echo We all understand the immense fear of doing something that requires us to give our all and even a piece of our soul. We have all been through that particular situation. Whether it is something as common as walking into the hall to sit for the biggest exam of your life or looking down the stretch of the swimming pool as you climb up the diving board in a tournament, the beating of your heart drowns out all the sounds around you and all you are left with is your courage deep inside. And maybe even Shia LaBeouf screaming “Just do it!” in your head.
We also all have our own ways to motivate ourselves right before the ‘big thing’. Giving yourself pep talks in the mirror, moving your body around to release those erratic nervous energies, writing down your expectations as a way to manifest them in the end. However, we can all agree that whatever it is, we can always count on music to fill us up with the energy we need to take that plunge of courage. We will feed on them, gnawing on the uplifting lyrics and allowing the juices to seep deep into your soul. Now, you’re ready.
Here, we have compiled some tunes that you have suggested so you can bop to them right as you’re on top of that cliff, boosting you up with the courage you need to finally take the huge plunge down. So put your headphones on and your heads up, and let these songs charge you up like a war anthem.
5. Centuries – Fall Out Boys
“Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me for centuries.”
Remember when this song came out back in 2014 and we all imagined ourselves as gladiators ready to spar with whoever is on the other side of the caged entrance, just like in the music video? If you didn’t imagine that, then take this as an opportunity to listen to this right before you do something that requires every inch of your heart, and imagine yourself as Gerard Butler in 300, all geared up and ready for battle.
‘Centuries’ is the perfect song to remind you of what you truly came here to do; to leave your name imprinted on the ground for everyone to remember. Or at least, to give it your everything enough to remind yourself just what you are capable of accomplishing, no matter what the naysayers around you might say.
“Change terrifies a lot of us. [This song] really bangs on that. It’s like, just because you’re being told what you’re doing sucks, that you’re weird or whatever, that doesn’t mean that you’re not a leader, creating something new,” said Pete Wentz, the bassist and lyricist for the band in an interview.
4. I Got a Name – Jim Croce
“And I’m gonna go there free
Like the fool I am and I’ll always be
I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream
They can change their minds but they can’t change me.”
Released a day after the death of Jim Croce himself in 1973, ‘I Got a Name’ continued to stay in many people’s hearts as the lyrics rang true with the artist and what he had accomplished up to his tragic death, although the song was written with a separate protagonist in mind. The song was used in several major films such as Logan and Django Unchained which preserved it through the decades. This one, just like what the lyrics have to say, will never be forgotten.
The protagonist in the lyrics refuses to surrender to whatever bad things the people around him are saying to convince him he’s a fool for his dreams. Whatever it is, he will carry his name and his song proudly, even if it gets him nowhere. And even if he’s truly a fool, he will gladly own up to that title and walk down the path of foolishness if it means getting closer to what he dreams of.
Listen closely to the words of this song the next time you want to be reminded of how important it is to persevere and to just roll with it. After all, it doesn’t really matter what others might think of you because at the end of the day, you’re taking this plunge of courage for yourself.
3. Part of Me – Katy Perry
“Throw your sticks and stones
Throw your bombs and bones
But you’re not gonna break my soul.”
Katy Perry is undoubtedly the queen of uplifting pop songs filled with inspiring lyrics. From ‘Roar’ to ‘Wide Awake’ to the iconic ‘Firework’, you will be bound to be moved by any of them. But ‘Part of Me’ is the ultimate song that will make you get up and take what’s yours to be had, to get that power back and to never let anything get in your way no matter what.
In the music video, the character played by Katy Perry, after being cheated on by her boyfriend, takes a major leap by chopping off her hair and enlisting in the Marines as a way to spite her ex-boyfriend and take back her power. But the song can be interpreted in many ways and not just as a break-up anthem, like what is portrayed in the music video.
So the next time you find yourself in need of a major push to do anything, put this song on blast and jump around to it in your room like it’s the early 2010s.
2. Good in Red – The Midnight
“Kill your demons, kill ‘em dead
In your mirror, in your bed
In your heart, in your head
Don’t you look good in red?”
Nothing will fill you with a drive as much as imagining yourself as the main character in a video game swinging your sword around to kill your enemies. That is exactly what this song will put you in with its electronic synth instrumentals that get your heart pumping and the feel-good lyrics. Whatever is blocking your way, even if it’s yourself, no one will be coming to save you from those cruel demons. Only you can get rid of them and reach for what you want. The spark is there in your heart, you just need to dive in a little deeper and set it up on fire, and this song will help you do that.
Think of whatever is blocking your way towards courage, a demon that you need to slay to get on through. Now pick up that sword and put this feel-good song on full blast as you slash all of them one by one. And in the end, as the lyrics go: “And if you make it out alive, hold that bloody head up high.”
1. Soul – Quinn Erwin
“No time for crying, baby
Next thing you’ll be dying
So you better give it all you got.”
This song is a carefree but energetic bop with lyrics that will charge you right up. Every line of this song is the singer directly telling you to do whatever it is that you may be afraid of doing. He’s telling you to keep on fighting, keep on breaking all the rules, give it all you got, and to come and take your shot. I mean, there’s nothing better than a pep talk in the form of a cool song that you can repeat over and over again before you walk into your fight, whatever it is.
A little fun fact, I personally listened to this one a lot on the night of any major events in my life I’m nervous about ever since I discovered this song, and it’s now stuck in my head. I don’t have to play this song when I’m afraid anymore, I’ll have it play in my head on its own. Erwin repeats the sentence “You got soul” over and over in the song to remind you that yes, you’ve really got that courage waiting inside of you, so what are you waiting for?
That wraps up the top 5 songs you can listen to before taking the plunge of courage! Pocahontas definitely listened to some of these songs right before her graceful dive into the river, don’t you think? If you want to discover more songs similar to these, you can find all of them in this playlist linked below. Happy listening, everyone!
Echo-pella: Songs to Take the Plunge of Courage To (Spotify Playlist)
By: Natasha
