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In February I asked my Facebook followers to tell me their absolutely favorite song about addiction or recovery. I got nearly 250 responses! Some of them aren’t specifically about recovery but about coming out of a dark place. I’ve compiled them into this complete list. Wait — it gets better. One of my followers, Diana, made a Spotify playlist with over 150 of them, which I’m listening to as I write! There might be one or two duplicates, so sorry about that. Enjoy, and if I’ve missed one please let me know in the comments!
Rehab, Amy Winehouse
Sober, Pink
Hotel California, Eagles
Hurt (Johnny Cash/Nine Inch Nails)
The Climb, Miley Cyrus
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
The Middle, Jimmy Eats World
Part of Me, Evanescence
It’s Been a While, Staind
Life in the Fast Lane, Eagles
I Can See Clearly Now, Jimmy Cliff
Chandelier, Sia
In My Life, The Beetles
Life by the Drop, Stevie Ray Vaughn
All I Know so Far, Pink
I Saw The Light, Hank Williams
This Girl is on Fire, Alicia Keys
Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
Feel Again, One Republic
Better Boat, Kenny Chesney
Don’t Forget Me, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Papercuts, Machine Gun Kelly
Righteous, Juice Wrld
Wasted, Carrie Underwood
More Than Me, Justin Moore
Hate Me, Blue October
Well on Your Way, Hugh Dillon
Changed, Rascal Flatts
Undertow, Suzanne Buirgy
Save Me, Jelly Roll
Not Afraid, Eminem
Walk, Foo Fighters
Shatter Me, Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale
November Rain, Guns and Roses
Yesterday, The Beetles
Amazing Grace, (choose your favorite performance)
Living Life by the Drop, Stevie Ray Vaughn
Dancing with the Devil, Demi Lovato
Radioactive, Imagine Dragons
Sweet Child of Mine, Guns and Roses
Exit Music, Radiohead
Time, Pink Floyd
I Apologize, Five Finger Death Punch
That’s Why I’m Here, Kenny Chesney
Stones, Sister Morphine
The Sound of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel
Spanish Guitars and Night Plazas, Loreena McKennitt
Beneath the Phrygian Sky, Loreena McKennitt
Amazing, Aerosmith
In a Sentimental Mood, Duke Ellington/John Coltrane
Any MTV unplugged song by Alice in Chains
The Eye, Brandi Carlile
Wildflowers, Tom Petty
Believer, Imagine Dragons
Fear, Blue October
Glorious, Macklemore
Better Now, Serena Ryder
Without You, The Waifs
Back from the Edge, James Arthur
X Amount of Words, Blue October
It is Well Within my Soul, Bob Kauflin and Sovereign Grace Music
Running to Stand Still, U2
Drug Addiction, Coliccie
The Spirit Carries On, Dream Theatre
Fancy, Reba McEntire
My Immortal, Evanescence
Somebody’s Someone, Daphne Willis
Look What You’ve Done, Tasha Layton
Never Tear Us Apart, INXS
Take On Me, AHA
Blue in Green, Miles Davis
Still Loving You, The Scorpions
Some People Do, Old Dominion
SOB, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
Heroin Addict Sister, Elizabeth Cook
Blackbird, The Beatles
Something in the Water, Carrie Underwood
Deja Vu by Eminem
Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Outshined, Soundgarden
Times of Trouble, Temple of the Dog
Fall to Pieces, Velvet Revolver
Sludge Factory, Alice in Chains
Kickstart My Heart, Motley Crue
Brain Stew, Green Day
I Drink Alone, George Thorogood
SOS, The Glorious Sons
Purple Pills, D12
Rx (Medicate), Theory of a Deadman
Satisfied In You, The Sing Team
I Won’t Back Down, Tom Petty
Breath Underwater, Placebo
Weight of Living Part 1, Bastille
Level Up, Vienna Teng
You are my Best Friend, Don Williams
One of these Nights, The Eagles
Ghosts that we Knew, Mumford and Sons
Just Dropped In, Kenny Rogers version
I’m Still Standing, Elton John
It’s Been Awhile, Staind
The Night We Met, Huron
Glitter, Jelly Roll
Hello, My Name Is, Matthew West
Clean, Depeche Mode
Swim, Jacks Mannequin
I’m Still Here, Sia
Somebody to Love, Queen
Colors, Black Pumas
Alive, Sia
Chain Breaker, Zac Williams
Better Man, Hellyeah
Woman in the Well, Olivia Lane
Shine On, Luke James
Hallelujah
Train Wreck, James Arthur
Fine Again, Seether
Jupiter and Beyond Grey Sky, 311
Rocky Raccoon, The Beetles
Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, Elton John
We Used to Vacation, Cold War Kids
Sober, Tool
I have a Problem, Beartooth
Everybody Must Get Stoned, Bob Dylan
The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Charlie Daniels
Recovery, James Arthur
In the Eye of the Storm, Ryan Stevenson
45, Shinedown
Nose on the Grindstone, Tyler Childers
I Shall Believe, Sheryl Crowe
Cover Me Up, Morgan Wallen
I Will Rise, Benjamin Todd
The A Team, Ed Sheeran
Dear X, Disciple Now
Mine Again, Zach Bryan
Smoky Mountain Rain, Ronnie Milsap
Giants, Imagine Dragons
Best of You, Foo Fighters
Simple Man, Lynard Skynard
Cringe, Matt Maeson
Starting Over, Maclemore
Excavate, Maclemore
Sober, Kelly Clarkson
Wrecking Ball, Eric Church
She Talks to Angels, Black Crowes
Lost, Illenium
Why Cant this Be Love, Van Halen
Redeemed, Big Daddy Weave
The Red Strokes, Garth Brooks
Ashes of Eden, Breaking Benjamin
Missing You, All Time Low
Breathe, Anna Nalick
Whiskey Lullaby, Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley
It Gets Easier, Jason Isbell
The Reckless Love of God, Cory Asbury
Church, Sober and Withdrawals, Tom MacDonald (x3)
Monster, Shinedown
Rescue, Lauren Daigle
I’m Moving On, Rascal Flatts
Amazing Grace (my Chains are gone), Chris Tomlin
Deep End, Foushee
It Happened Quiet, Aurora
Burn the Ships, for KING & COUNTRY
You Enjoy Myself, Phish
River Flows in You, Yiruma
Lighthouse, Patrick Watson
Still Trying, Nathaniel Rateliff
2am, Bear Hands
Everyone Wants to Rule the World, Tears for Fears
I Cant Make You Love Me, Bonnie Riatt
God of Wine, Third Eye Blind
Drive, Incubus
Reasons I Drink, Alanis Morissette
Unsteady, X Ambassadors
Sober Up, AJR
Eternal Youth, RUDE
Leave a Light On, Tom Walker
Numb Little Bug, Em Beihold
Somebody More Like You, Nickel Creek
Believe, Brooks and Dunn
Deadman’s Curve, Tyler Childers
Not an Addict, K’s Choice
Fear is a Liar, Zach Williams
Champion, Carrie Underwood
The Night, Morgan Wade
Higher Power, Boston
Shut Up, Train
Cringe, Matt Mason
As Far As You Could, Charles Kelley
Dear Alcohol, Dax
My Own Worst Enemy, Lit
I have to be honest, I know about 5% of these songs! How about you? How many of these did you know about before today? And who’s going to check out the Spotify playlist??
That’s fantastic! Thanks!
Super! Lots of new tunes to try out. Have you checked out "Winning" by Santana?