The 25 Best Alicia Keys Songs

A decade into her career, the R&B songstress has the discography of a legend. We explore her greatest records.

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Complex Original

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In just over a decade, Alicia Keys has gone from braided prodigy to married mother, with the discography of a legend. Just about every song she's released has impacted the public, and she has 15 Grammys and eight No. 1 singles across pop and R&B charts to show for it. Between her own solo hits, featured appearances, and well-known album cuts, this list came together with releative ease.

Looking at the scope of the music Keys has released over the past several years really gives pushes the point that she's up there with the best. Music critics will always find it difficult to praise contemporary artists on the level of past phenoms, but Keys' catalog makes it a worthy reach. We took on the task of picking our new cover star's greatest records, and ranking them as well. These are the 25 best Alicia Keys songs.

RELATED: Alicia Keys Covers Complex's December 2012/January 2013 Issue

25. "Superwoman" (2007)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers
Album: As I Am

Keys writes anthems, and she definitely did with "Superwoman" off her As I Am album. Belting out over soft piano chords is Keys' speciality and this song showcases her voice control and range perfectly. It earned Keys her second consecutive Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2009. Even she says it was her favorite track off the album.

24. "Every Little Bit Hurts" (2005)

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Producer: Alicia Keys
Album: Unplugged

It's hard to best a Motown classic, especially Brenda Holloway's "Every Little Bit Hurts." Alicia Keys doesn't attempt to do so here. Keys' cover molds the song in a way that doesn't seek to better the original, but looks to portray a sense of emotional rawness and honesty. So every time she hits those choir-sized climaxes, a cheer is in order. This is one Unplugged cut that resonates.

23. "How Come You Don't Call Me" (2001)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers
Album: Songs in A Minor

Somehow, someway, Keys was able to turn one of the most nagging questions in relationship history—originally a Prince song—into an incredibly soulful ballad of romantic desire. It was the third and last single from her debut album, leaving a lasting impression of how incredibly talented Keys is on her new fan base.

22. "Put It In A Love Song" f/ Beyoncé (2009)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers
Album: The Element of Freedom

Here's an example of the sum being better than its parts. This song gets turned up as a result of some solid production choices...and Beyoncé. The drums make Alicia's verses into a call to arms, and those chords give that call more weight. Then there's Beyoncé being as intense as ever. On this track more than ever, both women shine as talented artists and soldiers of love.

21. "Karma" (2003)

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Producer: Kerry "Krucial" Brothers
Album: The Diary of Alicia Keys

This brilliant mash-up of hip-hop, haunting violin, and classical undertones was not as commercially successful as the other three singles off Keys' The Diary of Alicia Keys but that doesn't make it any less of a track. The repeated violin riff is sampled from Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 by Brahms, and Keys makes the most of it with deeper, frustrated vocals on the record.

20. "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (2007)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers
Album: As I Am

The production is soft on "Like You'll Never See Me Again," and this gives Alicia Keys another chance to grab the listener with her soaring vocals. The message here is clear, but what makes the song is that it doesn't beat you over the head with that message—it's all in the performance. It's soulful, and Keys has been showing she can pull off soul quite well for over a decade.

19. Eve f/ Alicia Keys "Gangsta Lovin'" (2002)

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Producer: Irv Gotti, Channel 7
Album: EVE-Olution

“Why not Alicia Keys?” was the simple reasoning behind Eve's choice to put Keys on the debut track from her third studio album, EVE-olution. It made sense for two of the hottest women in the industry linked up on this 2002 hit. Eve’s sensitive thug lyrics fit perfectly with Keys’ airy, soulful hook. The track samples Yarbrough and Peoples' 1980 hit "Don't Stop the Music,” and that's exactly how we felt about this low key banger.

18. "Wait Til You See My Smile" (2009)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Jeff Bhasker
Album: The Element of Freedom

On "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart," Alicia Keys is trying to get over an emotional hump. Just one track later on The Element of Freedom, it sounds like Keys has leaped over it. Even without the context, "Wait Til You See My Smile" is just an enjoyable listen, from Keys' vocal performance to those '80s-like synths.

17. "Girlfriend" (2001)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri
Album: Songs in A Minor

Ol' Dirty Bastard was an idiosyncratic, weird but lovable member of the Wu, and Alicia Keys was a highly-hyped songstress. Somehow mixing the two together worked on "Girlfriend." Keys samples the gritty "Brooklyn Zoo" and also manages to score a banger like ODB did. As rugged as the beat is, the then-debuting singer sounds far from overwhelmed.

16. Drake f/ Alicia Keys "Fireworks" (2010)

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Producer: Noah "40" Shebib
Album: Thank Me Later

On the intro to Drake's major label debut, Alicia Keys swooped in on anxious listeners, who had just pressed play, and were a minute into the album. She set the scene beautifully, matching Drake's woeful sentiments of life changing ascension. Putting Keys on the chorus is never a bad idea.

15. "Girl On Fire" (2012)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Salaam Remi, Jeff Bhasker
Album: Girl on Fire

Olympian Gabby Douglas joining Keys and Nicki Minaj on stage at this year’s VMAs for the premiere of “Girl On Fire” was a moment, as is this entire ballad. Even without Nicki’s verse, Keys lets her signature vocal ability and piano work re-introduce her to the game. "Girl on Fire" was inspired by Keys' giving birth to her son Egypt and her marriage with Swizz Beatz—and of course, it's another hit.

14. "Teenage Love Affair" (2007)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Jack Splash
Album: As I Am

Oh, young love. Keys captured the feeling to a tee on “Teenage Love Affair,” basing the video on Spike Lee's 1988 film School Daze. The song is capable of giving anyone that giddy, first-love feeling, and will make you nostalgic for those late-night, four-hour phone calls. Again, Keys kills it with her soulful vibe, partially thanks to the sample from The Temprees' 1972 song "(Girl) I Love You."

13. "Jane Doe" (2001)

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Producer: Kandi Burruss, Alicia Keys, Tenisha Smith
Album: Songs in A Minor

"Jane Doe" was the only track on Songs in A Minor that was actually in the key of A minor. It's also one of the best tracks on her debut album. She showed off her classically-trained pianist skills along with solid vocals and lyrics smothered with attitude. The song wasn't a single, but remains one of her best known.

12. "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" (2009)

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Producer: Jeff Bhasker
Album: The Element of Freedom

“Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” became one of Keys’ best diversions from her normal R&B route with an added combination of synth-pop and '80s love ballad esque vocals. It’s no wonder so many reviews compared it to a Prince composition. The soft, sheen of this quietly wonderful record made it an instantly timeless addition to her catalog.

11. "Diary" f/ Tony! Toni! Toné! (2003)

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Producer: Alicia Keys
Album: The Diary of Alicia Keys

This is as intimate as it gets. "Diary" is a song that forces the listener to let their guard down. There's so much to handle and you just have to let it all soak in. Tony! Toni! Toné! and Keys blend perfectly over that melancholic piano. She even gives us  her phone number. It's wonderful.

10. "A Woman's Worth" (2001)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Erika Rose
Album: Songs in A Minor

Alicia successfully followed up her massive hit "Fallin'" with this huge hit. The soul record has Keys shining on a piano-driven backdrop, and the top-notch writing proved to the world that she was an artist destined to stick around for a while.

9. "Doesn't Mean Anything" (2009)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers
Album: The Element of Freedom

The first single from her fourth studio album is about love over materialism. Scaled piano chords and heavy drums give the record a heavy emotional tug which is intensified by Keys' vocals. She nails the perspective of someone madly in love so well. It’s so simple but she crafts the track beautifully.

8. "You Don't Know My Name" (2003)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Kanye West
Album: The Diary of Alicia Keys

Besides being her third top 10 hit, “You Don’t Know My Name” was also the soundtrack to one of Keys’ best music videos. She works as a diner waitress who falls in love with a customer, who happens to be Mos Def. She looks forward to seeing him every day, and he doesn’t even know her name. The track, produced by Kanye West and Keys, samples The Main Ingredient's 1974 hit, "Let Me Prove My Love to You.” We’ll always remember the “special, with a hot chocolate.”

7. "Unbreakable" (2005)

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Producer: Alicia Keys
Album: Unplugged

This record was the lead single off her live Unplugged album. She speaks on a love that might bend but will never break, even if it goes through some difficulties along the way. Kudos to Alicia for implementing a different sound on this record and even encouraging her audience to clap their hands. Oh, and the name-dropping of famous celeb couples such as Ike and Tina, Will and Jada, and Bill Cosby and Camille? Priceless.

6. Usher & Alicia Keys "My Boo" (2004)

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Producer: Jermaine Dupri
Album: Confessions

Back in 2004, there were no hotter R&B artists than Alicia Keys and Usher. The two had connected previously on the remix of Keys' highly-sucessful 2004 single, "If I Ain't Got You," and Usher was dominating the charts with smash hit after smash hit from his Confessions album.

This time, the duo linked up with "My Boo." Usher sings about his view of a past relationship and how feelings are still there for one another. Keys agrees: "Even though there's another man who's in my life/You will always be my boo." Years later, the single will go down as one of the best duets of all time.

5. "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" (2009)

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Producer: Noah "40" Shebib
Album: The Element of Freedom

In was 2009, and Alicia hadn't seen her name at the top of the charts since 2007's "Like You'll Never See Me Again." Then she took the world by storm again with "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)," featuring background vocals (and an verse on the remix) from Drake.

Keys belted some of her deepest lyrics to date over stirring piano chords and a thumping beat crafted by Drake's right-hand man, Noah "40" Shebib. The emotion was felt. Clearly, Alicia could still hit listeners harder than ever.

4. Jay-Z f/ Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind" (2009)

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Producer: Al Shux, Janet Sewell-Ulepic, Angela Hunte
Album: The Blueprint 3

"Empire State of Mind" is an ode to the home grounds in which Jay-Z and Alicia Keys were both born and raised in. It features hot verses from Jay and a fire sample of "Love on a Two-Way Street," but it was Alicia Keys' extraordinary vocals on the catchy chorus that made the song so powerful. The record has replaced Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" as the city's go-to anthem, and remains one of Keys' greatest contributions to pop culture.

3. "If I Ain't Got You" (2003)

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Producer: Alicia Keys
Album: The Diary of Alicia Keys

Years after releasing "If I Ain't Got You," Keys said the track was inspired by Aaliyah. “The song idea came together right after Aaliyah passed away. It was such a sad time and no one wanted to believe it. It just made everything crystal clear to me—what matters, and what doesn’t,” Keys said. Her vocal range and the record's irresistible chords led the track and earned her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

2. "Fallin'" (2001)

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Producer: Alicia Keys
Album: Songs in A Minor

Fresh off her high school graduation and a record deal with Columbia Records, then-teenaged Alicia Keys kicked off what would undoubtedly become a great career with her debut release, Songs in A Minor. The album performed exceptionally well, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart, won five Grammy awards, and earned her comparisons to R&B/soul greats such as Aretha Franklin and Lauryn Hill.

The debut single from that album was the wise-beyond-her-years, self-produced record, "Fallin.'" The single became a massive hit—speaking on the ins and outs of relationships with a gospel vibe and powerful vocals from Keys. "Fallin'" is still one of Alicia's best-known tracks. The record itself won the highly-coveted Grammy for "Song of the Year." It's crazy to think that the song was just the beginning of what would become a career filled with success for Keys.

1. "No One" (2007)

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Producer: Alicia Keys, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Dirty Harry
Album: As I Am

Despite all of the massive records Keys released before it, when “No One” hit in fall 2007, it instantly shot to No. 1 and will likely go down as her signature record. Yes, it's "Fallin'" that first caught everyone's attention, but years down the line "No One" established Keys as a superstar with unwavering talent—one who only gets better with time. The production was supreme, her vocals were at their strongest, and beyond technical merit, it had all of the presence of a pop smash. "No One" is Alicia's finest work, and with a career like hers, that means so much.

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