We present you the list 11 most popular songs about death where you will discover that relationship between music and death can have many different faces. Some singers use music to overcome the pain of losing loved ones, for others singing about death is an attempt to find peace with human mortality. In the same lyrics, you will find the fear of dying and hope that final reunion is possible in an afterlife. Authors who find a glimpse of hope, stand side by side with those whose lyrics are filled with nihilism. In some songs, death is an impulse to appreciate the life here and now, in others, it is nothing more but the end of struggles.
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It is hard to sing about death without mentioning God. In these songs God is a savior, judge, one who offers forgiveness and solace, final instance to turn to. Like death, God can have different faces as you can see on our list 11 Most Popular Songs about God.
To make the ranking of most popular songs about death we used Billboard list of best songs about death. First, we’ve ranked the songs by following criteria – song’s place on Billboard Hot 100 and the album place on Billboard 200. If a song/album was first on the chart, it got 100 points, and for each lower position, we subtract a point. For instance, if the song was in fourth place, it got 97 points. We also used as a criteria number of weeks that song/album spent on Hot 100/ Billboard 200 – for every week song/album received one point. Another point was added for every millionth view on YouTube. And finally, a song received extra points if it was covered – one point for every cover we could find. We added up all these points and got final score by which we ranked the songs. You will notice that some songs have two equally popular versions. For instance, Marley’s and Clapton’s performances of I Shoot the Sheriff are equally popular. In cases like this, we totaled up the overall scores of both versions. And now let’s see which songs entered the list.
11. In My Time of Dying
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975
Points: 145.2
In My Time of Dying is a traditional gospel song that was performed by many artists including Bob Dylan. Led Zeppelin’s version appeared on the band’s album Physical Graffiti, which stayed on Billboard 200 for 43 weeks, hitting the No. 1. Zeppelin, known for lengthy songs, this time outmatched themselves. The studio track lasts 11:06. In the book Led Zeppelin: The Complete Guide to Their Music, Dave Lewis praised In My Time of Dying as “one of the most scintillating moments in the whole Zeppelin catalogue”.
The song, which repeats the line Jesus, gonna make up my dyin’ bed with variations, speaks about poet’s encounter with Jesus, St Peter and angles after his death. The whole song echoes with the feeling of approaching end, so it is no wonder that Plant didn’t enjoy performing it after the car crash he had in 1975.
10. Ready to Die
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
Album: Ready to Die
Released: 1994
Points: 148.2
Ready to die is a song from The Notorious B.I.G.’s same-titled debut album that was released in 1994. The album is partly autobiographical as it tells a story about ex-drug dealer’s everyday life on the streets. In Billboard article, the album is described as a story about Biggie’s fearlessness, nihilism, and unique brand of New York City pragmatism. “Throughout these 17 songs, there’s a sense Biggie could go at any moment, and on tunes like “Everyday Struggle” and chilling closer “Suicidal Thoughts”, he welcomes the bullet as a source of relief.” On March 9, 1997 Biggie really received the fatal bullet, and his second album titled Life After Death was released only 16 days after his funeral.
As the song’s title tells, Biggie announces that he is prepared for dying. In other songs on this list, authors are afraid of dying and losing people they love, they attempt to escape the fear by imaging Heaven and the final reunion with God and loved ones. In Biggie’s song, there is no fear, no love, no Heaven. There is only a hunger for acquiring more wealth. But Rolexes and Lexus aren’t compensation, or attempt to fulfill the life depleted of joy or love. He raps: “Fuck the world, my moms, and my girl/ My life is played out like a Jheri curl / I’m ready to die.”
The album Ready to Die entered Billboard 200, hitting the 15th place, and it was also included on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, where it ranked at 133.
9. I Shoot the Sheriff
Artist: The Wailers/ Bob Marley, Eric Clapton
Album: Burnin’, 461 Ocean Boulevard
Released: 1973, 1974
Points: 156.4
For many I Shoot the Sheriff is a song about rebellion against the injustice done by authorities. Speaking about the song, Marley said “I want to say ‘I shot the police’, but the government would have made a fuss, so I said ‘I shot the sheriff’ instead… but it’s the same idea: justice”. However, Marley’s ex-girlfriend claims that the song speaks about the fact that Marley opposed to her using birth control pills. On the other side, Eric Clapton, whose version of the song hit No.1 on Billboard Hot 100, said that when he asked Marley about the song’s meaning, the singer offered an explanation that Clapton didn’t understand.
The name of the sheriff John Brown appears as the name of the judge in Springsteen song Johnny 99. Once again the name John Brown stands as a symbol of the blind authoritarian figure, who has zero understanding for those who break the law while trying to survive.
8. Tears in Heaven
Artist: Eric Clapton
Album: Rush
Released: 1992
Points: 160.2
Eric Clapton wrote Tears in Heaven, together with Will Jennings, soon after the tragic death of his four-year-old son. In his own words, writing and recording music was his way of dealing with the pain. Clapton stopped playing the song in 2004 because, as he said, the loss, which was integral part of the song performance, had disappeared. “I really have to connect with the feelings that were there when I wrote them. They’re kind of gone, and I really don’t want them to come back, particularly. My life is different now”, Clapton explained.
Tears in Heaven received numerous nominations and awards including Billboard Best-Selling Soundtrack Single, three Grammies for best pop vocal male performance, record of the year and song of the year. The song also entered 500 Greatest Song of all the Time, occupying 362nd place.
7. I Will Follow You Into the Dark
Artist: Death Cab for Cutie
Album: Plans
Released: 2006
Points: 163.1
I Will Follow You Into the Dark was written and performed by Ben Gibbard, the band’s frontman. By imaging what would happen if his lover died, the author tries to find peace with hunting thought that one day he will lose people he loves.
Compared to lyrics, the video more convincingly depicts how unpleasant, and much-avoided fear of death might occupy one’s mind. In video Gibbard is placed in a small room with a hole in the floor that represents the death. At first, the whole is small, and the singer almost doesn’t notice it. But as the song progresses, the hole becomes larger making it hard for Gibbard not to pay attention to it. By the end of the song the hole takes up the whole room, leaving no place for the singer to move. Finally, he falls into the hole, which is not as deep as expected, surrounded by darkness. The video ends with an image of a room with intact floor, suggesting thus that only after plunging into the most unpleasant fears a person can find true inner peace.
The song didn’t enter Hot 100 chart, but the album spent 50 weeks on Billboard 200 hitting No. 4, which is the reason why the song found its place on our list. I Will Follow You Into the Dark is also the band’s best selling single and it was featured in numerous movies and shows, including Grey’s Anatomy and Nikita.
6. Candle in the Wind
Artist: Elton John
Album: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Tribute Single
Released: 1974, 1997
Points: 164.3
Candle in the Wind, written by Bernie Taupin and performed by Elton John in 1974, was dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. The song was rewritten as a tribute to Princess Diana in 1997 and performed by Elton John on Princess’s funeral.
The first version starts with lyrics Goodbye Norma Jean. Calling the actress by her real name, the song points to the real person who lived behind the name Marilyn Monroe, the name that was created by Hollywood industry and media. Candle in the Wind speaks about loneliness and pain with which superstar lived surrounded by press who hounded her even when she died – all the papers had to say was that Marilyn was found in the nude.
These lyrics would perfectly describe the life and death of Princess Diana. However, the rewritten version has a solemn tone as it celebrates Diana for her generosity and empathy. The second version of Candle in the Wind topped many charts, including Hot 100, where it stayed in first place for 14 weeks. In 1997, Elton John won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
5. Hey Joe
Artist: The Leaves, The Jim Hendrix Experience
Album: Hey Joe, Single
Released: 1965, 1966
Points: 170
Hey Joe is ranked at fifth place on our list 11 most popular songs about death. The song that has the most covers on our list, including performances of Cher, Frank Zappa, Deep Purple, The Who and many others, received first commercial success with the performance of the band Leaves in 1965. Their version of Hey Joe spent 70 weeks on Hot 100 peaking at 31.
A year later Jim Hendrix released his version of the song, inspired by Tim Rose’s performance, which became hit in the UK but failed to enter US charts. The Rolling Stone placed Hey Joe on 201st place of the list 500 Greatest Song of all the Time, explaining that Hendrix “was so shy about his voice that manager Chandler even hired a female vocal group, the Breakaways, for backup”. In 2012, 7,273 guitarists played Hey Joe on the square in Wroclaw breaking Guinness record.
4. I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight
Artist: Cutting Crew
Album: Broadcast
Released: 1986
Points: 253.7
The song, written by Cutting Crew’s frontmen Nick Van Eede, appeared on band’s debut album Broadcast. It was the bend’s biggest hit which stayed on Hot 100 for 19 weeks reaching the No 1. The album also ranked well on Billboard 200 peaking at 16th place.
The night that Nick Van Eede spent with his ex-girlfriend after being apart for some time served as inspiration for the song. There is a regret and doubt whether he did the right thing, the line goes I followed my hands not my head, I knew I was wrong. Sounds familiar? And as for death, the phrase died in your arms is a translation of French term “la petite mort” that is a slang for orgasm.
3. Die Young
Artist: Ke$ha
Album: Warrior
Released: 2012
Points: 308.2
Die Young is a song from Kesha’s album Warrior released in 2012. The song spent 99 weeks on Billboard 100, peaking at number 2. It is hard to say anything else about Die Young except that is catchy. Many radio stations pulled the song from the program after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, because they thought it wasn’t appropriate to play the song that repeats the lines die young after the tragic event. Kesha herself wrote on Twitter that she was forced to sing the song. However, she later explained that she didn’t use the right words. What the singer meant was that she was so overwhelmed with sadness after the massacre that she made a poor choice of words to describe her feelings.
Billboard found symbols of Illuminati in the video for Die Young. It seems that Kesha doesn’t want to silence the stories about being part of Illuminati society since they only contribute to her popularity. Illuminati story is only one of many bizarre things surrounding the singer. The interview she gave to Rolling Stone in 2013 speaks for itself.
2. Tha Crossroads
Artist: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Album: E. 1999 Eternal
Released: 1996
Points: 333.3
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony dedicated Tha Crossroads to Eazy-E, The Godfather of Gangsta Rap, who died of AIDS at the age of 31. While mentioning Eazy-E and many others who died too early, the song tells an old story about the “sinner” who believes and prays to God, hoping that he will have a chance to reunite with loved ones after death. The lyrics resonate with fear of dying and the eternal question that man asks God – why there are suffering and death. The answer is quite straightforward: we lived to die. The song hit the first place on Hot 100 and it won Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
1. If I Die Young
Artist: The Band Perry
Album: The Band Perry
Released: 2010
Points: 457.7
The first place on our list 11 most popular songs about death occupies The Band Perry’s song If I Die Young from the band’s debut album. The song stayed on Hot 100 for 53 weeks hitting No. 14, while the album earned 4th place on Billboard 200 and stayed on the list for 108 weeks. The song was written by Kimberly Perry. It was the first song the band wrote and in Perry words “If I Die Young,” for us, is about, if it all ends at this moment, look at what we’ve gotten to do”. In that respect, many have interpreted the song that speaks about death as a celebration of life. A girl who heard the song on the radio at the moment when she was contemplating suicide, sent the necklace and ring to the band, explaining that the song saved her life and sending the jewelry, which was “the most important thing” she owned, was her way of saying thank you. The song received a few nominations and awards including Country Music Association Awards for song and single of the year.
