31 Songs About Being Lost, Or Feeling Lost

Spread the love

Even in an age of GPS and more accessible therapy, we all get lost sometimes. We get lost in physical space. We get lost in ourselves or a world that doesn't make sense.

Keep reading as we explore the best songs about being lost or feeling lost.

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day

Song year: 2004

We'll start this list of songs about feeling lost with “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” from Green Day's American Idiot. Billie Joe Armstrong found inspiration for the tune and the title from a Gottfried Heinwein painting of James Dean.

This song is about the disillusionment of the American Dream. The message here is that you are still alone after a lifetime spent chasing success, fame, and wealth. You find yourself lost and wandering. When you pin all your hopes on what others think of you, but others don't care, where does that leave you?

“Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan

Song year: 1965

In the album Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan's “Like a Rolling Stone” tells the story of a debutante's fall from high society.

This Dylan classic is about losing everything you had, everything that defined you. It's about no longer fitting in the world or with a curated image of yourself. The song warns of the dangers of trying to be what you're not and looking for a life outside of who you are. You do that, and you're bound to lose and get lost.

“Blue Jay Way” by The Beatles

Song year: 1967

George Harrison wrote “Blue Jay Way” in a rental house located on a street called, you guessed it, Blue Jay Way.

On the surface, this psychedelic track from Magical Mystery Tour is a song about waiting for your friends to show up at your house when they've gotten lost on the way.

It also works as a metaphor for waiting for others who are lost or feeling lost to find their path and join you where you are.

“America” by Simon & Garfunkel

Song year: 1968

From Bookends, Simon & Garfunkels melancholy classic, “America,” tells the story of Paul Simon and his girlfriend Kathy coming to America from England to find the American Dream.

We follow the couple as they ride through the country on the Greyhound, trying to find what they want. They're tired, running out of resources and excitement.

“America” is about getting lost because of your own hope and expectations. When you've been promised that a place holds the one thing you've been looking for, but you arrive and can't find that thing anywhere, you will feel lost, confused, and dispirited.

“Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd

Song year: 1975

Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here,” from their album by the same name, takes inspiration from Syd Barrett's experience of and struggles with schizophrenia.

The song portrays how people cope with the hardness of life by withdrawing from it, but when you do that, it can become hard to tell reality from fiction, and it can become impossible to move forward.

It is the tale of two lost wanderers who keep circling and circling without getting anywhere.

“How to Disappear Completely” by Radiohead

Song year: 2000

Radiohead's “How to Disappear Completely” is from their groundbreaking album, Kid A. Thom Yorke was inspired to write the song after a dream he had of floating, unable to control himself or his destination.

This one is about disassociation, about removing yourself from reality and sensation. The song is about giving in to or choosing to be lost on purpose to avoid pain or trauma.

“Lost in the World” by Kanye West featuring Bon Iver, A Song About Feeling Lost

Song year: 2010

Kanye West joined forces with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon for “Lost in the World” off West's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

The tune about love gone wrong is another of many songs about being lost, disillusionment, and loss.

When we lose something like love or an expectation we had is turned on its head, we can feel lost. We lose our bearings and our balance. We reel from the change in the world around us.

“Hard Times” by Paramore

Song year: 2017

Singer Hayley Williams wrote “Hard Times” about her experiences with depression. Paramore released the song on their album, After Laughter.

“Hard Times” is about being lost in depression, mental illness, pain, and feeling removed from the world.

It illustrates the lack of choice for people dealing with severe depression. They can't just snap out of it. It is challenging to come out of, and you feel lost while you're in it.

“Breathe Me” by Sia

Song year: 2004

Australian singer Sia's “Breathe Me” from Colour the Small One is about anxiety and self-harm.

The lyrics follow the inner feelings of someone dealing with anxiety and instead of having healthy ways to cope, gets lost in a cycle of self-harm. The song's speaker knows what they're doing isn't healthy, and this song functions as a call to a friend for help.

The singer doesn't want to be lost but knows she can't escape it alone.

“She’s Not There” by The Zombies

Song year: 1964

From the self-titled album by The Zombies, the next one on our list is a little different because the narrator of the song is not the one who is lost or feeling lost.

The lyrics detail a lost love. The singer realizes who this woman is and who he thought she was, was not the same at all. He feels lost without her love but admits it isn't real.

He doesn't know where his ex is but doesn't even want to find her. She wasn't who he thought she was. She was always lost; she was never there.

“Astronaut” by Simple Plan

Song year: 2011

Simple Plan's “Astronaut” is from their album, Get Your Heart On! It's the first song about feeling lost in this list that uses the metaphor of being alone in space, but it will not be the last. Feeling lost and feeling lonely go hand in hand. And what place is more lonely than space?

This particular song uses the metaphor of an astronaut to express how it feels to feel alone among others.

The song's speaker feels lost in the world, even though the world is all around him. He doesn't feel connected to other people. He is so desperate for connection that he uses the song to reach out to others who feel the same way.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *