Often these days, the best cure for a low mood or a bout of sadness, even an escape for when you’re feeling cooped up, can come from a song. Whether you’ve had a rough day at work or your mood is plummeting from nonstop doom-scrolling all the bad news, one of the easiest ways to turn your mind off and focus on something positive and uplifting is to pick a good song filled with hope. And that’s just what we have for you today. An entire list of songs from the ages that talk about hope, enduring difficulties, and the human spirit of staying together in times of strife, and love and friendship.
This pandemic may really be wearing you down, and feelings of hopelessness and dejection are palpable. But humanity has been through worse. Generations before us have been through testing times much like these, and seen the light at the end of the tunnel too. Music is often a solace, a balm that soothes the nerves and can put you in a good headspace, even if just for a while. And who knows, maybe it’s what you need for a little while every day?
Think of this list as music laden with a little wisdom. Everlasting songs that are as relevant today as they were when they were written.
1. Heal the World, Michael Jackson
This track is from Michael Jackson’s iconic 1991 album titled Dangerous, and was written and produced by himself. An unforgettable call for humanity and compassion, Jackson said in a 2001 interview, that he is most proud to have created this song.
2.Reach Out I’ll Be There, Four Tops
Written by the Motown song-writing team comprising Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland the song talks about what women really want most from man – equal support and presence, through thick and thin. Relevant through all ages, but perhaps now more than ever before where thousands of men and women alike are learning to share the load and work and live together from home.
3 .I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
Essentially about surviving heartbreak and moving on in an empowered way, this song has become an anthem harking the spirit of survival and overcoming virtually any difficulty. It won the Grammy for Best Disco Recording in 1979.
4. We Are The World, Various Artists
This unforgettable number was co-written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson who worked together for a week to come up with this, in 1985. It brought together a staggering collaboration of artists across genres, styles, and eras. From Belafonte to Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross , to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Perry, and Lindsay Buckingham amongst so many others.
5. Imagine, John Lennon
Written at a time where music brought with it strong political messages, this song was Lennon’s offering to a world that was contending with the strife of war. realized the softer approach would bring the song to a wider audience, who hopefully would listen to his message: If you want peace, first you have to imagine it. The imagine concept came from Yoko Ono, who was very much into open-mindedness and using your imagination.
6.Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Although several cover versions of this unforgettable track exist, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell recorded the original version in 1967. And it peaked at #19 on the US charts that year. It’s a simple song that is fit for so many situations where we need to dig deep within our inner resources and find the strength to keep going.
7. Smile, Nat King Cole
Smile is a song based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times, that was originally composed by Chaplin himself. It’s a simple, poignant song about staying positive even when the going is tough. Nat King Cole recorded the first version with lyrics and it reached number 10 on the Billboard charts that same year, and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
8. A Change Is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
Cooke was inspired to write this song in 1964, when he and his mates were turned down from a “whites-only” motel in Louisiana. It’s a song about anticipating change, hope for a better day and equality for humans alike. Living in a divided world, this song is always relevant.
9. You’ve Got A Friend, Carole King
This simple, powerful song is about lasting friendship and being there for others in their time of need. In King’s own words, “it is a reflection on how friends can be just as important as family. The song wrote itself. It was written by something outside of myself, through me.”
10. Heroes, David Bowie
This wartime song tells the tale of a German couple who are so determined to be together that they meet every day under a gun turret on The Berlin Wall. Bowie, who was living in Berlin at the time, was inspired by an affair between his producer Tony Vsconti and backup singer Antonia Maass, who would kiss “by the wall” in front of Bowie as he looked out of the Hansa Studio window.
