Friendship deserves a soundtrack, especially the close friendships that get us through.If you’ve hung around here for a while, you’ve probably heard us lament that the number of contemporary songs about friendship amounts to “mere drops in an ocean of love songs,” as Sheridan put it<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.friendshiplab.org/blog/2am-friend-tedx-talk/"> in his TEDx talk</a>. But they do exist and now they’re easier for you to enjoy than ever. Let us introduce to you Friendship Lab’s new playlists: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2eYgHnPEqgn8mhoY0QhfV7?si=1bO9NOGfRhOjn_pS8iFghg">Ultimate Friendship Songs</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2hHpHMc0Tdardku2Wn23dt?si=wJ52OJgfQ5u8W_QXWd7ZpA">Friendship Classics</a>! From feel-good favourites to timeless tracks, these songs celebrate the moments, memories and bonds that make true friendship so special. It's a small reminder that building close friendships as an adult doesn't only need a plan, but a playlist.<blockquote>Summary: Friendship Lab has curated two free Spotify playlists of the best friendship songs: Ultimate Friendship Songs (contemporary tracks from artists like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Adele) and Friendship Classics (70s–90s favourites from Carole King, Bruce Springsteen and more), plus personal picks from the Friendship Lab team on why each song matters to them.</blockquote><h2 id="99a98737-1715-4890-a29e-3e8d2635b5ff" data-toc-id="99a98737-1715-4890-a29e-3e8d2635b5ff" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Why Music Matters for Meaningful Friendships</h2>The right song can say what we can't, whether that's gratitude, nostalgia, or the simple relief of feeling understood by a close friend. Save these curated playlists and hit play when your friends are next over.<h2 id="06320c13-39a5-44f8-8bc3-9c895a0e2283" data-toc-id="06320c13-39a5-44f8-8bc3-9c895a0e2283" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Our Friendship Songs Playlists</h2><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2eYgHnPEqgn8mhoY0QhfV7?si=1bO9NOGfRhOjn_pS8iFghg" target="_blank"><img src="https://ezycourse.b-cdn.net/3966/cmtc6dbf1l6ec01z56oozda1k.png" alt="image" style="height: auto; cursor: pointer;"></a>The best contemporary friendship songs in one ultimate playlist. From the playful to the meaningful, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2eYgHnPEqgn8mhoY0QhfV7?si=1bO9NOGfRhOjn_pS8iFghg">Ultimate Friendship Songs</a> includes tracks from Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, The 1975, Mariah Carey, Demi Lovato, Pretenders, Taylor Swift, Adele, and more.<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2hHpHMc0Tdardku2Wn23dt?si=wJ52OJgfQ5u8W_QXWd7ZpA" target="_blank"><img src="https://ezycourse.b-cdn.net/3966/cmtc6ee05l6zc01z5gljl4tp6.png" alt="image" style="height: auto; cursor: pointer;"></a>Prefer your music old school? We’ve got you. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2hHpHMc0Tdardku2Wn23dt?si=wJ52OJgfQ5u8W_QXWd7ZpA">Friendship Classics</a> is a mix of friendship songs from the 70s to the 90s. Think James Taylor, Mariah Carey, Witney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, and other legacy artists.<h2 id="a19e053c-2c7d-4883-a6ab-b78fd94d7950" data-toc-id="a19e053c-2c7d-4883-a6ab-b78fd94d7950" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Our Team’s Picks</h2>We've asked some of the Friendship Lab team to pick a song from either playlist that means something to them and share a few words why – whether that’s because the track takes them back to a beloved moment with a friend, captures how friendship feels, or simply brings a smile to their face. We’d love to hear your favourite friendship song in the comments below too!<h3 id="30cb8478-2553-4e30-8ab6-e3c0c6bb8c58" data-toc-id="30cb8478-2553-4e30-8ab6-e3c0c6bb8c58" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">Friendship by Chris Stapleton</h3><div data-youtube-video="" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3W33TY6Oasg" start="0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" style="text-align: center; max-width: 100%;"></iframe></div>Chosen by Sheridan Voysey, Founder &amp; CEO"I've been where you are right now / You saw me through it all / I'll lean on you, you can lean on me / I'm never gonna let you fall."Penned by Memphis songwriters Homer Banks and Lester Snell, this gem was first performed by J. Blackfoot and recently covered by Norah Jones and Mavis Staples. But to my mind, Chris Stapleton's gritty, impassioned version gives voice to friendship's realities and beauties better than them all.The song celebrates the bond of two long-time friends who don't always see eye to eye but “do more than we don't." It’s a bond that means sadness can be spotted at a glance, a listening ear offered in an instant, and help promised in need: "Your welfare is my concern / I'll carry you through the circumstance." Like me, you may not be much into country or blues, but the commitment, joy and support captured in this song make it a worthy addition to our playlist.<h3 id="0c0fd84f-a8fc-4d77-a78b-39c98ea8e1e8" data-toc-id="0c0fd84f-a8fc-4d77-a78b-39c98ea8e1e8" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman</h3><div data-youtube-video="" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1MPZRcyTrcU" start="0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" style="text-align: center; max-width: 100%;"></iframe></div>Chosen by Deb Daniel, Writer“Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am / Bigger and stronger too, maybe / But none of them will ever love you the way I do.”When it comes to ultimate friendship songs, I have to go with this Randy Newman classic, simply because of the nostalgia it evokes in me. I was born in 2000 and was forced to watch all the Toy Story movies growing up (many, many times over). Now that I’ve grown up, You’ve Got a Friend in Me brings a smile to my face and, I admit, occasionally a tear to my eye, because it captures so simply what it's like to have true friendships: people who stick by you through every stage of life.<h3 id="bed57a29-8a3d-4bbf-b1d3-ff0df738d70c" data-toc-id="bed57a29-8a3d-4bbf-b1d3-ff0df738d70c" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">True Colours by Cyndi Lauper</h3><div data-youtube-video="" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LPn0KFlbqX8" start="0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" style="text-align: center; max-width: 100%;"></iframe></div>Chosen by Cassy Healey, Trustee &amp; Fundraising Lead“I see your true colors / And that's why I love you / So don't be afraid to let them show.”I love this line of True Colours because I was afraid to show my own true colours for so long. I’ve come to realise that what I see as quirky weirdness in me, my friends see as some of my best features. I've lost track of the times I've apologised for something I did or felt bad about, only to discover those were the very things my friends loved about me – the qualities that make me me – so I shouldn't try to change those things, but accept them. It's such a relief to be who I am with my closest friends and not worry about anything because they love me unconditionally.<h3 id="92b945c8-38fd-4cad-a234-189446257ae2" data-toc-id="92b945c8-38fd-4cad-a234-189446257ae2" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">We're Going to Be Friends by The White Stripes</h3><div data-youtube-video="" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PKfD8d3XJok" start="0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" style="text-align: center; max-width: 100%;"></iframe></div>Chosen by Dot Powell, Community &amp; Learning Lead“Tonight I'll dream, while I'm in bed / When silly thoughts go through my head / About the bugs and alphabet / And when I wake tomorrow, I'll bet / That you and I will walk together again / I can tell that we are gonna be friends.”We’re Going to Be Friends is a reminder of my oldest school friend – who is still my best friend today – and all the days we talked and walked the three miles to school (in wind, snow, sun and rain), all the days we've talked and walked together since, and hopefully all the days we have left. I nearly lost her 25 years ago, so I appreciate every single day I get to have with her.<h3 id="9a077dfa-3a0f-4e0a-8314-cad34b8f3db6" data-toc-id="9a077dfa-3a0f-4e0a-8314-cad34b8f3db6" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">You've Got a Friend by Carole King</h3><div data-youtube-video="" style="display: flex; justify-content: flex-start;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eAR_Ff5A8Rk" start="0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" style="max-width: 100%; text-align: left;"></iframe></div>Chosen by Sian Woodward, Media &amp; Communications Assistant“You just call out my name / And you know, wherever I am / I'll come running.”Carole King singing You've Got a Friend first spoke to me when I was a teenager, going through the usual angst of feeling misunderstood. At times of loneliness, I would listen to its reassuring lyrics. To me, it describes the idea of a ‘2am friend’ so well. “You've got a friend, yeah / Ain't it good to know you've got a friend?”<h3 id="31a61a16-8800-4b00-bd23-ffaf21343ed0" data-toc-id="31a61a16-8800-4b00-bd23-ffaf21343ed0" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">It's Nice to Have a Friend by Taylor Swift</h3><div data-youtube-video="" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eaP1VswBF28" start="0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" style="text-align: center; max-width: 100%;"></iframe></div>Chosen by Denise Morgan, Finance Manager“Everyday / Feels like home /… / It’s nice to have a friend.”I have moved countries every few years since my teens and, despite making many ‘2am friends’, I have often had no-one to have a coffee with. Successive Taylor Swift albums somehow became the soundtrack to each new beginning, so choosing one of her songs felt appropriate. It is indeed “nice to have a friend”, and I’ve found that just one of them can make a strange land feel a little more like home.<hr><h2 id="3487dd80-847f-43f7-afcc-c65127ad24db" data-toc-id="3487dd80-847f-43f7-afcc-c65127ad24db" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Full Track List: Ultimate Friendship Songs</h2><ol><li>Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran</li><li>Still River Flow by JIM</li><li>Count on Me by Bruno Mars</li><li>Friends by Ella Henderson</li><li>My Same by Adele</li><li>Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold</li><li>Girl by Destiny's Child</li><li>I'll Be There by Jess Glynne</li><li>Somewhere Only We Know by Keane</li><li>You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman &amp; Lyle Lovett</li><li>Beautiful Soul by Katy J Pearson</li><li>My Old Friend by Tim McGraw</li><li>We're Going to Be Friends by The White Stripes</li><li>Lean on Me by Bill Withers</li><li>Reckless Forgiver by Jars of Clay</li><li>I'll Be Missing You by Diddy feat. Faith Evans &amp; 112</li><li>Friends by Francis and the Lights feat. Bon Iver</li><li>Anytime You Need a Friend by Mariah Carey</li><li>Paddington Station by P.S. Finn</li><li>Always Be Together by Little Mix</li><li>Chosen Family by Rina Sawayama</li><li>Why Can't We Be Friends by War</li><li>I Got You by Leona Lewis</li><li>Guys by The 1975</li><li>Bittersweet by Marc Scibilia</li><li>Bros by Wolf Alice</li><li>My Friends by Red Hot Chili Peppers</li><li>Stay With Me by Margaret Glaspy</li><li>Friendship by Chris Stapleton</li><li>My Best Friend by Weezer</li><li>Team by Lorde</li><li>Old Friends by Everything But The Girl</li><li>Brother by Jake Isaac, Joshua Luke Smith, Bianca Rose &amp; Guvna B</li><li>Landslide by Oh Wonder</li><li>Act My Age by One Direction</li><li>Gift of a Friend by Demi Lovato</li><li>Crowded Table by The Highwomen feat. Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris &amp; Amanda Shires</li><li>Old Soul by Saint Motel</li><li>Best Friend by Foster the People</li><li>F64 by Ed Sheeran (language)</li><li>It's You I Like by Ellie Schmidly</li><li>I'll Stand by You by Pretenders</li><li>Me &amp; Mr Reilly by Vista Kicks</li><li>Old Friends by Ben Rector</li><li>Alewife by Clairo</li><li>Count on Me by Whitney Houston &amp; CeCe Winans (from Waiting to Exhale)</li><li>Me and Michael by MGMT</li><li>Count On Me by The Lone Bellow</li><li>Hey Girl by Lady Gaga &amp; Florence Welch</li><li>Best Friend by Laufey</li><li>We Are Young by fun. feat. Janelle Monáe</li><li>Best Friends by Missy Elliott feat. Aaliyah</li><li>See You Again by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth</li><li>Before You Gotta Go by Courtney Barnett</li><li>Graceland Too by Phoebe Bridgers</li><li>Friends In The Corner by Foxes</li><li>For Forever by Ben Platt</li><li>Friendship by Norah Jones feat. Mavis Staples</li><li>Graduation (Friends Forever) by Vitamin C</li><li>It's Nice to Have a Friend by Taylor Swift</li><li>For Good by Stephen Schwartz (from Wicked)</li><li>A.M. by One Direction</li><li>My Girlfriends Are My Boyfriend by Demi Lovato feat. Saweetie (language)</li><li>Walk Backwards by Maude Latour</li><li>Ronnie's Song by Odie Leigh</li><li>My Friends by Oh Wonder</li><li>Auld Lang Syne by Sufjan Stevens</li><li>My Friend by Groove Armada</li><li>I Don't Want a Lover by Texas</li><li>I Knew it, I Knew You by Taylor Swift</li><li>Old Friends by Ben Rector</li></ol><hr><h2 id="36f7aed8-4de3-41d9-bb96-cd443673122a" data-toc-id="36f7aed8-4de3-41d9-bb96-cd443673122a" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Full Track List: Friendship Classics</h2><ol><li>Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold</li><li>Cheers: Where Everybody Knows Your Name by TV Theme Song Maniacs</li><li>That's What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight &amp; Stevie Wonder</li><li>Friendship by Chris Stapleton</li><li>I'll Be There for You (Theme From Friends) by The Rembrandts</li><li>Thick As Thieves by The Jam</li><li>I'll Stand by You by Pretenders</li><li>Friends by Shalamar</li><li>Friendship Train by Gladys Knight &amp; The Pips</li><li>True Colors by Cyndi Lauper</li><li>Why Can't We Be Friends by War</li><li>Waiting On a Friend by The Rolling Stones</li><li>Anytime You Need a Friend by Mariah Carey</li><li>Lean on Me by Bill Withers</li><li>With a Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker</li><li>Friends Will Be Friends by Queen</li><li>With a Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles</li><li>You've Got a Friend by James Taylor</li><li>Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen</li><li>Count On Me by Whitney Houston &amp; CeCe Winans (from Waiting to Exhale)</li><li>My Friends by Red Hot Chili Peppers</li><li>You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman &amp; Lyle Lovett</li><li>Friends by The Beach Boys</li><li>Stay Free by The Clash</li><li>Chiquitita by ABBA</li><li>As We Go Along by The Monkees</li><li>You've Got a Friend by Carole King</li><li>Old Friends by Simon &amp; Garfunkel</li><li>The Way Old Friends Do by ABBA</li><li>Your Song by Elton John</li><li>Somewhere Only We Know by Keane</li><li>My Friend by Cherrelle</li><li>Friendship by Norah Jones feat. Mavis Staples</li><li>What a Friend by Josh Garrels</li><li>Auld Lang Syne by Sufjan Stevens</li><li>I Don't Want a Lover by Texas</li></ol>

Two Spotify playlists, one team's stories: discover 70 songs that capture what close friendship feels like, then hear why each Friendship Lab team member picked theirs.

The 70 Best Songs About Friendship: Check Out Friendship Lab’s New Spotify Playlists!

The 70 Best Songs About Friendship: Check Out Friendship Lab’s New Spotify Playlists!

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