20 essential songs about the environment and nature

In 1995, Michael Jackson released his ninth studio album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. In pure MJ form, at times the singer would make socially conscious songs, and on “Earth Song,” he wanted to bring environmental awareness to the forefront. As he says in the song, “What about nature’s worth? / It’s our planet’s womb / What about animals? / Turning kingdoms into dust.” 

In 1992, Neil Young released his nineteen studio album Harvest Moon. The album’s final track, “Natural Beauty,” finds Young singing about how people should desire to preserve nature. Take it from the second verse as he sings, “Amazon, you had so much and now so much is gone / What are you going to do with your life? / What a lucky man / To see the earth before it touched his hand.”

will.i.am may be known as a frontman for the group the Black Eyed Peas, but he’s also ventured into a solo career. On his third album Songs About Girls, he rounded out the album with his track “S.O.S. (Mother Nature).” will.i.am sings about everything from climate change to global warming to natural disasters. It’s evident in his thoughts in the first verse, “The environment is fragile and we been on gradual / Decline and in our lifetimes we’ll lose the battle.” 

One of Marvin Gaye’s most prominent songs in his discography is the 1971 track “Mercy Mercy Me.” The hit single showcases Gaye singing about how the environment is constantly destroyed by its people, such as oil pollution in the seas and animals dying. 

Rock band Metallica may have sung about Earth’s destruction way back in 1988, but their song “Blackened” still rings true today. They stress how the planet could be destroyed to the point of no one being around to live on it. As they sing on the second verse, “Blistering of Earth, terminate its worth / Deadly nicotine kills what might have been / Callous frigid chill, nothing left to kill.” 

While Childish Gambino’s 2018 track “Feels Like Summer” may appear to sound like a song made for the warm season, the rapper lyrically tells about environmental issues that the world is facing. Listen as he sings, “Everyday gets hotter than the one before / Running out of water, it’s about to go down / Air that kill the bees that we depend on.” 

In 1971, rock band The Velvet Underground released their hit song “Who Loves the Sun." Although the song mentions the Earth’s natural elements like the sun and rain, the narrator can’t seem to focus on its beauty because he’s dealing with heartbreak. He sings, “Who loves the sun / Who cares that it makes plants grow / Who cares what it does since you broke my heart.”

Soulful electronic band Jamiroquai first came onto the scene in 1992 with their debut single “When You Gonna Learn?” They sing about waking the world up to save the planet they’re ultimately destroying, “Armageddon’s come too near, too too near now / Foresight is the only key / To save our children’s destiny.” 

In 1983, electronic band Depeche Mode released their third album Construction Time Again. One of the album's deep cuts is “The Landscape is Changing” in which the band reflects on the planet changing, therefore people should want to keep it pristine. As they sing in the first verse, “Thousands of acres of forests are dying / Carbon copies from the hills above the forest line / Acid streams are flowing ill across the countryside.” 

One of Joni Mitchell’s most recognized hits is her 1970 track “Big Yellow Taxi.” Mitchell is well aware that people don’t recognize the beauty they’re destroying until it’s no longer there. As she sings on the second verse, “They took all the trees, put ‘em in a tree museum / And they charged people a dollar and half just to see ‘em.”

To this day, “Radioactive” is one of Imagine Dragons’ most popular hit songs. At the beginning of the track, the narrator describes moments that appear to be the end of the world, “I’m waking up to ash and dust / I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust / I’m breathing in the chemicals.” 

On The Beatles’ 1968 track “Mother Nature’s Son,” it tells the perspective of a young person who is also a nature lover. On the third verse they sing, “Find me in my field of grass / Mother Nature’s son / Swaying daisies, sing a lazy song / Beneath the sun.” 

OneRepublic’s 2017 track “Truth to Power” gives the perspective of Mother Nature talking to people who are destroying her and wants them to take action. As they sing in the second verse, “I could tell you I’m immune to everything / But that’s a lie / Dust don’t turn to flowers / Skies don’t disappear.” 

Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas encourage listeners to want to make a change on their song “Make a Wave.” As they sing in the first verse, “They say the beat of a butterfly’s wings / Can set off a storm the world away / What if they’re right and the smallest things / Can power the strongest hurricane?” 

Louis Armstrong is one of the most iconic figures in the jazz world. One of his popular songs is “What a Wonderful World” in which Armstrong uses nature imagery with hopes of future generations having a better world than what he’s seen. As he sings, “I see trees of green, red roses too / I see them bloom for me and you.” 

In 2011, pop singer Gotye released his critically-acclaimed album Making Mirrors. One of the standout tracks is “Eyes Wide Open,” in which Gotye is trying to get people to see how destructive they are to the Earth. As he sings in the first verse, “So this is the end of the story / Everything we had, everything we did / Is buried in dust and this dust is all that’s left of us / But only a few ever worried.” 

On John Denver’s 1972 song “Rocky Mountain High,” he describes the beauty of the Colorado mountains. It's evident from beginning to end as he sings, “But the Colorado Rocky Mountain high / I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky / The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullaby.” 

Paul McCartney’s 2018 track “Despite Repeated Warnings” is the perfect song for people who are in denial about climate change. As he sings on the track, “What can we do? / Red sky in the morning / Doesn’t ever seem to faze him / But a sailor’s warning signal should concern us all.” 

In 1984, rock band U2 released their fourth album The Unforgettable Fire. On their song "Indian Summer Sky," the band alludes to Earth constantly changing, while people should long for its natural beauty. 

In 1990, country band Alabama released their thirteenth album Pass It On Down. On the leading eponymous single, the band reflects how the world is so big, but people don't always appreciate its beauty and instead destroy it. Their feelings are on display from the first verse as they sing, "Now we're told there's a hole in the ozone / Look what's washing on the beach / And Lord, I believe, from the heavens to the seas / We're bringing Mother Nature to her knees."