Secular music with positive message/values

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VeritasLuxMea

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Are there any secular songs that you enjoy because of the message/values they communicate to you?

I have a few secular songs off the top of my head that inspire me or remind me to focus on living out a particular value in my life… please post your own to add to the list!!! We could all stand to be a little inspired these days!

Aerosmith - “Amazing” (Thankfulness, grace, perseverance, courage, deliverance)

Hootie & The Blowfish - “Hold My Hand” (the power of love and forgiveness, dedication and commitment. I really like the way the video shows “all kinds” of love - Mother for unborn child, Father and children, romantic love, friendship, etc.)

Iron Maiden - “Wasted Years” (Channeling regret for positive purposes instead of negative purposes, thankfulness)

Manowar - “Courage” (Well, courage obviously…), Manowar - “Father” (Love of parents), Sarah Brightman & Manowar - “Where Eagles Fly” (Love of spouse), Manowar - “Blood Brothers” (Love of friends) (Sorry, I couldn’t pick just one)

Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror (Hope, faith, responsibility, courage, compassion)

Scorpions - Winds of Change (Freedom, peace, justice)
 
That’s easy to answer:

“Steal my Sunshine” by Len 🙂
“Life’s a Happy Song” from The Muppets S/T

“Less Than Perfect” by Pink
“Where I’m Going” by Cut Copy
“Five Years Time” by Noah & The Whale
“Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People
“You Are a Tourist” by Death Cab For Cutie
“Here’s Where The Story Ends” by The Sundays

All uplifting enough to brighten even Scrooge’s day. 🙂
 
“Pumped Up Kicks” must be about something different than NPR said! :eek:

I’m trying to think of a few things myself (and they will probably be classic rock!).

The P!nk song “Perfect” and “Winds of Change” have already been mentioned…

For some reason Peter Gabriel usually inspires me, esp. “Solsbury Hill.”

“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.

Great thread. I’ll think of more later, I’m sure!! 👍
 
“Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra. I dare you to listen to that song without a smile.

youtube.com/watch?v=bjPqsDU0j2I

“Always Look On The Bright Side of Life” by Monty Python. When I write up my final wishes I would like to request this to be played at my funeral.
 
freethinker83 said:
“Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra. I dare you to listen to that song without a smile.

youtube.com/watch?v=bjPqsDU0j2I

“Always Look On The Bright Side of Life” by Monty Python. When I write up my final wishes I would like to request this to be played at my funeral.
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Nice! Who doesn’t love ELO???

I was this close to putting the Python on the list. 👍

I’m sure there are several Beatles’ songs as well we could put on the list. 🙂
 
SurlyMermaid said:
Nice! Who doesn’t love ELO???

I was this close to putting the Python on the list. 👍

I’m sure there are several Beatles’ songs as well we could put on the list. 🙂
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I find it strange that ELO is largely forgotten today since they were quite popular in the 70s. Other 70s bands are popular amongst younger people, but ELO doesn’t seem to be one of them, it’s really too bad! The same could be said of the J Geils Band who is better known for their cheesy 80s hits as opposed to their great 70s music.

Mentioning The Beatles makes me think of “Here Comes The Sun.”

Related to The Beatles and ELO, what about “The End of the Line” by The Traveling Wilburys? I think that one has a positive message.
 
I don’t know… but snippets of lyrics blow through my brain, and I keep relating them to the Church. Don’t even remember the artist on most of them.

“Don’t give up until you drink from the silver cup…” makes me think of Communion…

This one, I know is from the Moody Blues: “Watching and Waiting.” (for someone to understand me; I think of the Holy Spirit)

“To know him is to love him…” you figure it out. 😉

And so on and so on.
 
I’m sorry, but how in the world does “Pumped Up Kicks” have a positive message? It’s about a kid finding his dad’s gun and murdering people.
 
freethinker83 said:
I find it strange that ELO is largely forgotten today since they were quite popular in the 70s.
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Not entirely forgotten: Lily Allen covered “Mr. Blue Sky” not too long ago.

How in the world is “Pumped Up Kicks” uplifting? Because it’s an upbeat - whistling? hum along? clapping along to the beat? - precisely despite the lyrics. I don’t know anyone who thinks it’s a depressing song. Going by lyrics alone (not music), The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B” is about as pro-suicide and as pro-death as it gets but you really don’t hear many people rag on “Sloop John B.” So, there’s definitely a double standard when it comes to “secular” music. Big time double standard.
 
havana1 said:
Not entirely forgotten: Lily Allen covered “Mr. Blue Sky” not too long ago.

How in the world is “Pumped Up Kicks” uplifting? Because it’s an upbeat - whistling? hum along? clapping along to the beat? - precisely despite the lyrics. I don’t know anyone who thinks it’s a depressing song. Going by lyrics alone (not music), The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B” is about as pro-suicide and as pro-death as it gets but you really don’t hear many people rag on “Sloop John B.” So, there’s definitely a double standard when it comes to “secular” music. Big time double standard.
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I understand what you’re saying though I must respectfully disagree. For me, the lyrics are just as important, if not more so, than the beat. In fact, “Torches” (the album by Foster The People with “Pumped Up Kicks”) is one of my favorites. However, I can’t describe the song as having a “positive message/vaues” as described by the OP. A fun beat, sure, but a positive message, no.
 
havana1 said:
Not entirely forgotten: Lily Allen covered “Mr. Blue Sky” not too long ago.

How in the world is “Pumped Up Kicks” uplifting? Because it’s an upbeat - whistling? hum along? clapping along to the beat? - precisely despite the lyrics. I don’t know anyone who thinks it’s a depressing song. Going by lyrics alone (not music), The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B” is about as pro-suicide and as pro-death as it gets but you really don’t hear many people rag on “Sloop John B.” So, there’s definitely a double standard when it comes to “secular” music. Big time double standard.
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I’m a “word” person, so I love to study the lyrics and figure out what they mean to me. Sometimes it’s surprising in a bad way, sometimes it’s surprising in a good way.

Then there’s the kind of song that someone might label “negative” or “dark” if you only listen to it superficially, but if you actually pay attention, it’s not quite the way you pre-judged it (Sad for all my fellow Catholics that have missed out on a song like Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast” for this reason.)

Just like “The Empire Strikes Back” is a “dark” movie about vicious, evil tyrants terrorizing all in their path, and actually having some success for awhile, it sets up “Return of the Jedi” to give glory to courage, hope and perseverance against evil.

There’s also a lot of “dark” songs that are cautionary tales, in the same way that many fables are… and actually very helpful at the end of the day. Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle” (abandonment of family), or Martina McBride’s “Independence Day” (spousal abuse) come to mind.

Unrelated note, I just came across the video for Kid Rock’s “Born Free” a few days ago. I remember he did this song at the Superbowl, and it appealed to me only a little bit but now the more I listen to it, the more uplifting I find it. Speaks to me about giving thanks for the world God has created and for the free will he has bestowed upon us.
 
youtube.com/watch?v=Nws1K56w8vg

Holy Grail by the Hunters and Collectors. It has naturally been used primarily for a sporting theme, most notably as the last AFL television broadcast theme, but I find it’s overt religious and even political themes very uplifting.

A metaphor of our lifelong search for spiritual(or sporting, or political) redemption… and naturally the Eucharist… And even the real original Holy Grail(as obviously it’s sung from the point of view of an Arthurian Knight).

“I was in the biggest army the world has ever seen, and we were marching as one, on the road to the Holy Grail”

“I’M still here… I’m still searching for the HOOOOLLLLYYYY GRAILLLLL!”
 
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