Calling all music lovers. I have a great list for you today that comes during a time when we are feeling weary, uncertain, and stressed out. We had a rough year, and going into 2021, it is uncertain how quickly things will turn around or how long we will be struggling. During 2020 I found that music was a big part of my survival. Music transcends every barrier and speaks to our minds, bodies, and souls. Music is often a great release and tends to help us share what we could not put into words ourselves. 2020 was the year many of us found out how strong we were. Many people came together for important causes, our voices were heard, and we stood up for injustice. Some dealt with heartbreak and life-changing circumstances, while others struggled with mental health, work, and other personal aspects of their lives. I noticed how much music reached all of us, got us talking, and inspired us to do something today because we were unsure about tomorrow. While there are so many songs out there to fit any of our moods, today, I want to bring people together and inspire you with 10 songs to keep you going!
“And I’ll rise up
I’ll rise like the day
I’ll rise up
I’ll rise unafraid
I’ll rise up
And I’ll do it a thousand times again.”
This song is the perfect song for the year 2020. With Black Lives Matter and, of course, the pandemic, we all could use some inspiring words to carry on through years and years to come. Not only are the lyrics uplifting and give you that extra push to continue your year, month, week, or day, Andra Day’s delivery of the words, the power behind her vocals truly inspires us to keep fighting. Check out the Rise Up video.
“I won’t be silenced.
You can’t keep me quiet.
Won’t tremble when you try it
All I know is I won’t go speechless.
“When the day that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to face
When someone else instead of me
Always seems to know the way
This song came out in the 1970s and spans the decades with its inspirational lyrics. The song talks about the difficult moments, hardships ahead, things we do not know will happen, but having a positive outlook on life and choosing to believe it will be a lovely day because of those around us that we love and cherish is really all we need to keep us going. Check out Lovely Day on Youtube today.
“Feeling like your life’s an illusion
And lately, you’re secluded
Thinking you’ll never get your chance
Feeling like you got no solution
It’s only ’cause you’re human
No control; it’s out of your hands.”
This song fits perfectly with the year 2020 and rightfully so as it was released in 2020. The song talks about feeling secluded, unsure about your emotions, and trapped. This past year has certainly tested our willpower, our emotions and stretched our mental state to limits that should not have been. Regardless, Demi expresses that it is ok to not be ok. Nobody is ok all the time, we are all struggling with something, and we are all struggling with the current events. Demi sings that we need someone to tell us it is ok to not be ok. Sometimes we need someone to say it is ok to feel how we do, and we will get through it with them by our side. Check out the Ok Not to Be OK video here.
“Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin’
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate.”
The song Where is the Love? samples the Marvin Gaye Song What’s Going On and tells its own version of the world’s troubling issues. This song came out in 2003, just a couple years after September 11th, 2001. This song hit home for many people who were experiencing a rise in hate across the states. I recall this song being used as a warm-up song for my P.E. class in high school, and it always brings back tears thinking about what went into this song to make it. It is a collage of experiences, events, and most of all personal emotions married together to ask the simple question of what is wrong with the world? There is a tremendous amount of hate that had gone on long before this song was made and long after as well. This why this song is still a gem that we, unfortunately, will probably always relate to.
“Mary, baby, sometimes the Rule don’t mind the rain
It kinda feels like I’m drowin’ in the Lord’s pain
Until the sun comes out and shines again
Smile, give me reason to keep believin’
That everything ain’t misleadin’.”
“I hope you’re somewhere prayin’, prayin’
I hope your soul is changin’, changin’
I hope you find your peace
Falling on your knees, prayin’.”
This song touches so many areas of how many people feel. When you deal with a person who tells you that you will never make it, you are not good enough, or tries to put you down, it becomes apparent how freeing it is to be rid of those people. In this song, instead of seeking revenge, it is more about taking the high road and waiting for that person to experience karma. In other words, Kesha is remaining blameless while she is moving on and becoming a better version of herself without the person who was hurting her bringing her down anymore. Kesha claims she is proud of who she is and who she is becoming now that she is free, and she hopes that the person who caused her harm is praying and changing for their own sake. People who have been in a toxic relationship of any kind, whether romantic or friendship, can easily relate to this sentiment. This song is not only about hoping the other person encounters karma or changes, but it is also about one’s self-being able to move on and be comfortable with themselves. Check out the song Praying here.
“There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb.”
Miley Cyrus’s song The Climb came out in 2009 for the Hannah Montana movie. The song is all about working hard to get what you want and the struggles you will overcome or face along the way. The song literally explains that there will always be challenges, and it’s not about how quickly one arrives at the destination. It is more about the journey to get to that final destination you desire than how quickly you can make those dreams or goals happen. Cyrus declares she may be knocked down along the way, but she refuses to break or give up. As we all know, getting back up and continuing on is what life is about, no matter what your goals are.
“Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
For you.”
Smile composed by Charlie Chaplin and used for his films. Many have covered this song, and it’s understandable how. The version I picked was performed by Nat King Cole and can be listened to here. This song is beloved by so many and considered inspirational simply because it is all about pushing through the hardships and smiling regardless of the issues. Sometimes if we put on a “brave face” and smile, we will feel better or at least muster up what we can to pull through some of the most difficult times. Chaplin’s instrumental composition is enough to speak to one’s soul, but add in the lyrics that have been sung for generations, and it is a song that will inspire people time and time again. After the year we have had, we most certainly need to be reminded to smile and hold on.
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