I wonder if you can imagine what makes Tom Hodgkinson‘s list of top pop songs with a Stoic vibe…

It’s amazing how many Stoic pop songs are out there. Again and again you see Stoic themes of resilience and submission to fate, and this week I wanted to tell you about the set list for the Stoic singalong I do with my band The Loafers.

We start with “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, which is also a favourite at our Idler retreat singalongs. I probably don’t need to remind you that the song counsels remaining cheerful in the midst of very difficult external circumstances, in this case, being crucified. In the ideal Stoic world, what they called “externals”, things like wealth, money and health, could come and go and therefore we ought not to rely on them for our internal happiness.

The Stoic teachers liked to remind their pupils about the cheerful way that Socrates, in some ways a Christ-like figure, took the hemlock in an Athenian jail following his conviction for corrupting the young and worshipping false gods.

In “Moonshadow” Cat Stevens takes up a similar theme. He looks on the bright side of a variety of mishaps. He says that if he lost his plough, his lands and indeed his hands, that would have a positive side in that he wouldn’t have to work no more. He goes on to imagine losing his eyes, his legs and his mouth, which would result in him not having to cry or walk or talk, clearly something of a relief. He then mentions the “faithful light” which reminds me of the spiritual side of the Stoics. They believed in god and fate and destiny and a brotherhood of man.

As did John Lennon, as he declares in his song “Imagine”, which again treats Stoic themes. Stoics like Seneca did indeed imagine no possessions. In a letter, Seneca advises his young correspondent to “practise poverty”.

Critics at the time pointed to Seneca’s immense wealth and accused him of hypocrisy. In one letter, he boasts about an example of simple living. He says he and his friend Maximus went for a very simple picnic in the woods. They took some basic food with them and were attended by only one wagonload of slaves!

Elton John teased Lennon for a similar contradiction, rewriting the “Imagine” lyrics like this: “imagine five apartments, it isn’t hard to do, one is full of fur coats, another’s full of shoes.” But I maintain that Seneca and Lennon promoted healthy ideas, even if they didn’t necessarily practise them on a daily basis.

Paul Simon’s “I Am a Rock” is the tale of Stoicism taken to an unhealthy extreme. Maybe he’s been hurt in love and is now trying to protect himself, but now he says that he’s an island who feels no pain and never cries. He has no friends. This is not a desirable state.

There are more words of wisdom in Paul McCartney’s “Let It Be”. He talks quasi-religiously about a light that shines on him even when the night is cloudy. The reference to “mother Mary” speaks of a higher power too, a sort of guardian angel or what the ancient Greeks called a “daimon”. Socrates had one of these: an inner voice which spoke to him.

In “Three Little Birds”, Bob Marley, who elsewhere advises his listeners to emancipate themselves from mental slavery, repeats a “Sermon on the Mount” type bit of advice which is, “don’t worry. God has a plan, submit to fate”, also a common theme in the Stoic writings.

We end with the Chumbawamba hit “Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down)”, a song about resilience but with the welcome and not particularly Stoic addition of a celebration of hedonism: “pissing the night away” and so on.

I’m compiling a list of Stoic songs and would love to hear your suggestions. We can put them on a playlist and refer to them when we need a bit of good cheer. Thank you pop stars for teaching us some good old-fashioned philosophy.

Comments: here are a few replies from readers to the original newsletter. If you’d like to add a comment, please scroll down to the comments box.

A small point (from a scouser reader originally from the same part of Liverpool as Paul McCartney):
McCartney said that the phrase ‘let it be’ was one his mother used, so more palpable than an inner spirit guide though similar sentiment. By the way, The Loafers, excellent band name. Yours in philosophy,
Jon Tibke

My street band The Wayside Serenaders has two songs in its set list that might fit the bill: the definite is “Bare Necessities” (from the Jungle Book); the maybe is “Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)” though you might feel it’s more Epicurean than Stoic.
Peter
PS I understand why you include “Imagine” but isn’t it actually a thoroughly dull and irritating bit of music?
Peter Bacon

I’m thinking Leonard Cohen “I’m Your Man”   He seems to be able to weather the storms of a relationship. 
Anthony Murphy

I’ve come to realise there probably is no theme that Joe Strummer didn’t write about. I would suggest:
1. “the Magnificent Seven”, chronicling a day in the life of drudgery in employment “You’re fretting, you’re sweating but did you notice you’re not getting anywhere” but despite the soul destroying job “what have we got?…. Magnificence”, and on the way, referencing Socrates, Plato, Luther King, Gandhi, Marx and Engels.
2. “I’m not Down” which seems pretty literal in a pythonesque “it’s just a scratch” sort of way: getting beaten up, jeered at etc but still “rocking around and thinking you’re the toughest”. This one sung by Mick Jones, but I think it’s acknowledged that Mr Strummer was generally the wordsmith.
They might be happier as stoics of rock rather than pop though.
Cheerio,
Simon White

May I suggest “If I Had My Druthers” by Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer.
Richard Uhlig

I nominate Lacuna Coil’s excellent “Nothing Stands In Our Way”. We fear nothing!
John Hubbard

Hello! I would like to submit “Time for Livin” by The Association for consideration onto your Stoic playlist. I’m particularly fond of the start of the second verse: “I took off my watch and found I had all the time in the world.”
Manny Fuentes

i think two positive,maybe stoic, songs are written by Mike Scott: “Building the City of Light” and “The New Life”.
Gary Hewitt

Ooohh, I love this! “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks is an obvious one for sipping beer in the face of trouble, and similarly “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors (“the future‘s uncertain and the end is always near. Let it roll, baby”). And of course St. Bowie fearlessly facing the ch ch ch changes.  
Sister Chain
PS Not a pop star (yet) but  try my very own Staying in Soho for lazy resilience in gentrified London. 

I like your selection of stoic songs and I would propose some of my favourites for your playlist:
Frightened Rabbit – “Swim until you can’t see land” -> promotes courage and perseverance 
Eddie Vedder – “Rise” -> talks about endurance and upward striving
The Tallest Man On Earth – “Troubles will be gone” -> Emphasises that all hardship is temporary
And now my absolute favourite:
Bayonne – “Stell Dich mitten in Regen” -> A German gem, based on the poem „Versuch es“ from Wolfgang Borchert. The lyrics align with Stoic philosophy because they urge moral action and human dignity regardless of external circumstances or guaranteed success. Like Epictetus, Bochert emphasizes focusing on what lies within one’s control rather than outcomes. Its call to remain human, courageous, and morally consistent even in a broken world reflects the Stoic conviction, expressed by Marcus Aurelius, that virtue itself is the only true good. The core message is distinctly Stoic: act rightly, endure hardship with integrity, and preserve your inner character regardless of external chaos.
Christian Hackel

My submission for a Stoic song is “Let It Go Where It’s Supposed To” by Butch Walker.
Rebecca Pawloski 

“Hi Ho Silver Lining”?
Stephen Lynam

“My Way” is the ultimate Stoic song. Live by your judgment, take the blows, accept the outcome, stand by your choices. 
Quintal Hunter

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