11 Great Songs About Opportunity

Songs About Opportunity

How often do you beat yourself up because you passed up an opportunity to take that job, say hi to that cute person, or buy something in a flash sale?

There are excellent and poor options in life, and deciding between them can be difficult. You can make some life-altering decisions here, and others will make you shrug and say, “Oh well.”

And now, without further ado, a list of some of the greatest songs ever recorded about embracing the day (opportunity). Here’s a chance you shouldn’t pass up.

11 Songs About Opportunity

1. The Nights By Avicii

First on our list of songs about opportunity is “The Nights” by Avicii. The tune was influenced by the traditional Irish pubs that play folk music for patrons to dance and drink. This song is narrated from the perspective of the vocalist who is reflecting on some wise words of counsel from his father.

The basic theme is that young men should make the most of the chances available to them while they are young so that they won’t look back with regret on those carefree, happy years when they are older and wish they had spent them differently. When we’re young, we should build as many memories as possible and live life to the fullest.

2. Lose Yourself – Eminem

Eminem’s character, Jimmy Smith Jr. (B-Rabbit), inspired the lyrics to “Lose Yourself” in the film 8 Mile. The story of the film is partially based on Eminem’s own life; it centers on a Detroit-born rapper and his fight for stardom.

You only have one shot,” the song warns, adding an air of urgency to the message that you must have faith in yourself if you are to achieve your goals. The lyrics of the song urge you to seize the moment and go after your goals.

3. Thousands are Sailing – The Pogues

This song is about Irish immigrants who came to the United States in search of better opportunities. They did not find that upon their arrival.

Ellis Island is likely referred to in the first verse. This is because it was a common practice for immigrants to have their names changed at Ellis Island, either because of a clerical error or because they were told their names “weren’t American enough.”

Despite their plight, the song claims they continued to move to the beat because they believed better times were ahead in the land of promise.

4. Die Young By Kesha

Kesha’s album, Warrior, has this song as the lead single. Nate Ruess collaborated on its creation. It’s a wink at the popular philosophy of carpe diem or enjoying life without thinking about the future.

On the one hand, Die Young emphasizes the transience of life, but on the other, it urges us to maintain our youthfulness to the end. Living each day to its fullest, seizing opportunities, and keeping one’s spirit youthful are the most crucial things to remember.

5. Opportunity – Sia

The song commences with the singer recalling her childhood dreams of performing in front of a large crowd. The idea is dead on arrival, and she knows that most people never get the chance to live their fantasies.

This song does a wonderful job of evoking the atmosphere and even better of giving hope to others who find themselves in a similar predicament.

6. Them Heavy People – Kate Bush

This song is about the world’s spiritual instructors, who are the “heavy people” that Kate Bush sings of. A handful of them are mentioned by her: Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff, Jesus Christ, and the Dervishes. Kate’s aspiration to become spiritually well-versed is the driving force behind this song.

Her description of “hiding in a room in [her] mind” suggests that she was originally closed off intellectually, but that she later learned to welcome new experiences and perspectives.

7. Opportunity Knocks – Nick Javas

There’s a backstory to this song. The studio gives Nick Javas a chance, but he has to think on his feet and come up with something original on the fly. He raps about the futility of refusing good possibilities.

Since he is just a rookie rapper working in a studio frequented by legends, he also raps about how grateful he is for the chance. This tune, if nothing else, serves as a gentle reminder to count our blessings.

8. Career Opportunities – The Clash

As unemployment rose in Britain in the 1970s, The Clash wrote “Career Opportunities” to highlight the situation.

They were critical of those who saw unemployment as a stigma and of the belief that any work was preferable to none. Dream jobs may be hard to come by, but “the ones that never knock” could also allude to the low-paying employment that everyone tells you to take so you’re not “shamefully” unemployed.

This rousing tune is dedicated to everyone who doesn’t adhere to the conventional 9-to-5 schedule.

9. Missed Opportunity – Daryl Hall & John Oates

It’s not always about getting a job or gaining some sort of experience when you seize an opportunity. A “missed opportunity” can be a person or a relationship that you let go of too soon.

The narrator of this ballad laments that he and the object of his affection can’t seem to get it right. It’s possible that they just never fall in love at the same time, or that life always seems to get in the way. Whatever it is, he is holding on to a sliver of hope that things will turn out okay.

10. Opportunity – The Jewels

A man’s life is summed up in a song by The Jewels. He worked nonstop, from dawn ’till night, in pursuit of opportunities.

In the second verse, the song states that “a fool’s advice” is that “opportunity knocks once, not twice,” but in the third, the man is described as missing out on life because he works too much. Maybe they’re contrasting two men in their song, or maybe they’re just trying to stress the need of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

11. Field of Opportunity – Neil Young

It seems that the ‘Field of Opportunity is a metaphor for the search for romantic love. Neil Young seems to have missed his chance with the woman he was interested in, and therefore he must “cultivate more seeds,” or find another woman to date.

However, he claims that he will always wonder what became of her and that he will not hesitate to pursue her again in the future, even after he has found the person he has spent the rest of his life searching for.