Songs About Climate Change

I love music, and I have always loved music for as long as I can remember. I often have music on in the background whilst working away, some of my best friends are musicians, as well as my partner being a drummer. I have spent hours making playlists for certain moods, trips away, for different people in my life depending on their taste. I am often the one in charge of playlists and music on girly weekends away, in the car, and when my friends come round for drinks. I believe that music is something that connects us all, and the arts play an important role when it comes to communicating climate change.

I was in a workshop last week about communicating climate change, and it got me thinking about how I consume climate change messaging and who I prefer to deliver messages to me. I’ve studied climate change as part of my higher education, but is it scientists that I find best at communicating climate change messaging to me? No, I don’t think so. Is it newsreaders when I sit down to watch the 6pm news? No that makes me feel anxious. It’s people like myself, using less formal language, talking about the things I personally care about.

This struck a brainwave in me, what about music that talks about climate change? I’m always listening to music! I must have some songs saved in my Spotify library that talk about climate change, how could I not?! I spent hours last night combing through songs I have downloaded in my Spotify library and made a short playlist, of course there are loads of other songs out there that talk about climate change – but these are the songs I listen to, as a 24-year-old woman that spends a lot of time online.

The Effects of Climate Change on Densely Populated Areas – People Under the Stairs

This was a song my partner sent me last week, I have no idea where he found it, but I’ve been listening to it on repeat since.

Hundred degrees at midnight for the third day in a row

Nobody sleepin' well and I can feel the tension growin'

Holyfields – Bon Iver

I love the album this song is on, but it is certainly suited for a certain type of mood. I first discovered Bon Iver when ‘Skinny Love’ blew up and have been a fan ever since, however this is not music that motivates you to act.

The dawn is rising

The land ain't rising

Feels Like Summer – Childish Gambino

I have also been a fan of Childish Gambino for a while, his album “Awaken, My Love!” is definitely up there with my favourites. I have been known to sing ‘Redbone’ by Childish Gambino at the top of my lungs for quite a few years. This song always feels like a chirpy summer song, but the messaging behind it is actually about climate change, and the animation in the video is also very clever.

Every day gets hotter than the one before

Running out of water, it's about to go down

Go down

Air that kill the bees that we depend upon

Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon) – Gorillaz

I think this one is self-explanatory, and I would argue that most people my age are aware of at least one Gorillaz song, it feels like they have been around for as long as I can remember – but then again, I was born in the late 90s. It talks about sea pollution, but it’s pretty catchy.

It's a Casio on a plastic beach, it's a Casio on a plastic beach

It's a styrofoam deep sea landfill, it's a styrofoam deep sea landfill

It's automated computer speech, it's automated computer speech

It's a Casio on a plastic beach, it's a Casio

It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning – We Were Promised Jetpacks

I have loved We Were Promised Jetpacks since I was about 14 or 15. I love this song; it reminds me of being a teenager. It is a little bit about thunder and lightning, but it always reminds me of thunder storms in the summer.

It's thunder and it's lighting

And it's all things too frightening

I could barely see outside

all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish to me, is the new age of pop music. This song follows some pretty dark themes, one of which is the wildfires in California in recent years.

Hills burn in California

My turn to ignore ya

Don't say I didn't warn ya

Little Dark Age – MGMT

I first heard this song when it went viral on TikTok last year, I have heard several iterations of it reverbed, slowed, all things! It doesn’t necessarily discuss themes of climate change, it is more a social and political commentary, but the term ‘little dark age’ can kind of feel how we’re living right now. We’re aware of the dangers but it sometimes doesn’t feel like we’re doing a lot.

Just know that if you hide, it doesn't go away

When you get out of bed, don't end up stranded

Horrified with each stone on the stage

My little dark age

Nobody – Mitski

I couldn’t write this without including Mitski. I adore Mitski. This song also reminds me of the first national lockdown, my partner and I used to play this on repeat (loudly) from our Inverness City Centre flat, where everything was so quiet, and the normally busy road we lived next to was suddenly so silent.

Venus, planet of love

Was destroyed by global warming

Did its people want too much, too?

Did its people want too much?

Fallen Fruit – Lorde

This is a song from Lorde’s last album, it’s been controversial with some fans because it’s a happier album. Still, this song isn’t so happy. Lorde talks about climate change about this song is a critique of the generations that came before that didn’t take enough action on climate change. I really like this song, I’m the same age as Lorde so I definitely find this song relatable and comparable to my climate change doom spirals.

Psychedelic garlands in our hair

Through the halls of splendor where the apple trees all grew

You'll leave us dancing on the fallen fruit

Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before The Revolution – Father John Misty

Father John Misty isn’t particularly known for chirpy and cheery songs either. Again, a song that would probably be best listened to when you feel a bit miserable about the world. A lot of messaging in here about climate change.

It got too hot and so we overthrew the system

'Cause there's no place for human existence like right here

On this bright blue marble orbited by trash