
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 ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
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...
14/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/05/2026
Six decades of products built around the people who use them...
14/05/2026
Designed to embrace multiple production processes and deliver high-end live broadcast workflows, Vivid Broadcast has combined Calrec True Control 2.0 enabled co...
14/05/2026
Today, Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, announces a new partnership with EVS, a global leader in live video techn...
14/05/2026
Transforming bold ideas into market-ready productions: Digital Originals returns 14 May 2026
Top (L-R): Bronte Gosper (Musket), Mema Munro (Rogue One), Nathan ...
14/05/2026
Berklee Convenes Leaders in AI, Music for Inaugural AIMS Symposium The three-day event puts musicians at the center of the future of music creation, ethics, a...
14/05/2026
Back From The Brink airs Sunday 17 May and Sunday 24 May at 6.30pm on RT One an...
14/05/2026
Dive masks on - Subnautica 2 is making a splash on GeForce NOW day-and-date with launch, so members can plunge into the title's brand-new alien ocean from a...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...