Songs Written About the Boxer

Muhammad Ali cast a long shadow over pop culture in the 20th century.

He was immortalized in film, television and, in one odd twist, comic books. He hung out with the Beatles. So it’s no surprise that the man inspired quite a few different songs, from a wide swath of artists.

We’re rounding up quite a few of them below, though it’s worth pointing out that we’re excluding songs performed by Ali (he recorded on his own a few times) and songs that merely mention him in the context of a single line or reference. Below, the ultimate playlist to soundtrack all your floating/stinging needs.

Johnny Cash, ‘Truth’

Ali actually became acquainted with a number of country music figures – Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash – through Kristofferson, who was a highly-awarded boxer at Oxford. Ali was present at the christening of Jennings’ son, and gave Nelson a pair of his gloves. At one point, he presented Cash with a poem called “Truth,” writes by a Sufi teacher named Hazrat Inayat Khan. Cash recorded the tune in 1979, though it wasn’t released until 2012.

Whitney Houston, ‘The Greatest Love of All’

Yup. We bet you didn’t know that this song was actually written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed for the 1977 Ali biopic The Greatest. It was first a hit for jazz guitarist and singer George Benson and then became the Whitney Houston standard it’s most frequently remembered as.

Alvin Cash, ‘Doin’ the Ali Shuffle’

The “Ali Shuffle” is actually a James Brown-esque quick-step Ali would insert into his regular “dance” before punch combinations. But it was also a novelty dance tune released by Alvin Cash in 1967. (Cash would re-release a “disco version” of the song ten years later.)

Don Covay, ‘Rumble in the Jungle’

Covey released this tribute to Ali’s iconic match with George Foreman in 1974. It’s a pretty standard bit of 1970s soul/funk, albeit one replete with fighter introductions in the beginning and an “Al-i, Al-i” chant in the chorus.

Johnny Wakelin & the Kinshasa Band, ‘Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)’

Perhaps the defining song about Ali – though he reportedly hated it – this novelty tune hit No. 21 in the states and even higher in Wakelin’s homeland, Great Britain, where it climbed to No. 7. He also recorded a sequel, “In Zaire,” which failed to make its mark in the States but was a hit in Europe.

Harry Sacksioni, ‘Ali Shuffle’

Without lyrics, it’s hard to tell exactly how this song is inspired by Ali, but it’s a vigorous 12-string guitar workout in the vein of Leo Kottke that certainly conjures up some images of in-ring action.

Eddie Curtis, ‘The Louisville Lip (He’s the Greatest)’

This 1971 by Memphis’s Eddie Curtis features multiple digs at Ali opponents like Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston. Regrettably, it came out just before Ali lost to Frazier at Madison Square Garden.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters, ‘Muhammad Ali’

This 2010 song by cult Colorado band Big Head Todd and the Monsters is a robust, roots-rock narrative of Ali’s life.

Teo Macero, ‘Float Like A Butterfly Sting Like a Bee’

Macero was a legendary jazz producer who had a hand in records by icons like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. But he was a musician in his own right, who recorded a score for the 1970 Muhammad Ali documentary a.k.a Cassius Clay, and he released this song, which features vocal samples from Ali, as part of his 1999 album, For a Dream. Speaking of…

Miles Davis, ‘Ali’

Davis was a huge fan of boxing, and this song actually came about as an outtake from a separate series of sessions about another boxer, Jack Johnson. Davis’ A Tribute to Jack Johnson stands as one of the funkiest works of his electric period, and this track is no exception.

Faithless, ‘Muhammad Ali’

This 2001 dance tune by British dance Faithless references Ali as a figure of perseverance and source of inspiration for the group’s MC Maxi Jazz.

Freakwater, ‘Louisville Lip’

Kentucky alt-country band Freakwater’s mournful 1998 song recounts the story of Ali (purportedly) throwing his Olympic medal into the Ohio River over the discriminatory treatment he received in the States after returning home from the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Ben Folds Five, ‘Boxing’

Reportedly inspired by Folds’ father’s love of boxing, this 1995 song is an imagined monologue from Ali to famed sports announcer Howard Cosell about whether or not he should retire from the sport.

R. Kelly, ‘The World’s Greatest’

Recorded for Michael Mann’s Will Smith-starring 2001 Ali biopic, Ali, this tune received an unlikely cover by mournful indie-folk troubadour Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

The People’s Choice, ‘The Best Ever and Muhammad Ali’

This 1975 single is probably the funkiest song ever to include the famous “Ali, boma ye” (or “Ali, kill him”) chant from 1974’s George Foreman match, the Rumble in the Jungle.

Dennis Alcapone, ‘Cassius Clay’

Do you want a narrative of Ali’s life, delivered in Jamaican patois, over an irresistible reggae bounce? Then this 1973 tune is for you.

Sir Mack Rice, ‘Muhammad Ali’

Featuring tones of spacey analog synth, this 1976 tune is an alluring number that also stars prominent cheering crowds in the background.

Trio Madjesi and Orchestra Sosoliso, ‘8ieme Round’

It’s not in English, and we don’t have a date for it, but it’s another great example of Ali’s international influence: The tune – from Zaire’s Trio Madjesi – essentially recounts Ali’s victory over George Foreman.

Everlast, ‘The Greatest’

Also from Mann’s film, this is one of the moodier songs on the list, and the lyrics don’t explicitly mention Ali, but it’s presumably inspired by the fighter’s troubles in and out of the ring.

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