
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 ...
02/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/11/2026
Lightware is highlighting two practical, value-focused solutions for organisations equipping smaller meeting and collaboration rooms: the Taurus SCX-2x1-HC60 st...
02/11/2026
SES and WELT TV have renewed their partnership in a new multi-year agreement for satellite distribution in Germany. Running into the next decade, the agreement ...
02/11/2026
Monday, 2 November at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
BUSTED is a new three-pa...
01/11/2026
Another compact instrument has just been added to the Waldorf line-up, and this time around the focus is on string ensembles, layered pads and evolving sound te...
01/11/2026
Park Street Post Software has updated its two macOS utilities for picture-to-sound AAF turnovers. AAF Player 1.2.0 lets sound teams audition a turnover and expo...
31/10/2026
Combines powerful sequencer with classic drum machine samples
Rapid Flow's latest release puts their sequencing expertise to work in a powerful new virt...
31/10/2026
Reproducing spatial binaural audio over speakers
In April 2025, we ran some news on Audioscenic, a UK-based company who specialise in delivering binaural au...
31/10/2026
Sonnet Announces Compact Three-Slot Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe Card Expansion System
Brie Clayton October 31, 2026
0 Comments
Echo SE III T5 Connects Three...
31/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/10/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that live event production company FOH Productions has built a portable camera switching and control flypack that uses Rie...
30/10/2026
A highlight clip goes to air after a person says yes. What would it take to say how often that yes had to be earned?
Andreas EhstandA common design for automat...
30/10/2026
SNF's Chiefs-Seahawks leads the week with 26.3 million, Prime Video's Pa...
30/10/2026
The company aims to be more horizontal and not vertical' in managing sports rights and producing events
GRUP MEDIAPRO has begun charting a new course that...
30/10/2026
Player mics, an in-arena drone, enhanced replay operations, and a full onsite pr...
30/10/2026
By Ramona Flume
Each harvest season brings a sense of renewal and possibility. ...
30/10/2026
(L-R) Peter Dinklage, Alexander Skarsg rd, and Olivia Colman attend the Q&A for Wicker by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, an official selection of the...
30/10/2026
Creates melodies from wavetables
BangZilla is the new plug-in division of The Audio Programmer, and their debut offering comes in the form of Wave Theory, a...
30/10/2026
30 October - 1 November 2026
This years AES Show is just around the corner, with this year's event marking the annual convention's first appearance ...
30/10/2026
Company launch new digitally controlled analogue hardware
Neve have just entered the world of digitally controlled analogue in style with not one, but four ...
30/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/10/2026
GB Labs Wins Future's Best of Show Award for Core.ONE, Presented by TVBEurope at IBC 2026
GB Labs, a leader in scalable, shared storage solutions, has rec...
30/10/2026
Lightware is introducing GPIO Button control for its Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows (MTRoW) integration, giving users a simple, one-touch way to switch betwee...
30/10/2026
Lightware has added AVIXA Renewal Units (RUs) to its D sseldorf in-person training program, allowing AV professionals to earn recognized professional developmen...
30/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/10/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced Nuke Stage now supports macOS, making the end-to-end virtual production and in-camera visual effects (ICVFX)...
30/10/2026
Luxembourg, 30 October 2026 - SES was selected by Air Astana, the award-winning flag carrier of Kazakhstan, to introduce next-generation inflight connectivity s...
30/10/2026
RT SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2026: WINNERS ANNOUNCED
FIRST PLACE AND 5,000 - JAMIE SAMSON FOR BUBBLE'
SECOND PLACE AND 4,000 - STEPHANIE O'CONNOR FO...
30/10/2026
While science fiction lore tells us that humans will meet extraterrestrial life ...
29/10/2026
Jameis Winston and Willie Colon are among current and former players hosting pro...
29/10/2026
After arriving in Fayetteville with dreams of calling games, the Arkansas native found her passion in the control room, building a promising future in replay an...
29/10/2026
The National Hockey League is taking on a larger role in local game production w...
29/10/2026
Media Links has appointed Mikhail Zavalin Market Development Technical Specialis...
29/10/2026
Gravity Media delivered the live broadcast and media infrastructure for the 2026...
29/10/2026
Rise AV has announced the 23 women selected for the second year of its Elevate program, a six-week management and leadership development course. The cohort incl...
29/10/2026
The F d ration Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a global partnership under which AWS becomes the Official A...
29/10/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has appointed Bob Daniel Storage and Workflow Solutions Architect within its Enterprise Storage team. Daniel has more than 30 years...