# Herbie Hancock discography

The discography of the American jazz artist Herbie Hancock consists of forty-one studio albums, twelve live albums, sixty-two compilation albums, five soundtrack albums, thirty-eight physical singles, nine promo singles and four songs not released as singles, but that charted due to downloads. This article does not include re-issues, unless they are counted separately from the original works in the charts; furthermore, because of the enormous amount of material published, this discography omits less notable appearances in compilations and live albums. The discography shows the peak weekly main chart positions of eight selected countries: United States, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Positions also listed on United States are R&B / hip hop, dance / club, jazz and bubbling under charts. The peaks do not refer necessarily to the position that a record reached when it was first released. Also included are certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI).
Hancock made his debut as professional musician in the early 1960s as a sideman, quickly earning a good reputation. Blue Note Records noticed his talent and added him to its roster. For the label, he released seven albums, including Takin' Off (1962), his first solo album, supported by the single "Watermelon Man", which is one of the most performed jazz standards; Empyrean Isles (1964) and Maiden Voyage (1965), two influential jazz albums. During these years, Hancock also began a career as composer for film and television soundtracks, beginning with Blow-Up (1966) for MGM Records. In this role, he reached the top in 1986 with the Round Midnight soundtrack (for Columbia Records), that had its best result on the AFYVE Spanish Albums Chart at No. 18 and won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. After his departure from Blue Note, Hancock signed with Warner Bros. Records, publishing three albums in which he experimented with new jazz music directions: the R&B-oriented Fat Albert Rotunda (1969) and the electronic-oriented Mwandishi (1971) and Crossings (1972). These three releases became influential in the jazz rock movement.
Hancock continued to experiment after leaving Warner Bros. for Columbia Records, where he remained until the late 1980s, releasing sixteen studio albums. At Columbia, Hancock had his best commercial results, gaining immediate success with Head Hunters (1973), an R&B-oriented jazz album with strong funk influences. It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and became the best-selling jazz album for a period of time. In 1986, it became the first jazz album ever to win a RIAA Platinum Award and is considered very influential in jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop music. Head Hunters also contains Hancock's first mainstream hit, "Chameleon" (1974), which peaked at No. 35 on the RPM Canadian Singles Chart and is a jazz standard. Other albums that followed in the style of Head Hunters with good popular success, especially in the US, were Thrust (1974) and Man-Child (1975), which ranked respectively No. 13 and No. 21 on the Billboard 200. In 1978, Hancock added disco influences to his jazz and established himself as a mainstream hitmaker across Europe with "I Thought It Was You" (1978) and "You Bet Your Love" (1979), which peaked, respectively, at No. 15 and No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Tell Everybody" (1979), which peaked at No. 22 on the Belgian Flemish Singles Chart. Thanks to these singles, his albums Sunlight (1978) and Feets, Don't Fail Me Now (1979) earned good popular success, especially in Europe. The first album had its best performance peaking on UK Albums Chart at No. 26, and the second peaked on the VG Norwegian Albums Chart at No. 18.
In 1983, Hancock radically refreshed his sound with strong electronic influences and released Future Shock (1983), an influential album in jazz fusion, dance, electronic, techno and hip-hop music. The album had its best results in Europe, where it peaked at No. 7 on the Ö3 Austria Top 75 Longplays chart. Furthermore, it spawned his biggest hit single, "Rockit" (1983), the first jazz hip-hop song, and became a worldwide anthem for breakdancers and the hip-hop culture of the 1980s. It reached the top 10 in several countries (especially in Europe), having its best performance on Swiss Singles Chart and Belgian Flemish Singles Chart, in each case at No. 4. It also won a RIAA Gold Award in 1990. Thanks to this song, Hancock won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, the first Grammy of his career of a total of fourteen. Future Shock was a bigger success than even Head Hunters, winning a RIAA Platinum Award in 1994 faster than the earlier album had. It spawned an additional mainstream hit with "Autodrive" (1983), which had its best performance on UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 33. Sound-System (1984) followed the musical direction of Future Shock and won the Grammy Award in the same category of "Rockit", making Hancock the first solo artist to win in this category for two consecutive years and also the artist with most wins in the category (a record shared with Earth, Wind & Fire and George Benson). After six years of silence in his solo career, Hancock signed with Mercury Records and released Dis Is da Drum (1994) that showed another innovation in his career with an acid jazz-oriented sound and reached No. 40 on the Swedish Albums Chart. After this release, there were several albums of duets, covers and tributes, such as Gershwin's World (1998), Possibilities (2005) and River: The Joni Letters (2007). The last peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and became the second jazz album in history to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year (the first was Getz/Gilberto (1964) by Stan Getz and João Gilberto). As of 2016, Hancock's last original solo project was the electronic-influenced Future 2 Future (2001), released for Transparent Music.

## Albums
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
| Title | Album details | US | US R&B | US Jazz (Trad) | US Jazz (Cont) | FRA | GER | JPN | NL | SWE | SWZ | UK | Certifications |
| Takin' Off | Recorded May 28, 1962; Released 1962 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | — | — | — | — | 286 | — | — | — | — | |
| My Point of View | Recorded March 19, 1963; Released 1963 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Inventions & Dimensions | Recorded August 30, 1963; Released 1964 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Empyrean Isles | Recorded June 17, 1964; Released November 1964 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | — | — | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Maiden Voyage | Recorded March 17, 1965; Released 1965 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP, SACD, Tape | — | — | — | — | — | — | 225 | — | — | — | — | |
| Speak Like a Child | Recorded March 6, 1968; Released 1968 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | 279 | — | — | — | — | |
| The Prisoner | Recorded April 1969; Released 1969 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Fat Albert Rotunda | Recorded October–December 1969; Released December 1969 Label: Warner Bros. Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Mwandishi | Recorded December 31, 1970; Released 1971 Label: Warner Bros. Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Crossings | Recorded February 1972; Released May 1972 Label: Warner Bros. Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Sextant | Recorded 1972; Released March 30, 1973 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, 8-Track | 176 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Head Hunters | Recorded September 1973; Released October 26, 1973 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, MD, SACD, Tape, 8-Track | 13 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 86 | — | — | — | — | RIAA: Platinum |
| Dedication | Recorded July 29, 1974; Released September 21, 1974 Label: CBS / Sony Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Thrust | Recorded August 1974; Released September 6, 1974 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape, 8-Track | 13 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Man-Child | Released August 22, 1975 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape, 8-Track | 21 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Secrets | Released August 1976 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape, 8-Track | 49 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Third Plane (with Ron Carter and Tony Williams) | Recorded July 13, 1977; Released 1977 Label: Milestone Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Herbie Hancock Trio (with Ron Carter and Tony Williams) | Recorded July 13, 1977; Released September 21, 1977 Label: CBS / Sony Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | — | — | — | — | 82 | — | — | — | — | |
| Sunlight | Recorded 1977; Released June 15, 1978 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape, 8-Track | 58 | 31 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | |
| Directstep | Recorded October 1978; Released January 21, 1979 Label: CBS / Sony Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Piano | Recorded October 1978; Released June 21, 1979 Label: CBS / Sony Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Feets, Don't Fail Me Now | Recorded 1978; Released February 1979 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 38 | 16 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | 28 | |
| Monster | Recorded 1979–1980; Released March 1980 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape, 8-Track | 94 | 19 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Mr. Hands | Recorded 1980; Released September 1980 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 117 | 46 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Magic Windows | Recorded 1981; Released September 29, 1981 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 140 | 40 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Herbie Hancock Trio (with Ron Carter and Tony Williams) | Recorded June 27, 1981; Released October 1982 Label: CBS / Sony Format: CD, Download | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Quartet (with Ron Carter, Tony Williams and Wynton Marsalis) | Recorded July 28, 1981; Released 1982 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 202 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | |
| Lite Me Up | Recorded 1982; Released August 1, 1982 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 151 | 31 | 10 | — | — | — | 68 | — | — | — | — | |
| Future Shock | Recorded 1983; Released August 1983 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, SACD, Tape | 43 | 10 | 2 | — | 25 | 22 | 51 | 16 | 19 | 9 | 27 | RIAA: Platinum |
| Sound-System | Recorded October–December 1983; Released January 1984 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 71 | 34 | 7 | — | — | — | 51 | — | 48 | — | — | |
| Village Life (with Foday Musa Suso) | Recorded August 1984; Released 1985 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Perfect Machine | Recorded 1988; Released May 1988 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| A Tribute to Miles (with Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Ron Carter and Wallace Roney) | Recorded September 19, 1992 + 1994; Released 1994 Label: Qwest Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Dis Is da Drum | Recorded 1993–1994; Released 1994 Label: Mercury Format: CD, Download, Tape | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 65 | — | 40 | 38 | — | BVMI: Gold (Jazz) |
| The New Standard | Recorded June 14–16, 1996; Released February 19, 1996 Label: Verve Format: CD, 2CD, 2LP, Download, Tape | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 64 | — | 39 | 45 | — | |
| 1+1 (with Wayne Shorter) | Released July 1, 1997 Label: Verve Format: CD, Download, Tape | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | BVMI: Gold (Jazz) |
| Gershwin's World | Recorded March–June 1998; Released October 20, 1998 Label: Verve Format: CD, Download, SACD | — | — | 1 | — | 47 | — | 76 | — | — | — | — | BVMI: Gold (Jazz) |
| Future 2 Future | Released September 25, 2001 Label: Transparent Music Format: CD, LP | — | — | — | 2 | 111 | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | |
| Possibilities (duets album) | Recorded 2005; Released August 30, 2005 Label: Hear Music, Hancock Music, Vector Format: CD, Download | 22 | — | — | 1 | — | 80 | 66 | 33 | — | 95 | — | RIAA: Gold |
| River: The Joni Letters | Recorded 2006–2007; Released September 25, 2007 Label: Verve Format: CD, Download, LP | 5 | — | — | 1 | 70 | 54 | 51 | 76 | — | 61 | 179 | |
| The Imagine Project (duets album) | Released June 22, 2010 Label: Hancock, Red Format: CD, Download, LP | 54 | — | — | 1 | 77 | 27 | 101 | 35 | — | 29 | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||||||||||||

### Live albums
#### Releases that charted

List of live albums, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | US | US R&B | US Jazz (Trad) | JPN |
| V.S.O.P. | Release date: April, 1977 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, SACD, Tape | 79 | 24 | 5 | 65 |
| An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert (with Chick Corea) | Release date: November 1978 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 100 | — | 8 | — |
| CoreaHancock (with Chick Corea) | Release date: 1979 Label: Polydor Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 175 | — | 19 | — |
| Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall (with Roy Hargrove and Michael Brecker) | Release date: June 11, 2002 Label: Verve Format: CD, Download | — | — | 2 | 62 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||||

#### Releases that did not chart

List of other live albums :
| Title | Album details |
| Hear, O Israel – A Prayer Ceremony in Jazz | Release date: 1968 Label: Jonny Format: CD, LP |
| Flood | Release date: 1975 Label: CBS / Sony Format: CD, Download, LP |
| V.S.O.P.-The Quintet | Release date: 1977 Label: CBS / Sony Format: CD, LP |
| A Night with Herbie Hancock | Release date: 1980 Label: Manhattan Format: LP |
| Jazz Africa (with Foday Musa Suso) | Release date: 1987 Label: Verve Format: CD, Tape |
| Parallel Realities Live... (with Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny and Dave Holland) | Release date: 1993 Label: Jazz Door Format: CD |
| Herbie Hancock Trio Live in New York (with Jeff Littleton and Gene Jackson) | Release date: 1994 Label: Jazz Door Format: CD |
| Quartet Live (with Al Foster, Buster Williams, Greg Osby, Michael Brecker and Bobby McFerrin) | Release date: 1994 Label: Jazz Door Format: CD |
| Live: Detroit / Chicago | Release date: July 12, 2005 Label: Hudson Street Format: CD, Download |

### Compilations
#### Releases that charted

List of compilations, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | US | US R&B | US Jazz (Trad) | FRA | JPN |
| Treasure Chest | Release date: 1974 Label: Warner Bros. Format: LP | 158 | 31 | — | — | — |
| The Best of Herbie Hancock | Release date: 1979 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | — | — | 27 | — | — |
| Then and Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock | Release date: September 23, 2008 Label: Verve Format: CD, Download, LP | — | — | 8 | 30 | 65 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |||||||

#### Releases that did not chart

List of other compilations :
| Title | Album details |
| The Best of Herbie Hancock | Release date: 1971 Label: Blue Note Format: LP, Tape |
| Herbie Hancock | Release date: September 1975 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, LP |
| Happy the Man | Release date: 1976 Label: Arista Format: LP |
| Hancock Alley | Release date: 1980 Label: Manhattan Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape |
| Double Rainbow | Release date: 1981 Label: Columbia Format: LP |
| Hot and Heavy | Release date: 1984 Label: Premier Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape |
| The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years | Release date: 1988 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape |
| Feets Don't Fail Me Now / Future Shock | Release date: 1989 Label: Columbia Format: LP |
| The Very Best of Herbie Hancock | Release date: 1991 Label: Columbia Format: CD, LP |
| The Collection | Release date: 1991 Label: Castle Format: CD |
| A Jazz Collection | Release date: March 16, 1991 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, Tape |
| The Best of Herbie Hancock, Vol. 2 | Release date: 1992 Label: Columbia Format: CD |
| The Collection | Release date: July 1, 1992 Label: Griffin Format: CD |
| Herbie Hancock | Release date: 1993 Label: Musica Jazz Format: CD |
| The Egg | Release date: 1993 Label: Music Mirror Format: CD |
| Jamming | Release date: July 27, 1994 Label: Royal Co. Format: CD, Tape, 8-Track |
| Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings | Release date: November 22, 1994 Label: Warner Bros. Format: CD, Download |
| Jazz Portrait | Release date: September 1, 1995 Label: TriStar Format: CD |
| Takin' Off / Inventions And Dimensions / Empryean Isles | Release date: October 1, 1995 Label: Blue Note Format: CD |
| Cantaloupe Island | Release date: 1995 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download |
| Jazz & Blues Collection, Vol. 63 | Release date: 1996 Label: Edition Atlas Format: CD |
| Jazz Profile | Release date: April 1, 1997 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download |
| This Is Jazz, Vol. 35 | Release date: April 28, 1998 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download |
| Mr. Funk | Release date: 1998 Label: Columbia Format: CD |
| Rare Tracks | Release date: August 28, 1998 Label: Import Format: CD |
| The Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions | Release date: October 6, 1998 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download |
| Dr. Jazz: The Blue Note Years 1962 / 69 | Release date: 1998 Label: Blue Note Format: CD, Download |
| Dancin' Grooves | Release date: January 21, 1999 Label: SME Format: CD |
| Riot | Release date: April 13, 1999 Label: Blue Note Format: CD |
| Backtracks (with Quincy Jones) | Release date: September 28, 1999 Label: Renaissance Format: CD, Download |
| Les Incontournables | Release date: January 4, 2000 Label: WEA International Format: CD |
| Sextant / Secrets | Release date: January 17, 2000 Label: Sony Format: CD |
| The Best of Herbie Hancock | Release date: January 17, 2000 Label: EMI Format: CD |
| The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Hits | Release date: February 8, 2000 Label: Columbia / Legacy Format: CD, Download |
| Jammin' with Herbie Hancock | Release date: 2000 Label: Collecteables Format: CD, Download |
| Head Hunters / Future Shock / Man-Child | Release date: September 17, 2001 Label: Jazz Format: CD |
| The Herbie Hancock Box | Release date: October 1, 2002 Label: Columbia / Legacy Format: CD, Download |
| Head Hunters / Thrust | Release date: December 16, 2002 Label: Sony Format: CD |
| Thrust / Mr. Hands / Secrets | Release date: October 6, 2003 Label: Jazz Format: CD |
| Blue Note Years, Vol. 20 | Release date: April 27, 2004 Label: Blue Note Format: CD |
| Jazz Moodes: 'Round Midnight | Release date: June 15, 2004 Label: Legacy / Columbia Format: CD, Download |
| Rockit | Release date: August 16, 2004 Label: Delta No. 1 Format: CD |
| Head Hunters / Sextant / Thrust | Release date: December 14, 2004 Label: Columbia Format: CD |
| Soul Power | Release date: April 4, 2005 Label: Double Gold Format: CD |
| Herbie Hancock | Release date: June 7, 2005 Label: Platinum Disc Format: CD |
| The Essential Herbie Hancock | Release date: February 21, 2006 Label: Columbia / Legacy Format: CD, Download |
| Great Sessions | Release date: April 4, 2006 Label: Blue Note Format: CD |
| The Very Best of Herbie Hancock | Release date: August 14, 2006 Label: Music Brokers Format: CD |
| Piano Fiesta (with Chick Corea) | Release date: October 17, 2006 Label: Jazz Hour Format: CD |
| Techno Voodu — Astral Black Simulations | Release date: February 21, 2007 Label: Legacy Format: CD |
| Finest in Jazz | Release date: June 4, 2007 Label: Blue Note Format: CD |
| The Herbie Hancock Trio in Concert | Release date: October 8, 2007 Label: Jazz Hour Format: CD |
| Soul and Funk (with James Brown and Quincy Jones) | Release date: May 19, 2008 Label: Mastercuts Format: CD |
| Future Shock / Head Hunters | Release date: October 14, 2008 Label: Legacy Format: CD |
| Playlist: The Very Best of Herbie Hancock | Release date: October 28, 2008 Label: Columbia / Legacy Format: CD, Download |
| Les Incontournables du Jazz : Herbie Hancock | Release date: 2008 Label: Warner Jazz Format: CD |
| The Best of Herbie Hancock Box Set | Release date: October 9, 2009 Label: Blue Note Format: CD |
| Milken Archive Digital (this box includes Hear O Israel) | Release date: September 1, 2011 Label: Milken Archive Digital Format: Download |
| Complete Columbia Collection Box Set | Release date: November 16, 2013 Label: Sony Format: CD |
* Some of these compilations were re-issued many times with different titles. Sometimes the re-issues included the same track list in a different order and/or with small variations with some bonus tracks.

### Soundtrack albums

List of soundtrack albums, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | US | US R&B | US Jazz (Trad) | SWE |
| Blow-Up | Release date: October 1966 Label: MGM Format: CD, LP | 192 | — | — | — |
| The Spook Who Sat by the Door | Release date: 1973 Label: United Artists Format: LP | — | — | — | — |
| Death Wish | Release date: 1974 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP | — | 38 | — | — |
| Round Midnight | Release date: 1986 Label: Columbia Format: CD, Download, LP, Tape | 196 | — | 2 | 28 |

## Singles
### Physical singles
#### Physical releases that charted

List of physical singles, with selected chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | US | US R&B | US Dance | US Jazz (Digital) | FRA | GER | NL | SWE | SWZ | UK | Certifications | Album |
| "Watermelon Man" | 1963 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Takin' Off |
| "Chameleon" | 1974 | 42 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Head Hunters |
| "Palm Grease" | 1974 | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Thrust |
| "Doin' It" | 1976 | 104 | 83 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Secrets |
| "I Thought It Was You" | 1978 | — | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | | Sunlight |
| "You Bet Your Love" | 1979 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | | Feets, Don't Fail Me Now |
| "Tell Everybody" | 1979 | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | | Feets, Don't Fail Me Now |
| "Ready or Not" | 1979 | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Feets, Don't Fail Me Now |
| "Stars in Your Eyes" | 1980 | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Monster |
| "Making Love" | 1980 | — | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Monster |
| "Magic Number" | 1981 | — | 59 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Magic Windows |
| "Everybody's Broke" | 1981 | — | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Magic Windows |
| "Lite Me Up!" | 1982 | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Lite Me Up |
| "Gettin' to the Good Part" | 1982 | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Lite Me Up |
| "Rockit" | 1983 | 71 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 8 | RIAA: Gold | Future Shock |
| "Autodrive" | 1983 | — | 26 | 36 | — | — | 53 | 39 | — | — | 33 | | Future Shock |
| "Future Shock" | 1983 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 54 | | Future Shock |
| "Mega-Mix" | 1984 | 105 | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Future Shock |
| "Hardrock" | 1984 | — | 41 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 65 | | Sound-System |
| "Vibe Alive" | 1988 | — | 25 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Perfect Machine |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||||||||||||

#### Physical releases that did not chart

List of other physical singles :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Blind Man, Blind Man (Parts 1 & 2)" | 1963 | My Point of View |
| "Fat Mama" / "Wiggle Waggle" | 1969 | Fat Albert Rotunda |
| "Crossings" / "Water Torture" | 1972 | Crossings |
| "Watermelon Man" / "Sly" | 1973 | Head Hunters |
| "Spank-A-Lee" / "Actual Proof" | 1974 | Thrust |
| "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" / "Sun Touch" | 1975 | Man-Child |
| "Sunlight" / "Come Running To Me" | 1978 | Sunlight |
| "Don't Hold It In" / "It All Comes Around" | 1980 | Monster |
| "Go for It" | 1980 | Monster |
| "Just Around the Corner" | 1980 | Mr. Hands |
| "Fun Tracks" | 1982 | Lite Me Up |
| "Paradise" | 1982 | Lite Me Up |
| "Metal Beat" | 1984 | Sound-System |
| "People Are Changing" | 1984 | Sound-System |
| "Beat Wise" | 1988 | Perfect Machine |
| "Call It '94" | 1994 | no album |
| "The Essence" (with Chaka Khan) | 2001 | Future 2 Future |
| "Rockit 2.002" | 2002 | no album |

### Promo singles

Note: Promo releases do not chart, because they are not sold, they are promotional items

#### Promo releases that charted

List of promo singles, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US Dance | US Jazz (Smooth) | US Jazz (Digital) | Album |
| "Go For It" / "Saturday Night" / "Stars In Your Eyes" | 1980 | 12 | — | — | Monster |
| "A Song for You" (with Christina Aguilera) | 2006 | — | 11 | — | Possibilities |
| "River" (with Corinne Bailey Rae) | 2007 | — | 28 | — | River: The Joni Letters |
| "Imagine" (with P!nk, Seal, India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Konono N°1 and Oumou Sangaré) | 2010 | — | 22 | 7 | The Imagine Project |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||||

#### Promo releases that did not chart

List of other promo singles :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Knee Deep" | 1979 | Feets, Don't Fail Me Now |
| "Saturday Night" | 1980 | Monster |
| "Dis Is da Drum Sampler" | 1995 | no album |
| "Call It '95" | 1995 | Dis Is da Drum |
| "Bring Down the Birds" | 2008 | Blow-Up |

## Other charted songs

List of songs, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US Jazz (Digital) | Album |
| "Stitched Up" (with John Mayer) | 2010 | 25 | Possibilities |
| "Don't Give Up" (with P!nk and John Legend) | 2010 | 15 | The Imagine Project |
| "Tomorrow Never Knows" (with Dave Matthews) | 2010 | 24 | The Imagine Project |
| "A Change Is Gonna Come" (with James Morrison) | 2010 | 47 | The Imagine Project |