Survival Songs Playlist | 27 Tracks for SHTF
We are keeping it light-hearted with an article based on a simple question- what would be on your survival songs playlist if the world were ending? We mulled it over and picked some great songs that fit either thematically or by motivating you. Music may not be the first thing on your mind at the end of the world, but it’s something that can help you get by. It can calm you, get you amped, and even let you reflect on your past.
We’ve grabbed some survival songs that pair well with end-of-the-world predicaments and curated them into a list below. You may recognize a few from some apocalyptic movies, and a few are just common sense. Turn on your speakers, load up your Survival Song Playlist, and get ready to rock out even when SHTF.
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These rankings of survival songs have been updated for 2025 based on reader feedback and jamming out to the tracks over the past year. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Disclosure»
Top 10 Survival Songs
Whether it’s a personal SHTF situation or the reckoning, songs have the power to ease tension and provide some nostalgic comfort. For now, we’ve selected our top 10 based on what we think, but going forward, we’ll let you weigh in as well. Tell us what you have on your SHTF playlist, and we’ll add it to the list, and it might even make the top 10 next time we revisit the rankings.
For now, here is what we have loaded up on our top 10 songs for survival situations:
10. R.E.M. – It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
We’ll go ahead and get R.E.M. out of the way since that is what everyone thinks of when you bring up SHTF and TEOTWAWKI and music. This frantic song is perfect to start off our playlist for the end times.
9. Bob Marley – Three Little Birds
This upbeat song may be just what you need to overcome the next obstacle in your path. Bob Marley always lifts my spirits, and his laid-back charm could help your spirits be lifted in even the darkest times. This song helped Will Smith get through tough times in I Am Legend, an okay zombie movie with a little too much CGI.
8. Bobby Darin – Beyond the Sea
Whether you’re inspired by the Fallout or Bioshock video game franchises or a Navy vet, there is a sense of adventure and survival wrapped into this short classic that can pick at your strings of nostalgia. It’s not just Bobby Darrin’s song- you could cue up any of the Rat Pack’s anthology and it’ll fit in this genre.
My personal favorite of the bunch is Dean Martin, with Volare, Sway, and You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You just to name a few. Maybe you’ll run with Sinatra or tracks directly from the Fallout series.
7. Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World
Melancholy may be the best word to describe your mood at the end of the world. Nirvana has you covered with this great song about man’s destructive power and greed. If you prefer the original David Bowie version, go ahead and grab that one for your playlist instead.
6. Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
Gloria Gaynor’s anthem has helped plenty of people push through difficult times in their lives. If you need a little giddy up to go punch something in the teeth, I Will Survive will probably work.
I used to prefer the Cake cover, but slowly realized my ignorance over time. Classics are usually classics for a reason.
5. Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb
There is a good chance that you could get numb to your surroundings at the end of the world. The pressures of survival and the inevitable loss you will experience can make you callous to your emotions. This Pink Floyd classic captures that melancholy you could experience.
4. The Beatles – Yesterday
If you are feeling wistful or just feel like remembering the better times, the Beatles have the perfect song. This easily makes it on the playlist since remembering how you lived your life will be on everyone’s mind during SHTF.
3. The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black
The Rolling Stones have a great song for the end of the world in Paint It, Black. It’s a bit bleak, but it also doubles as a great hype song or ‘guns blazing’ anthem. The Stones have always run with somber imagery in their music, focusing on plenty of metaphors for humanity’s historical capacity for evil, like “Sympathy for the Devil.”
2. Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole – Somewhere Over the Rainbow
We have to include a song filled with an appreciation for the world that we live in. If you haven’t made the most of your time here, you’re lucky the end is not upon us yet. It’s not too late to appreciate the world we have and to get prepared for any ‘speed bumps’ along the way.
This song makes me calm, thankful, and appreciative of the simple things in the world. Israel had a great voice, and we’re all blessed to have this on a track before he passed.
1. Johnny Cash – The Man Comes Around
The Man in Black himself rounds out our list with the last song he wrote before his death. The haunting ode has several references to the Bible, including the Book of Revelation. It is a great song to cap our list at number ten and finish up our SHTF playlist solidly.
More TEOTWAWKI Songs
Just because we made a top 10 list doesn’t mean there aren’t more great songs about TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World as We Know It), surviving, or some other subject that’ll motivate you when you need it. Other songs we considered include:
- Blue Öyster Cult – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
- Cage the Elephant – Right Before My Eyes
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
- Dave Matthews Band – When the World Ends
- Drowning Pool – Bodies
- Europe – The Final Countdown
- Fall Out Boy – What a Time to Be Alive
- Fastball – The Way
- Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
- Matchbox 20 – How Far We’ve Come
- Matt Maltese – As the World Caves In
- Metallica – Blackened
- Nena – 99 Luftballons
- Pink Floyd – Two Suns in the Sunset
- Prince – 1999
- Temple of the Dog – Hunger Strike
As you give us more suggestions in the comments, we’ll add them to this list and consider them for the Top 10 when we review the next update.
Spotify Survival Playlist
If you need some survival song inspiration, load up a playlist and hit that shuffle button. Or leave it off shuffle if you want to cruise through the top 10 survival songs we have loaded in order.
You can listen along on the playlist we made, including all of the songs above, on Spotify. We’ll keep it updated too, so your suggestions should show up pretty quickly, even if we haven’t updated the official rankings yet.
What’s on Your Prepper Playlist?
There are a ton of songs out there that pull their ideas, tone, and lyrics from the end of times, survival, and even being prepared. I’m sure we’ve missed more than a few, so we need your help filling out the playlist and updating the Top 10 for next time.
Leave a comment with what you have in your rotation so we can add it to our list too! If you have one you think should be in the top 10, speak up, and we’ll consider swapping it in next time. Or, if you think we got the order mixed up, let us know which song is more relevant. One thing to keep in mind is that we limit an artist’s appearance to just once in the top 10- so no loading it up with Metallica!
Just like how the best version of preparedness involves communities and collaboration, we’re collaborating with everyone on this playlist since music is so subjective.
The Final Word
Musicians have been touching lives for ages, and they will continue all the way up to the end. Music can keep you going when it’s tough, lifting your spirits. It can also get you amped up to accomplish what you need to do to survive. We struggled to keep the list down to ten, but feel free to add your favorites that you will have queued up at the end of the world to the comments.
Here are some other top 10s and guides our subscribers have enjoyed:
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
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Hey Sean,
Thank you for this. Great selection.
I quite like the Fallout Franchise for tapping the vein of post Hiroshima songs. Sheldon Allman – Crawl Out Through The Fallout is a very cheerfully ironic song.
All the best,
Adrien