Brandy's 20 Most Defining Songs (2024)

"This song ain't just for me, it's for every mama /Every day I breathe, it's for my little mama,"Brandy sings on "Baby Mama," the first single fromB7and an affecting tribute to women juggling parenting with their own dreams. A wry Chance theRapper verse switches the focus to the toxic, ungrateful men who make these women's lives even harder than they already are.

The biggest hit of Brandy's career—and one that will surely be played at the Verzuz battle—"The Boy Is Mine" drew inspiration from Paul McCartney andMichael Jackson's "TheGirl IsMine," but shifted the perspective. Harmonizing and delivering their own missives about the object of their affection, the song helped launch Brandy and Monica into a new tier of fame. "TheBoy Is Mine"spent 13 weeks atop theBillboardHot 100, remaining one of a small handful of women's duets to accomplish that feat.

The buzzing synths and chaotic drums are aggressively 2000s, but despite the chaotic instrumental Brandy still imbues"What About Us?" with an edge and a sober-eyed clarity. "What about all of the things that you say? /What about all of the promises that you made?" she asks, mimicking the kind of rhetorical questions that often precipitate a long-awaited breakup.

Brandy said she worried she was too young to pull off "Baby," but the song works precisely because it captures the butterflies of teenage love. With bright guitar and thumping drums, it embodies all the exciting bits of infatuation while leaving heartbreak to be dwelled on another time.

A slow-burning, soulful throwback,"Have You Ever" felt like her answer to the achingR&B of groups like Boyz II Men. "Have you ever loved somebody /So much it makes you cry? /Have you ever needed something /So bad you can't sleep at night?" she sings in complex, knotted harmony.

One of Brandy's biggest hits from the seven-time platinumWaiting toExhalesoundtrack, "Sittin'Up in My Room"is an airy love song about the agony and ecstasy of early dating. It's alsoone of very few times that Brandy worked with Babyface, and it's enough to make us wish that they had found their way to the studio more often.

Brandy emerged from a messy label exit with 2012'sTwo Eleven,a transitional album, but one that featured a handful of gems. The second single,"Wildest Dreams," toed the line between her early work and the way R&B production was subtly changing. Its message, about finding love against the odds, is vintage Brandy.

Borrowing from the EDM stadium pop that was exploding in the late 2000's, Brandy's "RightHere (Departed)" is a notable pivot from the sly, slinky sound of her early career. The track, produced by Rodney Jerkins, is massive, with pounding four-on-the-floor drums, buzzing synths, and a dramatic bridge. "Right Here" proves Brandy can be as engaging when she goes loud as she is when she opts for soft.

One of Brandy's most heart-wrenching songs of lost love, "Almost Doesn't Count" sees her eulogizing a relationship atop Spanish-inspired guitar. "Almost made you love me, almost made you cry /Almost made you happy, baby, didn't I, didn't I?" she sings, bitingly, on the first verse.

Brandy said that she wasn't feeling particularly inspired the day she recorded"Brokenhearted,"but you'd have a hard time telling as she stretches into her upper and lower registers with conviction and bounces off the booming, soulful piano.

Another big time soundtrack song, "MissingYou" sees '90s starsBrandy and Tamia teaming with soul stalwarts GladysKnight and Chaka Khan for a poignant song about love and loss. Brandy more than holds her own amongst the heavyweights, and when the four harmonize together "Missing You" turns from somber to showstopping.

Though not a massive hit upon release, "Top of theWorld" remains a fan favorite, thanks to its rumbling bass line, andBrandy's defiant lyrics, which criticize those who think celebrity status has changed her core. "I wonder why it's often said that my life's /A fairy tale and everything is so right /I wish that you could know the truth, yeah /My life is real so please don't get it twisted," she sings. Mase oozes New York charisma on his verse, and the version with FatJoe and BigPun doubles down on that.

Brandy herself was skeptical that "I Wanna Be Down" was the right choice for her introductory single, but the results don't lie.The song helped her become one of the most exciting new voices in R&B and landed atNo. 6 on theBillboardHot 100.Like so much of her self-titled album, it has an effortless cool that, when you listen closely, you realize is crafted through meticulous vocal layering and swinging drums.

Brandy captures the spontaneity and intrigue of attraction at first sight on "Full Moon," the title track from her 2002 album. The hook is one of her most creative, with staccato vocal runs stacked atop harmonic swells.It's the music that would soundtrack watching moonlight dance on crashing waves.

Brandy andKanye West offered their take on a classic Motown duet with "Talk About Our Love,"in which they play quarreling partners trying to get back on track.The record blends West's then-cutting edge productionwith Brandy's more traditional R&B chops (along with searing violin from Miri Ben-Ari). With its swelling horns and syrupy bass, you'd expect the song to have a prominent sample, but it's actually all original music.

A young Brandy perfectly captured the feeling of infatuation with "Always on My Mind," a bubbly neo-soul song that showcases her gift for feathery melodies and her ability to harmonize with herself. Though not one ofBrandy'sdefining hits,"Alwayson My Mind" is an album standout with its effervescent vocal performance.

A more traditional, piano-powered ballad, "LongDistance" allows Brandy the chance to showcase her diva side, belting about the turmoil of being physically far from a loved one. "All I have is this picture in a frame /That I hold close to see your face every day,"she sings as producer Rodney Jerkins' piano chords swell.

Brandy is cool and restrained on the sleek "U Don’t Know Me (Like U Used To),"but there's a righteous rage simmering within."You ain't missin' me at all / You won't pick up the phone and call /You don't know me, like you used to," she seethes, lamenting a relationship that has long since passed its expiration date.

Dedicated to her brother, Ray J,"BestFriend" is sweet and consistently surprising, with blips of of flute and eccentric percussion spicing up this tender family tribute.Brandy's delivery stands out, too, as she descends to the lowest point in her vocal range, creating a husky rasp.

These talented siblings teamed up for a poignant cover of Phil Collins's "Another Day inParadise," a stirring ballad about the juxtaposition of wealth and poverty in American cities.Both Brandy and Ray J are at their most emotive, doing what they can to convey the fear and uncertainty faced by the unhoused.