Every year, millions of people around the world switch off their lights for Earth Hour, turning one quiet hour into a global statement about the planet we share. Whether you are sitting in candlelight at home, gathering with friends, or simply reflecting on the beauty of the natural world, music has the power to deepen that connection and make the moment unforgettable. This handpicked list of the best songs for Earth Hour spans decades of powerful, moving music — from classic anthems that shaped the environmental movement to brand-new releases pushing that message forward. Each song here is real, widely available on streaming platforms and YouTube, and carries a message worth hearing on the night the world goes dark together.
Whether you prefer folk, pop, R&B, indie, or classical, this playlist covers all the moods Earth Hour can bring — contemplation, hope, urgency, and gratitude. Pair your listening experience with the right gear by checking out our guides on the best headphones for immersive listening and the top earbuds for on-the-go music to make this Earth Hour truly special.
“Big Yellow Taxi” – Joni Mitchell
Released in 1970 on her album Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” is arguably the most iconic environmental song ever written. The track was inspired by a trip Mitchell took to Hawaii, where she was struck by the sight of a beautiful landscape overshadowed by a hotel parking lot — a jarring symbol of humanity’s tendency to prioritize convenience over nature. With its instantly recognizable acoustic guitar riff and the unforgettable refrain about paving paradise to put up a parking lot, the song remains a timeless rallying cry for environmental protection more than five decades after its release. It was voted the world’s number one environmental song by readers of The Guardian, cementing its legendary status. It has been covered by over 556 artists, including popular versions by Counting Crows and Amy Grant, yet Mitchell’s original retains an unmistakable clarity and emotional urgency that no cover has ever quite replicated.
“What’s Going On” – Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye’s 1971 masterpiece “What’s Going On” is one of the most emotionally profound songs in the history of popular music, weaving together concerns about war, poverty, and the destruction of the natural environment with a tenderness that still moves listeners to tears. The title track from Gaye’s landmark album of the same name, the song asks a simple but devastating question about how much more abuse from humanity the Earth can endure. Gaye recorded the album at a time of enormous social upheaval, channeling his grief over the Vietnam War, the civil rights struggle, and ecological degradation into a sonic and lyrical work of stunning beauty. The lush orchestration, layered vocals, and jazz-infused soul production make the song feel like a living, breathing organism, perfectly suited for Earth Hour’s quiet hour of reflection. It stands as one of the greatest protest recordings ever made — timeless in its message and unparalleled in its emotional depth.
“Earth Song” – Michael Jackson
Few songs in pop history hit with the emotional force of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song,” released in 1995 from his album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The song is an anguished lament for the state of the planet — its deforestation, animal extinction, wars, and the displacement of people from their land — and Jackson delivers it with a vocal intensity that is genuinely overwhelming. The accompanying music video, depicting environmental destruction followed by a miraculous restoration of nature and life, remains one of the most watched short films in music history. “Earth Song” reached number one in the United Kingdom, spending six weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart, and became one of Jackson’s most celebrated recordings. It is impossible to listen to this song during Earth Hour without feeling the full weight of what is at stake and the fierce, urgent hope that something can still change.
“Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
John Denver’s 1972 classic “Rocky Mountain High” is a love letter to the American wilderness — specifically to the Colorado Rockies, where Denver made his home and drew his deepest spiritual inspiration. The song describes a man who arrives in the mountains as a drifter, burned out and searching, and is slowly healed by the beauty and silence of the natural world. Denver was awarded the First World Ecology Award in 1990 for his tireless advocacy for environmental conservation, and this song embodies that devotion completely — it was named one of the two official state songs of Colorado in 2007. The gentle acoustic guitar, the way Denver’s voice lifts on the word “high,” and the vivid lyrical imagery of sunsets on the mountains and campfire smoke all combine to create a sense of peace that is perfect for Earth Hour candlelight listening. It reminds us of what we stand to lose if we stop protecting the natural spaces that have the power to restore the human spirit.
“This Land Is Your Land” – Woody Guthrie
Written in 1940 and recorded in 1944, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” is one of the most beloved songs in American musical history — a walking tour of the country’s natural wonders that celebrates the land itself as a shared inheritance belonging to every person who lives on it. Guthrie wrote the song as a response to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” feeling that a more direct celebration of the land’s physical beauty and the democratic right of all people to enjoy it was needed. The song moves through California, New York, the redwood forests, the Gulf Stream waters, the sparkling sands of a diamond desert, and the wheat fields waving — a catalog of natural glory that still resonates as a reminder of what the Earth offers freely. It has been performed by artists as diverse as Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Sharon Jones, and remains a defining anthem for anyone who loves the land and believes it must be protected for all.
“Feels Like Summer” – Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino — the stage name of multi-hyphenate artist Donald Glover — released “Feels Like Summer” in 2018, and the song quickly became one of the most quietly devastating climate change anthems in recent memory. Beneath its smooth, hazy R&B production lies a deeply troubling message: rising temperatures, dying animals, and a world that is slowly suffocating under the weight of human indifference. The song earned Glover a Grammy nomination and was praised by critics for the way it used the aesthetics of summer nostalgia to underscore the very real threat of losing those warm, carefree moments forever. Lines referencing birds made for singing waking up to no sound are delivered with such casual ease that the horror of their meaning is amplified by the gentle, sun-warmed vibe. For Earth Hour, this is the song that puts a bittersweet lump in your throat — the sound of something precious and almost gone.
“One” – U2
U2’s timeless 1991 ballad “One” — from the album Achtung Baby — remains one of the most powerful statements about human unity and shared responsibility ever recorded. The song emerged from a period of internal conflict within the band, but the lyrics Bono ultimately wrote speak to the fragile, essential truth that we are all in this together — we carry each other. In the context of Earth Hour, “One” takes on the dimensions of a planetary anthem: the “one” we share is not just a relationship between people but between humanity and the Earth itself. The song has been performed at numerous humanitarian and environmental events across the decades, and its stripped-back, guitar-led sound is ideal for the reflective mood of a candlelit evening. Few songs in rock history have such a capacity to make you feel both the weight of collective failure and the possibility of collective redemption.
“The 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)” – Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson has always worn his environmentalism lightly but sincerely, and “The 3 R’s” — written for the 2006 soundtrack of the animated film Curious George — is one of the most cheerfully effective environmental education songs ever made. While the song is often associated with younger listeners, its breezy acoustic pop sound and wonderfully direct message make it an excellent addition to any Earth Hour playlist, particularly as a way to bring younger family members into the evening. Johnson has always been deeply committed to sustainability, and his Kokua Hawaii Foundation actively supports environmental education in Hawaiian schools, backing up the sincerity behind every lyric. The song teaches the simple but crucial principles of reducing waste, reusing materials, and recycling resources, setting them to a melody so warm and inviting that the lesson sticks long after the music ends. Explore more eco-themed and purpose-driven music recommendations in our song recommendations section.
“Heal the World” – Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson’s 1991 ballad “Heal the World,” from his landmark album Dangerous, is one of the most universally recognized songs of peace and environmental hope in all of popular music. Unlike the raw anguish of “Earth Song,” this track radiates warmth and childlike optimism, describing a world that could be transformed if humanity chose love, compassion, and care over destruction and greed. The song inspired Jackson to found the Heal the World Foundation, a charitable organization aimed at improving the lives of children and protecting the environment, underscoring the sincerity behind every lyric. The lush orchestration, children’s choir, and Jackson’s tender vocal delivery make the song almost overwhelming in its emotional generosity, and it has been performed at countless global events including benefit concerts for disaster relief and climate action. During Earth Hour, “Heal the World” is the song you play when you want to hold onto hope — a reminder that the impulse to protect this planet comes from the most human part of us all.
“Yellow” – Coldplay
Coldplay’s breakout 2000 single “Yellow” has been described in many ways over the years — as a love song, as an ode to devotion — but its celestial imagery of stars, the sky, and the infinite universe has always given it a quality of planetary reverence that makes it a natural fit for Earth Hour. The song was written by Chris Martin on a clear night when he stepped outside and looked up at the stars, and that sense of wonder at the natural world is embedded in every note. Released as part of their debut album Parachute, “Yellow” launched Coldplay into global stardom and remains one of the most beloved British songs of its era, reaching the top five in the UK and becoming an enduring radio staple worldwide. Its slow, shimmering guitar opening and Martin’s soft, searching vocal create a meditative quality that suits candlelight perfectly. For anyone sitting outside during Earth Hour, staring up at a sky suddenly brightened by the absence of electric light, “Yellow” is the ideal soundtrack.
“Where Is the Love?” – Black Eyed Peas
Originally released in 2003 and re-recorded in 2016 with an updated cast of guest artists, the Black Eyed Peas’ “Where Is the Love?” is one of the most commercially successful and emotionally resonant social commentary songs of the 21st century, addressing war, racism, environmental degradation, and corporate greed with a directness that was rare for mainstream pop at the time of its release. The song spent five weeks at number one in the UK in 2003 and sold over eight million copies worldwide, making it a genuine global phenomenon and demonstrating that audiences were hungry for music that said something meaningful about the state of the world. The 2016 update added voices of a new generation of artists and updated references to make the song feel as current and urgent as ever. During Earth Hour, when the question “where is the love?” reverberates between the darkened buildings and quiet streets, this song resonates with a particular power — because caring for the planet is, at its core, an act of love.
“All the Good Girls Go to Hell” – Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish, co-writing and producing alongside her brother Finneas, delivered one of the most striking climate change allegories in recent pop history with “All the Good Girls Go to Hell,” released in 2019 from her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? The song uses dark, theatrical imagery — an angel falling from heaven, a world already burning — to talk about the consequences of ignoring climate warnings for too long. Eilish has been an outspoken climate activist since her rise to fame, and specific lyrical references to California hills burning and waters starting to rise are sharp, direct callbacks to the real, visible consequences of climate change that her generation is already inheriting. The song earned enormous attention for its visual storytelling in the music video, in which Eilish is depicted as a fallen, burning angel walking through an apocalyptic landscape. For Earth Hour, it is the perfect confrontational counterpoint to more hopeful tracks — a reminder that the stakes are genuinely high.
“Wake Up” – Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire’s anthemic “Wake Up,” from their 2004 debut album Funeral, is one of those rare songs that begins as a meditation on childhood and loss and expands into something vast and universal — a collective cry for awareness and action in the face of an indifferent world. The Montreal indie rock band created the track as a cathedral of sound, layering vocals, strings, horns, and percussion into a crescendo that feels genuinely overwhelming in the best possible way. The song became one of the defining anthems of 2000s indie rock, performed at a private concert for then-President Barack Obama and used in trailers for major films including Where the Wild Things Are. During Earth Hour, “Wake Up” functions as a literal command: wake up to what is happening around you, wake up to the world you stand in, wake up to the responsibility that comes with being alive on this planet. Few songs carry that message with such breathtaking, chest-swelling force.
“Woodstock” – Joni Mitchell
While “Big Yellow Taxi” is Mitchell’s most explicitly environmental song, “Woodstock” — written in 1969 and memorably covered by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1970 — carries a spiritual and ecological message that is deeply intertwined with the counterculture dream of living in harmony with the natural world. Mitchell wrote the song about the famous music festival despite not attending it herself, channeling the accounts of friends who were there into a lyrical vision of a generation seeking to return to the garden — to reclaim a simpler, more connected relationship with the Earth. The refrain about being stardust, being golden, and needing to get back to the garden is one of the most beautiful summaries of the environmental impulse ever put into song. It captures the feeling of Earth Hour perfectly: a voluntary act of returning, even briefly, to a world without artificial light, and remembering what we are and where we come from.
“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” – R.E.M.
R.E.M. have always carried an undercurrent of ecological anxiety in their music, but “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” released in 1987 from the album Document, brings it to the surface with a breathless, almost manic energy. The song is a rapid-fire inventory of cultural, political, and environmental collapse — a list of catastrophes and crises delivered with such speed and strange exhilaration that it functions as gallows humor of the highest order. Michael Stipe has spoken about his environmental activism throughout R.E.M.’s career, and the band was notably among the first major acts to commit to environmentally sustainable touring practices. For Earth Hour, this track works as a slightly irreverent, darkly funny acknowledgment of all the things that are going wrong — followed by the strange comfort of knowing you are still here, still choosing to act, still caring enough to turn off your lights for sixty minutes.
“Morning Prayer (feat. NATURE)” – Raveena
One of the most beautiful new releases for Earth Hour in recent years, “Morning Prayer (feat. NATURE)” by Indian-American singer-songwriter Raveena was released in April 2025 as part of the Sounds Right initiative — a groundbreaking project launched by the Museum for the United Nations that credits Nature itself as an official artist on streaming platforms, with all royalties going directly to global conservation organizations. The song weaves real field recordings — including rain, Florida frogs, and meditative vocalizations — into Raveena’s ethereal, devotional vocal style to create something that feels genuinely sacred, a piece of music that honors the planet as a living, spiritual entity deserving of reverence and protection. Raveena has described the project as deeply personal, drawing on her Sikh Punjabi roots and her belief in the interconnectedness of all living things, and the track is available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music under the NATURE artist profile. This is the kind of new release that points toward a future where music and conservation are inseparable — and for Earth Hour, it is an almost perfect soundtrack.
“Wake (in the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound) feat. NATURE” – SYML
Seattle-based indie rock artist SYML — known for his delicate, atmospheric sound — created “Wake (in the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound) feat. NATURE” as a tribute to the natural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest where he grew up and is now raising his own children, releasing it in April 2025 as part of the Earth Day Sounds Right initiative. The song incorporates actual field recordings from the Olympic Mountain range and the Puget Sound, embedding those real sounds of water, wind, and wildlife into the music itself so that listening to the track is almost like standing in the quiet mountains with the world around you. SYML has spoken movingly about his desire to show his children the same natural beauty he experienced growing up, and his hope that projects like Sounds Right will contribute to preserving those places for future generations. Highlighted by Spotify as one of three featured tracks from the 2025 Sounds Right Earth Day release alongside Raveena and Armaan Malik, this track is hauntingly ideal for Earth Hour: a meditation on light, wakefulness, and the irreplaceable beauty of the natural world.
“What In the World (feat. NATURE)” – Armaan Malik
Indian pop sensation Armaan Malik brought his signature emotional intensity to the 2025 Sounds Right initiative with “What In the World (feat. NATURE),” a song that asks the same question Marvin Gaye was asking half a century earlier — what is happening to this planet, and what are we going to do about it? Originally debuted during a Billboard Live At-Home performance at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the song captured a spirit of global reflection and found renewed purpose through its official 2025 release incorporating real nature sounds into the production. Malik is one of the most prominent voices in contemporary South Asian pop music, with a career spanning multiple languages and genres, and his collaboration with Sounds Right brought the environmental music conversation to an entirely new global audience. The initiative has amassed over 130 million listeners and pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to conservation projects in biodiversity hotspots including the Tropical Andes, the Amazon, and the Congo Basin. For Earth Hour, it is both a powerful new release and a statement of international solidarity around a shared planet.
“Don’t Go Near the Water” – The Beach Boys
Written by Mike Love and Al Jardine and featured as the opening track on the Beach Boys’ 1971 album Surf’s Up, “Don’t Go Near the Water” stands as one of the earliest and most surprising environmental anthems in American popular music, coming from a band better known for surfboards and sunshine than ecological warnings. The song puts an ironic, ecological spin on the traditional Beach Boys beach-and-surf identity: instead of celebrating the ocean, it mourns its pollution, advising listeners to stay away from the water for environmental reasons — a devastating inversion of everything the band had previously stood for. The fact that a group whose entire brand was built on the joy of the California coast chose to write a song about the destruction of that coast gives the track a particular poignancy and authority. More than fifty years later, with ocean pollution and plastic waste at crisis levels, the song feels even more relevant than when it was first recorded. For Earth Hour, it is a piece of musical history that connects the very beginning of the environmental music movement to the present moment.
“Before the Deluge” – Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne’s “Before the Deluge,” from his 1974 album Late for the Sky, is one of the most achingly beautiful and prophetic environmental songs ever written, telling the story of a generation that dreamed of living in harmony with the Earth and found themselves undone by the magnitude of what they had set out to fight. The song moves through the history of idealism — the hope, the struggle, the confusion — and arrives at an image of the natural world reasserting itself after the human experiment has run its course, with rivers flowing back and mountains standing in silence. Browne’s imagery is startlingly prescient, describing the fury of the natural world responding to human abuse decades before the language of climate science had caught up with the reality he was depicting. The song has been covered by artists as diverse as Joan Baez and Christy Moore, each finding something new in its layers of grief and grace. As an Earth Hour closer, “Before the Deluge” is without equal — a song that holds loss and beauty in the same breath and asks you to sit with both.
Tips for Building the Perfect Earth Hour Playlist
Building the ideal Earth Hour playlist is about more than just stringing together environmental songs. You want a flow that mirrors the arc of the hour itself: beginning with energy and urgency as the lights go out, moving into deeper reflection during the quiet middle, and ending with hope and resolve as the hour closes. Starting with a track like Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” or Billie Eilish’s confrontational climate anthem sets the tone, while transitioning to the meditative beauty of SYML’s “Wake (in the Olympic Mountains)” or Raveena’s “Morning Prayer” mid-hour allows for genuine stillness. Closing with Jackson Browne’s “Before the Deluge” or Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World” leaves listeners with both the weight of the moment and the warmth of possibility.
If you are listening at home with the lights off, investing in quality audio equipment will transform your Earth Hour experience. Sound quality matters enormously for these kinds of deeply emotional listening sessions — explore our curated guide on the best headphones for audiophile-level listening to make every note of these powerful songs count.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Earth Hour and why is music important for it?
Earth Hour is an annual global event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), during which millions of individuals, businesses, and landmarks around the world voluntarily switch off non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness about climate change and environmental conservation. Music enhances Earth Hour by creating an emotional atmosphere that deepens the reflective, contemplative spirit of the event — turning a simple act of switching off lights into a meaningful, almost ceremonial experience that connects participants to the larger global community doing the same thing at the same time.
Are there any new 2025 songs perfect for Earth Hour?
Yes, several powerful new releases are ideal for Earth Hour in 2025. The Sounds Right initiative — a United Nations project that credits Nature as an official artist on streaming platforms — released a stunning collection of new tracks in April 2025, including “Morning Prayer (feat. NATURE)” by Raveena, “Wake (in the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound) feat. NATURE” by SYML, and “What In the World (feat. NATURE)” by Indian pop star Armaan Malik. All royalties from these songs go toward global conservation projects, making streaming them during Earth Hour a genuinely impactful act as well as a beautiful listening experience.
Where can I find these Earth Hour songs on YouTube?
All twenty songs featured in this list are available on YouTube, either through official artist channels or verified music uploads. Simply search the song title and artist name on YouTube to find the official version. For the newer Sounds Right releases such as those featuring NATURE, search the artist name followed by “feat. NATURE” on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music to find the official streams. Songs like Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” and Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” all have official YouTube uploads with millions of views and are easy to find.
Can I use these songs for an Earth Hour event or community gathering?
For private, non-commercial community gatherings such as neighborhood Earth Hour events, school activities, or small group gatherings, playing these songs as background music is generally considered acceptable under most countries’ personal use guidelines. However, for larger public events, outdoor screenings, or any event that charges admission or is broadcast publicly, you would need to obtain the appropriate public performance licenses from the relevant performing rights organizations in your country, such as ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC in the United States, or PRS for Music in the United Kingdom. Always consult local copyright regulations to ensure compliance before using music at any organized event.
What mood should an Earth Hour playlist create?
The ideal Earth Hour playlist should move through several emotional registers across the course of the hour — beginning with a sense of urgency and awareness to mark the significance of the occasion, transitioning into deep reflection and connection with the natural world in the middle portion, and closing with hope, gratitude, and resolve. The best songs for Earth Hour are those that help listeners feel the beauty of what they are protecting, the weight of what is at stake, and the warmth of belonging to a global community of people who care. Acoustic, orchestral, and ambient tracks tend to work particularly well in the candlelit atmosphere that Earth Hour naturally creates.