# Most Inspirational Song For You **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641 "2009-06-03T22:40:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/1 "2009-06-03T22:40:06Z")
Okay, so I went back a month in this forum and didn’t find a duplicate thread. If somebody has done this recently, sorry! What song is most inspirational for you? It would be a song that gives you goosebumps, defines your life and purpose or whatever. Sorry if this sounds overly dramatic. I just think that sometimes there are songs that do that to you, you know? I think those songs tell a lot about people. And sometimes sharing that isn’t necessarily bad. Life is too short to be a hardboiled broad all the time! 😃 I guess people have songs like that. My two are the National Anthem and Toby Keith’s “Beer for My Horses”. (I know, it’s a doofy title but it’s a really cool song.) Here’s the link if you want to hear it: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAS1PAh1jbw) ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/2 "2009-06-04T00:21:52Z")
Christ. We’ve done this hundreds of times before. :rolleyes: (yeah, I’m kidding) ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/3 "2009-06-04T00:26:39Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > Christ. We’ve done this hundreds of times before. :rolleyes: > > (yeah, I’m kidding) See, I was afraid of that, but I didn’t know for sure. That’s why I did the search. Whatever. I figure if this thread gets no responses that’s why. No worries. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/4 "2009-06-04T00:33:51Z")
> [@Creaky](#): > > See, I was afraid of that, but I didn’t know for sure. That’s why I did the search. > > Whatever. I figure if this thread gets no responses that’s why. No worries. Like I said, I was kidding. Relax. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/5 "2009-06-04T00:57:54Z")
Cool; thank you. Sometimes here it’s hard to tell. In real life it’s pretty much my job to be as annoying as possible, so the last thing I want to be here is a pain. So what’s YOUR song, **DudleyGarrett**? ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/6 "2009-06-04T03:45:38Z")
One song that always, always gets me is [When You Believe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA90I6ZlBNA&feature=related) by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. It doesn’t matter if I’m filled with ennui or just hating life at the moment; if I hear this song, I will bawl like a baby, and my faith in humanity and myself will be restored. Another song that has the same effect on me is [Standing Outside the Fire](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM9Ifh5WXXM&feature=related) by Garth Brooks. The music itself is so cheery and get-up-and-go, and the lyrics are surprisingly profound. > [@](#): > > They’re so hell-bent on giving, walking a wire > Convinced it’s not living if you stand outside the fire > … > _Life is not tried, it is merely survived > If you’re standing outside the fire_ Basically saying that if you aren’t taking risks and living your life, you aren’t getting the most of your time on earth. Great, great song. One more is [Blackbird](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ERnT1X9HPw) by The Beatles. Extremely poignant lyrics. > [@](#): > > Blackbird singing in the dead of night > Take these broken wings and learn to fly > All your life > You were only waiting for this moment to arise > … > Take these sunken eyes and learn to see > all your life > you were only waiting for this moment to be free ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/7 "2009-06-04T04:00:06Z")
Amarillo Sky - Jason Aldean ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/8 "2009-06-04T05:14:15Z")
I have several songs that inspire me, so I can’t decide on just one. Instead I will give you a short list: You Gotta Be - Des’ree I Don’t Wanna Be - Gavin DeGraw (sounds contradictory, but it’s not) Pocketful of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield Breath of Life - Erasure El Estuche - Aterciopelados (the title means “the case” or “the holder,” and refers to a woman’s body as a container for her soul) Dittoes on “Blackbird.” Dionne Farris covered this song years ago, but I can’t find it. I did find the Sarah McLachlan cover, though. I wanted to add my latest one: “If Today Was your Last Day” by Nickelback. I know a lot of you guys hate Nickelback, and may find this song rather glurgey, but I like the philosophy of living ech day to the fullest this song talks about. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/9 "2009-06-04T11:51:21Z")
I’ve got several that make me cry, partly because they remind me of things: - [James Taylor ‘Fire and Rain’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T35WXFOmwI) - [Jeff Buckley ‘Hallelujah’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKnxmkOAj88&feature=related) - ['Annie Lennox ‘Into the West’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14) - [Alison Krauss ‘The Lucky One’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P7J1_hZ7iM) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/10 "2009-06-04T21:57:38Z")
I don’t suppose I really have one. When I was younger I found _Fooling Yourself_ by Styx inspirational, but I don’t guess it has the impact it once did. Billy Joel’s [The Night Is Still Young](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi_3ugtrqFo) speaks to me, 'cause I’m feeling my age. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/11 "2009-06-04T22:37:49Z")
Thank you for the responses, guys! **Stauderhorse** , I agree with you about “Blackbird”. There is a very cool video on YouTube of footage of Edie Sedgwick put to that song and it is awesome. It’s the version that **Lucky 13** mentioned as done by Sarah McLachlan. Here is the link if you would like to see it. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_oZ_BdYlYw) **Khadaji** , I had never heard that Billy Joel song before and it surprised me as I am a Billy Joel fan. It’s a lovely song, but sad. And Styx still rocks, dude!! Come on, you know they do. 😃 How can we forget “Too Much Time On My Hands”? That should cheer you up!! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/12 "2009-06-04T23:09:35Z")
> [@Creaky](#): > > \ > > **Khadaji** , I had never heard that Billy Joel song before and it surprised me as I am a Billy Joel fan. It’s a lovely song, but sad. And Styx still rocks, dude!! Come on, you know they do. 😃 How can we forget “Too Much Time On My Hands”? That should cheer you up!! I would have said melancholy rather than sad - and I’m not even sure that melancholy is the word I’m looking for. It does say how I’m feeling. I still like a lot of Styx, I just don’t know that Fooling Yourself means as much to me as it once did. _Lorelei_ is one of my favorites by them. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/13 "2009-06-05T03:12:04Z")
> [@Creaky](#): > > Thank you for the responses, guys! > > **Stauderhorse** , I agree with you about “Blackbird”. There is a very cool video on YouTube of footage of Edie Sedgwick put to that song and it is awesome. It’s the version that **Lucky 13** mentioned as done by Sarah McLachlan. > > Here is the link if you would like to see it. > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U\_oZ\_BdYlYw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_oZ_BdYlYw) Thanks for that link; she has a gorgeous voice. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/14 "2009-06-05T17:59:45Z")
Any number of people have told Pete Morton how much his song “Another Train” has inspired them. It’s been covered by lots of folks. I like Sally Barker’s interpretation best (just a little better than when she covered it with The Poozies). If you want to hear the writer sing the song himself, [click here](http://www.petemorton.com/MP3/04%20Another%20Train%20Napoleon.wma). ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/15 "2009-06-05T18:46:43Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo-8NNRO4pY) It may be corny, but it never fails to inspire me. (Theme from Superman - 1978) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/16 "2009-06-05T21:06:50Z")
Matt Johnson of The The does it for me. There’s “[Lonely Planet,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnz-pD_bOHo&feature=PlayList&p=5340C1A620E596E2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=68)” “[Love is Stronger than Death,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2RtUv_PgGA)” and “[This is the Day.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43ZyUGOPyw)” ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Kerrman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/45deac/32.png) [@Joe\_Kerrman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Kerrman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/17 "2009-06-05T23:54:47Z")
I have a few: [“What About Everything?” by Carbon Leaf](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUxp63OTyog) always gets me when I need to be reminded my troubles aren’t so bad. Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” (usually played right before “The Wedding March”) gives my heart and soul goosebumps. I love weddings, maybe because Jo Kerrma’am and I eloped. [“Jokerman” by Bob Dylan](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igMaEw3SJuk) (from whence comes the screen name). [“The Art of Virtue” by Adrienne Young](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25NraQqTLRc) Ben Franklin’s ideas set to music. [“A Better Man” by Keb Mo’.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPxPWiHyygQ) ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/18 "2009-06-06T00:52:50Z")
Sister Hazel’s [Change Your Mind](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y944YxuE1OU) Billy Joel-[Only Human (Second Wind)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbuU1OtaX4g) And I love this video! ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/19 "2009-06-06T02:23:20Z")
It’s probably just me, but my two inspirational tunes are “Hold Your Head Up” by Argent and “Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper. When life is handing me my ass, these tunes kinda give me a little strength. > [@Trooper](#): > > Nobody’s going to help you > You’ve just gotta stand up alone > And dig in your heels and see how it feels > To Raise a little Hell of your own ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641/20 "2009-06-06T03:45:52Z")
Jimmy Cliff’s [You Can Get It If You Really Want](http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/hardertheycome/youcangetitifyoureallywant.htm). > [@](#): > > You can get it if you really want > You can get it if you really want > You can get it if you really want > But you must try, try and try > Try and try, you’ll succeed at last [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-inspirational-song-for-you/498641.md?page=2)