Most of the songs about legends are some of the most well-known stories in human history that are captivating in numerous ways. Many of the stories of these legends always have something to teach and are not only to entertain us.
These songs are inspired by countless works of art that may be either fictional or happen in real life. The influence of the story is still felt in modern culture and will remain influential for centuries to come.
Most of these tracks highlight bravery amidst unfavorable odds, while some are dramatic and tragic. This compilation would look into some of the most popular legends and songs written about them from different cultures in the world.
Table of Contents
21 Songs About Legends That Will Give You Chills & Inspire You
These songs cover different genres, such as pop and rock. One thing that is certain in this list is that the traditional ballads will inspire you and give you chills.
1. The Devil and The Huntsman – Daniel Pemberton
Composed by Daniel Pemberton as one of the soundtrack songs of King Arthur’s Legend of the Sword film, it introduces us to the mythical story of one of the most iconic legends of Britain.
According to a Greek legend, when King Minos of Crete failed to offer a sacrifice to their gods, Poseidon caused his wife to conceive a Minotaur.
The monster had the head of a bull and a man’s body. Though many songs are composed about the creature, this is comical from the point of view of the Minotaur.
3. Achilles Last Stand – Led Zeppelin
Achilles’ Last Stand by Led Zeppelin is a sonic juggernaut and a dazzling musical force that perfectly captures the legend of Achilles.
The track highlights the triumphs of the legend and the one weakness that made him get defeated. The drumming and guitar riff of the instrumental song is the most captivating part of the piece.
4. Tales of Brave Ulysses – Cream
Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, Tales of Brave Ulysses gives the accounts of the adventures of the ancient Greek myth. The story gives the readers an account of Ulysses spending years returning home to his wife Penelope after the Trojan War in Ithaca.
This song was released in 1967 and featured one of the earliest uses of the wah-wah electric guitar pedal that alters tone and frequencies to create a distinctive sound.
5. Tarzan Son Of Man – Phil Collins
Although some characters in this compilation are fictional, they have inspired some of the greatest songs about legends to ever exist. The song tells the story of a child raised by apes who first encountered humans when he met Jane from Baltimore.
Though Tarzan was fictional, the story by Edgar Rice was inspired by real-life events.
6. George of The Jungle Opening Theme – Sheldon Allman & Stan Worth
When listening to the George of the Jungle film theme song, nostalgia always hits me hard. It perfectly captures the defender of the innocent and protector of the weak that George is.
The legendary character was created as a spoof of Tarzan, and all the films and cartoons depicting the character have enjoyed massive success.
7. Strawberry Field Forever – The Beatles
One of the biggest urban legends in the music industry is Paul from the Beatles, who people thought died in 1966 and was replaced by a look alike.
Many of The Beatles fans assume that John Lennon mumbles, “I buried Paul,” but the band disputes the claim and insists he utters, “Cranberry Sauce.”
Several songs by the band experience lyrical scrutiny by the fans for them to know if there are hints to the death of the music legend.
8. Venus – Frankie Avalon
Ed Marshall wrote Venus for Frankie Avalon in 1959. Though it was released over 60 years ago, the R&B track remains one of the best-ever composed and best-known pieces for the singer.
The song is about the Roman goddess of beauty and love, and it went on to be covered by several popular artists over the years, such as Dickie Valentine.
Rains of Castamere is one of the most popular songs about legends from the Game of Thrones TV show. The song tells the story of fictional legend Tywin Lannister, who destroyed his enemies when they dared to rebel against his house.
The song soundtrack is used several times throughout the series to highlight the most tragic events that are about to occur or strike fear in people.
10. Jenny of Oldstones – Florence + the Machine
This is another song from the most popular TV Show Game of Thrones, adapted from the book, A Song of Ice and Fire. The track is about Jenny, a strange but lovely girl who became popular with small folk throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Her story is aboutt a person of nobility giving up their claim to the throne to be with a commoner.
11. Flight of Icarus – Iron Maiden
Though this song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden was from their fourth studio album, it was their first track to get international success. It received substantial airplay and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart.
The song retells classic Greek mythology about Icarus escaping King Minos’ prison by building wax wings. The interesting twist in the song is the composer encouraging Icarus to fly to the sun despite knowing the waxwings will melt in the end.
12. Hercules – Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles’s mega-hit, Hercules, highlights how broken she is and in dire need of help. The composer believes that her help should come from Hercules, who in Greek mythology is the son of Zeus and one of the strongest gods.
The way she asks for help is by begging to be made into a Hercules-woman, as only his strength would help her overcome her pain.
13. Guinevere – Donovan
Most of the songs about legends talk about some of the most popular myths. Guinevere takes a different theme from the usual case of music composition as his song concentrates on King Arthur’s wife instead of the ruler.
Donovan composed this track in 1966 and released it as a single in his Sunshine Superman album.
14. Tane Mahuta – The Ruby Suns
Tane Mahuta is the traditional “God of the Forest”. It’s a giant kauri tree in Waipoua forest, New Zealand. The tree is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old and is a big part of the county’s native culture.
The song that praises the legendary God of the Forest has a traditional Maori feel. Rapid acoustic guitars and choir-like singing is implemented to achieve a feel-good and celebratory climatic point.
15. Dracula’s Wedding – OutKast & Kelis
Andre 3000 is one of this generation’s most influential hip-hop artists, which can be witnessed through the rap bars in his songs. In this track, he collaborated with Kelis and compared the main character to the legendary Dracula.
Though he possesses immortality and is one of the most feared people, we see he is afraid to commit to a relationship.
Xanadu is a metaphor for an idyllic place based on Samuel Taylor’s poem. It describes an archeological site and capital of the Yuan Dynasty that the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan frequently used to satisfy his fantasies.
This piece that describes the place features novelty elements such as a trumpet section and a distinctive sound in the chorus. The song was the group’s biggest hit, reaching number one on the UK singles chart in 1968.
17. The Possum Kingdom – The Toadies
The first part of the compilation of songs about legends features mostly legends from mythology or great fictional literary works, and the next will mostly feature urban legends.
The Toadies composed this piece about the man-made lake Possum Kingdom near Dallas Fort to link the multiple creepy events in the area. The composers left the majority of the track open to interpretation as it was a mishmash of true events and folk legends.
18. The Legend of the Michigan Dogman – Steve Cook
Steve Cook composed this piece about the legend of the Michigan Dogman to take the April fool’s day celebrations to a whole new level. Before the song’s composition, the story was just a small folklore, and most people did not know about the creature.
The composer aimed to intrigue his listeners and added fascinating facts to the folklore that made the story an instant hit.
19. God of Thunder – Kiss
Though the original God of Thunder song by Kiss is a heavy metal piece, this country version by the band captivated me the most.
The Original was composed in 1976 and was featured in Kiss’ album, Destroyer, and there are other renditions of the track. The lyrics refer to ancient legends and myths, but Thor is at the center.
20. The Yeti – Drew Thomas
Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a popular urban legend about an ape-like creature resembling a Yeti in north-western America. Bigfoot has been the subject of many stories and films, but this song describes the creature perfectly.
The song’s instrumentals feature a unique sound of what you would expect in a dense forest to experience the environment in which Bigfoot lives.
21. Legends Never Die – Against The Current
Legends Never Die doesn’t discuss famous legends, but it is the best track to end this compilation. This song’s lyrics show us that despite some stories having tragic endings, these legends will never die, as their stories will live on forever to be told to the next generation.
Perhaps this track by Against the Current would inspire you to be a legend in your ways so that we will live to tell your story.
Last Words
These old stories have inspired some of the most popular songs about legends that have been transferred from generation to generation.
While most of these songs are considered fictional, they have different lessons to teach. The legends in these songs are embedded in different cultures worldwide, and their songs are in different genres.
One thing is certain about them. The legends are here to stay for many generations to come.
Music is the lifeblood of my veins. I love to listen, play and write music. Being a music band manager is what I love to do mostly because I love working with artists on their personal branding and brand building while helping them find the next level of success.
