
Released today, the 2019 TIME 100-the magazine's list of the world's most influential people-features plenty of names you'll recognize instantly. And for those you don't, chances are you'll be inspired by the work of these artists, athletes, activists, and more. In either case, TIME asked them each a question: What song inspires you?
Below are songs selected by 10 people on TIME's list, plus an explanation of why they find meaning in that particular track. From Eminem to Beethoven, the music spans genres and eras, yet all these songs will likely stir something inside you-just as it does for them.
1. Dreams by Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac is one of my favorite bands, and they have always been a main source of inspiration for me. I love Stevie Nicks so much, and her voice is just amazing. Dreams' is a timeless song, and that represents everything I aspire to be in music.
-Khalid, singer-songwriter
2. Nessun Dorma! from Giacomo Puccini's Turandot My surgeon father would put on the record player and sing along to it at the top of his voice, standing with clenched fists, in the middle of the living room. He sang it to give himself strength.
-Glenn Close, actor
3. Downtown by Petula Clark My parents have a home video of me singing it to a spoon. It's all about getting out, going somewhere and doing something with your life.
-Ryan Murphy, screenwriter, director, and producer
4. The Climb by Miley Cyrus It's one of my favorite songs to run to.
-Aileen Lee, venture capitalist
5. Better Together by Jack Johnson It was our wedding song, and I cannot possibly listen to this song without smiling.
-Alex Morgan, athlete
6. Not Afraid by Eminem It speaks volumes (to me specifically). I fear nothing.
-Caster Semenya, athlete
7. EARTHA by Jamila Woods The song is based on sentiments Jamila shares with Eartha Kitt about compromising with men and holding them accountable.
-Indya Moore, actor
8. To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees I'm a big romantic and am someone who believes at my core that the most important thing in life is who you love and who you choose to spend your time with. This song reminds me how important it is to my own happiness to show the people I care about how important they are to me.
-Jennifer Hyman, CEO and cofounder of Rent The Runway
9. Lose Yourself by Eminem It talks about how you've gotten knocked down before, and you may have failed then, but an opportunity presents itself for you to obtain the thing you desired for so long. When you have that opportunity, will you seize the moment or will it slip away? It spoke to the movement to restore voting rights to returning citizens. Politicians who wanted to deal with this issue presented an opportunity and voters were ready to deal with it. This was the moment, that once in a lifetime chance, to deal with it.
-Desmond Meade, President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
10. Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven There is still reason to be hopeful and courageous.
-Hoesung Lee, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
For the complete Time 100 list, visit http://time.com/100, and you can check out the corresponding Time 100's Most Inspiring Songs playlist below.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
It's official! Beverley Callard has landed in Carrigstown. The beloved actor, known for her unforgettable roles and iconic screen presence, is joining the c...
13/01/2026
Independent media in Brazil and Colombia is facing an urgent crisis of traditional business models alongside a deteriorating security environment, according to ...
13/01/2026
NHL Situation Room 2.0: How Sony Hawk-Eye Powers Centralized Officiating, Player...
13/01/2026
NBC Sports Ices the Audio for the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championship...
13/01/2026
DMF and MXL in practice: Which vendors are adopting it, and how fast is the ecos...
13/01/2026
CES 2026: Five Important Sports-Tech BuzzwordsThe terms highlight innovations for sports production at the showBy Daniel Frankel, SVG Contributor
Tuesday, Jan...
13/01/2026
For TGL Season 2, Unity 6 Boosts Virtual-Graphic Quality; COSM 360 Cameras Impro...
13/01/2026
Resetting Expectations? The State of the Sports Industry with Devoncroft's J...
13/01/2026
Top Row L-R: Ana Katz, Natalia Almada, Bao Nguyen, Tatiana Maslany, A.V. Rockwell, Dr. Heather Berlin
Second Row L-R: Sophie Barthes, Azazel Jacobs, Janicza Br...
13/01/2026
DoW to invest $1B in planned independently traded Missile Solutions business...
13/01/2026
L3Harris Chairman and CEO Christopher Kubasik and Under Secretary of War for Acq...
13/01/2026
April 10, 2025
First Gulf has taken a significant step in its U.S. expansion with the launch of its first industrial development in the country.
First Westla...
13/01/2026
April 11, 2025
Canadian footwear retailer SoftMoc has signed a lease for 145,600 square feet at 901 Hopkins Street in Whitby, where the space will serve as a w...
13/01/2026
April 14, 2025
First Gulf is proud to announce that 25 Ontario has officially received its occupancy permit, marking the transition from an active construction...
13/01/2026
April 28, 2025
First Gulf has been awarded a design-build lease for a new 350,000 square foot office and warehouse facility for Sherwin-Williams. This project ...
13/01/2026
August 13, 2025
First Gulf Expands U.S. Industrial Footprint with First Savanna...
13/01/2026
August 13, 2025
First Gulf is proud to partner with Toromont Industries Ltd. to...
13/01/2026
October 10, 2025
First Gulf is pleased to announce that PPFD, a leading third-party logistics company, has leased 146,536 square feet at 901 Hopkins Street in ...
13/01/2026
Singapore - January 13, 2026 - Nielsen today announced the appointment of Matty Lin to its Commercial Organization as APAC regional sales leader.
Based in Sing...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Nine-week performance series brings music, dance, theatre, and storytelling to downtown Durham, January - March 2026 (Durham, NC) The Chamber Orchestra of the T...
13/01/2026
Berklee Launches AIMS, an Artist-Centered Summit on Music and AI Hosted by the Berklee Emerging Artistic Technology Lab (BEATL), the event will focus on the i...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Luxembourg, December 17, 2025 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading spa...
13/01/2026
NVIDIA and Lilly are putting together a blueprint for what is possible in the f...
13/01/2026
Written and executive produced by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, produced b...
13/01/2026
viztrick AiDi, Provided by Nippon TV and FOR-A, Powers Automatic 9:16 Cropping with Auto-Tracking and Intuitive Operation for Dynamic Streaming Content
Targ...
13/01/2026
New updates to Hitmaker Expansion from Celemony and Softube Edit pitch-perfect vocals with Melodyne Essential and get radio-ready guitar tones from Softube...
13/01/2026
Live broadcasts from RT 2FM Breakfast with Carl, Roz & Aisling, RT Radio 1 Tod...
12/01/2026
Sports and Music Unite: A Look Back at the Operationally Ambitious FIFA Club Wor...
12/01/2026
Nielsen Panel Discussion Highlights World Cup Impact for FOX, Telemundo, MetLife...
12/01/2026
FIFA President Infantino Highlights How AI Will Impact 2026 FIFA World Cup and B...
12/01/2026
Baltimore Ravens' Jack Dana on Telling a Better Story With Media Management ...
12/01/2026
FOX Sports' Brad Cheney on Spectrum Debate's Impact on the Sports-Produc...
12/01/2026
Spotify's new co-CEOs, Alex Norstr m and Gustav S derstr m, start off the new year with a message of renewed leadership, creative responsibility, and what...
12/01/2026
At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we beli...