In life, sacrifices are a norm for everyone with any sense of humanity, and I believe most of us have been put in a position to do so. Songs about sacrifice are a perfect way to illustrate the depravities we go through for the ones we love.
We have diverse examples of songs in the category in multiple genres showing the various situations where we sacrifice ourselves for those we care for. Some songs talk about sacrifices for love, family, and many more.
Some view sacrifice as the ultimate form of love, as that someone can deprive themself of something for you is a good sign of selflessness and love in its purest form.
So when we need to soothe ourselves with a reminder of how people can be selfless, we might as well lean to the best medium for expressing our feelings, songs.
| Nr | Song | Artist | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What I Did For Love | David Guetta & Emeli Sande | Learn More |
| 2 | Ever Changing | Rise Against | Learn More |
| 3 | Endless Sacrifice | Dream Theater | Learn More |
| 4 | Iris | Goo Goo Dolls | Learn More |
| 5 | Generator | Foo Fighters | Learn More |
| 6 | Bend | Shelby Lynne | Learn More |
| 7 | Hold The Light | Dierks Bentley & S. Carey | Learn More |
| 8 | Lay Your Hands On Me | Peter Gabriel | Learn More |
| 9 | Sacrifice | Elton John | Learn More |
| 10 | When A Man Loves A Woman | Percy Sledge | Learn More |
| 11 | Lucky Man | Emerson, Lake & Palmer | Learn More |
| 12 | The Price | Twisted Sister | Learn More |
| 13 | Superman’s Song | Crash Test Dummies | Learn More |
| 14 | Soldier | Shania Twain | Learn More |
| 15 | Brother | NEEDTOBREATHE | Learn More |
| 16 | Midnight Train To Georgia | Gladys Knight & The Pips | Learn More |
| 17 | Sacrifices | Dreamville & Various Artists | Learn More |
| 18 | Sacrifices | Big Sean & Migos | Learn More |
| 19 | Dark Sky (Skyscrapers) | Big Sean | Learn More |
| 20 | Sacrifices | Drake & 2 Chainz & Young Thug | Learn More |
| 21 | Blessings | Big Sean & Drake &Kanye West | Learn More |
21 Songs About Sacrifice
This compilation will cover some popular songs showing multiple artists’ perspectives on how they sacrificed themselves.
1. What I Did For Love – David Guetta & Emeli Sande
This beautiful song by David Guetta and Emeli Sande is about how much the narrator did for love and how much sacrifice she made for love’s sake.
This is a perfect song about sacrifice, as what is more sacrifice worthy than love? The song perfectly illustrates how hard it is to be in a relationship, how much sacrifice is needed, and how much it is worth.
Recommended: 21 Best Songs To Test Headphones.
2. Ever Changing – Rise Against
Ever Changing is a somber song that perfectly illustrates how sometimes you need to let go. The narrator speaks about how much he is a loving person and that although he loves his partner, the feelings seem not to be reciprocated. He has to take the hard but necessary action of sacrificing their relationship for his good.
3. Endless Sacrifice – Dream Theater
John Petrucci wrote this song about how much his wife sacrificed for their relationship. He narrates how he was an absent partner as he dedicated most of his time to his music career, causing pain to his wife.
The song is a dialogue between him and his lonely wife. He sings both parts but perfectly captures his wife’s pain in being far from him.
4. Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
Iris by Goo Goo dolls is about a lover willing to sacrifice everything for his love and knows the world will never understand it but doesn’t care because he knows she’s worth it.
This is perfectly portrayed in the movie “City of Angels” because this song is the movie’s soundtrack. It is a perfect piece for the list of songs about sacrifice as it summarizes the film’s theme.
5. Generator – Foo Fighters
This Foo Fighters song is about the sacrifices someone makes for his lover. The protagonist says that he’d rather stay sick with her, implying she’s already a bad influence on him, and he likes to sacrifice himself.
The line “Send me out on a tether, swing it round, I will spin your noose, you let it down, I’ll hang around with you” shows how much he will sacrifice for this person.
6. Bend – Shelby Lynne
Bend by Shelby Lynne is a song about relationships and how you are supposed to be willing to handle some pain sometimes along the way.
She speaks about how you need to be willing to break and not let go no matter what, which is a beautiful message about love and a true reflection of how tough love can be.
7. Hold The Light – Dierks Bentley & S. Carey
Dierks Bentley wrote this beautiful and emotional song for a movie inspired by a true story, “Only the Brave.” The movie is about the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
The film shows the ultimate sacrifice, risking one’s life for others. The song perfectly brings all the emotions about the sacrifice the firefighters have to make to ensure people are safe.
8. Lay Your Hands On Me – Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel has a unique voice that draws you into the message he makes in one of the best songs about sacrifice and healing.
They even used the song in a popular series called “The Americans.” Peter Gabriel said that he wrote the song in an attempt to connect with the audience and engage them in the music.
Recommended: 21 Songs About Being Misunderstood.
9. Sacrifice – Elton John
Elton John is one of the most well-known people in the music industry and is very well respected. He brought out his brilliant musical talents in this piece.
He talks about how being married is a beautiful commitment that simple temptations should not break and how it is important to set aside some desires to keep this commitment alive. The song reminds us of the importance of sacrificing for family.
10. When A Man Loves A Woman – Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge gave us this classic song that has been giving us joy for generations; as Percy says in the song, when a man loves a woman, he gives everything to make her happy.
The sacrifice of a man in love is unmatched as he would happily trade the world for his love, as the composer brilliantly portrays in this song. It perfectly captures the lengths we can go to for those we love.
11. Lucky Man – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Greg Lake, the songwriter of the rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, wrote this song when he was 12 years old when he first touched a guitar and fell in love with music.
The song talks about a man who had it all but decided to go to war for his country and lost everything. There is no bigger sacrifice than the patriotic acts of serving your country.
12. The Price – Twisted Sister
The songwriter Snider of the Twisted Sister wrote one of the best songs about sacrifice to illustrate how much he had gone through in his personal life for the band.
The band took time to be successful and hence needed so much personal input from all the band members to make it work. Snider talks about how he had not seen his family for a long time, so his dreams could be true, which is a high price to pay for success.
13. Superman’s Song – Crash Test Dummies
This song by Crash Test Dummies talks about the life of Superman, a selfless superhero who stays humble even with his immense powers.
He is a superhero who saves people’s lives for free while still having an ordinary day job while making an honest living just like the rest of us. He puts himself in front of danger to save people without thinking of himself first.
14. Soldier – Shania Twain
Shania Twain wrote this beautiful song about the selflessness of the people in military service. Shania said her experiences inspired the song with learning to let go and maybe not seeing her loved ones even again when they go to war.
This song is about the unimaginable sacrifice the soldiers make to put their lives at risk for their country.
15. Brother – NEEDTOBREATHE
NEEDTOBREATHE is a Christian rock band that delivered this emotional example of songs about sacrifice and love to us with the help of a popular singer Bear Rinehart.
The song is about how a man is always there for his brother. “Brother” emphasizes the importance of family and the willingness to give our all to those we love.
Recommended: 21 Songs About Hunger That Will Make You Think.
16. Midnight Train To Georgia – Gladys Knight & The Pips
Jim Weatherly wrote this song in 1973; he explained that his good friends Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett, who had dated, were the inspiration for the piece.
The song is about a girl that moves to L.A. to make a career for herself, but it doesn’t work out for her. Her boyfriend sacrificed, leaving everything behind to go with her back home.
17. Sacrifices – Dreamville & Various Artists
This song features EARTHGANG, J. Cole, Smino, and Saba. In this song, they’re talking about their journey to reach the music industry’s peak and the sacrifices they made.
J. Cole for example is shown thanking his wife, Melissa Heholt, for supporting him since his early days when he had “nowhere to go.”
18. Sacrifices – Big Sean & Migos
Sacrifices are a big theme in the rap industry as it is a very difficult career to gain success in. Big Sean is one of the most successful rap artists in the world, but even he went through difficult times in his career.
He talks about how much sacrifice he had to make it to where he is in his career. They had to put their career before everything else to succeed.
19. Dark Sky (Skyscrapers) – Big Sean
Big Sean has had a few appearances on this list as he has various songs about sacrifice duplicating how much sacrifice he has to make to be as successful as he is.
In the song, he says, “I started from the basement made it to the skyscrapers” he explains after this how much work and sacrifices he had to put into his work to get himself from that level he was.
20. Sacrifices – Drake & 2 Chainz & Young Thug
Drake has had a very successful career in the music industry, even though he had to fight for success. Drake suffered rejection in the American rap industry because he was not “black enough,” as he has said multiple times in interviews.
In this song, he speaks about how many sacrifices he had to make to reach the very top of the rap industry and how God made it all possible for him.
21. Blessings – Big Sean & Drake &Kanye West
We finish this list deservedly with Big Sean, Drake, and Kanye West, icons in this industry. They have found unimaginable success and wealth in their careers, and it has not come without huge sacrifices to reach that level of success.
Last Words
Sacrifices are a part of our lives, as we have seen. I found most of these songs about sacrifices motivational towards different struggles I face. Though they may not be the most convenient thing in the world, we make them at some point in our lives.
Some of us will make them for our careers, some for our loved ones, and many more. So we should embrace them and make the most of life’s chances. When you get the chance to sacrifice for your loved one, don’t despair, it happens to the best of us some time in our lives.
