40 Songs About Identity, Belonging, and Having an Identity Crisis

“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac

Song Year: 1975

“Landslide” is one of the most essential existentialist songs about identity. In it, a woman is singing about her loss of identity after someone important in her life left her and how she is unsure if she could change it, as everything she sees reminds her of them.

“The Trial” by Pink Floyd

Song Year: 1979

The penultimate song on Pink Floyd’s iconic album The Wall, “The Trial” is when the album’s protagonist is forced to come to terms with his true self and the reasons why he shielded himself from the world.

“Day Drunk” by Racoma

Song Year: 2020

Indie rock band, Racoma, is relatively new to the scene, but their song, “Day Drunk,” is a perfect example of a song that captures the idea of identity crises. It is very similar in theme to “The Queen and the Soldier,” but through the perspective of one facing those insecurities rather than a bystander.

“All by Myself” by Eric Carmen

Song Year: 1975

“All By Myself” is a powerful ballad that deals with a man coming to terms with who he is as he grows more detached from his friends. It is one of the quintessential classic songs about identity and has been covered by numerous artists in the 20th century.

“Starboy” by The Weeknd and Daft Punk

Song Year: 2016

Unlike the past few entries, “Starboy” is about someone coming to terms with how their identity has changed since they gained stardom, based on the artist’s real feelings on the subject.

The song described his new public identity as a mixed bag. He had come a long way from being a mostly unknown act, but that came at the cost of people making assumptions about him.

“Moviestar” by Harpo

Song Year: 1975

This 70s pop song details a man who thinks he is sure of himself and what he is but is actually projecting an image of what he wants to be. He eventually goes into denial about his actual identity, going as far as to leave the country to try and meet a famous director to prove himself as an actual “movie star.”

“I Never Told You What I Do for a Living” by My Chemical Romance

Song Year: 2004

From the iconic 2000s band, My Chemical Romance, this popular song is all about someone coming to terms that they can’t bring a loved one back, thus facing a kind of identity crisis. The song’s subject realizes that everything he did was for nothing, furthering his deep descent into his sense of self.

“Bad Wine and Lemon Cake” by The Jane Austen Argument

Song Year: 2011

Written in collaboration with singer, Amanda Palmer, “Bad Wine and Lemon Cake” presents a more laissez-faire view of identity. It paints an idealized picture of normal life and how fulfilling it can be to someone and their sense of self even after they die.

“Waitin’ for a Superman (Is It Gettin’ Heavy?)” by The Flaming Lips

Song Year: 1999

This mournful song by the American rock band, The Flaming Lips, is all about the differences between how people perceive your identity and what your identity actually is—seeming like a hero to others but knowing that you are weak on the inside.

This contrast is most notable in the song's chorus, detailing how people are “waitin’ for a superman,” thinking he is confident in himself, but that superman is dealing with his own issues that are weighing him down—his true self that no one sees.

“Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel

Song Year: 1983

“Uptown Girl” is another classic song about identity, and it is rather self-explanatory. It is about a boy from a low-class life falling in love with a rich girl, thus showing the differences in how their livelihoods formed their identities.