- 7/25/2025
Some songs hit differently when you know the story behind them.
Welcome to WatchMojo.WORLD, where we’re counting down the Top 10 songs written or recorded by musicians who knew they were nearing the end of their lives. From haunting lyrics to emotional farewells, these tracks stand as their final messages to the world.
Which of these farewell songs moved you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Welcome to WatchMojo.WORLD, where we’re counting down the Top 10 songs written or recorded by musicians who knew they were nearing the end of their lives. From haunting lyrics to emotional farewells, these tracks stand as their final messages to the world.
Which of these farewell songs moved you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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MusicTranscript
00:00I hurt myself today.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:07And today we're counting down our picks for the songs that were created in the face of an artist's impending death.
00:14Oh, I'll be free.
00:21Number 10. Last Donut of the Night, J Dilla.
00:26While most would choose to say goodbye with lyrics, renowned producer J Dilla did so through production alone.
00:34After experiencing difficulties with lupus and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, he was eventually hospitalized.
00:49Knowing the end was near, he worked on his last album from his medical ward.
00:54Last Donut of the Night is the penultimate track, serving as the emotional climax.
01:06While there are no words, he conveyed his thoughts on mortality through complex beats and melodies.
01:13It sparked discussion within his fandom, with some even finding symbolism pertaining to death in the official fan-made video.
01:21It was a fitting conclusion to his respected career.
01:25One that ensured he won't be forgotten anytime soon.
01:36Number 9. I'm Not Gonna Miss You
01:39Glenn Campbell
01:40You may think that most songs about one's end would be bleak and gloomy,
01:45but some have a wildly different tone.
01:48Glenn Campbell was a beloved figure, and his final contribution cemented his legacy.
02:01After learning he had Alzheimer's disease, he knew that the clock was ticking.
02:06This led to him recording one more tune,
02:08The message is irreverent and blunts, referencing his illness and the memories it took from him.
02:23His outlook was realistic, even stating that while people would be sad, he wouldn't be able to care due to his disorder.
02:30The dark humor was the perfect way of approaching the unfortunate situation, closing out his life and vocation with acclaim.
02:45Number 8. Don't Worry About Me
02:48Joey Ramone
02:50Even if a piece isn't necessarily about the creator's impending fate,
02:55some can be recontextualized to have that meaning post-death.
02:59Joey Ramone, the lead singer of the eponymous band The Ramones,
03:04had only just started his solo venture when complications with lymphoma began to arise.
03:15He kept the diagnosis secret until just before he died, shocking people across the nation.
03:22This led them to look at his posthumous debut in a new light,
03:26particularly the titular track, Don't Worry About Me.
03:36While it could have been interpreted to be about a failing relationship,
03:40some read between the lines and saw it as his farewell to his supporters.
03:45The result was haunting,
03:46making listeners wonder what could have been had he had more time.
03:50Number 7. When the sky comes looking for you
04:01Motorhead
04:02Sometimes, the inclusion of despondent themes can seem purely coincidental,
04:08but end up carrying new weight after a tragedy.
04:11Motorhead, and more specifically, its frontman, Lemmy,
04:14were widely beloved in the rock scene.
04:17Dreaming, screaming,
04:20not trying to get shoes
04:22Their last project was created and published just before Lemmy died in 2015,
04:28with none of the members even being aware
04:31that their time with their bandmate was coming to a close.
04:34His passing gave new meaning to when the sky comes looking for you.
04:38The deceptively upbeat number wasn't about Lemmy in particular,
04:49but the lines questioning what would one do when faced with their own undoing
04:53were suddenly much more pertinent than they originally had been.
04:57The newly derived meaning helped provide some closure for his grieving fan base.
05:02Number 6. Keep Me In Your Heart
05:12Warren Zevon
05:14For some musicians, an unwelcome medical discovery is all the motivation they need
05:19to get their parting words out.
05:21Warren Zevon was an accomplished singer
05:24who recorded his endmost work after learning he had an inoperable form of mesothelioma.
05:30If I leave you, it doesn't mean I love you any less
05:36The saxophone-backed Please Stay
05:39was his plea for his family to support him
05:41as he fearfully faced oblivion.
05:45Will you stay with me till the end?
05:51Things became even clearer once Keep Me In Your Heart began.
05:55Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house
06:00Maybe you'll think of me and smile
06:04It's even more somber, this time asking people to think of him as they continued living,
06:10even during simpler moments.
06:12It celebrated the little things that made living great,
06:15while acknowledging he wouldn't be able to enjoy them much longer.
06:19It was the last thing he ever created, bidding adieu to those who loved him.
06:24Keep me in your heart for a while
06:295. Stuck Inside a Cloud
06:35George Harrison
06:36Whether with the Beatles or on his own,
06:40his dedication to his art was unparalleled.
06:43In the early aughts, it was revealed that George Harrison's cancer had returned.
06:49This caused him to dedicate his remaining energy to Brainwashed,
06:52his first full-length solo output since 1987.
07:03His escalating sickness led to him teaming up with his son to finally finish it.
07:08While Stuck Inside a Cloud doesn't mention his ailment,
07:11it does allude to his own contemplations about his existence.
07:15I lost my will to eat
07:20Some lyrics even point to him potentially losing sleep and not eating due to his thoughts,
07:27which could be construed to be about his prognosis.
07:31Although the meaning isn't certain,
07:33it ended up being a touching way to end his career.
07:37Only as you leave me
07:40I also lose my heart
07:444. You Want It Darker
07:47Leonard Cohen
07:48He's one of the poster children of melancholic music,
07:52making it no surprise when his conclusive composition referenced his own demise.
07:58It was released just before he fell and passed away in his home,
08:02after several months of physical deterioration.
08:05Burning for the help that never came.
08:08You want it darker.
08:10His declining health encouraged him to finish his final record.
08:17Some tunes, like Leaving the Table,
08:20acknowledged his condition and the feelings that came with accepting death.
08:24There's no one left to blame on leaving the table.
08:30The true piece de resistance was the opener.
08:34You Want It Darker
08:35Where he references his religious roots by questioning God.
08:39It's particularly accusatory,
08:42with Cohen interrogating the deity while admitting he was ready to join it.
08:47It closed out his body of work perfectly,
08:50committing to the gloomy lyricism that defined him.
08:53If thine is the glory,
08:56mine must be the shame.
08:58You want it darker.
09:003. Mother Love
09:03Queen
09:03Freddie Mercury defined the word icon.
09:07Known for his extraordinary voice,
09:09Mercury helped lead Queen to its great heights.
09:13After contracting HIV,
09:15he knew that his time would run out,
09:17motivating him to take to the studio.
09:20His work included anthems that showcased his unwavering dedication,
09:24such as,
09:25The Show Must Go On.
09:26The Show Must Go On.
09:26I can fly,
09:28my friend,
09:31The Show Must Go On.
09:33Others,
09:34like
09:34These Are the Days of Our Lives,
09:36recalled simpler moments that were lost to time.
09:39These are all gone now,
09:42but
09:43The most gut-wrenching was Mother Love,
09:48which he never got to finish.
09:55Besides the lyrics longing for peace
09:58and references to the pain he was experiencing,
10:01the instrumentals include bits of every piece they made,
10:04creating a heartbreaking tribute
10:06to one of music's most beloved performers.
10:09As the sun goes down,
10:13I'm going home to my sweet
10:17Number 2.
10:20Hurt
10:20Johnny Cash
10:22Although he didn't write it himself,
10:24Johnny Cash gave the song an entirely new meaning.
10:28After a long, successful career,
10:30Johnny Cash saw the end approaching.
10:33I Hurt Myself
10:37Today
10:38After a litany of issues with his well-being,
10:43the writing was on the wall,
10:45resulting in his decision to cover Nine Inch Nails' Hurt.
10:48He took the already bleak premise
10:50and transformed it into a tortured self-reflection of a man
10:54looking back on his complicated life
10:57and the choices he made.
10:58What have I become?
11:03My sweetest friend
11:07The accompanying video added to the vision,
11:10showing Cash surrounded by things in different phases of deterioration.
11:14Using his wife's memory as inspiration,
11:17he was able to take his remaining days
11:19and use them to create one of the most respected covers in the modern era.
11:23I will make you hurt
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11:45Number 1.
11:46Lazarus
11:47David Bowie
11:48Having the chance to say goodbye is a privilege that not all artists get to enjoy.
11:54David Bowie seemed to know that
11:55and therefore constructed a song that put both his creativity
11:59and emotional intelligence on display.
12:02I'm in danger
12:03I've got nothing left to lose
12:10After being diagnosed with liver cancer,
12:13he kept the news under wraps
12:14while quietly working on his last release.
12:17The crowning achievement of his final days
12:20was Lazarus,
12:21the last single he ever created.
12:30It's a direct reference to his own expiration
12:33while also serving as a personal elegy.
12:36With it,
12:37Bowie forced the world to reckon with the fact
12:39that it would soon be losing a star.
12:41And while it softened the blow,
12:43people still weren't prepared for his demise
12:46less than a month afterwards.
12:48Ain't that just like me?
12:55Which of these songs' deeper meanings
12:57resonated with you the most?
12:59Let us know in the comments below.
13:02I'm not gonna miss you
13:04Did you enjoy this video?
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