Round and Round: 4 Standout “Circle” Songs That Will Have You Spinning

We are about to enter a circular musical pattern. As in, songs that contain the word “circle” in them. There have been many songs in that vein over the years. That made narrowing it down to only four a tricky endeavor.

Let’s see if you agree with our choices. And we understand if you disagree, but we don’t want to argue too long about it. Otherwise, we’ll just be going in, well, you know.

“The Circle Game” by Joni Mitchell

Because it became a standard on its own, many people don’t realize that “The Circle Game” was actually an answer song of sorts. Joni Mitchell wrote it in response to fellow Canadian Neil Young’s song “Sugar Mountain”. Young’s track bemoans the things you lose when you get past the teen years. Mitchell decided to follow the back three-quarters of life through the various triumphs and heartbreaks they entail. This is one of those songs that’s so wise that you can’t believe that it came from someone so young. (Mitchell was only in her early 20s when she wrote it.) The song gave the music world an early indication that this was a writer with few peers.

“Will It Go Round In Circles” by Billy Preston

Billy Preston parlayed the notoriety he received playing with The Beatles into a stellar solo career in the early 70s. He combined a variety of styles on his records, generally coming out with something quite accessible when all was said and done. “Will It Go Round In Circles?”, a No. 1 hit for Preston in 1973, shows off the talented band surrounding him. That included guitarist George Johnson and bassist Louis Johnson, aka The Brothers Johnson. And horn players, supreme Jim Horn and Tom Scott, led the brass. Preston’s funky piano never strays far from the center of the aural picture. Written by Preston and Bruce Fisher, this track stands out as an exhilarating jolt of energy.

“Circle” by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians

In some circles (see what we did there), this song was considered a flop. Considering that Edie Brickell & New Bohemians scored a Top 10 hit right off the bat with their first single, “What I Am”, they quickly achieved buzz-band status and had the world anxious to hear their next song. When you look at it from that context, “Circle”, which didn’t make the Top 40, was disappointing. But anybody listening to the track now will hear something of delicate beauty. Brickell wrote it with guitarist Kenny Withrow. The song provides a showcase for her vocals, which are aching in all the right places. “Circle” doesn’t specify the malady separating the friends in the song. But it certainly highlights the pain it’s causing.

“Love Circles” by Squeeze

Squeeze went into their 1989 album Frank off the success of Babylon And On two years earlier, an album that delivered their biggest ever US single in “Hourglass”. The follow-up was a stronger album on the whole, but it lacked the big hits. It actually caused Squeeze’s label to drop them, although they quickly rebounded. “Love Circles” stands out as one of the album’s gems. As usual with this British band, the lyrics come courtesy of Chris Difford and the music from Glenn Tilbrook. Difford also takes one of his occasional lead vocals here. The song details the way that the early passion of love can decline, leading one to wonder how to get back there.

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