Most great songs hang on a feeling we all know. When you write to a universal theme, you give listeners a clean way in. Pick the truth, find a specific moment inside it, and let the song do the heavy lifting.
- Love
Our need to connect. Tender, messy, glorious, timeless.
Example: “I Honestly Love You” – Olivia Newton-John - Unrequited Love
Wanting someone who doesn’t want you back. Everyone’s worn these shoes.
Example: “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – Bonnie Raitt - Meaning of Life
Purpose, mortality, what matters and why. The big questions behind everyday choices.
Example: “Dust in the Wind” – Kansas - Cheating and Being Cheated On
Desire colliding with promises. Drama and consequences built in.
Example: “Does He Love You” – Reba McEntire & Linda Davis - Loss
Grief in many forms: death, breakups, missed chances. We all carry it.
Example: “When I Was Your Man” – Bruno Mars - Wanting a Good Time
Switching the brain off and feeling joy for three minutes.
Example: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper - Nostalgia
Looking back at a sweeter then, real or imagined.
Example: “Summer of ’69” – Bryan Adams - Escape
A fresh start or a night away from yourself. Movement feels like medicine.
Example: “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” – Rupert Holmes - Regret and Redemption
Owning the mistake, wishing you could fix it, trying to be better next time.
Example: “The Scientist” – Coldplay
- Self-empowerment and Resilience
Falling down, getting up, finding your voice again. Listeners borrow courage here.
Example: “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” – Kelly Clarkson - Friendship and Solidarity
The people who carry us when we can’t carry ourselves.
Example: “Lean On Me” – Bill Withers - Family and Parenthood
Pride, fear, legacy, time. Family reshapes the heart.
Example: “Cats in the Cradle” – Harry Chapin - Identity and Self-acceptance
Choosing who you are in a world that keeps trying to edit you.
Example: “Born This Way” – Lady Gaga - Physical Desire and Lust
The body speaks first. Honest and instantly understood.
Example: “Let’s Get It On” – Marvin Gaye - Social Justice and Protest
Naming what’s broken and asking for better. Songs can become rally points.
Example: “Blowin’ in the Wind” – Bob Dylan - Hope and Perseverance
White-knuckling through a hard season and refusing to quit.
Example: “Don’t Stop Believin’” – Journey - Jealousy and Insecurity
Fear of not being enough or losing what you love.
Example: “Jolene” – Dolly Parton - Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Letting go, saying sorry, trying again. Hard to do, powerful to hear.
Example: “Back to December” – Taylor Swift - Coming of Age
The jump from innocence to experience. Awkward, electric, unforgettable.
Example: “Jack & Diane” – John Mellencamp - Home and Belonging
Where we’re from, where we return to, what home really means.
Example: “Take Me Home, Country Roads” – John Denver - Work, Money and the Grind
Trading time for pay, keeping dignity, dreaming of more.
Example: “9 to 5” – Dolly Parton - Faith and Spirituality
Doubt, trust, and talking to the unknown.
Example: “One of Us” – Joan Osborne - Mental Health and Inner Battles
Naming the struggle and the slow road to healing.
Example: “Hurt” – Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails cover) - Addiction and Recovery
Craving, collapse, then clawing back to daylight.
Example: “Under the Bridge” – Red Hot Chili Peppers - Time, Change and Aging
Seasons turn, roles shift, letting go becomes a skill.
Example: “Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac - Revenge and Payback
Wounded pride striking back, for better or worse.
Example: “Before He Cheats” – Carrie Underwood - Freedom and Independence
Breaking away to stand on your own two feet.
Example: “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor - Travel, Wandering and Restlessness
The road as mirror, motion as meaning.
Example: “On the Road Again” – Willie Nelson - Community and Unity
Many voices, one heartbeat.
Example: “One Love” – Bob Marley - Nature and the Environment
Loving the world and mourning what we’re losing.
Example: “Big Yellow Taxi” – Joni Mitchell - Ordinary Lives and Character Portraits
Small stories that feel big because they’re true.
Example: “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman - Gratitude and Awe
Seeing the simple things and calling them beautiful.
Example: “What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong - War, Peace and Idealism
Fear, loss, and the dream of something gentler.
Example: “Imagine” – John Lennon
How to use this list
- Pick a theme.
- Choose one specific moment or image inside it.
- Write from the middle of that moment.
- Cut anything that doesn’t move the moment forward.
That’s it. Keep it human and keep it close.
Keep on writing.
