Songs About Time Passing
The lyrics about the passing of time are always fascinating. The Beatles’ Yesterday is one of the first ones that comes to mind, but there are many songs about time passing from different genres.
Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
Cyndi Lauper stormed onto the scene with her extravagant style and groundbreaking music, taking the world by storm with hits like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time.” Her debut album She’s So Unusual sold five million copies and cemented her place as a pop icon.
Lauper has overcome childhood trauma to push the envelope with both her music and personal life. In 2012 she published her memoir and in 2013 won a Tony Award for Kinky Boots’ score. This is a striking example for the songs about time passing.
Enya – Only Time
Eithne Patricia Ni Bhraonain, more popularly known by her stage name Enya, was born in Dore in Ireland’s Gaeltacht region on 17 May 1961 to Leo Brennan and Roma Brennan of an Irish show band Clannad and began her musical career playing keyboardist for them before leaving them due to their pop direction in 1982 citing producer Nicky Ryan commissioning her for various television soundtrack projects.
As Enya found success with her first soundtracks, her albums quickly became massive hits; one such album is Watermark with its single Orinoco Flow in 1988. Although Enya remains reclusive and rarely performs live, she still boasts a significant fan base and writes songs in several languages including Irish dialect, English, Welsh and Latin; Loxian is an invented language she created specifically to correspond to Quenya and Sindarin used by J R R Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings series. This work by Enya is one of the first ones that come to mind among songs about time passing.
Queen – Who Wants To Live Forever
Queen was one of the most beloved bands of the 1970s, featuring such classic hits as Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You. Based out of London and led by singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, bassist John Deacon and bassist Pauline Peart, the group often broke from album-oriented rock standards by mixing elements from prog rock, hard rock and heavy metal music into its compositions.
Mercury, who led his band through an illustrious four-decade history of rock music performances before passing away in 1991.
Queen are currently performing live with American singer Adam Lambert as Queen + Adam Lambert; this collaboration remains successful even after John Deacon, original bassist and co-founder, passed away. Among songs about time passing, it would be impossible not to mention this song by Queen.
MACKLEMORE FEAT KESHA – GOOD OLD DAYS
Macklemore is a Seattle MC who achieved success through an unconventional, DIY approach to music with numerous collaborators. Additionally, the rapper has championed addiction recovery efforts across the world and remains active as an activist.
This unforgettable song is one of the most high-energy among songs about time passing.
The Beatles – Yesterday
Relentlessly creative and astoundingly versatile, The Beatles were an instant global phenomenon when they burst onto mass culture – ushering in a new era of rock music with unparalleled creative vigor. They have an amazing song among songs about time passing. “Yesterday” is one of the most popular songs in the history of music.
Jim Croce – Time In A Bottle
As a child he began playing the accordion and switched to guitar after reaching puberty. Influenced by ragtime, country and Dixieland music among others he recorded five albums and multiple singles; two songs in particular such as Bad Bad Leroy Brown and Time in a Bottle reached number one on American charts before tragically dying in an airplane crash at 30 years of age.
Jim Croce was an immensely popular folk and rock singer. Together with his wife Ingrid, they performed as a duo at nightclubs and coffeehouses across cities. Additionally, he used his experience working construction to help pay the bills, using this work experience as inspiration for many of his songs. Jim Croce left behind son A.J. As well as several close friends he released several albums including Facets, Jim & Ingrid Live DVD, which all bear his signature voice. This unforgettable song is one of the most high-energy among songs about time passing.
Pink Floyd – Time
In the early Sixties, Cambridge teenagers met through further education classes and embarked upon an extraordinary journey: Guitarist Syd Barrett joined an innovative drummer and an exceptional keyboard-player to form Pink Floyd.
Their debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, hit charts and produced anti-authoritarian hits such as ‘Another Brick in the Wall Part 2. But as their catalog expanded they have released some of the most innovative and impactful rock albums ever released.
After Syd’s tragic drug overdose, Roger Waters emerged as the band’s main lyricist and conceptual leader, developing themes like The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and monumental stadium shows with flying planes colliding into projection screens. This successful song has one of the most emotional lyrics among songs about time passing.
Aretha Franklin – Ever Changing Times
Aretha Franklin began singing gospel when her father, C. L. Franklin, launched her career at 14 years old. Traveling with his traveling revival show and meeting such greats as Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke as they performed together – becoming friends with both. Franklin soon developed her trademark vocal style combining elements of mystery with worldliness; Drown in My Own Tears by Dionne Warwick became one of her million sellers that year, but Aretha’s rendition was powerful in conveying emotion as deeply felt as any infrared rendition.
Dionne Warwick may have disgraced herself with the disco album La Diva, yet even her late-90s attempt at giving herself a hip-hop makeover with Freeway of Love was met with surprising success thanks to Luther Vandross’ robust production. One of her finest efforts remains Amazing Grace which showcases both prog disco funk and lush proto disco sounds in equal measure. It is considered as one of the songs about time passing.
Rod Stewart – Forever Young
Rod Stewart is widely considered one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever. His songs became modern standards, while he sang with bands that rivaled those of The Rolling Stones at their peak. Additionally, his memoir inspired him to return to songwriting and release another album of original material.
Stewart was raised in Highgate, North London. His father gave him a harmonica and encouraged his musical pursuits. Stewart began busking, then joined a band. Later he collaborated with folk singer Wizz Jones before Long John Baldry hired him. Later still he joined the Jeff Beck Group which eventually became known as The Faces due to its boisterous and raucous rock and roll style. It can be listed as one of the songs about time passing.
Kenny Rogers – Through The Years
Kenny Rogers was one of the greatest country artists ever. His music combined elements from both country and pop genres, garnering him many awards over time. Born in Houston, Texas and raised among seven siblings at a federal housing project – he became one of the greatest country artists of all time.
Beginning his musical journey as part of the Bobby Doyle Three jazz group, he later joined New Christy Minstrels before forming The First Edition with Mickey Jones and Terry Williams in 1976. Nashville United Artists signed him and released Lucille as his debut hit song in 1977.
Over the next decade, he would go on to score numerous hits, topping both country and pop charts with songs like The Gambler and Love or Something Like It. Additionally, he appeared in several movies and television shows. Among songs about time passing, it would be impossible not to mention this song.
