Songs are everywhere—you can’t escape them. Even when you don’t want to hear them, you’ll listen to them. If you’ve ever walked outside and been greeted by the chirping of birds, or listened to a buzzing from a neighbor’s lawnmower, the loud hum of traffic or the pop of a soda can opening, that’s a song! There are also songs that you can use to entertain, motivate, and relax.

What makes music so great? After all, it’s the universal language, which means that it speaks to everyone. It’s our connection to other humans and faraway places. It’s an escape and a way to connect with one another. And, perhaps the easiest question of them all: how many kinds of the song are there?

Music is the soundtrack of our lives. It lifts us up and brings us down, inspires us, and makes us laugh. It teaches us, entertains us, and connects us. It is what brings people together. The writing on the wall, the invisible thread that continues as we continue our days as strangers until one note or lyric brings the souls that were once strangers together.

Now more than ever, the music industry is shaking up traditional notions of what music can be, and it is fueling a renewed interest in music history. Instead of focusing on mass appeal, record labels like Top Dawg Entertainment are releasing music that’s more niche, catering to the tastes and points of view of specific audiences.

When you listen to music, you generally focus on one particular genre. You may not have thought about how the song’s lyrics or sounds are put together, but there are some interesting relationships between musical genres and music theory.

Most music fans are familiar with at least a few of the ‘standard’ song types, but a quick Google search will reveal that there are actually far more types of songs out there than most of us realize. For instance, some songs are literally songs, with no lyrics, just sounds. And there are songs that are not songs, but sound recordings, with no accompanying music. But my personal favorite is songs that just happen to be parodies of songs.

There are as many songs as there are human songwriters: over 400,000 and counting. And these songwriters, performers, and composers have countless songs in their heads. Some of them may only use a few chords or one melody, while others can write entire songs in their heads and even piece together songs. They compose songs in their head all the time. So, is there a maximum number of songs a human can compose? The answer is yes, but more to do with our perception of what a song is and how it works.

There are literally hundreds of different kinds of songs. You may not think that’s that many, but that’s apparently all it takes. While there are definitely plenty of songs that are just one kind, there are also groupings of songs that all share similarities. For example, the classical music genre includes symphonies, sonatas, and concertos, which are all based on the same musical structure.

There are all kinds of songs. We have pop songs, rock songs, blues songs, jazz songs, country songs, reggae songs, rap songs, alternative songs, folk songs, R&B songs, pop songs, classic rock songs, EDM songs, Spanish songs, nursery rhymes, Christmas songs, Hanukkah songs, and Easter songs. But how many different kinds of songs are there?

There are many different types of songs. Each piece has its own style and naturally has its own rhythm. There are songs about love, happiness, sadness, and learning. There are also songs that describe places, songs about the weather, people, and animals. There are also songs about toys and games, and songs about holidays.

It’s quite common to hear a song on the radio and not know what the singer is singing about. From super catchy anthems to more obscure songs and music, the majority of us can’t recall the name. But there are many different types of songs, each with its unique traits and origin.