Where the war songs count the cost, these point the other way: toward unity, an end to the fighting, and the quiet you carry inside. Some are marches written for a movement; others are just one person asking for calm.
Updated 2026
Imagine by John Lennon 1971
The best-known plea for a world with nothing left to fight over.
Read the meaning behind the songGive Peace a Chance by Plastic Ono Band 1969
A chant simple enough for a whole crowd to shout back.
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye 1971
Gaye answering violence with tenderness instead of anger.
Peace Train by Cat Stevens 1971
An invitation to climb aboard before the chance passes.
One Love / People Get Ready by Bob Marley & The Wailers 1977
One heart, one love, sung like a standing invitation to everyone.
Heal the World by Michael Jackson 1991
A plea to make the place better for the people who come next.
Where Is the Love? by Black Eyed Peas 2003
A post-9/11 question that still lands two decades on.
Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan 1963
How many times must the cannonballs fly, asked and never answered.
Let There Be Peace on Earth by Jill Jackson & Sy Miller 1955
A choir favorite that asks peace to begin with you.
If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song) by Peter, Paul and Mary 1962
Hammering out justice and freedom as a folk rallying cry.
Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer 2006
A softer, more resigned take on wanting things to settle.
We Shall Overcome by Pete Seeger 1963
The anthem that carried a movement, sung hand in hand.
For the kind of peace that has nothing to do with the news.
Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel 1970
A promise to be the steady thing when someone is worn down.
Lean on Me by Bill Withers 1972
Plain words about leaning on each other until the load lifts.
Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin 1988
All voice, no instruments, and impossible to stay tense through.