Ray Charles' 10 best songs, ranked

2 June 2025, 12:28

The trademark sunglasses, the smile, the heartache, the charm: it's none other than Ray Charles. Picture: Getty

By Thomas Edward

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What a character. What a voice.

A womaniser. A scoundrel. A preacher. A soul shaker. Ray Charles was a musician that seemingly had it all.

Few artists in the history of popular music could flit between delivering a gospel sermon one note, then lay it on the ground in the dirt the next.

Charles certainly had his demons – the icon struggled with various different addictions throughout his life – after suffering the terrible affliction of losing his eyesight at the age of four.

But it was his personal strife, coupled with his remarkable talent, that transformed him into a household name.

He sang of the truth of life's difficulties, his many loves and temptations, and his deep connection to the Southern states where he grew up.

A devil on the piano and a devastating songwriter to boot, Ray Charles channelled the pains and pleasures of the human experience, but sang about it with a heavenly amount of soul.

Throughout his career, he was one of the inaugural inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won a total of 17 Grammy Awards, and received the Kennedy Center Honors, among numerous other accolades.

Charles died on June 10, 2004 at the age of 73, having changed the face of 20th century music: we've ranked his 10 best songs to prove it.

Seven Spanish Angels (with Willie Nelson)

Willie Nelson - Seven Spanish Angels (Official Video)

Ray Charles was a master of many music genres throughout his impressive career, dabbling with R&B, soul, gospel, pop, and even country.
Arguably his finest country effort was 'Seven Spanish Angels', a duet with bonafide country music legend Willie Nelson.
The song about a pair of outlaw lovers being gunned down by Texas lawmen would bag Charles his only number one on the US Country charts.
Hallelujah, I Love Her So

Ray Charles - Hallelujah I Love Her So - Olympia 2000

'Hallelujah, I Love Her So' is so joyous in its message, you'd have a heart of stone not to be affected by it.
In the 1956 released gospel-indebted song, Charles sings of being deeply in love and enjoying the simple things in life: "Every mornin' before the sun comes up / She brings me coffee in my favourite cup."
The song's sunny sentiment resonated with countless artists who have gone on to cover it, including Stevie Wonder, Peggy Lee, Eddie Cochran, Humble Pie and The Quarrymen, who later became a little-known band called The Beatles.
Here We Go Again (with Norah Jones)

Ray Charles feat. Norah Jones - Here We Go Again (Official Audio)

Ray Charles originally recorded 'Here We Go Again' in 1967 for his album, though it would only peak at number fifteen in the US charts and fared worse in the UK.
Still, it proved to be a stroke of genius when he recruited Norah Jones for a duet of the song for his 2004 album, Genius Loves Company, a nod to the nickname his peers gave him: "The Genius".
Genius Loves Company featured duets with the likes of Elton John, Johnny Mathis, Van Morrison, Gladys Knight and James Taylor among others, becoming the biggest-selling album of his career.
Sadly, it would be the final release before his death - the following year, he was awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration as the music industry gave Charles a send-off to remember.
Mess Around

Ray Charles - Mess Around (Live)

'Mess Around' has become a song synonymous with lapping up some silliness, having a lark with friends and family, and dancing like nobody's watching.
There's a reason why the song has been used in films like the hit comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and covered by the likes of The Animals and Squeeze.
Despite its strong New Orleans essence, 'Mess Around' was actually written by Atlantic Records founder and boss Ahmet Ertegun, under the pseudonym 'A. Nugetre'.
The boogie woogie piano riff harks back to New Orleans classics that date back as far as the 1920s, likely why it's Southern feel fit Charles like a glove.
Unchain My Heart

Ray Charles - Unchain My Heart (Official Lyric Video)

Written by Bobby Sharp, 'Unchain My Heart' was a hit for Ray Charles after he recorded it in 1961.
Singing about wanting to be free from a love that won't let him go, the lyrics are an analogy for Sharp's addiction, having written the song whilst in the throes of heroin abuse and even selling the rights to the song for a paltry $50.
With its bossa nova rhythm, 'Unchain My Heart' became a massive hit for Ray Charles, reaching number nine in the US charts.
It was even the working title for his 2004 biopic, which was later changed to simply Ray with Jamie Foxx playing Charles, a film that bagged him Best Actor at the Oscars.
I Can't Stop Loving You

Ray Charles | I Can't Stop Loving You (Visualizer)

Originally written and recorded by country singer Don Gibson in 1958, 'I Can't Stop Loving You' stuck with Ray Charles after the first time he heard it on The Grand Ole Opry.
It inspired him to defy convention, being a black rhythm and blues artist choosing to try his hand at covering country standards, which resulted in his celebrated 1962 album, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music.
"You take country music, you take black music, it's exactly the same thing," according to Ray.
The longing country and western staple became a massive hit for Charles, scoring one of his three number one singles.
What I'd Say

Ray Charles & The Raelettes (feat. Billy Preston) "What'd I Say" on The Ed Sullivan Show

"The sweet sounds of love" inspired Ray Charles to write 'What I'd Say', but the song's structure came straight from his upbringing.
Taking the call-and-response gospel style directly from his youth going to church, the song shot Charles into the forefront of popular music in 1959, in turn creating a new genre: soul music.
Reportedly conjured up in a nightclub after a show one night, Ray needed to fill a few minutes at the end of his set so improvised and encouraged his backing singers The Raelettes to follow his lead.
I had sung everything I could think of," he later recalled. "So I said to the guys, 'Look, I'm going to start this thing off, I don't know where I'm going, so y'all just follow me.' And I said to the girls, 'Whatever I say, just repeat after me.'"
I Got A Woman

Ray Charles - I Got A Woman

Ray was renowned for being experimental and ambitious in his songwriting, and thought it might seem tame by today's standards, 'I Got A Woman' was proof.
Reimagining the gospel song 'My Jesus Is All the World to Me', it was a breakthrough hit for Charles in 1954, though some circles were shocked by his secular re-working that made the song accessible to a wider audience outside of strict church-goers.
"I was just being myself," Charles later said. "Of course it created a lot of static from a lot of people. But then, on the other hand, it was a hit. It was a hit in the black community and the white community."
Nowadays the song is known by new generations of music fans as the sample for Kanye West's 2005 rap song 'Gold Digger', which reverses the notion of having a supportive woman to one that is only with him for the money.
Hit The Road Jack

Ray Charles - Hit The Road Jack (Official Lyrics Video)

An absolute classic, 'Hit The Road Jack' is full of the Ray Charles charm offensive, pleading with a woman to keep him despite his many misdemeanours.
The 1961 song was actually written by Charles' close friend Percy Mayfield who got into a car accident early on in his performing career so became a prolific songwriter, often teaming up with Ray.
He might have pre-dated rock 'n' roll, but Ray (and with The Raelettes on superb backing vocals, notably Margie Hendricks who takes the lead in 'Hit The Road Jack') certainly influenced the youth movement.
It's finger-snapping upbeat humour and instantly quotable lyrics ensured 'Hot The Road Jack' became part of popular vernacular, and arguably Charles' signature song.
It drove Ray's career to the very top, scoring him a number one hit in the US.
Georgia On My Mind

Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind (Official Video)

Is it about the US state? Or is it actually about a woman? Regardless, 'Georgia On My Mind' is without doubt Ray Charles' greatest ever song.
The gorgeous ode to the 'Peach State' pre-dates Ray, as the song was originally written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, and recorded by jazz saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer in 1931 who made it a top ten hit.
Throughout the years, 'Georgia On My Mind' has been recorded by an illustrious list of music legends like James Brown (a Georgia native himself), Louis Armstrong, the Righteous Brothers, Michael Bolton, Django Reinhardt, and Willie Nelson.
But it's Ray Charles' version that stands head and shoulders above the rest, a song whose beautiful jazz melody lays bare all the love, nostalgic longing, and devotion Charles had for his original home.
Ray was born in Albany, Georgia, but his family relocated to Florida when he was still a baby. After singing it constantly, his driver encouraged Ray to record the song himself.
It was a masterstroke, winning Ray the Grammy Awards for Best Male Vocal Recording and Best Pop Song Performance, and even becoming the state of Georgia's official song in 1979.