8 Songs with Positive Mental Health Lyrics

Music can be a powerful calming agent, self-esteem booster, and so much more. Some songs have particularly positive messages intertwined with their music. As someone who focuses too much on lyrics, one thing I hate is a song with unhealthy messaging. Not enough attention is paid to artists who use their platform to spread positive messaging, especially as it relates to mental health.

1. “1–800–273–8255” by Logic, Alessia Cara, Khalid

“It can be hard
It can be so hard
But you gotta live right now
You got everything to give right now”

No list of this kind would be complete without this recent hit written by Logic, which was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year. All three artists performed this song at the Grammys in August and incorporated dozens of individuals affected by suicide. The performance itself is powerful and worth a watch. Logic has gained well-deserved praise, not only for the messages in this song, but also for it’s release. The song’s title is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and it was released in partnership with the organization.

This song is particularly incredible as the lyrics play out like a call to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Logic starts out expressing his woes, then Khalid and Alessia Cara respond with reassurance about strength and reasons for living. Logic’s lyrics get increasingly positive as the song goes on, and finish with a plea for resilience from listeners.

2. “Why” by Rascal Flatts

“Oh, why, that’s what I keep asking.
Was there anything I could have said or done.
Oh, I had no clue you were masking a troubled soul.
God only knows what went wrong.
And why you’d leave the stage in the middle of a song.”

The three members of Rascal Flatts have said they each knew someone who has died by suicide. Bassist Jay DeMarcus has said: “All of our lives have been affected by suicide. Gary and I had in uncle in 2001 that took his own life. We were very, very close to him, and we were affected by that greatly… Joe Don, as well, had a friend in high school that took his own life. So I think that for us that song hit really close to home and dealt with a lot of emotions that we’d been feeling — and dealt with it in a way that was so delicately put… It could give you a little bit of hope and a little way to deal with a tragic situation.”

The song was originally recorded by Faith Hill in 2005, but didn’t make the cut for her album “Fireflies.” Rascal Flatts released it on their album “Unstoppable” in 2009.

3. “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

“Starting right now I’ll be strong
I’ll play my fight song
And I don’t really care if nobody else believes
’Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me”

Rachel Platten wrote the song specifically about her early struggles and rejections as an artist. She has said “I think it reminds us that those mean voices in our heads that are saying we aren’t good enough and that we can’t do it, or it’s too late…that they are not true. I think it empowers us to keep fighting for what we believe in and to never give up on ourselves.”

4. “Praying” by Kesha

“Well, you almost had me fooled
Told me that I was nothing without you
Oh, but after everything you’ve done
I can thank you for how strong I have become”

“When I wrote praying, with Ben Abraham and Ryan Lewis, Ijust felt as if I had gotten a huge weight off of my shoulders,” said Kesha in a tweet. In 2014 she had a very public legal battle with a producer/executive at her record label, who she accused of raping and abusing her in a mulititude of ways. The song is meant to be about her recovery and progress, noting that she is a stronger and person now.

5. “Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato

“Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper”

Lovato has previously been open about her battles with mental illness. This final cut was recorded in 2011 after a long stint in a treatment facility, and is meant to convey one skyscraper still standing among a sea of ruins. The original recording, however, was made in 2010 while Lovato was crying and had not yet told anyone about her struggles. She has described the intital writing of the song as a “cry for help,” and it has become an anthem for many individuals who are sruggling.

6. “Jumper” by Third Eye Blind

“I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend,
You could cut ties with all the lies, that you’ve been living in,
And if you do not want to see me again, I would understand.”

This song overtly deals with suicide, but the group has said that it covers much more. Lead singer Stephan Jenkins has said: “Jumper’s really about understanding. Everyone carries demons around, they carry some sort of scar around. The message of Jumper is that there comes a time when you have to put the past away.”

7. “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World

“Hey
Don’t write yourself off yet
It’s only in your head you feel left out or looked down on
Just try your best
Try everything you can
And don’t you worry what they tell themselves when you’re away”

This song is about a time when Jimmy Eat World was dropped from Capitol Records, and the band was feeling down in the dumps. The group had an email address during those early day of the internet, and got a message which spurred the song. The group’s frontman says “There was a girl who wrote in saying that she was not feeling like she fit in at her school, because she wasn’t punk enough. I guess [the song] is sort of directed at her.”

8. “Shake It Out” by Florence + The Machine

“And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I’m going to cut it out and then restart
Because I like to keep my issues drawn
It’s always darkest before the dawn”

This song speak of a broken heart and subsequent renewal. The main motif is explained by the words “it’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.” Its focused on shaking off one’s demons and finding strength within. Lead singer — and writer of the song — Florence, has been open about her struggles with depression. In 2014 she found herself in a serious downward spiral which she attributes to a lack of routine/schedule during newfound down time after shooting to stardom.