Fighting is a primal action that every person has gone through at some point in their lives. Whether it’s fist fighting, verbal arguing, or even a fight within oneself and one’s own emotions, fighting your inner demons or betrayal, everyone knows what it’s like to be in a fight.
Not all fights are life or death, and in fact, fighting can sometimes be seen as a healthy activity in small amounts.
Music based on the concept of fighting tends to bring out the warrior in us, as we can live through these exciting events without putting anyone in physical danger.
Here are our top picks for songs about fighting that are sure to get you fired up!
“Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight
Risin’ up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watchin’ us all with the eye of the tiger
Listening to lyrics like these, it’s impossible to resist your own inner tiger, your own primal fierceness coming to the forefront. This song will pump you up so much that you might need to be careful about how you react.
But it certainly sends the message that you should not back down just because there’s something in the way. Be it a rival, a predator, a mountain, or otherwise, any obstacle can be tackled if you’re willing to fight for it.
“Kung Fu Fighting” – Carl Douglas
If anybody knows about the concept of any single form of martial arts, it’s Kung Fu, all because of this song. Even if you don’t know the tenets of Kung Fu or what it actually entails, you can paint a picture with the words in this song.
Martial arts are all about self-defense. If you’re in a position where you need to break out the Kung Fu, that means you’re protecting yourself or others, and you are righteous in doing so.
This song brings you the message that you are allowed to defend yourself or others if you feel you’re in danger. Even if you don’t know any Kung Fu moves, your survival instinct will at least kick in to help you fight your way out.
“Fighter” – Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera’s song Fighter tells an important story about resilience. Sometimes you have to go through the bad times so you can appreciate the good times. Likewise, sometimes you have to lose a fight to become stronger, and perhaps win the next, more important fight.
‘Cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This can also be seen as learning from your mistakes. Nobody is perfect. You shouldn’t feel bad for making a mistake or for losing a fight. You should learn what you need to get better at, and prepare yourself so you will fare better in the next fight.
“Love is a Battlefield” – Pat Benatar
One of the hardest fights to be in is fights about love. Sometimes you don’t know what you want. You might think you want one thing, but it turns out that it’s not what you really wanted or needed.
You might have had your heart broken. Or, you might have had to break someone’s heart.
This kind of fight can be very difficult for some people, as the wounds they inflict can last a very long time. But when you finally win on the battlefield of love, it’s the greatest victory you can achieve.
“Wolves” – Ryan Bingham
From the chorus, you already know this song is not going to go quietly and is about standing up to forces larger than you and fighting:
“Well, I knew somehow
There would come a day
When I stood my ground
Kept the wolves at bay”
In our interview with Ryan Bingham, we asked what his inspiration for his song Wolves was: “I moved a lot as a young kid to new towns all the time, new schools and got in lots of fights and things like that, but it’s also very much about the organizers of March For Our Lives and the kids who have been going through these school shootings, Sandy Hook, Parkland.”
“Tubthumping” – Chumbawamba
This is probably one of the catchiest songs out there. It’s also a simple, tried and true message of getting back up if you’re knocked down. Regardless of what it is that knocked you down, do your best to get back up again, because that just might the time that you’re going to win.
“Fight Song” – Rachel Platten
Rachel Platten’s Fight Song sends a message: Just because someone looks like they might not be able to put up a fight, don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security.
They say that the finest swordsman always keeps his sword sheathed, but if he ever needs to take it out, you can bet he knows how to handle it. Don’t judge someone on their appearances, because while you might think that person looks weak, they might be much stronger than you think.
“(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” – the Beastie Boys
While this song may initially sound like a smug bunch of teenagers just messing around, it has a deeper meaning, and that’s fighting for what you believe in.
As we grow, our beliefs change. So while as a teen, your belief might be that you should be able to stay up as late as you want, later in life, your belief could change into believing that everyone should have equal rights and opportunities. As long as you are true to your message, fight for it.
“Fight the Power” – Public Enemy
Government is supposed to make our lives easier. It provides us with laws, public installations, and other things that help communities become stable, safe places to live.
But sometimes, things can go wrong. Revolution might be the answer. Fighting against tyrannical governments is a terrifying prospect, but if the alternative is the death of the people, then there isn’t really any other choice.
“Know Your Enemy” – Rage Against the Machine
In a haunting song, Rage Against the Machine’s Know Your Enemy cautions you to be aware of what’s going on around you, because your enemy could be disguising himself as your friend, or even your parents.
And before you know it, you’re in a fight for your life that you didn’t even realize, and it started long, long ago.
Fighting against an authority figure can be traumatizing. It makes you think about what they may have taught you, what lies they may have told to indoctrinate you, what weaknesses they may have instilled in you.
Knowing your enemy is as simple as keeping your wits about you, questioning anything that doesn’t seem right, and always believing in your own truth.
“Fighting My Way Back” – Thin Lizzy
Irish rock band, Thin Lizzy, released this song in 1975, making one of rock’s classic songs, which set the stage for their huge commercial global breakthrough.
It was on their fifth studio album that made it to the UK at #60. The song is about fighting your way back to the top after being knocked down.
“I Wanna Fight” – TKO
This rock song by TKO is about revenge, it is obvious that the band would have a song about fighting with a name like that.
The band falls into the heavy metal genre and was born in Seattle, Washing. A famous lyric from the song is “no sticks and stones gonna break my bones of the man who guns for you.”
“Fighting the World” – Manowar
Another classic is by the American heavy metal band Manowar. The song was released in 1987 and is still an all-time rock favorite.
It is on their fifth album that became one of the first heavy metal albums mixed and recorded completely on digital equipment, making rock history.
The popular artwork for the song’s cover by Ken Kelly has become an American symbol of heavy metal rock. The song is about fighting for Metal and the love for the music genre.
“Gonna Be a Fight Tonight” – Danko Jones
This street-fighting song has become an anthem in the professional fighting arenas. It describes the supercharged feeling of a fighter as he approaches the fight. The song is very inspirational with tones of great achievement over your opponent.
The band, Danko Jones, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021. They are a rock trio from Toronto Ontario, Canada that have brought the elements of hard rock and punk into the music scene.
“Fighting Against the World” – Vandenberg
When it comes to fighting against the rules of society, this song is the perfect fit. In this song, created by the band Vandenberg, the lyrics emphasize the quest for freedom to be who you truly want to be regardless of what society imposes on you.
It is an inspirational song for those who want to live life their way, without rules, no matter what type of trouble awaits. It is certainly a song for rebels!
“Fight for Your Rights” – Motley Crue
Surprisingly, Motley Crue created songs about other things than girls and partying. In this song, they talk about the fight against racism. It talks about a painful divide and how both sides of racism suffer.
The band revealed their desire to create a serious song about the social injustices of the time. The song covers the painful history of racism in the United States and portrays children as the main victims that have to overcome this adversity.
“Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” – Anthrax
The American thrash metal band, Anthrax released this song on their 10th studio album making it about fighting zombies.
Lead guitarist, Rob Caggiano, said in an interview with Guitar World, that the tune was one of the first songs they rehearsed as a band, taking on all the elements that represent them as a group.
Its groovy melody and thrashy vibe have made it one of the most popular metal band songs.
“Fight the Good Fight” – Triumph
The song was created by Triumph, the power trio from Canada made up of singer and guitarist Rik Emmett, singer and drummer Gil Moore, and bass player Mike Levine.
The fight is about controlling your own destiny inspired by Emmett’s lyrics about his aunt who was dying of cancer. The song became the theme for human resilience and strength, making it a hugely popular song during live performances bringing everyone up on their feet on their chairs.
“Street Fighting Man” – The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are a rock and roll band from England. This song was released in their first album, The Rolling Stones, released in December of 1963. The lyrics for the song were written by Jagger/Richards and featured Mick Taylor on guitar.
This song motivates and encourages people to fight against the oppression of the government. Mick Jagger sings, “I’ll join the human race and do my share…I got nothing to lose.”
He is saying that a person needs to stand up for what they believe in and fight for freedom and equality. The Rolling Stones were very popular during this time in the U.S., which was the start of the Vietnam War, and many citizens were against it.
“Fussing and Fighting” – Bob Marley
Bob Marley was a reggae singer from Jamaica. This song was released on the album, Kaya. It is a love song that explains how two people fight and make up over and over again.
This is another example of fighting and drama in life, but it is not like the other songs on this list because it does not teach you how to physically fight someone else.
Instead, it teaches us how to deal with arguments in our relationships with our loved ones.
“Mama Said Knock You Out” – LL Cool J
This song was released on the album Mama Said Knock You Out in 1990. In the song, LL Cool J describes how a mother who cares about her daughter shows her love for her by knocking her out if she is ever fighting.
This is another example of marriage and family in life. The song takes place at a wedding with angry females being hit in the head by their mothers and fathers while they cannot fight back.
Moreover, the lesson that the mother is trying to teach to her daughter is that she cannot be allowed to be an angry person every day and lose her temper because it will only lead you down the wrong path in life.
“Warrior” – Demi Lovato
This song is by Demi Lovato, a pop singer from the U.S. It was released in 2012 on her third studio album titled Unbroken and an accompanying music video.
In the video she performs the song at a place called The Abbey Road Studios and there are lots of different back-up dancers moving around to the beat of the song.
It feels like a party. In the song she sings, “There’s a warrior inside of me, there’s a warrior fighting to get out….” She is singing about her inner strength and positive energy. It is also about how she cannot let others bring her down.
The clapping half-time beat in the background helps to create a very emotional song. The song is about a warrior who is fighting for their life and never giving up.
“I Will Not Bow” – Breaking Benjamin
This song was released on the album Saturate in 2011. The chorus of the song is, “I will not bow, I will not bend, I am a warrior, what can you do?” The song describes how Breaking Benjamin has to fight every day just to be alive.
They must face every obstacle they meet and overcome them. Furthermore, the song says that the warrior in them never gives up and keeps fighting for what they believe in.
“You’re Going Down” – Sick Puppies
This song was released on Sick Puppies’ second album, Dressed Up as Life in 2009. The song is about how a couple is fighting in a relationship and one of the people is telling the other that they are going to defeat them.
The singer even says, “You’re going down…” which means that person is going to beat the other and win the fight. This is song is a good motivator for someone who is trying to be better in school or at a job.
This song is also helpful for people who are trying to get in shape because it helps them give themselves a little push and fight their way through it. It gives the singer confidence so that they have power to get through the fight.
“Good Fight” – Unspoken
This song was released on Unspoken’s third album, The Fight of My Life in 2007. This is another song about a relationship. Unspoken sings about how his girlfriend is having a fight with another guy and that she is going to win the fight because she cares about him.
This is an example of fighting in relationships between loved ones. It also teaches people that they should never give up on someone else because you never know if they will come around one day and change for the better.
“Battlefield” – Lea Michele
This song was released on the album of the same name, Battlefield in 2007. It features Michelle Obama saying “You’re fighting for what you believe in; you’re fighting for a life worth living…”
This is another song about fighting for what we believe in and being grateful for the life we have been given. This is a song about how people should never give up and always believe in themselves and always fight to make their dreams come true.
“Never Say Never'” – Justin Bieber Ft. Jaden Smith
This song was released on Justin Bieber’s album Believe in the summer of 2012. Justin sings, “Kid, you don’t even know it. You got the light, you got the power…you got a chance to be something.”
He is referring to how he is trying to inspire someone who does not believe in themselves and thinks that they will never make it anywhere in life. This song is a good inspirational tune for people who need to believe in themselves and always fight for their dreams.
“Fight for You” – Jason Derulo
This song was released on Jason Derulo’s album, Future History, in 2013. Jason sings, “Don’t you dare let go. You got to fight for your life. You got to make it happen…”
This is a perfect song if someone is trying to get over a breakup or the failure of a relationship. It describes how the singer must never give up on their dream and achieve their goals for life or else it is all for nothing.
