Music is a universal means of communication; it's been around since long before recorded human history. Songs serve as an homage to the gods, a rallying cry for specific causes, and a personal form of expression. Positive songs are especially good for students, they help learners stay motivated while fostering the desire to be self-confident. These 15 songs are particularly good motivators, thanks to their upbeat sound and positive message.
| 🎶 Song title | 🎤Artist |
|---|---|
| Unstoppable | Sia |
| Don't Stop Believin' | Journey |
| This Is Me | Keala Settle |
| Rise Up | Andra Day |
| Keep Your Head Up | Andy Grammar |
| Roar | Katy Perry |
| The Eye of the Tiger | Survivor |
| Happy | Pharrell Williams |
| Brave | Sarah Bareilles |
| Shake it Off | Taylor Swift |
| We Will Rock You | Queen |
| Best Day of My Life | American Authors |
| Besabriyann | Sushant Singh Rajput |
| Confident | Demi Lovato |
| On Top of the World | Imagine Dragons |
Unstoppable - Sia
Naturally, our list starts with our very own music star and her powerful anthem. As far as Australian songs for kids go, it's a doozy, though Sia likely meant it for a much wider audience. But don't these lyrics speak to you?
Sia is no stranger to the empowerment vibe. One of her earlier songs, Alive, talked about hanging on and surviving, and of longing. 'Unstoppable' puts paid to merely existing and reaches far beyond surviving. Take a page from Sia's book: don't just make it through. Become an unstoppable force.
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
Kids seem to have plenty of Anzac Day songs by Australian singers, but Sia appears to be it, as far as top homegrown motivational songs go. That doesn't mean we're out of inspiration, though. British and American artists keep us well supplied.
Now reaching back into the rock catalogue (to 1981), we find this tune among that era's inspirational songs. The melody is upbeat - natch! - but it's Steve Perry's distinctive vocals that truly sends this song to the top of the charts.
Writing credit goes to three of the band members, but keyboardist Jonathan Cane deserves a lot of it. He carried this song around for years, having taken inspiration from what his father told him when he was a struggling musician: "Don't stop believing". Surely, Cane wouldn't mind if you took his father's good advice, too.
This Is Me - Keala Settle
Self-confidence is hard to come by when you're still trying to discover all the wonderful things you are. Social competition in school halls doesn't make things any easier, especially if you're on the receiving end of kid cruelty.
Isn't it great how Keala's voice just seethes until she erupts into her affirmation? If you've ever been pushed to your limits, you know what that feels like. What this song encourages you to do is never let yourself get pushed to your limit again.
Rise Up - Andra Day
We cannot stop raving about this song! Andra's raw vocal power makes her sound like a lioness ready to defend her cub - you. And that's before this song's message sinks in. Andra's not just there for you, she'll rise up for you in your time of need.
In the video, it's clear that she's singing she'll rise up to help her lover. But just listening to the song without the visuals, it sounds like Andra is ready to rise up and fight for you. Feel free to take this song that way when you need to.
Andra composed this song freestyle, while reeling from the news that her friend had cancer. She describes it as a "sort of prayer". Did she mean she was praying for the strength to rise up to help her friend?
Keep Your Head Up - Andy Grammar
This is just a journey, drop your worries, you are going to turn out fine.
Andy Grammar
Don't let this song's relaxed beat fool you. You'll find a powerful message and a profound life lesson hiding under the peppy, upbeat vocals.
How often do we run around, making much ado about nothing, stressing ourselves out over tiny little things? If you find yourself on the knife's edge - say, ahead of exams or before your first real date, let Andy calm your nerves. According to this song's lyrics, he's struggled enough to know that fretting is useless.
Roar - Katy Perry
Let's say you're the quiet student. Everyone knows you don't have the first comeback, let alone the backbone to do any fighting. Katy's not having any of that. She lends you this affirmation so that, when you're ready to speak up, you know she has your back.
This song's high-energy beat combines with motivational lyrics to help you push beyond whatever stands in your way.
The Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Speaking of the 'eye of the tiger' Katy sings about... We reach (somewhat) far back into music history to retrieve this gem. It featured on the 1982 Rocky III soundtrack, and played as background music during all the fight scenes.
This is a great tune to listen to just before you step onto the pitch or whichever arena hosts the sport you're dedicated to. The tense vibe the song gives off has a way of stoking determination until success is yours.
The band derived lyrics from the film dialogue. They incorporated riffs and chord changes so that they played in time with every punch in the film.
Happy - Pharrell Williams
Happy is, indeed, a totally appropriate song for school, from primary grades through high school. In fact, it's ideal for younger children thanks to its short verses and catchy, repeating chorus.
This bubbly tune appeared on the Despicable Me II soundtrack, certifying it as both top among motivational songs and being kid-friendly.
In 2013, Robin Thicke got in a lot of trouble for his song Blurred Lines, which Pharrell contributed to. He expressed remorse over his part in a song that targeted women unfavourably and vowed to be mindful of his music's effects in the future. He released 'Happy' later that year, which helped repair his image.
Brave - Sarah Bareilles
Some people hire a coach to overcome their shyness and others sit in the audience, listening to motivational speakers. You don't need all that, just listen to Sarah's full-blast encouragement. This is one of the most personal English motivational songs ever; she's literally singing into the camera, straight at you.
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
This is one of the best motivational songs to ever hit the airwaves. Did you get a bad grade? Did someone say something mean to you? Let Auntie Taylor show you how to handle it! Four minutes of dancing around to this energetic tune will chase every negative vibe away.
By the way, did you happen to notice how cleverly Taylor matched the 'break, break, break' lyric with the breakdancers? Not even the cleanest rap songs you hear in school have that sense of artistry!
We Will Rock You - Queen
A lot of people don't get that this song's lyrics are a dialogue. It's about how society shouts us down at every stage of our lives, and how we always get back up and give back twice as hard.
Who cares if you have mud on your face? You're going to rock them with as much pounding fury as Queen uses to stomp and belt out this anthem.
Best Day of My Life - American Authors
Fake it till you make it.
Alfred Adler, psychologist
If anyone ever asks you how to deliver a pep talk, simply play this song for them. If you need a quick mindset reset - say, as you're getting ready for exams, reshape your attitude with these Authors. Pro tip: it works best when played at full blast (provided your parents can take it!).
Besabriyann - Sushant Singh Rajput
This song does not rank among the top English motivational songs for one obvious reason. But then, as noted in this article's introduction, music is universal. So, do the lyrics have to be in English, especially when we can guess what the lyrics say by what's happening in the video?
Obviously, the moral of the story is "Work hard to reach your goals, no matter what." And anyway, the music - those soaring vocals! - is so soothing that repeated listening might instill in you a quiet determination to succeed. It's also a great song to cry to, if you need to let the pressure off.
Confident - Demi Lovato
Slogans like 'girl power' and 'girl boss' have been around since forever, and they're pretty tired. Isn't it time to stop batting catchphrases around and start doing and being what those words say?
That's what Demi is getting at. She doesn't need labels to be confident and she doesn't care what anyone thinks about that. She's encouraging you to be confident and unlabelled, too.
On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons
This is the tune you listen to when everything finally starts going your way. It's especially great because it takes us from childhood dreams and through every mistake one might make. All the way to finally realising that you - your dreams, hopes, successes and failures, are enough to claim the top spot.
Of all the songs for kids in Australia and around the world, this is one of the most uplifting. And it's particularly well suited, thanks to the small boy that drives the narrative arc in the video.
Bonus Track: Believer
Though nowhere near as uplifting as On Top of the World, Believer ranks tops in inspirational songs. It helps people see that everyone has pain, even though their pain is unique to them. This anthem helps students not feel so alone as they struggle.
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