11 Enthusiastic Songs About Cheerleaders! | Playlist 🎧

11 Enthusiastic Songs About Cheerleaders! features music courtesy of Ashnikko, EGOVERT, Jude York, Liza Anne, and OMI. 

Give me a C! C! Give me an H! H! Give me an E! E! Give me another E! E! Give me an R! R! Give me an L! L! Give me a third E! E! Give me an A! A! Give a D! D! Give me a fourth E! E! Give me another R! R! And finally (😅) give me an S! S! What’s that long-ass introductory, written-out cheer spell? CHEERLEADERS! Yup! This list – 11 Enthusiastic Songs About Cheerleaders! – is all about cheerleaders. Enough said! 11 Enthusiastic Songs About Cheerleaders! features music courtesy of Ashnikko, EGOVERT, Jude York, Liza Anne, and OMI, among others. So, without any more, needless cheers, let’s let the tunes speak for themselves on  11 Enthusiastic Songs About Cheerleaders! 

1. Jude York, “Cheerleaders and Jocks” 

🎵 “Cheerleaders and Jocks” • 🏷 Jude York / Amuseio AB • 🗓 2023 

“You’re keeping your poise / I’m good at being someone you avoid.” The question is, why does he have to avoid you, Jude York? You’re handsome and talented, so, what’s the problem? Well, in a perfect world, one without external and internal homophobia, there’d be no problem. But, can a jock really be gay, let alone date another guy? This ain’t Heartstopper! Instead, it’s “Cheerleaders and Jocks”, where the math ain’t mathin’ when it comes to anything curved as opposed to straight. York does a fabulous job of painting a picture we’ve seen far too often. Why did he write “Cheerleaders and Jocks”? He asserts, ‘I wrote this for anyone who feels pressured to be something they’re not. You don’t have to fit in, you don’t have to be someone else’s version of normal.’ Right on!  

“I’ll never be your white picket fence / No, I don’t want your all-American,” Jude York sings in the chorus, continuing, “Your cheerleaders and jocks, can you connect the dots? / With your 2.5 kids conceived in parking lots.” Basically, a dude with a dude can’t possibly yield a future, York sings, from the perspective of the cowardly jock, of course.  Jocks are meant to be with cheerleaders, and make a family, which he expounds on:  

“So go ahead and make your parents proud! 

Marry the girl that’s living two doors down 

When you’re done ticking the box, tied yourself in a knot 

You’ll regret it then, that you ever gave me up.”   

Thought-provoking. Is it worth checking off boxes because that’s tried-and-true and the expectation rather than living true to self? In the process of making us reflect, York delivers incredible vocals.  The falsetto during the chorus section is particularly epic.  His performance is authentic and incredibly honest – you can feel Jude fully giving himself.  Furthermore, the music is sweet too, with the infectious groove, prominent bass line that establishes itself early on, and the rhythm guitar. “Cheerleaders and Jocks” is an LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 bop that EVERYONE should listen to! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Awesome Songs: December 2023 

2. Ashnikko, “Cheerleader” 

💿 WEEDKILLER • 🏷 Parlophone • 📅 2023 

“Hate me ‘cause I’m beautiful, bitch, I don’t like you either.” WOO, Ashnikko! Them’s fightin’ words, sis! “Cheerleader” arrived as an advance single and sixth track from the pop artist’s 2023 debut LP, WEEDKILLER.  It’s safe to say, Ashnikko doesn’t hold back on this ‘unorthodox’ cheerleader anthem.  The unorthodox nature is part of the charm, as the artist rightfully asks, “Who do I have to kill to make everybody love me?” particularly after faceplanting on the pavement (Ouch!), and “Pick my shorts out my ass with blood-stained hands.” Dramatic! It doesn’t stop there, with the likes of “Filler, snip and glue / Am I fuckable enough for you?” from the second verse.  Of course, the crème de la crème – the centerpiece – is the chorus, where she proudly asserts, “Honey, I’m the lead role, you don’t even feature / B-R-I-N-G I-T O-N, bring it on, bitch.” Gah-day-um! Backed by energetic production with the personality to match, “Cheerleader” in the hands of Ashnikko is somethin’ else!   

3. OMI, “Cheerleader” 

💿 Me 4 U • 🏷 Ultra • 📅 2015

“When I need motivation / My one solution is my queen.” Ooh-wee! Give me an O…O! Give me an M… M! Give me an I… I! What’s that spell? OMI, of course! Jamaican 🇯🇲 artist OMI earned one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and one hit only: “Cheerleader”. Specifically, it was the remix by German DJ/producer, Felix Jaehn, that reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song of the summer for 2015.  “Cheerleader” has been certified multiplatinum by the RIAA – kind of a big deal!  The chorus is the section to beat: “Oh, I think that I found myself a cheerleader / She is always right there when I need her.” What more needs to be said? We all need a cheerleader – guy or girl! Of course, OMI praises her throughout the verses, asserting in the second, “She walks like a model.” Word.  He also states, “All these other girls are tempting / But I’m empty when you’re gone.” Basically, this cheerleader is the one for him.  He effectively conveys how he feels, including going so far to say, “Now all that’s left to do / Is just for me to pop the question.” Well, that escalated quickly! “Cheerleader” is nothing short of a vibe. Great production (OMI + Clifton Dillon), and awesome remix (Jaehn), and superb performance by OMI makes it a one-hit-wonder we’ll never forget!  

Appears in 🔻: 

• OMI, Cheerleader: 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏 No. 17 (2023) 

4. Liza Anne, “Cheerleader”  

💿 Utopian • 🏷 Liza Anne / AntiFragile Music • 📅 2023

“You’re looking so damn infectious / Chic electric, ah!” Hell yeah, Liza Anne! Liza Anne shines on “Cheerleader,” a single and the opening track from her 2023 album, 💿 Utopian. Clocking in at just two-and-a-half-minutes in duration, that short runtime is plenty for the cheerleader to cheer us on… something like that! “So cute and you don’t even know it / You’re walking that talk and I love it, I love it,” she sings in the chorus, continuing, “Show me how you do it oh, I want it! I want it! / I’ll be your cheerleader.” Good to know, Liza Anne! While this is a self-explanatory record, some of the selling points includes a strong vocal performance, ample personality, queer vibes and music video FTW (directed by Jacq Justice), and some of the grooviest music to come out of 2023.  The beat, the bass line, exuberant guitar, the keys/synths! Epic! She penned this record alongside Kyle Ryan Hurlbut (who also produces with her) and Madi Diaz.  “I’ll be your cheerleader I’ll be your / Blow it up, hype you up, cheerleader!” 

5. EGOVERT, “CHEERLEADER!” 

💿 VENDETTA • 🏷 EGOVERT • 📅 2023

“She a cheerleader, and her dad’s rich (wow) / She’s a big brat, but her ass thick (What, yeah).” Well, it’s clear what rapper EGOVERT (Sidharth Gopakumar) is thinking with on “CHEERLEADER!”. The brief banger appears on his 2023 ‘album,’ VENDETTA.  In the exuberant, objectifying chorus, he adds, “She gon’ make her back bend, gymnastics.” I see you, Sidharth! “CHEERLEADER!” runs just one-and-a-quarter minutes in duration.  It’s enough for Gopakumar to drop a chorus, verse, chorus, and an outro.  In the verse, there is a lack of substance… “Baby touch your toes, get down low / Face down, ass up, you know how it go” is giving S Meets E and then they X, PERIOD! There are more sexual references, whether it’s the confident “Ten bitches on me right now / Ten bands on the fit, baby pipe down,” or “How your waist is small, but your ass so fat?” To reiterate, the substance isn’t there, but EGOVERT drops an impressive flow over the spirited, marching-band infused Dustin Cavazos backdrop. “CHEERLEADER!” qualifies as an infectious, bite-sized banger.  

Appears in 🔻:  

• EGOVERT, CHEERLEADER!: Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 No. 13 (2023) 

6. Latto, “Cheerleader” 

💿 Hit the Latto (EP) • 🏷 Pittstop Ent / Streamcut • 📅 2019

“Ho-ass nigga, he ain’t nothin’ but a cheerleader / In the hood, doin’ donuts in a two-seater (skrrt).” Well now, Latto… She adds, “Take a nigga soul, I’m the motherfuckin’ Grim Reaper.” Now that shit is terrifying 💀! The crazy thang is, those lyrics hail from the pre-chorus, not the chorus! As to be expected, the Grammy-nominated rapper continues to be tough and unapologetic in the chorus (“Get her knocked out, checkin’ hoes off the hit list (Pow) / Thirty bitches deep and they all with the shits (Brr)”). Brr indeed! Supporting Latto’s explicit endeavors is production courtesy of RTJ and Bankhead, who, per the intro, got them 808s.  WOO! With jam-packed pre-chorus and choruses, Latto churns out two verses on this sub-three-minute joint from her 2019 EP, Hit The Latto.  At the end of the first verse, the cheerleader asserts, “Stay out my business, you work for them people (Yeah) / Big Latto, bitch, I’m the pope and the preacher (Real talk).” Damn! In the second, she informs us, “I let it spray on a bitch like R. Kelly (brr) / Latto a freak in the sheets (woo) / Latto go ape in the streets (Woo).” That R. Kelly line, Latto… ice cold!   

7. Pig Destroyer, “Cheerleader Corpses” 

💿 Prowler in the Yard • 🏷 Relapse • 📅 2001

“Semen tastes / Like gunmetal / She said / Smiling.” Yikes, yikes, YIKES, J. R. Hayes! Holy moly! Pig Destroyer exemplify being unapologetic.  Interestingly, on “Cheerleader Corpses,” the second track from their 2001 album, Prowler in the Yard,  the word cheerleader is never uttered.  However, given the title, and the excerpted lyric, it’s clear that Pig Destroyer are being disgusting, morbid, and risqué AF. “Cheerleader Corpses” keeps things short and ‘offensive,’ clearly the intent of the veteran grindcore collective.  It’s also loud and unsettling.  I quote: “These pills I take / In the witching hour / I imagine / I am swallowing you.” Yuck! “Cheerleader Corpses” = approximately 35 seconds of hell 😈! 

8. St. Vincent, “Cheerleader” 

💿 Strange Mercy • 🏷 4AD Ltd • 📅 2011  

“I’ve had good times with some bad guys / I’ve told whole lies with a half-smile.” Sometimes, being a cheerleader can have a negative connotation.  That is how Grammy-winner St. Vincent (Annie Clark) views cheerleading on her song, “Cheerleader” (Strange Mercy). Per Clark, “Held your bare bones with my clothes on / I’ve thrown rocks, then hid both my arms.” Interesting – thought provoking by all means. In the second verse, she asserts, “I’ve played dumb when I knew better / Tried too hard just to be clever.” It all amounts to the fact that Clark has sacrificed herself – her own wellbeing – to play the role of cheerleader for someone else/others. In the chorus, she spells it out: “But I-I-I-I-I don’t wanna be your cheerleader no more.” Sadly, Clark giving up so much of herself has made her question who she is and her value (“I don’t know what I deserve / But, for you, I could work”). Think of “Cheerleader” as a stunningly penned and performed cautionary tale.  

9. AJ Tracey, “Cheerleaders”  

💿 Flu Game • 🏷 Revenge • 📅 2021 

“In my city, I’m big, I’m grande / But my enemies come like Ariana.” WOO! Do you get it? Ariana Grande! Rapper AJ Tracey kicks off “Cheerleaders” with a bang.  More intriguing than being grande is what he says about cheerleaders on the fourth track from Flu Game: “Can’t tell me ‘bout my life cah we live this / Chop the cheerleaders like Benihana / My lifestyle’s like a movie / With the long clips shaped like a banana.” Word! Besides the colorful chorus, Tracey offers up plenty of compelling lines in the verses.  Focusing on the cheerleaders in the first, he asserts, “You don’t wanna see my young bulls like Paxson / Cheerleaders runin’ man down.” K… So, in addition to Ariana Grande, the British rapper makes numerous references including John Paxson, Macaulay Culkin, Xavi, Paul Scholes, Naruto, and Kylian Mbappe.  This four minute joint, produced by Swidom and Kazza, bangs, even if cheerleaders are secondary at best.  Tracey’s heavy British accent, and his electric flow over the sick production work are big selling points – worth cheering for!  

10. Bring It On: The Musical – Original Broadway Cast, “We Ain’t No Cheerleaders” 

💿 Bring It On: The Musical • 🏷 Back Lot Music / Bring It On The Musical LLC • 📅 2012

Danielle (portrayed and sung by Adrienne Warren) makes it crystal clear early on: “We ain’t no cheerleaders / We don’t do favors for no football team.” Um, okay… Without the context of the script of the Broadway musical, Bring It On: The Musical, the casual listener may be unaware of the fact that Danielle, Nautica (Ariana DeBose), and La Cieniga (Gregory Haney) are NOT cheerleaders but instead dancers on “We Ain’t No Cheerleaders.” “We Ain’t No Cheerleaders” is performed by the original Broadway cast.  Notably, the song was penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, and Amanda Green. The brief, defiant, and novel “We Ain’t No Cheerleaders” appears as the seventh track.  Danielle adds, “We don’t get down with no pom-poms,” with Nautica and La Cieniga chiming in, “Hell to the naw!” Cheerleaders or nah, these dancers are fierce. “‘Cause every day, we get haters / Who say they can takes us / Okay baby / If that helps you sleep at night.” Ooh-wee! A fabulous, non-cheerleader song!  

11. Grizzly Bear, Cheerleader 

💿 Veckatimest • 🏷 Warp • 📅 2009

“I’m cheerleading myself, I shouldn’t really matter.” Cheerleading one’s self huh? I shouldn’t really matter? Reflective and thought-provoking, Grizzly Bear.  Of course, the indie rock collective is adept at intriguing, thought-provoking songs.  The five-minute-long “Cheerleader” appears as the fifth track on their 2009 album, Veckatimest.  Lyrically, Ed Droste, Daniel Rossen, and company keep things simplistic.  Also, some of the words rhyme which is sweet. Even so, “Cheerleader” is abstract: “Mention a name, we know (we know) / Appear tame, it shows (it shows) / Please don’t feign, the ropes (the ropes) / Always the same, I know (I know).” Besides the self-cheerleading, one of the most memorable lyrics from “Cheerleader” appears on the chorus: “Chance and sow, nothing changing.” Another deeper moment, even with both means/extremes, philosophically, either leads to the same end. Besides the songwriting and theme, the music (production and sound) and the performance itself is strong.

11 Enthusiastic Songs About Cheerleaders! (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 4AD Ltd, Amuseio AB, AntiFragile Music, Back Lot Music, Bring It On The Musical LLC, EGOVERT, Jude York, Liza Anne, Parlophone, Pittstop Ent, Relapse, Revenge, Streamcut, Ultra, Warp; MART PRODUCTION from Pexels; Aaron, Chad Henninger, OpenClipart-Vectors, Perlinator from Pixabay]