming in music have carried multiple meanings and innuendos throughout recording history, with female blues artists in particular using such imagery to express sexuality in an era of strict social conventions.
“Hair Down” by SiR featuring Kendrick Lamar
SiR’s smooth 2019 R&B track celebrates natural hair and the intimacy of seeing someone’s unguarded, authentic self, featuring a scene-stealing verse from Kendrick Lamar. The production from Kal Banx features laid-back drums, warm bass, and atmospheric keyboards that create a sensual late-night vibe perfect for the song’s intimate subject matter. SiR’s vocals glide over the track as he describes the specific appeal of seeing his partner with her hair down, using this image to represent comfort, authenticity, and the private moments that define real intimacy beyond public presentation. Kendrick’s verse adds layers to the theme, connecting natural hair to broader conversations about Black beauty standards and the politics of hair in African American communities, making the track resonate beyond simple romance into cultural commentary delivered through accessible R&B songcraft that prioritizes groove and melody.
“Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell
While Joni Mitchell’s 1970 environmental anthem is primarily remembered for “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” the song includes a verse about hair that references DDT and its effects on people and nature. The production features Mitchell’s distinctive acoustic guitar playing, her crystalline vocals with their unique phrasing, and an arrangement that balances folk simplicity with sophisticated musical choices. The hair reference fits within Mitchell’s broader environmental concerns, demonstrating how pollution and chemical exposure affect our bodies including our hair, connecting personal health to ecological destruction through specific, relatable imagery. “Big Yellow Taxi” has been covered numerous times, most successfully by Counting Crows featuring Vanessa Carlton in 2003, introducing the song’s messages—including its hair-related environmental warning—to new generations while demonstrating how truly great songs contain layers of meaning that reveal themselves across different cultural moments and listening contexts.
“Hair” by Little Mix
Little Mix’s 2016 empowerment anthem uses hair as the central metaphor for moving on from a relationship, with the British girl group delivering confident vocals over uptempo pop production. The song features production from Jess Glynne collaborator MNEK, with electronic beats, synthesizer hooks, and a strutting rhythm that underscores the confident lyrics about cutting someone out of your life like cutting your hair. The group’s harmonies and individual vocal moments showcase each member’s strengths while creating a cohesive sound that made Little Mix one of the UK’s most successful girl groups of the 2010s. Lyrically, the song connects the transformative power of changing your hair to the emotional liberation of ending toxic relationships, using a physical change to represent internal growth and self-respect, delivered through production choices that make the message feel celebratory rather than sad or regretful about the relationship’s end.
“Barber Shop” by Talib Kweli featuring Mos Def
Talib Kweli’s 2002 track uses the barbershop setting to explore community, conversation, and Black male culture, with the barbershop serving as a central gathering place where hair care intersects with social interaction. The production from Kanye West features soul samples, boom-bap drums, and a warm, nostalgic sound that captures the communal atmosphere of neighborhood barbershops where men gather not just for haircuts but for dialogue. Kweli’s verses touch on the cultural significance of the barbershop in African American communities as spaces for political discussion, relationship advice, and cultural transmission across generations, with hair grooming serving as the anchor activity around which these social functions occur. Mos Def’s contribution adds depth to the portrait, and the track stands as an important document of how hip-hop addresses everyday cultural institutions and the roles they play in community life, treating haircuts as gateways to larger discussions about identity, masculinity, and social connection.
“Long Haired Country Boy” by Charlie Daniels Band
Charlie Daniels’ 1975 Southern rock anthem celebrates his long hair and lifestyle choices in defiance of conventional expectations, becoming an anthem for country music fans who didn’t fit Nashville’s polished image. The production features Daniels’ signature fiddle work alongside electric guitars, creating a sound that bridged country and Southern rock while his gravelly vocals delivered lyrics about choosing authenticity over conformity. The song’s perspective as a long-haired country musician pushed back against both mainstream country’s conservative image and rock audiences’ assumptions about what country artists should look and sound like. “Long Haired Country Boy” remains a staple of classic rock and country rock radio, demonstrating how hair length continued to carry countercultural significance into the mid-1970s even as the initial shock of 1960s long hair had faded, with Daniels using his appearance and music to carve out space for Southern rock’s distinct identity within the broader landscape of American popular music.
“Shikamaru” by LVLY & FKJ
While primarily named for the anime character, this 2020 collaborative track by Australian artist LVLY and French producer FKJ includes references to hair and appearance as part of its dreamy, atmospheric exploration of identity and perception. The production combines LVLY’s ethereal vocals with FKJ’s sophisticated electronic production, featuring lush synthesizers, subtle beats, and a floating quality that creates an intimate, late-night listening experience. The track’s approach to physical description including hair treats appearance as fluid and impressionistic rather than fixed, matching the sonic aesthetic that blends elements seamlessly rather than keeping them distinct. This modern production approach reflects how contemporary artists explore identity themes through texture and atmosphere as much as through explicit lyrics, with hair and appearance serving as touchstones within broader meditations on how we see ourselves and how others perceive us, all delivered through production values that reward careful listening on quality audio equipment where every subtle layer becomes apparent.
“Crown” by Stormzy
British grime artist Stormzy’s powerful track celebrates natural Black hair and challenges European beauty standards that have historically devalued African hair textures and styles. The production features heavy bass, sparse instrumentation, and plenty of space for Stormzy’s commanding delivery to carry the track’s message about hair as crown and symbol of Black pride and beauty. Stormzy’s lyrics explicitly address the politics of Black hair, from workplace discrimination to the pressure to conform to Eurocentric standards, delivered with the directness and intensity that has made him one of the UK’s most important hip-hop voices. The track connects to broader movements celebrating natural hair and challenging the stigmatization of protective styles like braids, locks, and natural afros, using Stormzy’s platform to elevate conversations about representation and beauty standards. For listeners wanting to explore diverse songs across various themes and genres, this track represents how contemporary artists use their music to address social issues through personal topics like hair that carry significant cultural weight.
“Hair” by Graham Coxon
Blur guitarist Graham Coxon’s solo track from his 2004 album Happiness in Magazines takes a more abstract, artistic approach to hair themes through his indie rock sensibilities. The production features Coxon’s distinctive guitar work, lo-fi aesthetic choices, and a deliberately rough-around-the-edges quality that contrasts sharply with the polished pop production that dominated mid-2000s radio. Coxon’s approach to songwriting has always favored emotional directness over commercial polish, and his treatment of hair-related themes fits this pattern, using the topic as another entry point into exploring self-image, aging, and identity through his particular brand of British indie rock. The track demonstrates how hair themes appear across the musical spectrum, from mainstream pop to indie and alternative contexts, with each genre bringing different production approaches and lyrical perspectives to what remains a universally relatable topic that connects physical appearance to deeper questions about who we are and how we present ourselves to the world around us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes songs about hair so universally appealing across different musical genres?
Hair represents something deeply personal yet universally experienced—everyone has some relationship with their hair, whether it’s about length, style, texture, or the choice to have none at all. Songs about hair tap into transformative moments we all understand, from the nervous anticipation before a big cut to the confidence boost from a perfect style, creating emotional connections that transcend specific musical genres. The symbolic weight of hair as representing identity, rebellion, conformity, or change gives songwriters rich metaphorical material that works equally well in pop ballads, rock anthems, or hip-hop tracks, allowing artists across genres to explore serious themes through the accessible topic of hair and appearance.
How have conversations about hair in music evolved from earlier decades to contemporary releases?
Earlier songs about hair often focused on length as a marker of countercultural values, with long hair representing rebellion in the 1960s and 1970s through tracks like Hair and Charlie Daniels’ “Long Haired Country Boy,” while contemporary songs tend toward more nuanced explorations of identity, natural hair politics, and personal transformation. Modern artists like Stormzy and SiR address specifically Black hair politics and the pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards, conversations that were largely absent from mainstream music in previous decades despite their cultural importance. Additionally, contemporary production techniques allow for more intimate, detailed storytelling where haircuts and styling can serve as metaphors for emotional states and relationship dynamics, with artists using sophisticated sonic palettes to match the complexity of their lyrical approaches to hair themes.
Why do so many breakup and transformation songs use haircuts as central metaphors?
Getting a haircut represents one of the most immediate, visible ways we can change our appearance and signal internal transformation to the outside world, making it a perfect metaphor for emotional fresh starts after breakups or difficult periods. The semi-permanent nature of haircuts—they change you significantly but grow back eventually—mirrors the emotional process of healing and moving forward, where we need to make changes but aren’t necessarily closing doors permanently. Culturally, “getting a drastic haircut after a breakup” has become such a recognized behavior that songs referencing it immediately communicate a specific emotional state without requiring extensive explanation, allowing songwriters to tap into shared understanding while building their specific narratives on this familiar foundation.
What role does hair play in establishing artist identity and brand within the music industry?
Distinctive hairstyles have helped countless artists establish immediately recognizable visual identities, from Billy Ray Cyrus’s career-defining mullet to Lady Gaga’s constantly evolving styles that signal different artistic eras and creative directions. An artist’s hair choices often become inseparable from their music in the public imagination, functioning as visual shorthand for their sonic approach and target audience, whether it’s the punk spikes of early Green Day or the natural hair celebration in contemporary R&B and hip-hop. The music industry’s emphasis on visual presentation means that hair transformations frequently accompany artistic reinventions, with new albums or career phases marked by dramatic style changes that signal to audiences that the music itself might be heading in new directions, making hair an essential element of overall artistic communication beyond just fashion.
How do cultural and racial dimensions affect hair representation in music across different genres?
Black artists have used music to address the specific politics of Black hair, from workplace discrimination against natural styles to the broader conversations about Eurocentric beauty standards that have historically devalued African hair textures, creating songs that function as both artistic expression and cultural commentary. Hip-hop and R&B tracks frequently celebrate natural hair, protective styles, and the cultural significance of barbershops and salons in Black communities, addressing topics that mainstream pop has often overlooked despite their importance to large portions of the music-listening public. The representation of different hair textures, styles, and cultural approaches in music videos and album artwork has gradually become more diverse, though challenges remain in ensuring that all communities see their hair experiences reflected in popular music rather than just dominant beauty standards being reinforced through repetitive imagery and narrow definitions of what constitutes attractive or acceptable hairstyles.
What production techniques best capture the emotional weight of hair transformation songs?
Dynamic builds that mirror emotional arcs work particularly well for transformation narratives, starting with stripped-down verses representing vulnerability or uncertainty and expanding into powerful, fully arranged choruses that convey confidence and empowerment after the change. Intimate production with prominent vocals and minimal instrumentation can emphasize the personal, internal nature of decisions about appearance and identity, while bigger, more produced sounds work for celebratory anthems about embracing natural hair or making bold style choices. The best hair-themed songs often feature noticeable production shifts at key lyrical moments—perhaps when the haircut happens or when the narrator realizes the significance of their transformation—using sonic changes to reinforce narrative turning points and create memorable moments that make the songs emotionally resonant beyond just their lyrical content.
Which artists have most successfully incorporated hair themes into their musical identity?
Lady Gaga stands out for making hair transformations central to her artistic expression, with each new style signaling different creative eras and her song “Hair” explicitly connecting hairstyles to freedom and self-expression as core themes. Billy Ray Cyrus’s mullet became so iconic that he eventually recorded a song about it, demonstrating how certain artist-hairstyle combinations become inseparable in popular culture and musical history. Contemporary artists like Willow Smith and Little Mix have created empowerment anthems using hair as central metaphors, while rappers and R&B artists including Stormzy, SiR, and Solange have addressed natural hair politics within their broader artistic missions of celebrating Black culture and challenging restrictive beauty standards that have affected how people of color navigate professional and social spaces throughout their lives.