10 Songs About Seizing the Day

Alanis Morissette – Zenith Paris = Juin 2012, by oouinouin, under CC BY 2.0

In the last few months, the news has been full of sweet, as well as heartbreaking stories of bucket lists and everyday people trying to make the most out of their lives. It may be a heavy topic for a music school’s blog, but in the spirit of these touching stories, I’m including a post with 10 songs about seizing the day. Enjoy, and carpe diem, everyone!

1. “I Hope You Dance,” by Lee Ann Womack

“I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean/Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens.”

2. “Live Like We’re Dying,” by Kris Allen

“And if your plane fell out of the skies/Who would you call with your last goodbyes?”

3. “I Lived,” by OneRepublic

“I owned every second that this world could give/I saw so many places/The things that I did/Yeah, with every broken bone/I swear I lived.”

4. “Forever Young,” by Bob Dylan

“May your heart always be joyful/and may your song always be sung/May you stay forever young.”

5. “You Learn,” by Alanis Morissette

“I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone.”

6. Live Like You Were Dying,” by Tim McGraw

“Like tomorrow was a gift and you’ve got eternity/To think about what you do with it.”

7. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” by Green Day

“So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind/Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.”

8. “Inaudible Melodies,” by Jack Johnson

“Slow down everyone/You’re moving too fast/Frames can’t catch you when/You’re moving like that.”

9. “Turn to Stone,” by Ingrid Michaelson

“Let’s go to sleep with clearer heads/and hearts too big to fit our beds/And maybe we won’t feel so alone/before we turn to stone.”

10. “Here’s to Us,” by Halestorm

“And everything could change like that/And all these years go by so fast/But nothing lasts forever.”