Ahhh… The long days of summer are here. I love this time of the year in the Pacific Northwest. The sun peeks out at 5 am and sets around 9 pm. That’s a huge difference than in the winter when the sun sets around 5 pm. The temperature is perfect for us too at around 75 degrees. There are a ton of fun activities to do around town and the pool is open for those few hot days. Fresh fruits and vegetables taste great and are way cheaper than in the winter. Life doesn’t get better than this when you’re retired.
I hope I didn’t bring you down if you’re stuck inside working. Summers were particularly tough for me when I was an engineer. There were so many fun things to do, why did I have to be stuck in a cubicle? Today, I’ll share some music that helped me get through those rough days. It’s smart to be logical and plan smartly for FIRE, but sometimes you need a little emotional boost too.
Grab your headphone and check them out! Also, share your favorite FIRE songs in the comment section. I’d love to discover some new music.
*Tip of the day – Retire in the spring or summer. There are a ton of activities to keep you occupied. The transition would be much tougher when you’re stuck inside without a lot to do in the winter.
1. Wicked – Defying Gravity
Elphaba sticks it to the man and goes it alone. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut no matter what anyone else says. I’m not a huge fan of musicals, but Wicked was a great show. This scene was fantastic in the theater. You’ve got to see this show if you haven’t seen it before. Defy gravity if you can.
2. Van Halen – Right Now
If you don’t like your life, then start turning it around right now. Don’t wait until tomorrow. I listened to this song constantly to help me stay motivated during my last year of working full time. It was the perfect song to blast on the radio as I left the office for the last time.
3. Office Space – Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangster
Anyone dreaming about quitting their crappy corporate job needs to watch this 1999 cult classic – Office Space. I didn’t think I’d become Peter, but life happens. Now, back to your TPS report!
4. Bowie – Space Oddity
I just watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and this is a great scene. This song is about being brave and doing something out of the ordinary. I enjoyed this movie a lot. You have to take a leap of faith once in a while. RIP David Bowie.
5. Eminem – Lose Yourself
This is about taking the opportunity to seize everything you’ve ever wanted. The movie 8 Mile is good too.
6. Rocky Theme – Gonna Fly Now
This is another classic underdog song to help you persevere through the journey to FIRE. Keep fighting even when it’s tough. Go Rocky!
7. Iggy Pop – Lust for life
The Trainspotting soundtrack is so good! Here is a quote from the opening scene. Sounds familiar?
Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life…
8. Pharrell – Freedom!
What does freedom mean to you?
9. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger
Here is another great song. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, including a job…
10. The Real Folk Blues
I loved Cowboy Bebop when it came out. It is such a great anime. This song is the 2020 version of The Real Folk Blues. It’s so good! I’ve been listening to it every day for weeks now. You might not get why this song is on this list if you didn’t watch the anime though. So go watch it. 😉
What’s your FIRE soundtrack?
I had a great time searching for fun songs for this list and spent a ton of time listening to music over the last few days. I hope you enjoy them too especially if you’re stuck in the office on such a nice summer day.
What songs do you listen to so you can stay motivated? I need more inspirational music to help Mrs. RB40 push through to 2022. She’ll take a year off then and we’ll see how it goes.
For a more serious look at how to stay motivated see this one – How to Stay The Course to Financial Independence.
Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects across the USA so check them out!
Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital for DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.
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Feel Invincible – Skillet. These guys still have it.
Hi Joe,
Please be safe on your road trip! As a Public Health nurse involved in COVID response, I can attest that a large number of new cases in my county are due to people traveling, either themselves or having visitors. Take good care of yourselves and others !
We’re back. We tried to be safe, but many tourists and locals didn’t wear a mask. The pandemic will keep getting worse if we don’t work together.
Les Mis Look Down
Glad you guys are going on a safe and socially distant road trip. I think everyone’s mental health is suffering during this entire COVID19 thing as well. Music is so therapeutic!
This is one I love – Galvanzie – Chemical Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls5VH_Vvg9g
https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858525724/
Thanks for a great list!
Haha! This Philly girl is excited you have a Rocky song on here! Before I became a nurse and was slogging away at my desk job in Manhattan, I’d listen over and over to the Strokes’ first two albums. It was fun music that kept me awake and reminded me of the world just outside my building. I also listened to Bob Mould’s District Line a lot. Those were my top 3 favorites to get through the work day.
Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, I like the Glee cast version, the first one
Joe,
Interesting post and it made me think which songs I listen to that reflects the before and after being Financially Independent (FI). I used to listen to a lot music from 60’s and New Wave from the 80’s but not so much in the last 8 years. From 2009 to 2017, we were aggressively saving money in preparation for lay offs. 1/3 of our IT staff were let go. That is over 1,000 people. The following “Money” song reflects how obssessively I invested our life’s savings and most earnings to buy Municpal Bonds to generate 84K tax free passive income to reach FI in 2014. I heard the New Wave version remake from “The Flying LIzzards” first.
Barrett Strong 1959 “Money (That’s What I Want)”
the remake from
The Flying Lizzards 1979 “Money (That’s What I Want)”
Life after FI is reflected from this song “Break the Rules” from Charli XCX. This fast beat song is about not going to school and not giving a fudge. Being FI to me it, represents breaking the rules of needing to work until 65 to retire. We also broke the rules by spending less money and increasing our savings rate to 85% instead of the recommened 10-15% by financial experts. With having FU money now, I just don’t give a fudge at work. I don’t volunteer for new work, new projects or to even learn new technologies. It is tough to get through the rest of the journey. It is quite depressing at work after the laid offs. When people try to dump their work on me, I say “NO”! Being FI is empowering! I am just “burning time” at work to reach 55 in 2.2 years to double my pension and to get 8K for medical coverage before I am made redundant when my obsolete systems are rewritten and outsourced externally in two years. Since I am the only one that supports my systems it is OK if the company lets me go before 55. If this happens then I would turn my phones off and laugh my butt off because there are system problems. Just don’t call me. 🙂
Charli XCX 2014 “Break The Rules”
I don’t wanna go to school
I just wanna break the rules
……
Now, all I want to do is to have fun and to be child like again by collecting toys. The best song that reflects my new phase in life is by Sheryl Crow
“All I Wanna Do”
Adam
Danger zone. That song goes with anything
Top Gun was an awesome movie. 🙂
Lately found this Good cop bad cop song that is super for running. The beat is excellent. Of course there is some inappropriate language and strong words, but if you want just a running beat this one I find the best for now 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSKRLZSzCXA
I wish I would have appreciated David Bowie more when he was alive. My wife loves his music and I didn’t start listening with her until he died. It is crazy how many great songs he produced or was involved with.
Your post wasn’t about Bowie, but I felt obligated to add that. I love listening to music and it can be an underrated source of motivation. Especially in the context you have mentioned. When you connect with a song or the message of a so, you are going to see an instant improvement in your attitude or motivation. Whenever I am at work and just need to calm down or up my mood, I turn to music. If I need a jolt, I turn on 90s rock (greenday, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, etc.). When I need to relax, Led Zeppelin (Since I’ve been loving you is my all time favorite song! There is one lyric “I’ve been working from seven to eleven every night, it kind of makes my life a drag” that seems to resonate me during the long busy season hours), Rush, Queen or Jimi Hendrix usually do the trick. Something about the long guitar solos and rhythm always calms me down!
I do believe in the power of music. One other thing to note. Isn’t it funny how we all find ourselves slowly sliding into Peter at some point when we are working for a company? It is not an obvious transition, that’s for sure.
Thanks for the great read today!
Bert
Thanks for your comment. I think music is a great source of motivation too. Sometime you need help getting through the rough spots. Bowie was a great musician.
I want to retire every Spring. Nice list of music. I enjoy #5. Eminem – Lose Yourself, but lately, I can’t stop singing “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper…or my song I made up to it “Debt’s Out” 🙂
I can’t believe no one mentioned lil Dicky- save dat money! Haha! For all you frugal people out there. This guy is hilarious. The song ismy life! 😛
A Walk – Bad Religion
“All I Wanna Do” by Cheryl Crow.
https://youtu.be/Vy7TK74zps4
“We are drinkin’ beer at noon on Tuesday
In a bar that faces a giant car wash
The good people of the world they’re washin’ their cars
On their lunch break
Hosin’ and scrubbin’ as best they can in skirts and suits”
Awesome post, love the songs. Damn it’s good to be a Gangsta is an awesome choice.
A very diverse set of songs, Joe! I like the list.
My favorite on your list is #9!!
I like two songs:
it’s a beautiful day by U2 for when you finally get there and
it’s my life by Bon Jovi
Office space for me, man that movie was so funny! Especially the boss who always wanted them to work more 🙂
Even on this dreary day I definitely need this!
I was on leave for 4 weeks to spend time with my new born and being back at work sucks!!!!
My motivation song is Diddy – Coming home
As far as I know Blue Bayou (Linda Ronstadt) is the only song that shares the secret formula–
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_lzeHYNngE
Great choices. Lose Yourself and Gonna Fly Now (as well as much of the Rocky soundtrack) are my favorites. Oh and I really loved Wicked…my favorite Broadway musical. Great music too.
A relaxing post, Joe.
What about Alan Jackson’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”?
So much fun Joe! We posted a list of contenders in a contest for our retirement theme song. We whittled them down to 4 for a Twitter poll. “Born to Run” won. I don’t know how we missed “Gonna Fly Now”!
Others in our list include: It’s My Life (The Animals), Already Gone (Eagles), Born to Be Alive (Patrick Hernandez), It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere (Jackson/Buffet), How Do You Like Me Now (Toby Keith), You Can Take This Job and Shove It (Johnny Paycheck), Bang The Drum All Day (Todd Rundgren), Goodbye To You (Scandal), and I’m Free (The Who)
I just… I love that Wicked is at the top of this list. 🙂 When I need to get pumped, I like listening to Daft Punk!
A lot of good songs on this list, and I have a few more to add…
Counting Stars – One Republic (“No more counting dollars, we’ll be counting stars” Seriously, this sing is THE anthem of FIRE. So many relevant lines.)
Miss Independent – Ne-Yo (For all the fellow hard-working ladies out there!)
Better Life – Paper Route (This one will be on the border for some, but it is one of my favorite songs. For those who prefer more melancholic undertones.)
Could Have Been Me – The Struts (I listened to this one on repeat after I passed my comprehensive exam for my master’s degree. A great song that will definitely pump you up. Total FIRE anthem.)
I like World Cup Songs, they are generally have great message “Go go Go, ale ale ale!!” Or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0 wak waka by Shakira (This time for Africa), once you reach FIRE, you can travel Africa Safari… LOL 🙂
“*Tip of the day – Retire in the spring or summer. There are a ton of activities to keep you occupied. The transition would be much tougher when you’re stuck inside without a lot to do in the winter.”
I hadn’t thought of this, but it makes so much sense. It does seem like it would make for a much easier transition.
And I think of that Office Space scene often. 🙂
We’ll have to watch Office Space again. It’s been a long time for me. 🙂
They should do a remake with a female protagonist.
Not a music video, but we do love this video for motivation and inspiration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgmVOuLgFB0
Nice video, but you have to pay attention. The music can be played in the background on repeat. 🙂
I love Mike Love’s Permanent Holiday song. I used to listen to it when I was working as a corporate accountant and needed some hope for the future 🙂
Nice message, but the beat doesn’t speak to me. Maybe my taste in music is too conventional.
Thanks! 🙂
Wow I don’t know most of the song on the list. I know Lose Yourself and Stronger. I never thought there were songs for FIRE. I only have songs that motivated me to lose weight lol. I was listening to Beautiful by Mariah Carey on my way to work this morning. 😀
You’re so young. 🙂
haha I wish. That song came out 4 years ago 😀
“Life’s Been Good” from Joe Walsh.
https://youtu.be/BXWvKDSwvls
And the Kenny Loggins song “I’m Alright” from Caddyshack. Check out those lyrics you could never understand!
I can’t complain, but sometime I still do. 🙂
Hey fellow PNWer! Some of the songs are way before my time but #5 is everything. Sing for the Moment by Eninem is great too 😉
Some of these are before my time too. 🙂
Love this post, Joe! And I HATED working inside during the summer as a school administrator. In upstate NY, beautiful weather (for me anyway) is at a premium and sitting at my desk looking at it was the worst. I always loved that Van Halen song! But these days, I’m thinking more about island time! One of my favorites – a Zac Brown Band song featuring Jimmy Buffett… Knee Deep. “The only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair” (the video is awesome too!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n5G0qFBsHM
School is out! Are you retired now? Enjoy the summer. I’ve been to Buffalo once for a conference and it was pretty nice. I’d love to spend more time in that area when the weather is nice.
Thanks for sharing Knee Deep. A bit too Island time for me. 🙂
YES! School is out and I’m officially 4 days into retirement. Sanding floors today to prep our house for sale. I can see why flooring folks make good money!
My song is Kid Rock’s “Roll On” it is very interesting to listen to this song with my FIRE journey and future in mind, the lyrics sync up so well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5w4DfUvdcw
I can’t argue with any of those songs. However, the first some that came to my mind when I read the title was “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits.
I’ve been listening to Sultan of Swings a lot lately. Money for Nothing is pretty good too.
Fun post, Joe!
One song for Mrs. RB40- “Hold On” (for one more day) by Wilson Phillips. Perfect lyrics.
Two songs for you- “Summer Madness” by Kool and the Gang. Perfect instrumental. And
“Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly & the Family Stone. Classic, classic! Best lyrics. Old school, baby! : )
Summer Madness is pretty good. That’s new to me. Thanks!
Lots of great songs Joe!
I would have to add one for my FIRE soundtrack — Imagine Dragons “On Top Of the World”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5tWYmIOWGk
I’m not familiar with that song. Nice one for when you’re walking out. 🙂
Thanks!