12 Songs About Leaving The Past Behind
Sometimes things happen in life that leave you feeling frustrated, sad and stuck. When this happens, you just have to understand that you can’t change the past but rather work toward getting a better future by leaving the past behind. Below is a list of songs about leaving the past behind:
1. Craig David – Walking Away
The track is the 3rd single from his debut studio album Born to Do It. Craig sings about a situation where life gets too complicated and you just have to get away and spend some time with yourself. He feels so much pressure from different angles in his life.
Craig feels people are judging him without even knowing what is in his heart. He watched people spread lies about him and was helpless in stopping them.
2. Macklemore – Shadow
Macklemore sings about struggling to escape from a past that keeps haunting him. He is constantly reminded of his failures and his issues with alcohol addiction. He desperately wants some peace from the disease and desires to just leave it behind as he moves forward. He is trying to live in the present but can’t escape the past.
Shadow was a product of the NBC show, Songland. It was done by Ori Rakib (IRO), who thoroughly impressed the judges. Macklemore chose to produce Ori’s song and insisted to be featured on the track since he wrote the lyrics.
3. Taylor Swift – I Forgot You Existed
This is the opening track of the album Lover where Taylor Swift tries to let go of the qualms and struggles that she sang about in her 2017 album Reputation. Reputation for her was grieving the loss of her reputation and all of the phases she went through.
Taylor Swift described this track as resolving the whole conflict with a shrug that says, “Well, I guess I’m over it now, because I forgot that you existed.”
4. Selena Gomez – Look At Her Now
This is an upbeat song about becoming a stronger person after going through a turbulent relationship. Selena’s breakup with Justin Bieber was believed to be the main inspiration for the song. It was her first real relationship that turned toxic towards the tail-end. Justin moved on to his long-time friend Hailey Bieber.
In this song, Selena is over the whole relationship and feels like she dodged a bullet after years of gaining clarity. She has now emerged a whole new person ready to start afresh.
5. Camila Cabello – Bam Bam
The track is Camila’s anthem for moving on and accepting that at some point one can undergo a breakup. Things change and one can’t dwell on that for long. This was after he broke up with fellow musician Shawn Mendes. A month later she sold her Hollywood Hills three-story villa after having lived there for two years. Camila and Shawn first met when they were teenagers.
Camila’s mother influenced the chorus by her saying “Así e’ la vida” which translates to “That’s how life is”. One should let things come and go because that is just how life is.
6. Bruno Mars – Today My Life Begins
Bruno sings about changing his life and leaving the past behind as he starts a whole new chapter. His past had been filled with pain and heartbreak till he wondered if he would ever heal again. He has now come to terms with the wrongs of his past and since he can’t undo them he can use that knowledge to better his present and future.
7. Taylor Swift – Begin Again
‘Begin Again’ is one of the closing tracks of Taylor Swift’s album Red, ending the album on an optimistic note which is different from the themes of heartbreak from the other songs.
In the track, Taylor expresses her hope for a budding relationship while she reflects on her past mistakes. She had this to say about it in an interview with Good Morning America: “It’s about when you’ve gotten through a really bad relationship and you finally dust yourself off and go on that first date after a horrible breakup, and the vulnerability that goes along with all that.”
8. Avicii – Feeling Good
The track is a remix of Nina Simone’s famous song and it was made for a Volvo commercial. Lyrically, it is about how one feels when starting a new chapter in their life.
9. Trevor Daniel, Selena Gomez – Past Life
The track is off Trevor’s debut album Nicotine. It debuted at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the chart week of July 11th 2020. Selena liked the song because it talked about the things that we tend to hold onto and the patterns we have.
Lyrically, it is about making the decision not to sit in your sadness but instead be more honest with your happiness.
10. Kygo – Remind Me To Forget
The main topic in the track is a relationship that has ended but has left scars in life. He still has some feelings for his ex but he knows she is not good for him anymore and the best way forward is to keep moving forward.
The memories of the heartbreak are just a reminder to forget her. Scars are permanent marks on the skin and this suggests that she will remain permanently marked on him leaving a constant reminder of why.
11. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now
The track is the lead single from Dua Lipa’s second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). She described it as the perfect breakup song about when you finally find your feet and then somebody decides to come back crawling just when you’ve moved on.
Dua Lipa also stated that she chose to put this song out first so that she could close one chapter of her life and start another. It was a new era for her hence a new sound. The song is about moving on and not allowing anyone to get in the way of that.
12. Little Mix – No More Sad Songs
The track has been termed as a post-breakup song that speaks about trying to forget your ex-lover and pretending everything is still alright. The girls are trying to have a fun night of dancing so as to forget about their broker hearts or even meet a new prospect. They also beg the DJ not to play any more sad songs because it will remind them of their ex-lover.
The song is off the album Glory Days released in 2016.