3 Classic Rock Songs That Share Important Life Lessons

When it comes to music, there is often a sense that a song should not just entertain. It should also teach the listener about life. With hip-hop music and country, wisdom is regularly woven into the verses. But that does not just happen with those genres of music. It happens in rock and roll, both modern and classic.

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Here below, we wanted to explore three such offerings. A trio of classic rock tracks that not only enliven and entertain but also teach the listener some important things about the world. Indeed, these are three all-time classic rock songs with important life lessons.

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“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones from Let It Bleed (1969)

Perhaps the song that has taught the most people to be patient and not be as greedy as their impulses might push them to be. Not only that, there is a bit of a wink to magic in this song. Yes, you can’t always get what you want … BUT maybe something better will come along when you least expect it. Who knows what it could be. Lead vocalist Mick Jagger has helped a lot of people with that one. He sings,

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you’ll find
You get what you need

“Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)

Want to know the secret of life? Bob Dylan will tell it to you in this song. Listen close … he says the answer to all your questions is blowing in the wind. But what does this mean? Well, life is ephemeral. It’s always changing but it’s somehow the same, it’s all around us but always escaping us. In other words, we can never know the secret, even though it’s everywhere. So, now that you know that courtesy of the Bard, you can go about your day pleasantly! He sings,

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

“Kiss” by Prince from Parade (1986)

The falsetto hit song from the rocker Prince is flirty and rhythmic. But it’s also something of a confidence builder for all of us out there who aren’t beautiful enough to grace magazine covers. Prince, a notoriously amorous artist, does not just look for supermodels. No, he says explicitly in this song that you don’t have to be rich, you don’t have to be beautiful, and you should be smart. In other words, it’s often what’s inside that makes us attractive to people. And if Prince believes that, then we all should. He sings,

Women, not girls, rule my world
I said they rule my world
Act your age, mama (not your shoe size)
Not your shoe size
Maybe we could do the twirl

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