1. Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

Of course, Joni Mitchell should not be missing from this list. Her musical influence on folk music is inestimable. Incidentally, Big Yellow Taxi has been covered very successfully several times by well-known music acts such as Amy Grant and The Counting Crows.^[1]

2. Karen Dalton - Something on Your Mind

Something on Your Mind by Karen Dalton is a 1971 folk song gem. In my opinion, it is important to hear the song from the beginning to the last second. Then the melancholy of the vocals and the music unfold in all their beauty.

3. Buffy Sainte-Marie - The Beauty Way

The Beauty Way by Buffy Sainte-Marie is the seventh track on her 1975 album Changing Woman. I noticed that the lyrics you find on the Internet for the song The Beauty Way seem to be those of another song. The Beauty Way can also be found on the 2010 song collection The Pathfinder - Buried Treasures as the second track on the second CD.

4. Judee Sill - The Kiss

The Kiss by Judee Sill appeared on her 1973 album Heart Food and is one of the top five most popular tracks on her Spotify artist profile. The composition combines various musical styles, including classical, folk and baroque pop, with gentle piano work and Sill's ethereal vocals. The song's themes revolve around mystical and spiritual concepts exploring the relationship between divine and mortal love, with imagery focusing on transcendence and spiritual awakening.
In the Judee Sill documentary Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill there are numerous Interviews with musicians such as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Big Thief.^[2]

5. Judy Collins - Both Sides Now

Joni Mitchell found inspiration for her song Both Sides, Now when she read a passage in Saul Bellow's novel Henderson the Rain King on an airplane. The book describes how Henderson, who was also on a plane at the beginning of the book, looked out of the window and saw the clouds below him. Joni Mitchell then also looked out of the window and saw clouds below her. Finally, she began writing the song Both Sides, Now during the flight.^[3]

1967 Judy Collins' rendition of Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell was used in popular films and series, including the animated film Toy Story 4 and the series Mad Men. With Both Sides, Now Judy Collins won the 1969 Grammy for Best Folk Performance.^[4]

6. Joan Baez - Diamonds And Rust

The American singer-songwriter Joan Baez, also known as the Queen of Folk, confirmed in an interview that the lyrics to her 1975 song Diamonds and Rust were originally supposed to be about something completely different. When Bob Dylan called her at the beginning of her songwriting process, it ended up being about him because of the call. ^[5]
The lyrics of Diamonds and Rust describe Joan Baez's reflections on the past relationship with Bob Dylan. She recalls bittersweet memories, blending vivid imagery of their romantic and turbulent times. The folk song contrasts precious, diamond moments with the rust of time and regret, capturing the complexity and lingering impact of lost love.

7. Laura Nyro - Money

Laura Nyro was an American singer-songwriter and pianist known for her diverse genre blend of folk, pop, jazz, pop and soul. Songs such as Wedding Bell Blues, Eli's Comin' and Stoned Soul Picnic, which artists such as The 5th Dimension, Three Dog Night and Blood, Sweat & Tears reinterpreted and released, became commercial successes. In 2012, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Money is the third track on her sixth studio album Smile, which she released in 1976.

8. Fairport Convention - Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

Released in 1969, Who Knows Where the Time Goes? by Fairport Convention is a typical British folk song that underlines the band's unique contribution to the folk-rock genre. The song was written by Sandy Denny and contains poetic expressions about the transience of time. e folk song has been covered by popular female artists in particular, here are some examples: Judy Collins, Nina Simone, Sinéad O'Connor and Susanna Hoffs. ^[6] Sandy Denny died in April 1978, she was only 31 years old.

10. Carole King - Sweet Seasons

12. Janis Ian - At Seventeen

13. Sibylle Baier - I Lost Something in the Hills

14. Vashti Bunyan - Train Song

15. Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good

16. Linda Perhacs - Hey, Who Really Cares

17. Bobby Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe

18. Kate Wolf - Across the Great Divide

19. Elizabeth Cotten - Freight Train

20. Shirley Collins - Barbara Allen

22. Cass Elliot - Dream A Little Dream Of Me

23. Jackie DeShannon - What The World Needs Now Is Love 

24. Polly Niles - Sunshine In My Rainy Day Mind

25. Phoebe Snow - Poetry Man (Live)

26. Malvina Reynolds - Little Boxes

27. Mary Travers - Follow Me

1. Braids - Evolution

The Canadian singer-songwriter Raphaelle Standell-Preston is involved in several music projects: Braids (band, 2006 - present), Blue Hawaii (music duo, 2010 - present) and her solo projects, including Indiensoci.

2. METRIC - Gimme Sympathy 

Emily Haines is the front woman of the 4-piece Canadian band Metric, which she founded together with James Shaw in 1998, initially as a musical duo under the name Mainstream.^[1]
Haines can also be heard as a vocalist on several albums by the Canadian band Broken Social Scene.

3. Feist - In Lightning

Feist is a Canadian indie pop and folk singer-songwriter who made it to number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007 with her single 1234.^[2] Several of her tracks have also been played in scenes of well-known American TV series such as Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl.In a track review article in the online music magazine Pitchfork, the single In Lightning was described as follows: "“In Lightning,” the most striking of the three singles from Feist’s forthcoming album, Multitudes, is wonderfully ramshackle in a way that fits her milieu:...".^[3]

4. Austra - Lose It

Katie Stelmanis, the singer of the Canadian band Austra, is a classically trained vocalist.^[4] So it's not surprising that Katie's voice in Austra leaves a big impression on many when listening to her songs.
Katie Stelmanis released her debut single Believe Me under her own name in 2009.
Lose It, the second single from Austra's 2011 debut album Feel It Break, is the most popular Austra song to date.

5. Purity Ring - Better Off Alone (Alice Deejay Cover)

Megan James from the Canadian musical duo Purity Ring is a singer and music producer. Purity Ring describe their musical style as "future pop", although this musical label "doesn't mean anything" to them according to Megan James, as she revealed in a Pitchfork interview from 2015: "It just feels comfortable, and that’s nice when you’re defining yourself as an artist, because nothing is going to make sense or feel right. Hopefully it stays without meaning."^[5] 
In September 2020, Purity Ring released a cover version of the 90s Eurodance classic Better Off Alone by Dutch music project Alice Deejay.

6. Mélissa Laveaux - Needle In The Hay

The Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Mélissa Laveaux describes her music as "indie rock with electric Afro-Carib guitar stylings".^[6] 
As a child, Mélissa was inspired to play music by an image of Sister Rosetta Tharpe: “Without that, I wouldn’t have thought I could play music.”
^[7] 

7. College & Electric Youth - A Real Hero

The Canadian synth-pop duo Electric Duo, which consists of the singer-songwriter Bronwyn Griffin and the producer, songwriter and musician Austin Garrick, released the single A Real Hero together with the French music project College (David Grellier) in 2010. A Real Hero is the main musical theme for the 2011 American film Drive starring Ryan Gosling.
Bronwyn Griffin and Austin Garrick have known each other since their school days (sixth grade). Griffin is Garrick's girlfriend and both are also musical partners.^[8]

• Female band member: Bronwyn Griffin
• Song release date: 11 January 2010
• Origin: Toronto, Canada
• Label: Valerie

8. Stars - The Night Starts Here

9. Men I Trust - Billie Toppy

10. The New Pornographers - Challengers

11. U.S. Girls - 4 American Dollars

12. Billianne - Crush

13. The Weather Station - Atlantic

14. Alvvays - Dreams Tonite

15. Crystal Castles - Affection

Margaret Osborn aka Alice Glass released her debut solo album Prey//IV in 2022. She was the frontwoman and singer-songwriter in the Canadian band Crystal Castles for around eight years (2006 to 2014). Crystal Castles released the song Affection as the third single from their third studio album III in 2012.

16. Basia Bulat - Infamous

17. Tegan And Sara - Back In Your Head

18. Grimes - Oblivion

19. Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach

20. The Beaches - T-Shirt

22. Rah Rah - Prairie Girl

23. Princess Century - Desperate Love 

24. YOU SAY PARTY - Laura Palmer's Prom

25. Sook-Yin Lee & Adam Litovitz - Re-Veil

26. FRANKIIE - Funny Feelings

27. TOPS - Petals

28. Hannah Georgas - Evelyn

29. Shirley Hurt - Problem Child

David Bowie

David Bowie was already interested in Buddhist philosophy, practice and meditation before his big musical breakthrough. During this time, he is said to have considered becoming a Buddhist monk. His Buddhist teachers at the time saw his destiny, his path, rather beyond the monastery.^[1]

Buddha Of Suburbia

Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette is meditating almost every morning.^[2] She performed during the opening of a speech with the spiritual leader of Tibet in exile, the Dalai Lama, at the Ottawa Civic Center on April 24, 2004 in Ottawa, Canada.^[3]

Joining You

The song Joining You by Alanis Morissette is about a dialog between two adults and has as its Buddhist theme the identification of people with their body and mind. The teenage girlfriend wants to make it clear to her friend that our identification with our body or mind is a misinterpretation and often leads to suffering sooner or later. Because both are subject to constant change and are not permanent.

k.d. lang

The Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang has considered herself to be a Buddhist from a very early age.^[3]

Constant Craving

In her great international success from 1992, the song Constant Craving, k.d. lang takes up an important concept in Buddhism: craving (in Pali language: taṇhā). Taṇhā appears in The Four Noble Truths and is one of the key origins of suffering (dukkha) in Buddhism.^[4]

Leonard Cohen

It needed three decades of zen teaching and the maturation of age, to put the musician in a neutral, monk-like state of mind.^[5] In a 2001 interview with the British daily newspaper THe Guardian, Leonard Cohen revealed: "When you stop thinking about yourself all the time, a certain sense of repose overtakes you. It happened to me by imperceptible degrees and I could not really believe it;".^[6]

Happens to the Heart

Tina Turner

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey (The Oprah Magazine: May 2005 issue), Tina Turner revealed how she came to Buddhism. The initial spark, so to speak, came from the remark "Buddhism will save your life", which someone said to her.^[7] The Buddhist faith gave Tina Turner the strength to separate from her husband Ike Turner in 1976, which she herself mentioned several times.^[8] 

Calling by Tina

Belinda Carlisle

Belinda Carlisle stated in her autobiography from 2010 that she had been practicing Nichiren Buddhism since 2002.^[2]

Leave A Light On

Macy Gray

Macy Gray gave several interviews in 2019 after the release of her album Ruby and explained the significance of the song Buddha, which is the first track on the album.

Buddha

Philip Glass

Metamorphosis: One

1. Pink Moon - Nick Drake

The Nick Drake song Pink Moon from his studio album of the same name was recorded at the end of 1971 and is the first track on the album of the same name. In 1999, the song was used for a commercial for a German automobile manufacturer's convertible.

2. My Moon My Man - Feist

The lyrics of My Moon My Man by Canadian singer-songwriter Feist are about her relationship with the moon. One can conclude - but that is pure speculation - that the moon is a metaphorical comparison for a relationship with her husband. The song title already says My Moon My Man. In the lyrics, Feist uses the linguistic stylistic device oxymoron (contradiction in itself), which means: the dirtiest cleaning.

3. The Killing Moon - Echo & The Bunnymen

The 1984 song The Killing Moon by the British post-punk band Echo & The Bunnymen has a deep meaning and can by no means be deciphered by a song analysis, no matter how complex. For the band's singer Ian McCulloch, the song is "(...) about everything (...) it contains the answer to the meaning of life. (...)"^[1]

4. Walking On The Moon - The Police

Originally, the song had absolutely nothing to do with the moon. The song title was initially 'Walking Round The Room' when Sting, the singer and bassist of the British band The Police, was wandering around drunk in a Munich hotel room, came up with a riff for the song and sang 'Walking round the room, ya, ya, walking round the room' to it. According to Sting, the song title 'Walking Round The Room' wasn't stupid enough for him, so he switched to the even more stupid title Walking On The Moon.^[2]

5. Man On The Moon - R.E.M.

The R.E.M. song Man On The Moon is a tribute to one of the most popular American comedians, or rather performance artists, of the 1970s. But what do the moon and Elvis Presley in the lyrics have to do with Andy Kaufman? Just as there were rumors about the death of Elvis Presley that Elvis may not have died in 1977 but was still alive afterwards, there were rumors that Andy Kaufmann did not die in 1984 but lived on. Finally, the moon, or more precisely the moon landing, is a link to the deaths of Elvis and Andy Kaufman, because there were also claims by conspiracy theorists that NASA landings on the moon did not happen. Conspiracy theories claimed that the moon landings between 1969 and 1972 were faked by NASA. An Institute of Physics article states that every single argument claiming that NASA faked the moon landings has been debunked.^[3]

6. Full Moon - Brandy

The song Full Moon by American singer-songwriter Brandy is about how in a club, the protagonist and someone she hasn't seen there before are very attracted to each other. It must be a special night, which leads to the conclusion, as the lyrics say, that this night is probably a full moon. The 2002 track is the second single from her album of the same name.

7. Full Moon - The Black Ghosts

The song Full Moon by the English music duo The Black Ghosts is the 3rd track on the official soundtrack to the 2008 American film Twilight. The lyrics of Full Moon are thematically linked to the content of the film. In addition to the female lead Stella (played by Kirsten Stewart), the male lead Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattionson) has a direct connection to the full moon, as he is a vampire.

8. To The Moon & Back - Savage Garden

On the alternative album cover (1998 re-release cover) of the 1996 single To the Moon and Back by the Australian pop duo Savage Garden, the two members Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones are featured in the foreground. The earth and the moon are visible in the background from a space perspective.
The track was one of the duo's most successful singles.

9. Harvest Moon - Neil Young

With over 100 million views, the music video for the Neil Young song Harvest Moon is the most popular on his official YouTube channel.
The music video plays in the evening until late at night and the full moon appears several times when the night sky is clear. The video shows Neil Young playing a double role in a music bar with a large dance floor in the countryside, dancing with a woman and performing with his band at the same time. Later, a flashback shows him as a young man dancing with his girlfriend in this music bar.

10. Space Oddity - David Bowie

The David Bowie song Space Oddity was released as quickly as possible on July 11, 1969, so that the release date of the single would be before the moon landing of Apollo 11.
After breaking up with his girlfriend at the time, Bowie found inspiration for the song in the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Oddissey. David Bowie had seen the science fiction classic from 1968 three times in the cinema by this time.^[4]

11. Thriller - Michael Jackson

The second and third lines of the lyrics to Michael Jackson's song Thriller from 1983 are "and something evil's lurking in the dark under the moonlight". The music video was directed by the American movie director John Landis. The music video lasts almost 14 minutes.

12. Moon - Kid Francescoli

The music project Kid Francescoli consists of the American Julia Minkin from Chicago and the Frenchman Mathieu Hocine from Marseille. The video for the song Moon, which was published on YouTube in 2017, now has almost 100 million views.

13. Moon River - Henry Mancini

Moon River is a famous movie song (Breakfast at Tiffany's from 1961), composed by Henry Mancini and written by Johnny Mercer. The song was even supposed to be removed from the movie for reasons of shortening. However, Audrey Hepburn, who sang Moon River in the movie, campaigned for the song to remain, which earned Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1961.^[5]

15. Moon In Water - Underworld

If you read through the lyrics of the song Moon In Water by British band Underworld, you'll realize that the lyrics are more profound for a dance track than you might expect. The lyrics are based on the metaphor (The Moon Reflected in the Water) from the book The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War by the Japanese samurai and Zen Buddhist student Yagyu Munenori.
The metaphor is made between the reflection of the moon and looking at our body in a mirror. The moon reflected in water is an immediate phenomenon. It is a metaphor for our human mind. Just as the moon is directly reflected in the water, things, objects are directly reflected by the mind.^[7]

16. New Moon On Monday - Duran Duran

In the book I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum, Duran Duran band members Andy Taylor and Nick Rhodes say that the music video for the 1984 song New Moon On Monday is the band's least favorite.^[8]

In the official music video for the song, which begins with a theater scene, a moon appears in a cloudy night sky at exactly 02 minutes and 54 seconds. The scene with the moon only lasts about a second.

17. Can't Fight The Moonlight - LeAnn Rimes

Dianne Warren wrote the theme song Can't Fight the Moonlight for the 2000 American movie Coyote Ugly. The song is about how, as night falls, the love of two people in love can no longer be resisted. The moonlight that metaphorically reveals their real feelings for each other will be too strong and can no longer be suppressed.

18. Clouds Across The Moon - The RAH Band

Exactly 40 years after the creation of the 1984 song Clouds Across The Moon by The Rah Band, an official AI-generated music video was published.
The lyrics describe a conversation between a woman on Earth and her partner, a flight commander on Mars. The conversation between the two is not stable and the connection eventually breaks down due to violent storms in the asteroid belt. As she watches the clouds drifting over the moon, she hopes and prays that her partner will return to her soon.

19. Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra

The 1964 Frank Sinatra version of Fly Me To The Moon, written by American songwriter Bart Howard in 1954, was closely associated with the NASA Apollo program. The United States human spaceflight program had set itself the goal of flying people to the moon and bringing them safely back to earth. The goal was first achieved in 1969, when the two astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon and were later able to return safely to Earth with their crewmate Michael Collins.
Astronauts of the Apollo program such as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were equipped with mixtapes compiled by Al Bishop and Mickey Kapp on their journey to the moon. They were able to listen to the music on a so-called Sony Proto-Walkman, the Sony TC-50.^[9]

20. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys

The original idea for the song The Whole Of The Moon came to Mike Scott in early 1985 when he was on his way back to the hotel with his girlfriend in New York City. She asked him if it was easy to write songs, which he immediately took up as a challenge. So he looked around for inspiration: “And there was a moon in the sky. This phrase ‘I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon’ floated into my mind as if by magic, right on cue.”^[10]

21. Goodnight Moon - Shivaree

At the beginning of the new millennium, on March 24, 2000, the single Goodnight Moon by the American Americana and Alternative Country band Shivaree was released.
The song, whose lyrics would also fit in well at a Halloween party, is about a woman who spends a frightening night alone. She wishes for the night to end as quickly as possible and for the sun to rise, hence the metaphor "Goodnight Moon".

22. La Luna - Belinda Carlisle

The lyrics of Belinda Carlisle's 80s song (released on November 27, 1989) La Luna are about the protagonist's romantic memory of how she and her partner spent a night in love. She describes how they both fell under the spell of the moon under a clear starry sky and experienced a passionate night. At the end of the song, however, we as listeners are brought back from the past to reality. It turns out that the protagonist is now in Marseille at night under a gray winter sky, reminiscing about the time they spent this night in love under the moon, but the two are no longer together.

23. To The Moon - Meghan Trainor

You probably know Meghan Trainor from the song All About That Bass, one of the most successful YouTube videos with more than 2.5 billion views so far. In May 2024, she released her new single To The Moon. Numerous scenes in the amusing music video show the moon.

24. Talking To The Moon - Bruno Mars

Talking To The Moon is one of the first singles released by Bruno Mars and is the fourth single from his 2010 debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans.
The song is about how a couple separated by a great distance try to establish some kind of emotional connection via the moon at night. Each of them hopes that if they both “talk” to the moon at the same time at night, they will be able to make a connection and gain hope.

25. Dancing in the Moonlight - Toploader

The lyrics of the song Dancing in the Moonlight describe how people dance together at night in the moonlight, have fun and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. The cover version by the British band Toploader from 2000 was successful in the European, Australian and New Zealand official music charts. In the official lyrics video, animated skeletons, a werewolf and other Halloween characters dance together to the moonlight.

26. Moonlight Feels Right - Starbuck

The song Moonlight Feels Right by the American band Starbuck, which was just released in 1975 (December 31), is about a promising romantic night for a couple on the Chesapeake Bay by moonlight. In the song, the singer promises that they will drive to Chesapeake Bay in a car and the top will be lowered. They both lie back in the car and look at the constellations and how the moon smiles brightly, figuratively speaking.

27. Shame On To The Moon - Bob Seeger

The 1982 single Shame On The Moon by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger made it to #2 on the Billboard Top 100 in the week of February 26, 1983. The single stayed at #2 for four weeks, but had several weeks ahead of a song by a chart competitor that was hard to dislodge from #1, Billy Jean by Michael Jackson.^[11]

A possible interpretation of the lyrics: Shame On The Moon describes the complexity of a man and woman being together. As if the moon is supposed to take responsibility for the difficulties (which arise after perceiving the partner through rose-tinted glasses), the chorus reads: ... Shame On The Moon.

28. Moonlight Shadow - Mike Oldfield ft. Maggie Reilly

Mike Oldfield was inspired for the song Moonlight Shadow by the American film Houdini from 1953 starring Tony Curtis as Harry Houdini.^[12] The track from 1983 was Mike Oldfield's most successful single and reached top positions in the singles charts in several countries.
The sad lyrics are about a woman mourning the death of a man who was the victim of a violent crime on a Saturday night. The last time she saw him was in a shadow of moonlight.

29. Moonshadow - Yusuf / Cat Stevens

At the very beginning of the 70s, the British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens (known as Yusuf Islam since 1978) released the single Moonshadow.
A possible interpretation of the Moonshadow lyrics:
The light of the moon and the shadow of the moon stand for something permanent, like a light that always remains. Cat Stevens depicts the following scenario in the song: If he should gradually lose important body parts and bodily functions, he does not see the terrible catastrophe each time, but always sees something positive in it after all. Of course it's terrible to lose your body parts. But Cat Stevens uses this very drastic example to show that man, his self, consists of more than just the body.

30. Blue Moon - Billie Holiday

Her two jazz albums Billie Holiday Sings (10", released in 1952) and Solitude (12", is the Solitude album re-released in 1956, but with extra tracks) both contain the song Blue Moon. The song was originally written in 1934 by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. According to the internet portal secondhandsongs.com ^[13], there are 743 various versions of the original.
One possible interpretation of the lyrics:
The blue can stand for the color of the moon as well as a sad mood. In the lyrics, there is a positive turn from a person's loneliness to the appearance of a loved one. And the color of the moon changes from blue to gold.

1. Don't Worry Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin

The song Don't Worry Be Happy by American jazz singer-songwriter Bobby McFerrin was a huge commercial success at the end of the 80s. Released in 1988, the single made it to the top of major official singles charts internationally.
The phrase "Don't worry; be happy" was introduced by Meher Baba. Bobby McFerrin was inspired to write the song by a poster with this phrase, according to a Wikipedia article.^[1]

The official music video features Bobby McFerrin and the two American actors Robin Williams and Bill Irwin.

2. Don’t Worry - Madcon feat. Ray Dalton

The 2015 track Don't Worry by Norwegian music duo Madcon was a huge singles chart success in Europe in particular.
The lyrics are about enjoying the night and the music at a party in a club, forgetting the past and not worrying about anything.
Ray Dalton, an American R&B, hip hop and Gospel singer and songwriter, is featuring the vocals of the track.

3. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Incognito  

In 1992, the British acid jazz band Incognito had a hit in Europe with the single Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing. The track is a cover of the Stevie Wonder single of the same name from 1974. According to Wikipedia, Incognito currently has 17 band members and no less than 66 former members. The London band was founded in 1979 and is still active today.^[2]

4. Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers

The title of Bob Marley's song Three Little Birds, released in 1980, doesn't even contain the word 'don't worry', but these are the very first words of the lyrics. And right after that, in the second line of the song, comes the assurance that, no matter what happens, everything will be all right.
In the lyrics, Bob Marley sings about getting up in the morning, the sun shining and three little birds singing beautiful melodies and the birds basically saying: don't worry about anything, because everything will be all right.

5. Don't Worry Baby - The Beach Boys

In the lyrics of 1964 The Beach Boys Song Don't Worry Baby, the protagonist worries that something is bound to go wrong. However, his girlfriend or wife reassures him because she tells him that he doesn't need to worry, everything will turn out all right. He feels guilty because he has bought a car and was bragging about it. When it comes to him driving a race today, she tells him to just take her love with him, she loves him so much. And she encourages him not to worry about the race.

6. What, Me Worry? - Portugal. The Man

When the new Portugal. The Man single What, Me Worry? was released on February 9, 2022, the band posted some background info on Twitter (now X) about what influenced the making of the single, specifically Mad Magazine. The fact that the makers of Mad Magazine were able to take everything with humor had a big influence on Portugal. The Man in the last few years when they made the record.^[3]

7. Why Worry - Dire Straits (Live at Wembley 1985)

The Dire Straits song Why Worry from 1985 is about the following: In the lyrics, the singer tries to calm his partner and dispel her restless fears. He asks her the question, why worry? The world may seem mean and cold, but there is a strong love between the two of them. He gives her hope that, as experience shows, bad things don't last forever. Because after pain should come laughter and after rain should come sunshine. It's a matter of time.

8. Worry No More - Diplo (feat. Lil Yachty & Santigold)

The lyrics of Worry No More by Diplo featuring Little Yachty and Santigold are about the dream of having no more worries when more money and fame are achieved. The song was released in 2018.

9. DON'T YOU WORRY - Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, David Guetta

For DON'T YOU WORRY, the track was released in 2022, there was a collaboration between the Black Eyed Peas, Shakira and David Guetta. The lyrics are essentially about not worrying, because everything will be alright. The Black Eyed Peas had already worked with David Guetta in 2011. Back then, Guetta produced their worldwide single chart success I Gotta Feeling.

10. Hakuna Matata from "The Lion King"

Hakuna Matata is a Swahili expression and according to the Merriam Webster dictionary means: there are no problems, don't worry about it.^[4] The phrase became widely known around the world thanks to the 1994 Disney animated musical film The Lion King. Hakuna matata is the motto of life as the young lion Simba grows up with his friends in a worry-free life. The song Hakuna Matata was composed by Elton John. In 2019, it was also a song in the photorealistic animated remake of the Disney film The Lion King.

11. I Ain’t Worried - OneRepublic

I Ain't Worried by the American band One Republic is the second single from the official soundtrack to the 2022 movie Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise.
The lyrics say that the protagonist should actually be afraid, but he's not worried about it at the moment. It can be inferred from the lyrics that he would rather enjoy the time with his partner. Time is simply too short to worry.

12. Don’t Worry - The 1975

In the 2020 track Don't Worry by British indie pop-rock band The 1975, the lyrics are about the comfort the singer gives: He encourages his 'darling' not to worry. The lyrics show that his 'darling' can be sure of his love, can rely on him and is not alone, even in difficult emotional moments.

14. Worry - The Wombats

15. Nothing To Worry About - Peter Bjorn And John

16. Just Fly, Don't Worry - Jungle

17. Worried About Ray - The Hoosiers

18. Don't Worry - Kim Appleby

19. (Don't Worry) If There Is a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go - Curtis Mayfield

20. Don't Worry - The Game

21. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder

22. Why Should I Worry? - Billy Joel

1. Sleaford Mods feat. Billy Nomates - Mork n Mindy

Sleaford Mods are an English sprechgesang post-punk duo. Jason Williamson is the vocalist for performing the lyrics and Andrew Fearn makes the music.
Sleaford Mods released the single Mork n Mindy together with Billy Nomates in 2020.

2. Dry Cleaning - Don't Press Me

Dry Cleaning singer Florence Shaw's cool talk-singing sounds like nothing can ruffle her feathers. The lyrics of Dry Cleaning tracks are peppered with a pinch of humor. They are now one of the big Sprechgesang bands, even though only formed as band in 2018. The single Don't Press Me was released in 2022 and is the eighth track on their second studio album Stumpwork.

3. Billy Nomates - No

English Sprechgesang singer-songwriter Billy Nomates launched her solo career in 2020 with a debut album of the same name as her stage name, Billy Nomates, and her debut song No. Billy Nomates is on the Australian record label Invada, founded by Portishead band member Geoff Barrow.

4. Fontaines D.C. - Televised Mind

Televised Mind is the third single from the second album A Hero's Death by Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C.. When it comes to sprechgesang in combination with post-punk, Fontaines D.C. are often mentioned in the same breath. When lead singer Grian Chatten performs the lyrics in spoken word style, it's simply cool to listen to and a thrilling experience, as is the case with many other great sprechgesang bands, despite the lack of melody.

5. Sinead O’Brien - There Are Good Times Coming

I'm intrigued to see when the first Wikipedia article will be created for Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Brien. It can't be due to a lack of articles in well-known music magazines. In the UK, music magazines such as Rolling Stone, NME (New Musical Express) and the online portal of the British daily newspaper The Guardian, among others, have published articles about the spoken word artist Sinead O'Brien.
There Are Good Times Coming is the ninth track on her 2022 debut album Time Bend And Break The Bower.

6. Wet Leg - Too Late Now

Aloofness is the description in a Stereogum article about the sprechgesang of the British band Wet Leg, who really took off in the early 2020s. That's what the Stereogum article wrote about their debut album Wet leg, which has the same name as the band:
"The vocals take the form of deadpan sprechgesang and wispy melodies, aloof even at their most impassioned."^[1]

7. Baxter Dury - I'm Not Your Dog

A 2021 Guardian interview with Baxter Dury states that "These days, his voice is more of a gravelly sprechgesang". But it wasn't always like that, as you can read in the interview article.^[2]

British indie singer-songwriter Baxter Dury has released six studio albums since 2002.

8. black midi - John L

The English band Black Midi can't really be categorized into one musical genre. The band's Wikipedia article covers no less than 7 musical genres. Even the sprechgesang is not as clearly recognizable in all songs as in the 2020 track John L. In some tunes it is a mixture of sprechgesang and conventional singing.

9. Yard Act - Dream Job

11. The Cool Greenhouse - Dirty Glasses

13. Loyle Carner Ft. Jordan Rakei - Ottolenghi (Official Video)

14. The Streets - Each Day Gives

15. Little Simz feat. Cleo Sol - Selfish

16. Self Esteem - I Do This All The Time

17. Porridge Radio - Back To The Radio

18. Cassandra Jenkins - Hard Drive

19. IDLES - Mr. Motivator

20. King Hannah - New York, Let‘s Do Nothing

21. For Those I Love - You Stayed / To Live

23. Ciara Lea - Feel It

24. Cheekface – We Need a Bigger Dumpster

25. Gustaf - Best Behavior

26. Bambara - Serafina

27. The Wants - Container