Turning your dreams into reality takes a special kind of determination.
Setbacks can block the path that leads to your dreams and it’s easy to get discouraged.
But don’t give up just yet.
One of life’s great joys is to pursue your passions. By doing so, you are applying yourself to things that you truly care about and setting yourself up for success.
Today, we’re sharing a collection of songs about dreams. We hope that these tunes provide the motivation you need to keep moving forward and never give up until you’ve achieved what you truly want in life.
The Importance of Following Your Dreams
There are several reasons why you should never give up, but instead keep pursuing your dreams:
Play these songs on full blast and get ready to live life as you’ve always wanted.
1. Long Live, Taylor Swift
“Long live the mountains we moved. I had the time of my life, fighting dragons with you. I was screaming, ‘Long live the look on your face.' And bring on all the pretenders. One day we will be remembered.”
If you’re looking for a song about hard work paying off, you might want to include this single from Taylor Swift in your playlist.
It is a celebration of a triumphant moment after all the setbacks, hardships, doubts, and other challenges you’ve been through along the way.
2. Don't Stop Believin', Journey
“Don't stop believin'. Hold on to that feelin'.”
This song shares a message of positivity for listeners who are following their dreams. It gives your playlist a hopeful vibe that everything will be all right, even though you may be encountering roadblocks on your way to success.
3. Great Expectations, Diggy Simmons feat. Bei Maejor
“They want me to fail. They wanna see if I make it. Got my back against the wall, put my head to the sky. No one let them break me. I got great expectations. Great expectations. I'm ready.”
This song describes how some people are besieged by others’ negativity while on the path to greatness. (Check out helpful tips for dealing with negative people in this post.)
It takes a lot of effort to break away from self-limiting habits. Once you do so, some people won’t be supportive, for various reasons. It might seem like they’re only looking forward to your failure.
However, this song fights back against that kind of hostility. It tells the world that you are ready to make all your dreams come true.
4. How Far I'll Go (Disney's Moana OST), Auli'i Cravalho
“See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me. And no one knows how far it goes. If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me, one day I'll know how far I'll go.”
Oftentimes, the dreams we have are not in line with what people want for our lives. It takes a lot of courage to break away from these expectations and pursue your own dreams.
This song from Disney’s Moana describes the challenge faced by those who must choose between duty and their true calling.
5. When You Believe, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey
“There can be miracles when you believe. Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill. Who knows what miracles you can achieve? When you believe, somehow you will. You will when you believe.”
This song, which is part of the official soundtrack for the Dreamworks animated film Prince of Egypt, features two of the biggest personalities in the music industry.
It encourages listeners to look within themselves and have faith that whatever they want to achieve is within their reach. The song is full of hope and encouragement to never give up on your dream.
6. Livin' on a Prayer, Bon Jovi
“Oh, we've got to hold on, ready or not. You live for the fight when it's all that you've got. Woah, we're halfway there. Woah, we're livin' on a prayer. Take my hand, we'll make it I swear. Woah, livin' on a prayer.”
Here is another song about having faith and believing in the power of your dreams.
The path to success might be difficult, but the hardships feel lighter if there is someone there for you, supporting you all the way.
7. The Best of Both Worlds (Hannah Montana OST), Miley Cyrus
“You get the best of both worlds. Chill it out, take it slow. Then you rock out the show. You get the best of both worlds. Mix it all together, and you know that it's the best of both worlds. The best of both worlds. Yeah.”
In this track from the TV series Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus sings about how she gets the best of both worlds once she achieves her dream of becoming a pop star. She does so by creating her celebrity alter ego, Hannah Montana.
8. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, Starship
“Let 'em say we're crazy. I don't care about that. Put your hand in my hand. Baby, don't ever look back. Let the world around us just fall apart. Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart.”
When you’re intent on following your dreams, you won’t allow anything to get in the way of achieving them. This song is a tribute to that kind of determination.
9. Dream Big, Jazmine Sullivan
“I gotta dream big. ‘Cause when it happens, it's gonna happen real big. Yes, I feel it. I gotta move fast. ‘Cause when it happens, I can't let it go past. Only get one chance.”
An effective tool to help turn your dreams into reality is a vision board. This uses the Law of Attraction, which states that you can achieve your goal by visualizing and focusing on it.
This song reminds you to pull out all the stops when you visualize what you want. Don’t limit yourself. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
10. Follow Your Dream, Sheryn Regis
“Follow your dream, the courage found within. Your soul is keeping you so strong that you could rise each time you fall. And stand up on your own. This time you won't go wrong. Just give your best to hold your will. Persistently, become the one you've always aimed to be.”
This song reminds listeners that they have the inner strength to get back up after any setback they might encounter while following their dreams.
It lets them know that they can persist until they become the person they’ve always wanted to be.
Have you ever felt like giving up on your dreams? What made you continue going after it?
11. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Disney's Live Action Cinderella OST), Lily James
“Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.”
This classic song encourages all the dreamers to keep on believing in their dreams. Although we may have painful experiences in our pursuit of the lives we want, it will all be worth it in the end.
Have faith. One day, all that you’ve dreamed of will be yours.
12. Lose Yourself, Eminem
“You better lose yourself in the music, the moment. You own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”
Life presents us with opportunities to make our dreams come true, but it is up to us to seize those opportunities as they come our way.
As this song says, we only get one shot, so we shouldn’t waste it.
Hopefully we all have the wisdom to identify these opportunities and the courage to thrive when the spotlight is on us.
13. Believer, Imagine Dragons
“Second thing second. Don't you tell me what you think that I could be. I'm the one at the sail. I'm the master of my sea.”
Oftentimes, the reason we fail to reach our dreams is because we’re following other people’s ambitions for us.
This song is about breaking free from other people’s expectations in order to find your own greatness and be the master of your own destiny.
14. Fly Away, Tones and I
“I had a dream that someday I would just fly, fly away. And I always knew I couldn't stay. So I had a dream that I'd just fly away.”
This track from Tones and I is about leaving in order to manifest your dreams.
Some places limit our progress in life. The only choice is to move somewhere else that supports your growth and dreams.
We hope you find a place where you have a chance to spread your wings, express yourself, and make your dreams come true.
15. If Today Was Your Last Day, Nickelback
“If today was your last day, and tomorrow was too late. Could you say goodbye to yesterday? Would you live each moment like your last? Leave old pictures in the past, donate every dime you have? If today was your last day.”
This final track presents a question about the dreams you are chasing. Do your dreams fill you with a sense of satisfaction?
Is it a worthwhile quest?
Will you live without regrets after you’ve achieved what you are seeking?
We hope the answer to all of these questions is yet.
16. I Can, Nas
“I know I can be what I wanna be if I work hard at it.”
This song has an empowering message for those who struggle in pursuit of their dreams.
The lyrics are very relatable in how they recount the challenges many will have to overcome in order to achieve what they want in life.
It reminds us that through hard work, focus, and determination we can achieve what we want.
17. Make It Happen, Mariah Carey
“If you believe in yourself enough and know what you want, you're gonna make it happen.”
Having faith in oneself is essential to reaching your dreams. This 1991 song from Mariah Carey reminds us of this fact, as she encourages listeners to believe in ourselves in order to make things happen.
18. Almost There (Disney's The Princess and the Frog OST), Anika Noni Rose
“And I'm almost there. I'm almost there. People down here think I'm crazy. But I don't care. Trials and tribulations, I've had my share. There ain't nothing gonna stop me now. ‘Cause I'm almost there.”
In this song, Tiana, one of the protagonists of Disney’s animated film The Princess and the Frog, expresses her willingness to forego having fun or taking a rest in order to finally have her dream restaurant.
What sacrifices are you willing to make (or you have already made) to achieve your dream?
19. Believe, Justin Bieber
“Cause everything starts from something. But something would be nothing, nothing if your heart didn't dream with me. Where would I be if you didn't believe?”
This song perfectly describes why it’s important to have someone who believes in you and your vision.
While in pursuit of your dreams, there will be times when you get discouraged, especially when faced with a lot of setbacks. Being surrounded by supportive people makes it easier to deal with failure and helps us get going again.
20. Impossible Is Nothing, Iggy Azalea
“Keep on livin'. Keep on breathin'. Even when you don't believe it. Keep on climbin'. Keep on reachin'. Even when this world can't see it. Know impossible is nothing. Even when you don't believe it. Impossible is nothing.”
This song encourages us to keep on going and keep on climbing.
Even when we’re full of doubt, we must keep trusting that we can make it.
Impossible is just a construct that we can choose not to believe in.
21. Making Our Dreams Come True (Laverne & Shirley OST), Cyndi Grecco
“Doing it our way, there is nothing we won't try. Never heard the word impossible. This time there's no stopping us. We're gonna make it!”
This is another song that reminds us to never believe that our dreams are impossible to reach. It is a declaration of how people who have dreams should try everything to get where they want to be.
22. Each Tear, Mary J Blige ft. Jay Sean
“In each tear there's a lesson. Makes you wiser than before. Makes you stronger than you know. And each tear brings you closer to your dreams. No mistake, no heartbreak can take away what you're meant to be.”
Everybody encounters setbacks. However, each moment of failure is an opportunity to learn something vital that will eventually propel us to success.
This song reminds us of this important truth and assures us that the hardships we might experience can also bring us closer to our destiny.
23. If You're Going Through Hell, Rodney Atkins
“If you're going through hell, keep on going. Don't slow down. If you're scared don't show it. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there. Yeah if you're going through hell, keep on movin'. Face that fire, walk right through it. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there.”
If you’re just about ready to throw in the towel while in pursuit of your dreams, you’ve got to listen to this song.
Its lyrics contain a famous quote that is often attributed to Winston Churchill. The statesman’s leadership and attitude during WWII encouraged people to keep going despite being faced with dire circumstances.
In the same manner, this song urges us to keep moving, to never slow down, even when we’re in the midst of a difficult situation.
24. Rise, Eddie Vedder
“Gonna rise up. Burning black holes in dark memories. Gonna rise up. Turning mistakes into gold.”
This song provides a sense of hope for those who are discouraged. First released in 2007, it is part of the soundtrack for the movie Into the Wild.
It tells listeners who feel hopeless after experiencing countless failures that they can still rise up. They can overcome the challenges blocking the way to their dreams and ambitions.
25. Hall of Fame, The Script ft. will.i.am
“Standing in the hall of fame. And the world's gonna know your name. ‘Cause you burn with the brightest flame. And the world's gonna know your name. And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame.”
What’s waiting for you at the end of the road to success? According to this song, those who make it will be celebrated. The world will know your name. You will be immortalized in the hall of fame.
Final Thoughts on Songs About Dreams
Our dreams make life worth living.
Furthermore, seeing other people go after their dreams can inspire us to pursue what we truly want in life. (Use dreamlining to help you in this journey.)
We hope that these songs about dreams can inspire you to discover what you are truly passionate about and pursue them with courage and hope.
If you enjoyed this song-related post, you might also want to check out the following articles featuring song collections for specific topics:
Finally, if you want to use these songs to make a lasting change to your life, then check out these 100 LIFE GOALS that can help you wake up each morning with a sense of enthusiasm about making progress toward what's important..
