17 Best Songs About Memories & Good Times

One Republic – Children

Becoming a parent is probably one of the most amazing experiences in life and produces an intense form of love for children. So, writing songs about children can spur beautiful, scary, and important memories from the past. There are many songwriters and singers who have written songs about their own children and the memories of having them in their lives:

• Beyonce—Blue
• Joan Baez—Gabriel and Me
• Kanye West—Only One
• Paul Simon—Father and Daughter
• Adele—Sweetest Devotion
• John Lennon—Beautiful Boy

Each of the above songs are touching in their own way when it comes to remembering your children, the One Republic song, appropriately entitled “Children,” is what makes this list because it is about the memories of being a child. The 2016 hit song reminds the listeners of your younger years when you did not have a care in the world.

Since this list is about how individuals remember their own memories, One Republic is the perfect way to go back to a time in one’s life when the only thing that mattered was being with friends and having a good time. It is also a great way for adults to forget about the stresses in their life by remembering their own memories of youth.

Honorable Mentions – Arcade Fire, Wake Up and Fun, We Are Young

Although not as popular as One Republic, Arcade Fire also reminisces about their childhood in their own classic. The Canadian band would end up winning awards, including a coveted Grammy, and would see their song about the memories of childhood end up in the Ben Stiller feature film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”

Fun also deserves an honorable mention when it comes to writing a song about feeling free in your twenties, or even younger, and looking back favorably at the younger days without any of the harsh responsibilities of being an adult.

Bon Jovi – You Want to, Make a Memory

This 2007 song reminisces about two old lovers who reconnect and are reminded of an affair they had in the past. If you want to remember an old love from high school, college, or beyond, Bon Jovi will help you through the lyrics of this classic. The two lovers of the past look at an old photograph and this spurs a flood of memories.

As the title indicates, the two individuals in the song wonder if they can make new memories in the present by remembering their past. It is an agonizing ballad that only Jon Bon Jovi could pull off and tell a haunting story of memories of the past being recalled in the present.

Similar to the other songs on this list, the memories are spurred by one visual – a photograph. It is a common theme in which you may not remember someone from so long ago until you are re-reminded of them through a single picture.

Bon Jovi was not the only rock star of the 1980s through the 2000s who eloquently spoke about memories. The next man on the list, Bruce Springsteen, wrote about memories in a different but still popular way that touched audiences.

Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days

In 1984 when this song was released, Bruce Springsteen was already a household name in the music world. He had another hit that was about memories—“My Hometown”—but it is the song “Glory Days” that makes this list of memories of good times. The narrator runs into an old friend, and that spurs memories of the past.

The song’s protagonist meets a man who was once a teammate on his Little League team when they were teens. The song is a perfect reflection of how you can look back on a sports team when you and your teammates were like brothers. It reflects how you make such good memories as a youth when you play on a team.

Bruce Springsteen recalls how, as an adult, he does not want to look back at his glory days, but more than likely he will. He remembers the good times he had as a youth with his friend and the high school days he can no longer go back to. The adult man, now in his thirties, recalls these days as a teenager and wonders where the time has gone.

This is a classic song that is relatable on so many levels. Bruce Springsteen notes how the narrator does not want to get old and reminisce about his glory days. However, it is inevitable that he probably will and realizes that time was just slipping away and leaving him with nothing but his glory day memories.

Bryan Adams – Summer of ‘69

Continuing with the rock stars of the 1980s is Bryan Adams and his summertime anthem, “Summer of ’69.” This is a classic that takes listeners back to the 1960s and the memories of summer that last forever. Even listeners who did not grow up in the 1960s or were not even alive in the 1960s can relate to this summertime song.

Bryan Adams sings about the best times of his life during that one single summer and how his memories bring up positive feelings of nostalgia.

• He remembers playing in his high school band
• Finding love for the very first time
• Feeling young and free during that summer of 1969

A native of Canada, Bryan Adams was popular in the world of rock in roll, but the “Summer of ‘69” was truly the song that put him over the edge. Even today, this is the one song that is played every summer because of its nostalgic view of a good time in your life that everyone can share—that one free summer as a youth.

Sarah McLachlan – I Will Remember You

Taking a different turn on this list is one of the most famous female solo artists, and her classic 1999 Grammy-winning hit, “I Will Remember You.” This is another song of dedication to someone you lost and the memories you have left. The narrator goes through the pain and sorrow of how she is transitioning in life without the one she loved.

Sarah McLachlan beautifully and eloquently articulates how you feel when you try to remember someone you loved. However, the song is different from the other songs about love and loss. McLachlan takes the story a step further and also wonders if the person who is no longer there reciprocates the feelings she had for them.

This is truly a song about saying goodbye and, although more about sad memories rather than good memories, is still very relatable and inspiring. The narrator does not know the words to express her feelings except to wonder if her friend will remember her in the same way.

This is a song that can be listened to by everyone who no longer has someone in their life but still has the memories. It is sad and melancholy when it comes to wondering if someone who is no longer in your life ever knew how you felt, ever felt the same way, and will ever remember you in their memories the same way you remember them.

Corey Tynan – Hold Onto the Memories

The final song that makes the list remembers a momentous time in one’s life—graduating from high school. This is a good memory nearly everyone can share, which makes Corey Tynan’s song memorable and relatable. He notes the main memories that adults may have forgotten until they listen to “Hold Onto the Memories,” such as

• Walking across the stage at your high school graduation
• You are nervous and have a lump in your throat
• You start to realize this is a transitional change in your life
• There are high school friends you realize you may never see again

Corey Tynan documents the memories so many individuals share of graduation. On one hand, you are excited to start this next stage in your life as you begin to enter adulthood. On the other hand, you are scared of the future that is abound. And as an adult, you look back and wonder if you truly achieved all of your goals.

This is a sentimental song, not only about graduating from high school and trying to hold on to those memories, but also looking back and wishing you could start over again. You realize that this time in your life is gone forever and all you have left are the great memories of that single momentous moment in your life.

This is truly a memory song and captures the weird combination of exciting emotions at the age of seventeen or eighteen and the wanting of those memories back as an adult. As Corey Tynan eloquently states, the listeners could not wait for high school to end at the culmination of graduation, but as adults all you want to do is to start over again.

Top Songs About Memories And Good Times, Final Thoughts

What makes a solid song about memories and good times? It could be about a specific time during childhood, a memory of love lost, a memory of a loved one who passed on, or just the good times in life. That is what this list is compiled of; from country, to rock, to ballads, and pop, these songs help listeners go back in time and remember life.

In addition to the songs listed above, there are also some honorable mentions that just missed the list. This is because there are so many songs about memories and good times that some, although not the top choices, still help us go back in time and reminisce about the good old days while listening to their vocals and lyrics.