One of The Beatles’ more quirky, psychedelic offerings, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” is lyrically ambiguous, with colorful lines like “Picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies/Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly/A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.” Listening to this song (from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the band’s eighth studio album) is a vivid, enrapturing experience—much like looking at a beautiful diamond.
“Diamond Heart” by Lady Gaga (2016)
Another important diamond in Lady Gaga’s history: The songwriter wore the famous canary Tiffany Diamond to the 2019 Oscars, where she won Best Original Song for “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.Getty Images
In 2016 Gaga released Joanne, a country-rock album that couldn’t have been further from her early electro-pop roots. The record kicks off with “Diamond Heart,” a roaring ode to owning your imperfections. “I might not be flawless, but you know I got a diamond heart,” Gaga sings. Lyrically, it’s not so different from her dance-empowerment jams like “Born This Way” and “Hair.” She’s just swapped her disco stick for a cowboy hat.
“Diamonds and Pearls” by Prince and the New Power Generation (1991)
Prince performed on stage on the Diamonds & Pearls tour in the Netherlands in 1992.Getty Images
Delightfully ‘90s in its synth-pop production, “Diamonds and Pearls” is a simple song about wanting to give someone the world—diamonds and pearls included—but hoping they’re satisfied with just your love. It’s an oft-visited lyrical trope in pop music (please see: “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” by Jennifer Lopez), but, like diamonds, there’s a reason certain messages endure.
