The 20 Best Fight Songs of All-Time
In a world where you are surrounded by naysayers and enemies, you have to keep proving your worth and fighting for your place. In relationships, sometimes love feels like a battlefield and when oppressed, you have to fight for your freedom.
So, whether you are in love, in captivity, or going through a rough patch, giving up is not an option. Music will motivate you to press on and here are the best fight songs of all time you should listen to whenever you need to remind yourself that you are not a quitter.
20. Till I Collapse by Eminem Featuring Nate Dogg
In 2018, Vulture published that “Till I Collapse” had topped the global list of most-streamed workout songs worldwide despite the song being over a decade old. Gym enthusiasts felt the energy behind the lyrics and it helped to push them to meet their targets. As Eminem raps, he will continue releasing music until he collapses. His fans feel they should also do whatever it takes to meet their goals. It was even Shane Mosley’s pick as an entrance theme song during his bout with Floyd Mayweather.
19. Kung Fu Fighting by Cee-Lo Green Featuring Jack Black
The original song was by Carl Douglas and it became his only hit. He is the first Jamaican to top the American charts. Douglas was inspired to write the song after seeing some kids shadow-boxing while listening to music from a pinball machine. In this version by Green, he urges people to discover the power within them; that they are but diamonds in the rough. He says that the future can seem frightening but we have got to keep fighting to win.
18. Fightin Side of Me by Merle Haggard
Haggard wrote this song during the Vietnam War and it has been described as showing his patriotic side. He did not want to release it at the time, preferring another one about an interracial love but the record label felt “Fightin Side of Me” was more in tune with the current events. It is one of his biggest hits, remaining at the top of the charts for three weeks upon release.
17. Good Fight by Unspoken
Chad Mattson disclosed that most of the band’s songs are about the struggles they have faced in life. He said that such songs resonate with the audience as they can relate to the usual highs and lows everyone faces. This song is therefore no different, and as a Christian contemporary band, they also base their songs on the scripture. “Good Fight” is drawn from James 1 which says that once our faith is tested we develop perseverance. For this reason, the lyrics urge us to keep fighting the good fight because with God on our side, we can weather any storm.
16. Street Fighting Man by Rolling Stones
According to Far Out Magazine the song is about Tariq Ali, a political activist who took to the streets of London to protest the Vietnam War. Mick Jagger attended a demonstration in London in 1968, and the experience resulted in him penning the lyrics. Ali described Jagger as being militant and was sure that the song would spark an uproar across the country. So, even radio stations such as BBC refused to play it. Jagger said he did not like the song that much.
15. Fight The Power by The Isley Brothers
Released in 1975, this song topped the R&B charts and reached No. 4 on Billboard Hot 100 chart. Ernie Isley primarily wrote the lyrics that the band agreed upon because they all held negative opinions about authority figures. The song inspired Public Enemy’s Chuck D to also write his own with the same title. Chuck D listened to The Isley Brothers growing up and “Fight The Power” was the first song he had ever heard with a curse word.
14. We Are Warriors by Avril Lavigne
When Lavigne was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, she wrote the lyrics to “We Are Warriors” to convince herself that she had to keep fighting. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, she felt she had to do part. She observed health workers in the frontline fight the virus thus Lavigne re-recorded the song as a dedication to them. The singer then partnered with Project HOPE which provided PPEs so that the proceeds from the sale of her song would go towards fighting the coronavirus.
13. Without A Fight by Brad Paisley Featuring Demi Lovato
in 2016, Paisley backed Lovato during her live performance of “Stone Cold,” and the country singer knew he would collaborate with her on one of his songs. He chose this particular one because he needed a female artist who would complement his voice well and hit the right notes in the song’s loud ending. Paisley said he wanted the song to have a feeling of angst in a relationship. The lyrics talk about constant fighting in a relationship but loving how things end. He explained that sometimes conflict results in making up in a way that helps the relationship to be stronger.
12. Warrior by Demi Lovato
Lovato once said that she was inspired to write the lyrics as she watched Caitlyn Jenner reveal she was transitioning into a transgender woman. The singer felt deep admiration for Jenner for having the courage to come out publicly about her personal life. Still, Lovato had personal issues that played a part in writing the lyrics. She is known for struggling with suicidal thoughts as early as when she was seven, anorexia, bullying, and self-harm. Lovato said that her family understood what the song was about and when she was ready to open up to the public regarding the song, she would.
11. Kiss With A Fist by Florence + The Machine
This song has allegedly been mistaken for one that promotes domestic violence. However, the fighting in the song about breaking jaws, blood spilling, and breaking legs is according to Florence, an expression of the intensity of love. Florence revealed she wrote the song when she was around 17, after being inspired by a couple that always seemed so intense. Florence explained that the girl would break a lamp over the guy’s head but the guy never hit her. To the musician who had fallen in love for the first time, the display by the couple led her to admire the animal passion. It shows the psychological extremes to which people in love go.
10. Last One Standing by Skylar Grey Featuring Eminem, Mozzy, and Polo G.
At times you achieve so much and people hail you for the feats you have accomplished. However, no one sees the challenges you have had to endure to be the last one standing. This is a song that talks about the hardships people go through to get to the top. There is no taking a day off as you work persistently, but despite the painful struggles, you make it to the top spot and are grateful your efforts paid off.
9. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going by Billy Ocean
Ocean was offered the job of writing a theme song for the film “The Jewel of The Nile.” He accepted and wrote the lyrics in four days after watching the film, and being inspired. Ocean explained it is an inspirational song, urging people not to give up but to keep fighting. Ocean revealed that in his entire music career, the shooting of this song’s video was his favorite because it featured the film’s main characters.
8. Fighter by Christina Aguilera
Although Aguilera once disclosed that the song was inspired by an ex-boyfriend whom she found out was gay, her childhood still had a part to play when it came to penning the lyrics. According to some quotes on Pops Icon Blog, the singer said that she grew up in a chaotic and abusive home so music become her refuge. However, at school, she was alienated because of writing music. With no one to turn to, Aguilera learned to be a fighter. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she used pent-up emotions to make beautiful lyrics.
7. Get Up Stand Up by Bob Marley and The Wailers
Marley is known for being a legendary reggae artist who did not sit quietly as his fellow men were being oppressed. According to Paste Magazine (https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-origin-of-song-the-wailers-and-get-up-stand-up/), he asked how long he would protest the same thing after releasing “Get Up Stand Up.” He said that he had been urging people to get up and stand up for their rights but still they were not listening. He explained that he wanted people to live a long life while on earth thus this song has been adopted as the human rights anthem.
6. Battlefield by Jordin Sparks
Sometimes you get into a fight with the one you love and this song talks about the different emotions you feel in such scenarios. One word can trigger a fight but deep down you know you love each other yet solving your differences is an issue. So, Sparks compares love to a battlefield, where none of the parties want to surrender yet without one backing down, the fight can go on forever and ruin the relationship. It is the best song to remind people in love that despite their differences, the arguments do not have to escalate to war.
5. Bounce Back by Big Sean
Sean told Hot New Hip Hop that his manager once told him the underdog one day turns into a big dog. It is with this mentality that he penned the lyrics to this song, patting himself on the back for all the hardships he has had to overcome and eventually turning from an underdog into a wolf. The singer explained that you should measure the character of people based on how they bounce back after being knocked down to the ground. The song is all about fighting to come back stronger than you were before; like a phoenix, you have to rise from the ashes.
4. Fight Song by Rachel Platten
Platten knows too well what it means to be on the verge of giving up but still believing that there is so much left to live for and so she kept holding on, waiting for a breakthrough in her career. For years she had been a struggling musician, going as far as pretending to be her agent just to book her first tour. At 30, the musician was broke and that is when the lyrics to this song came to her, convincing herself that still, she had a lot of fight left in her and that she was taking back her life.
3. Eye of The Tiger by Survivor
When Sylvester Stallone was making “Rocky III,” he wanted a song to connect with young people, he thought about using “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen but was denied the right to use the song. So, the actor decided to go with an unreleased song. Since he had already heard Survivor and loved their songs, he commissioned one from them. At first, they wrote “Ever Since the World Began,” but according to Trembol, Sylvester did not like it. So, the band’s songwriters wrote “Eye of The Tiger,” which they had originally decided to title “Survival.”
2. Never Say Never by Justin Bieber
This official theme song for “Karate Kid” features Jaden Smith. It is a motivational song inspiring people not to give up, and that once you hit rock bottom the only other place you can go is up. In the lyrics, Bieber sings he will fight forever and that when he is knocked down, he will not stay on the ground. Instead, he will pick himself up. The song inspires us to fight for what we believe in because we might achieve it.
1. Lose Yourself by Eminem
Good things take time and this song took about a year to be fully developed. It is therefore no wonder that it eventually became the first rap song to win an academy. Brian Glazer wanted to produce a movie based on Eminem’s rags to riches story and once the rapper got the script, he began working on the lyrics. It encourages people to seize every opportunity handed to them, to lose themselves to the moment.
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- 20 Awesome Songs about Hope
- 20 Awesome Wedding Intro Songs
