19 Songs About Perseverance & Not Giving Up
When you pursue a goal that is proving to be a heavy task to achieve or when you are undergoing hard times and you get the feeling that your life is completely over, you have to dig deep down inside for the that inner strength to help you out. Here is a list of song that talk about perseverance and not giving up.
1.Demi Lovato – Warrior
Demi has decided to stay strong rather than let the pain she has experienced define her.
2. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger
The song is an upbeat track that is part of the album Stronger (2011). It was Clarkson’s third number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It uses themes of empowerment and recovery following a heartbreak.
3. Katy Perry – Roar
This is off the album Prism and is a self-empowerment anthem written by Dr. Luke and Bonnie McKee. Speaking to Capital FM, Katy Perry had this to say about the song:
Strangely enough, as much as I’m so loud and proud about my music, sometimes in other aspects of my life I became very introverted and didn’t feel like I could say what I meant, and I got to a boiling point and it would just boil over a little bit. So ‘Roar’ was a song I wrote about really standing up for myself, finally, and hopefully people are going to adopt that same message.
4. Katy Perry – Firework
The song was meant to inspire anyone who has ever felt worthless or unloved. It’s meant to show everyone has beauty in them and has the ability to leave the world in awe. Fireworks create a great display that causes many people’s jaw to drop in awe. Katy stated that she ws inspired to write the song after reading a paragraph in Jack Kerouac’s novel On The Road.
The track is part of the album Teenage Dream (2010)
5. Mariah Carey – Hero
The song hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1993 and it emphasizes the importance of being confident in oneself and staying strong in the face of struggle. On her 1994 tour program, Mariah Carey stated, “‘Hero” is about being your own role model, about looking inside yourself to gather strength.”
6. Sara Evans – A Little Bit Stronger
This is the first single from Sara Evans’ album Stronger (2011). It peaked at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Lyrically, Sara feels she has to give up on the relationship and accept the reality that it has failed. She is taking it day by day nursing her heartbreak to get stronger.
7. Avril Lavigne – Keep Holding On
The song was released as a single from the album The Best Damn Thing and it peaked at number 17. The song is about Lavigne expressing to another person that they aren’t alone and that they’ll make it through together.
8. Whitney Houston & Mariah – When You Believe
This is a 1998 duet between Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey for the DreamWorks Animation film ‘The Prince Of Egypt”. The message in the song is urging their listeners to keep their hopes alive and keep believing since it can result in miracles.
9. Miley Cyrus – The Climb
The song is part of the album The Time Of Our Lives (2009). It became a commercial hit after peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
10. Katy Perry – Rise
The hit song was picked by NBC as their choice to use for their coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Many Olympians make appearances in the music video such as swimmer Michael Phelps, gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Missy Franklin and sprinter Usain Bolt.
Katy wrote the song after years of feeling a need for the world to unite. Lyrically, it talks about striving to overcome adversity. Katy is ready to transcend her struggle against negativity.
11. David Guetta – Titanium
This is the 4th single from Guetta’s Nothing But The Beat. It acts as an anthem against bullies, equating vicious criticisms to bullets. Titanium is a low-density, high-strength metal that is capable of stopping a bullet. It has been used to symbolize that Sia is strong and immune to all the negativity just like titanium is to bullets.
The track was originally written for Mary J Blige but Guetta ended up using Sia’s original demo without her permission. It ended up becoming the biggest-selling record of his career.
12. Justin Bieber – Never Say Never
The hit song was part of the album My Worlds (2010). Lyrically, Justin sings about how he will never give up on his dream no matter what the cause is. When someone doubts him he won’t let it get into his head and he will go right back even stronger than before.
13. Shakira – Waka Waka
This was the 2010 FIFA World Cup official song and was a number-one hit in many countries’ record charts across the world. The first verse encourages the listeners not to give up. They should pick themselves up, dust off and get back in the saddle and keep pushing.
14. Demi Lovato – Skyscraper
The song is part of the album Unbroken (2011) and was certified platinum by the RIAA the next year. It is about the pain Demi felt when she was in rehab because of her issues with self-harm and eating disorders. She wanted to inspire girls who were in pain because of other people who would tear them down without any good reason.
15. One Republic – Better Days
The main message in the song is that the dark days won’t last forever and at some point, sunshine will come your way. This is to mean that problems are not there to stay forever and really good days will eventually come.
Ryan Tedder wrote the song while in quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He proclaims that things will eventually get better once the time of distress is all done and over. Everyone will have better days than before.
16. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande – Rain On Me
This is the second single off Chromatica, Gaga’s sixth studio album and her first collaboration with Ariana Grande. The main message is persevering through your troubles and finding solace and comfort in the fact that things will get better. Speaking to Vulture, Gaga expresses this as the meaning of the song:
This is about an analog of tears being the rain. And you know what it’s also a metaphor for, is the amount of drinking that I was doing to numb myself. I’d rather be dry. I’d rather not be drinking, but I haven’t died yet. I’m still alive. Rain on me.
17. Shakira – Try Everything
The track is the official theme song from Disney’s Zootopia. It is generally about not giving up. The character Judy fails in her mission to find the night howlers and we get to see her determination to continue on her journey and finally succeed. We also learn that mistakes are part of the process and help us grow to become wiser and better people.
18. Cardi B – Get Up 10
The song is off her debut album Invasion of Privacy. It is generally a rags-to-riches story discussing how Cardi B went from being a stripper to one of the top-selling rappers in the industry. She got knocked down many times but didn’t ever give up.
19. Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up
This is the first single from Jason’s 4th album, Love is a Four Letter Word. It talks about not giving up on love. It was a huge success, making its debut at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.