Sometimes, when the day is long and the work is hard, a person could use an invigorating song. Why not enjoy a refreshing tune that reminds us of the very best that life has to offer? Here are 25 of the best songs about water. Enjoy listening to them and feel refreshed in your own spirit!
This post will take you through 25 of the best songs about water, featuring tunes from artists like John Denver, Elton John Radiohead, and The Beach Boys.
1. “Warm Water” by John Denver
“Warm Water” is from the soundtrack of the 1977 movie “The Van.” In the song, John Denver describes how nice it is when he swims in warm water. The water makes him feel like he is in a place of total contentment.
In the song, Denver plays acoustic guitar and harmonica. He plays both instruments very well but it is interesting that he chose to sing about a body of water (“the ocean”) instead of writing a song about a pool of warm water like you would find in a hot tub or bathtub.
“Warm Water” is a great song that makes you feel good.
2. “Good Song Of The Summer” by The Beach Boys
“Good Song of the Summer” is the first song on the group’s fourth studio album, “Sunflower”. This great track features Brian Wilson on piano and vocals. It was written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Carl Wilson.
The song starts with a spoken word part discussing why summertime is such a great time to enjoy those special moments outdoors.
Of course, this song is about being outdoors in the summer; however, it can be applied to any time of year as it does not require water conditions to be suitable for swimming.
3. “Water” by The Beatles
“Water” was written by The Beatles for their album, “The Beatles.” This song is interesting in that it describes the group’s approach to writing songs. Using an example from their lives, the group said that they would write a song on paper first and then play around to see if it could work. If they thought it made sense they would try it again and then do the same until they were happy with the result.
Water is a very important element of life for almost all living things. From plants to animals to humans, we all need water on a daily basis to keep our lives going.
It is interesting that the Beatles decided to write a song about water because they wanted to find out if their songs had meaning Fortunately, the group found that some of the songs worked and performed them for the world.
You can listen to “Water” by The Beatles on YouTube here.
4. “Warm Water (Mango Song)” by John Denver
John Denver had a lot of fun with this song from his album “Ride Me High”. The song is very upbeat and Denver plays acoustic guitar harmonica and vocals here. The song makes you feel good and the lyrics are easy to understand. The song has a very positive vibe that makes you want to get up and dance while ’water” is described.
It is interesting to see that John Denver refers to the human body as “water.”
He could have easily referred to the water in a swimming pool or bathtub, but he chose instead to talk about the concept of water as something that is necessary for living things.
5. “Jaguar (The Bump)” by Radiohead
Jaguar, released on Radiohead’s 1997 album “OK Computer”, was written by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. The song features Yorke on vocals and piano while Greenwood plays the guitar and Colin Greenwood contributes bass.
The music is not as interesting as the lyrics. The song is about the concept of the Jaguar and how people use their time in life to accomplish things in an attempt to reach a higher level of success.
However, those who try to do this will find that Jaguar gives them nothing but pain. Those who don’t listen to the lyrics can just enjoy listening to this great tune.
6. “Water Over Flowers” by Tom Waits
Tom Waits wrote “Water Over Flowers.” This great song is from his album “Swordfishtrombones.”
Waits sing and play the piano while Blondie Chaplin plays the guitar. Lowell George plays the electric guitar and Richard Bock plays the bass. The song has a very chill vibe.
Those who enjoy listening to music that is heavily piano-based will absolutely love it. The lyrics make for a great story and are just as well written as the music.
7. “Waterfalls” by TLC
“Waterfalls” was written by Tionne Watkins, Lisa Lopes, and Rozonda Thomas. This great song was performed by all three members of the group playing their own instruments.
Watkins and Thomas were responsible for the vocals, while Lopes played the keyboard, guitar, and bass. They were also responsible for writing all the lyrics to this song together, with Watkins being responsible for the melody, while she and Lopes wrote the lyrics together.
This song was the first single from the group’s second album. “Crazysexycool”.
8. “Water in the Sky” by Phish
Over the years, Phish has earned a reputation for being one of the most impressive jam bands in the entire music industry. They have some of the best improvisational skills in the entire music industry.
This song is from their fifth studio album. “A Picture of Nectar.” The song features guitarist Trey Anastasio on vocals and piano, while Jon Fishman plays the drums and Page McConnell does some synthesizer work.
All three members play their instruments quite well. The lyrics are interesting because they make you think about the water cycles around the world and how amazing it is that our planet contains water.
9. “Still Water (Love)” by The Four Tops
This song, released in 1968, was originally written and recorded by The Ray Charles Singers. It was written by Billy Page and arranged and conducted by the group’s chief arranger, Sy Oliver.
This popular tune was later covered by The Four Tops when it was released as a single in 1971. At the time, the group consisted of Levi Stubbs (lead singer), Abdul “Duke” Fakir (baritone), Renaldo “Obie” Benson (bass), and Lawrence Payton (guitar).
In this particular version, Stubbs takes the lead vocals in the verses while Lawrence Payton takes the lines sung in the chorus while Stubbs adds some harmonies.
10. “The Water Song (Not My Idea)” by k.d. lang
“The Water Song (Not My Idea)” was written by K.D. Lang for the movie “Meet Joe Black”.
This song features Lang on vocals and guitar as well as piano and keyboard instruments, plus background vocals from Paul Huson Rupie Edwards. Scott Davis, and Rose Melberg (who later became her husband).
The song has a very jazzy vibe that is pleasant to listen to. The lyrics are very interesting and make you think about water in many ways. It is interesting that the author of this song is a woman who chose to sing and sing about water.
11. “Watermelon Crawl” by Eric Church
“Watermelon Crawl” released on Eric Church’s debut album, “Sinners Like Me,” was written by David Hodges and Bobby Pinson. This song has a very country music vibe. The piano line is probably one of the best parts of the song, while the overall melody is just fun and entertaining.
Church has an excellent voice and his lyrics are easy to understand while still being very original and interesting. This is another song you should listen to after you’ve had a nice dinner with your family or friends.
12. “Water Fountain” by Tool
“Water Fountain* is a great song by Tool. It was first released on the band’s 1993 album, ’’Undertow”.
In the song, Maynard James Keenan sings while Adam Jones plays the guitar. Danny Carey plays the drums and Paul D’Amour plays the bass.
This is one of the more popular songs by the group, and it has great lyrics that are easy to understand. The song also has a very cool groove that listeners will enjoy hearing over and over again.
13. “The Water Song” by John Williams
The composer John Williams wrote this song for his score to the movie ’Jumanji.” It has been released as part of several albums over the years.
This great song features a piano and some strings at the beginning with a nice beat that really makes you feel like you’re in Africa.
It’s no wonder it was featured in a movie about an African game board. Williams really did a great job composing this tune and it’s easy to see why he won so many awards for his work on this particular film.
14. “Waterfalls” by Toto
This popular song comes to us from the band Toto. It was released on their sixth studio album, “Toto IV” which came out in the year 1982.
The song was sung by the four members of the group: Steve Lukather (lead vocals and guitar), David Paich (keyboards and vocals), Steve Porcaro (keyboards and guitar), and Jeff Porcaro (drums).
The lyrics are really well written as they tell a wonderful story while being easy to understand. Those who enjoy listening to music that has a larger-than-life sound will definitely love this track.
15. “Water Under the Bridge” by Adele
“Water Under the Bridge’ is a great song that Adele released in 2015. It comes from her third studio album “25.” Although it was not released as a single, it has become one of the most popular songs among her fans.
The lyrics are interesting because it talks about how feelings and memories change over the years. Adele really has a great voice that is full of emotions and she does a wonderful job performing this song.
16. “Waterfalls” by Steps
“Waterfalls” released in 1991, was written by Tony Swain and his two sons. Christopher and Steve. The music was arranged by Tony Swain and the lyrics were written by Christopher Swain.
Although the song had been recorded by The Four Seasons, it didn’t find its way to The Steps until the group bought it at auction from another band called Chante Choir in 1999.
These are some of the best singers to ever sing in this area.
17. “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks
“Waterloo Sunset”, released in 1965, was written by Ray Davies for the band, The Kinks. This song was written about the time when the Waterloo Station waiting room was first opened to the public in 1958.
There are many different ways to interpret the words in this song, such as “You’re too young to know what I’m talking about”, along with “I can’t get no satisfaction”.
This tune has a pleasant sound that keeps listeners interested and entertained throughout its duration.
18. “Water To Drink” by Neil Young
Neil Young wrote this song in 1967 when he was still a member of Buffalo Springfield. It appeared on his first solo album, ‘Neil Young*, which was released that year.
The song was originally intended to be a ballad, but on this recording, it became a folk-rock tune.
It’s no wonder this song was one of Young’s most popular songs and still is when he performs live. He still does a great job singing this song with his guitar in hand.
19. “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay” by Otis Redding
Otis Redding wrote “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” in 1965 when he was still performing with the group, The Bar-Kays. The music was written by Lou Rawls, who also contributed some of the lyrics. This was the first time Redding took lead vocals on his own song.
He recorded this song on an album titled “Otis Blue” that was released in 1965, and it was a hit! It sold over a million copies and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Group Performance.
20. “Across the Sea” by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys recorded this very popular song in 1967 for their album “Friends.” Jardine wrote the lyrics and Carl Wilson sang it with Dennis Wilson on background vocals.
It tells a wonderful story about love that can reach someone across the sea no matter where they are or where they come from.
Jim Love also had a small part in writing the song. The song has a beautiful sound with a great and powerful chorus that makes it enjoyable to listen to over and over again.
21. “Ocean Floor” by Monty Python
Another famous song about the oceans is “Ocean Floor’ written by Fred Tomlinson, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Terry Jones. This great British comedy group from the late ’60s created some great songs especially for their TV series called ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.
Written during the time they were doing skits on their TV show, it was clear that they loved this great theme very much. It was also during this time that they wrote their most popular song called “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.
22. Ocean Blue” by The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile a band that was formed in 1987 and is still together today, released this song in 1996. They are best known for their work and music from the early 90s, but they have also released several other albums since then.
This particular song is a love song that talks about how the beauty of an ocean is eternal and endless. ’Ocean Blue” is a soothing tune that you will want to listen to over and over again.
23. “Ocean Blue” by The Pretenders
The Pretenders, formed in London in 1982. Their music has had a very strong influence on the alternative rock and pop scene over the past 25 years. The band’s most famous song was “Brass In Pocket”, which was released in the 80s.
It’s interesting to note that this is one of the most popular songs from their career but none of their other songs were as popular as this one. It also became a top 10 hit in the UK and America.
24.”Ocean Man” by Ween
“Ocean Man” was written by Gene Ween, also known as Aaron Freeman, and was released in 1997. It was taken from their album “12 Golden Country Greats” which was a tribute to the classic country artists of the 1950s.
Ween has described this song as one of her more ambitious songs because it took a long time to complete and it features many different sounds and instruments.
25. “Ocean” by Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading is a British singer who has been active for over four decades now and has released some very popular hits in that time. But one of her most popular hit singles was this song she recorded in 1986 called “Ocean”.
The single was released as a maxi CD to promote the album that had the same title. This song was written by Keith Reid who also wrote the songs for Gary Moore and Glenn Hughes.
It has a nice mellow guitar sound with far-reaching lyrics and is one of the best love songs ever written by anyone other than an opera singer!
These are just some of the best songs about water that you should listen to as you get ready to hit the beach. Whether you love listening to rock music, jazz, or country, there’s something on this list that should suit your musical tastes.
After all, everyone loves the water no matter what kind of music they listen to!