Updated date:

May 26, 2020

Top 50+ Songs About Time

Author:: Carson McQueen

Carson suffers from a serious case of melophilia. Geeking out on her favorite music artists is her guilty pleasure.

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." —Bertrand Russell
Carson McQueen

What is time? The more you think about it, the less it makes sense. Is time just an abstract mental construct? Or does it exist in the physical world? Perhaps physicists can provide a categorical answer. But for the rest of us mere mortals, time is something we miss, wish to extend, and long to have more of. If the concept of time has always mystified you, then you'll probably love listening to the following songs about time.

Best Songs About Time

1. “(I've Had) The Time Of My Life”

Song Artists: Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes

Song Year: 1987

Genres: Pop

If there's any song that describes that one time, that one moment where everything seems to come to a stop and you thank the heavens for making things go your way, this is it! It's one of the most romantic songs ever, and it doesn't hurt that it was used in one of the best movies of all time, Dirty Dancing.

Now I've had the time of my life
No, I never felt like this before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you.

2. “Times Like These”

Song Artist: Foo Fighters

Song Year: 2002

Genres: Alternative/Indie

This song about time comes from one of my favorite bands. Dave Grohl says that after writing this song, he felt that it was the best he's ever written. Although Foo Fighters have released plenty of massive hits since, I still think that "Times Like These" is one of their most memorable songs. It's a song about finding yourself at a crossroads but trusting yourself that you'll find the right path.

It's times like these you learn to live again.

3. “1985”

Song Artist: Bowling For Soup

Song Year: 2004

Genres: ‎Rock

Now, here's a song that will bring you back. It tells the story of a girl who reminisces about her past, back in her teenage years in 1985. What makes it great is that you can relate to the lyrics easily. We've all felt like going back in time, maybe to undo certain things or choose a different road to take.

Please make this
Stop! Stop! Stop!
And bring back.

4. “Do You Remember”

Song Artist: Jay Sean Featuring Sean Paul & Lil Jon

Song Year: 2009

Genres: R&B/Soul

Have you ever experienced your relationship going down south, and all you want is to hit the reset button and get things right this time? This is what this song is all about. It's inevitable for partners to drift apart at times, but if you want to make things work, you'll do anything even if it means going back to day one.

There's nothing left to say
Don't waste another day
Just you and me tonight
Everything will be okay.

5. “Take Your Time”

Song Artist: Buddy Holly

Song Year: 1958

Genres: Rock

I don't know about you, but I think this is one of the best songs about time. The lyrics are crystal clear, and the fact that the same words are repeated over and over, they stick to you. It's a song about waiting for the love of your life, no matter how long it takes just because you know it's worth the wait.

Take your time
I can wait
For all the love I know will be mine
If you take your time.

6. “Time”

Song Artist: Pink Floyd

Song Year: 1973

Genres: Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock

It's easy to tell someone to value their time, but you've probably been guilty of wasting it in one way or another. This song reminds us that time can slip by so fast that we may not even notice it. Roger Waters came up with the song after experiencing it for himself, realizing that he wasn't using his time to do anything of value—and he was only 28 at the time.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

7. “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”

Song Artist: Green Day

Song Year: 1997

Genres: Alternative/Indie

Long distance relationships are never easy. Billie Joe Armstrong knows this all too well, as he used his own experience to write the lyrics of this song. He wrote the song after his ex-girlfriend moved to Ecuador. He tried to accept it for what it is—and that's just how life goes. Things don't work in your favor all the time, but you must learn to move instead of getting stuck in the past.

It's something unpredictable,
But in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life.

8. “If Today Was Your Last Day”

Song Artist: Nickelback

Song Year: 2008

Genres: ‎Post-grunge

While Nickelback has been criticized heavily over the years, they have quite a few songs that remain relevant. This is one of them, a song about time, making the most of it, and never giving up until you find that one special person you'll love forever.

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

9. “Time of My Life”

Song Artist: David Cook

Song Year: 2008

Genres: ‎Pop

David Cook gave us one of the most memorable performances in Idol when he sang "Time of My Life." In many ways, it was the perfect winning song for him. The song is about someone who held onto the past for a long time, but has now learned to let go, find his wings, and grab the moment.

And I'll taste every moment
And live it out loud.

10. “Time After Time”

Song Artist: Cyndi Lauper

Song Year: 1983

Genres: Soft Rock

Ask somebody to give you a song about time and there's a good chance they'll sing this song for you. That's a testament to this song's incredible popularity, and that can be attributed to Cyndi Lauper's unparalleled delivery of the song's message. "Time After Time" tells the story of a failed relationship. Throughout the song, the singer mentions how she'll still be there for the guy, time after time.

In case you're wondering, however, Cyndi Lauper herself said that the title was inspired by a 1979 sci-fi film of the same name. And as for the lyrics, she came up with the words while playing the piano, finishing the chorus first before finalizing the verses.