64 Songs About Promises

Actress Shirley MacLaine probably had it right when she quipped, "It is useless to hold a person to anything he says while he is in love, drunk, or running for office."

Even so, we humans are such a hopeful bunch. Broken or empty promises don't stop us from

• getting married (sometimes repeatedly)
• electing politicians
• hoping a loved one with a problem will change and
• making and believing more promises.

Make a playlist of pop, rock, and country songs about the vows we make to one another, the pledges we sometimes break, and the consequences on trust. We have a long list to start you out. We swear.

An ode to the healing effects of love, this 2017 pop song features a narrator who promises to provide everything her partner needs with the power of her touch. If she cannot find the cure for what ails him, them she vows to fix it with her love.

Yes-sireee, this man's a keeper. Asking a woman's father for her hand in marriage is an anxiety-provoking moment in a young man's life, and the groom-to-be in this 2017 country song thinks he has his speech all worked out.

Then, when the moment comes, he simply speaks from the heart:

I promise to love her
With all that I have
I'll put nothing above her
And I won't turn my back
She's my everything
She's all I'll ever need
And she loves me at my worst
Sir, I give you my word
I promise to love her.

The song fast forwards to the couple's wedding day and later to the birth of their first child when the young man makes similar assurances of abiding commitment.

Broken trust and hollow promises are central to this 1983 rock song. In the beginning of their relationship when love felt all new and tingly, the narrator believed his lover's empty assurances that she'd always be there. Now, however, he feels lonely and betrayed: "If this is love it breaks my heart."

Ten thousand is a mountain of promises, but It's not like this guy was counting those lies or anything. Is he bitter over his relationship gone wrong? You bet!

The narrator in this pop song from 1997 sees all the time and money he spent on the one he used to love as a wasted investment. His ex broke promises and lied to him, and he's still not over her. This heartbreak looks like it'll hurt for awhile.

Hold on, Romeo. There are mixed messages here, boyfriend, and I'm calling you out on it even if your gal pal won't.

In this 2006 pop song, the commitment confused narrator tells his girl that he feels like he's in heaven when they are together and he needs to hold her tight both now and forever. Supposedly, he wants to die in her arms tonight.

At the same time that he's expressing this long-term devotion, however, he also seeks to make it perfectly clear that there are no promises and that she's the one he needs tonight. So will there be someone else he needs tomorrow night?

Feeling that this is the beginning of a lifelong relationship, the man in this 1992 country song tenderly pledges his unconditional love and laughter. He seeks to make his partner's dreams come true and wants to be there to comfort her when needed.

There's a lot of break-up and divorce drama in this country song from 2017, and it all extends from promises made and broken. A husband walks out as his wife stands in the driveway. Soaking wet from both the rain and her tears, she shouts reminders at him regarding their marriage vows.

Later, he lies alone in bed and decides to return sentimental items to her. However, this time it's the wife who has decided that the promise isn't worth fighting for. This song is soap opera heart wrenching.

Are they just fooling around, or are they meant to be in love? The couple in this 2017 danceable popsong isn't sure what they want from one another. However, they agree on one thing—that promises would be too complicated:

Promise me no promises
Don't you promise me nothing

According to the group's lead vocalist, this 2011 rock song is about a woman who fears opening herself up to potential lovers, so she takes on the role of a magician who performs tricks. She's become so accustomed to the role she plays that she can't recognize the potential "real thing" when she sees it. Instead, she keeps up the charade and requests that her lover make no promises.

In this 1995 pop song, Michael Bolton is making all the standard love promises to his lady friend: to be there all her life, love her day and night, and share her hopes and dreams.

The singer's personal life, however, tells a different story about promise keeping. Michael Bolton divorced his wife of 15 years who whom he had three children. The sexageriarian—that's someone who is in his or her sixties— also had a broken engagement to actress Nicolette Sheridan. Then, in 2017 rumors swirled that he is ready to get engaged again. Now that's a serial promiser.

This stand-up guy vows to always be his partner's rock. Even when lies and secrets surround her, the young man in this 2000 pop song assures her that he will provide the strength she needs:

I've loved you forever
In lifetimes before
And I promise you never
Will you hurt anymore.

The guy in this 2014 country song seems like he's been friend-zoned and is trying so hard to climb out. Although his words falter, he professes his love and makes genuine promises to be a reliable friend and partner. He earnestly seeks to show the woman he cares for that he's worthy of falling in love with.

This 2017 song was written for the movie by the same name. The movie is about the Armenian genocide.

The song was the last solo release before the Soundgarden singer died in May 2017 by suicide. Ironically, the song is about the promise to survive, persevere, and thrive.

This 1999 hard rock song deals with divorce and captures the vitriol of an aggrieved lover. The narrator is angry over vows that have proven to be meaningless and empty words:

You better believe I'm coming
You better believe what I say
You better hold on to your promises
Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve.

The narrator in this touching 1995 pop song is leaving on a journey that will take her miles away from her lover. Promising to return to the one she loves, she urges her partner to wait for her and hold her memory close:

If you think of me
If you miss me once in a while
Then I'll return to you
I'll return and fill that space in your heart.

If you've ever been in a toxic relationship, then you've heard a few unreliable promises yourself. And perhaps you've issued them.

In this 1997 rock song, a man in a toxic relationship offers assurances that he will abandon his bad habits. He promises not to run away from the couple's relationship when there is trouble or when he gets bored.

I wonder if his girlfriend is thinking, "Here we go again."

You really have to hand it to the woman in this country song from 1986 for sticking to her commitment. She met the man she's been dreaming about for her entire lifetime, the one she would give her right arm to share eternity with, except there's one little catch—she's married.

Being a woman of her word, she tells Mr. Perfect that sorry, that she's sticking with Mr. Good Enough. Her word is her bond.

We've all probably been here before—at the end of a complicated love relationship that is dying a slow death. In this 2006 pop song, a bitter man finally calls it quits, claiming that he wants to wish his lover away.

Then he recounts the broken promises and sadness of the end of their affair:

That there'd be torn up photos and lonely nights
Cursing, crying, and drawn out fights
Make up sex and a brand new start
Broken promises for broken hearts.

When you're in a relationship and your lover has messed up, should you believe his or her promise that it won't happen again? In this 2001 pop song, a guy wants to reel back in the mistake he made. He wants to do right on his promise if only his lover will give him another chance.

For two reasons, I'm on the fence on how his gal should respond. First, past behavior is a strong predictor of future behavior. Second, he doesn't seem to be sorry enough:

I never said that I could change the world
But if you gave me the chance that I deserve
I know that in your heart
You can forgive me.

The narrator in this 1996 country ditty knows how to calm his partner's relationship anxieties. He expresses his commitment by promising his bride emotional safety, friendship, and love until the end. What a perfect wedding song!