
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
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...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
RT Commercial today announced Fiat as sponsor of The Louise Duffy Show on RT Radio 1, Weekdays 3pm 4pm.
The Louise Duffy Show is the home of daytime music...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
26/03/2026
Wayne, N.J., March 26, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the latest product li...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
Directed By, Spotify's documentary-style series that pulls back the curtain ...
25/03/2026
BTS is so back., This week, the global pop superstars took the stage at New York City's Pier 17 for their first U.S. performance in four years.
Part of Spo...
25/03/2026
How you listen can shape what you hear. That's the idea behind the new Spotify Listening Lounge, an acoustic space at our London headquarters purpose-built ...
25/03/2026
Tape effects taken to the extreme
The latest release from New York-based developer Iconic Instruments is said to accurately recreate the saturation and comp...
25/03/2026
Launched alongside new Vocal Phrases bundle
Sonuscore's latest release has been designed specifically for composers working on fantasy TV, film and game...
25/03/2026
Latest update now live
The latest version of Steinberg's post-production-focused DAW has just arrived, and comes packed with new dialogue editing, sound...
25/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz joins FormFactor's MeasureOne partner program FormFactor and Rohde & Schwarz advance their partnership for on-wafer RF component character...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
25/03/2026
Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony features in top 10 programmes of the month...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Providing wide view timing visibility across the entire production chain...
25/03/2026
Continuing development drives advances in security, availability, access and connectivity...