It is still unfathomable how the world is mostly made up of water. As vast as our lands are, it is just a fraction of how much water our world has. 71% of our world’s surface is water. No wonder so many among us are drawn into the water. Aside from our need for it for survival, we also have found so much joy in being near or in bodies of water. People created boats and ships of different sizes to traverse the waters. Watersports are for competitions and for leisure. Resorts and tourism around beautiful lakes, rivers, and beaches are abundant. People have strong affinities with water. Artists sing about the water and the waves.
Listen to these 21 best songs about waves to feel what this connection is all about.
Table of Contents
- 21. Wave by Justin Timberlake
- 20. Dancing On The Waves by We The Kingdom
- 19. Catch A Wave by The Beach Boys
- 18. Waves by Imagine Dragons
- 17. Love Is The Seventh Wave by Sting
- 16. Wave by Beck
- 15. The Wave by Blake Shelton
- 14. Tidal Wave by Adam Young
- 13. Waves by Kanye West
- 12. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
- 11. Cherry Waves by Deftones
- 10. Wave of You by Surfaces
- 9. Every Breaking Wave by U2
- 8. Waves by Dean Lewis
- 7. Waves by Normani ft 6LACK
- 6. Waves by Mr Probz
- 5. In Waves by Trivium
- 4. No Waves by FIDLAR
- 3. The Longest Wave by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- 2. Another Wave From You by M83
- 1. Waves by Luke Bryan
21. Wave by Justin Timberlake
A beach song by Justin Timberlake? Yes, please! This song is about a getaway with his beloved. They are staying on an island and enjoying the beach, being near the waves. They are alone and are not in need of anything. They can fish for food and just be in awe of each other’s company.
20. Dancing On The Waves by We The Kingdom
From their 2020 album, Holy Water, Dancing On The Waves is a magnificent love song. It’s an invitation to believe and accept the offered love. This love is so great that it offers to forget and erase the past, heal, and start anew. This love is so strong that it makes you walk on water and dance on the waves.
19. Catch A Wave by The Beach Boys
Who else knows more about singing about the beach and the waves than The Beach Boys? The Beach Boys have a lot of songs about beach life. This particular song is about catching and riding a wave. Surfing is one of the best watersports there is. As this song suggests, riding a wave feels like you’re on top of the world.
18. Waves by Imagine Dragons
The message of this song is to “roll with the waves.” So many mishaps and suffering happen in our lives. These can consume you and make you angry and bitter, which is entirely understandable. However, if you decide to “roll with the waves,” and allow life to bring you back to the surface, you may have an extremely different outcome.
17. Love Is The Seventh Wave by Sting
This song is from Sting’s 1985 album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. This pop song has a beach tune and an easy vibe despite its profound lyrics. It talks about how much we don’t know and understand about life. From the elements in the world, to emotions and warfare, to the end of all things, there is a “deeper wave” or a deeper power that remains.
16. Wave by Beck
From Beck’s album, Morning Phase, that was released in 2014, the song Wave seems to send a cryptic message to its audience. It has really short lyrics and the melody of this song is a bit airy and eerie at the same time. It’s another point of view about life and how you participate in it. Do you fight life’s waves or allow them to actually carry you away?
15. The Wave by Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton has a voice that will make you automatically think about country songs. The Wave is one of his inspiring songs about how life and love can sometimes be viewed very simply. This is a song about a beloved who saved him from desolation. His loved one is the wave that washed away all the brokenness. Suddenly forever is at hand.
14. Tidal Wave by Adam Young
Adam Young is the band Owl City’s lead vocalist. He is a pretty good songwriter too. In this song, he talks about how depression can consume a person, much like how a tidal wave can easily sweep over and destroy anything. There’s absolute hope in this song though, because as the song nears the end, it declares that he has found grace, love, and “new hope from above.” These give him courage to go on because he now knows that the kind of hope he found is real.
13. Waves by Kanye West
Waves can truly mean a lot of things just as our list has hitherto shown. In this song, Kanye West uses the similarities of himself, feelings, and impermanence to waves. Waves, just like people, crash. Waves go away, but are never truly gone, just like feelings for a person. This hip-hop rap song is a part of Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo album, which was released in 2016.
12. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
This song was released in 2020 under Glass Animal’s album entitled Dreamland. The title of their album is so apt for this song because the beats and melodies of this song feel so dreamy and hypnotic. The song is about a love that he needs to let go of because he knows that his beloved is better off with someone else. This hurts both of them but he still intends to let go of her for her sake.
11. Cherry Waves by Deftones
Cherry Waves is an alternative metal song that is dark and ominous, just like how waves sometimes are. This was released in 2006 under Deftones’ album entitled Saturday Night Wrist. It sings about drowning and how waves can suck you in. Do they stay down there or would they escape?
10. Wave of You by Surfaces
Transitioning to something light and fresh, Wave of You Is a happy pop song that sings about a man who has fallen in love with this woman who is as fresh as the ocean. He is blissfully confused as to why he is drawn to her. This song’s music video is taken from a beach lover’s lens. The beach and waves play a big role in this romance.
9. Every Breaking Wave by U2
Waves are often viewed by people as something to overcome. It’s something of an attack, a punch in the face, or a suffering that has to be overcome. In this song, U2 sings of a kind of love that is yet to be determined. Can the would-be lovers chase the waves or would they part ways since relationships are difficult anyway.
8. Waves by Dean Lewis
This song can be found in Dean Lewis’ album called A Place We Knew which was released in 2019. Waves Is a bittersweet song filled with nostalgia. “Moments of magic and wonder” that are found in youth eventually fade. Young love, as shown in the music video, starts off as spellbinding and magical but sometimes just turns sour when the novelty and the excitement get washed away. The recurring line “it comes and goes in waves” is relatable on so many levels. Hardships come along this way, but so does happiness.
7. Waves by Normani ft 6LACK
This beautiful singer, Normani sings by the sand and tells about the stark contradictions that she feels for her lover. She loves him, then she hates him. She sends him away but asks for him to come back. She likens herself to seasons and monsoons. She changes her mind every time she remembers her lover. His memories come in waves and she cannot get over him at all. Waves are sometimes cruel like this, aren’t they?
6. Waves by Mr Probz
Here’s a beautiful, slow, and melancholy song about the heartache caused by a breakup. Its lyrics are very much descriptive of the sadness and hopelessness that he feels. He feels like he’s drowning and that the waves are just pulling him farther and farther away. Heartaches, like waves, are pretty much universal.
5. In Waves by Trivium
In Waves is an angry metal song that seems to ask existential questions about life. If everything is desolate, what’s the sense of living? The lyrics tell about a man who considers ending everything and even bringing everyone down along with him. These sentiments are not in any way pleasant but it is an authentic part of the human experience. Here are dark thoughts that humans have at times. This song was released in 2011 under the album with the same title, In Waves.
4. No Waves by FIDLAR
The waves and the beach are usually attributed to the festive season of summer. The sun is out, people get together and enjoy the warmth. They swim, surf, eat watermelons, stay outdoors, and even have summer love affairs. But what happens when all these disappear? Here FIDLAR tells us how it would be when there are “no waves.” Everything becomes dull, dismal, and boring. Life suddenly became lifeless.
3. The Longest Wave by Red Hot Chili Peppers
This is another song using the waves to explain a heartache. This is a song about a relationship that didn’t work. Frequently, pain is a silent cause of things. Pain teaches you to move, shifts your focus, or even opens your creative vault so you can express the tumultuous waves you feel inside. This song is found in Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2016 album, The Getaway.
2. Another Wave From You by M83
This is an interesting song that only has two lines.
“I think I saw you there
Think I saw you there”
The melody used in the song is enigmatic and climactic. As with most songs, the interpretation is up to the listener. Seeing someone significant to you can bring about several varied emotions.
1. Waves by Luke Bryan
Finally, a song that won’t break our hearts.
Lyrics – checked.
Music video – cross-checked.
This song is dedicated to one’s lifetime love. The music video tells a story of a young couple who met by the beach and enjoyed each other’s company completely. The young lady rescues the young man by the beach during a surfing incident. They enjoy the summer, go to a lovely festival, take some polaroids, and see the fireworks. There was an old man all throughout the video who was seeing all these flashbacks in his life. At first, you wouldn’t know how their love ended but thankfully, all is well in the end.