31 Songs About Childhood, Memories and the Places We Grew Up

What is a good song about childhood?

"In My Life" by The Beatles and "Puff, the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary are the classic songs about childhood memories. "Stressed Out" by twenty one pilots captures wishing you could go back, and "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert is the song about the home you grew up in.

Nostalgic childhood songs

1. "In My Life", The Beatles: the people and places that shaped you.
2. "Penny Lane", The Beatles: a Liverpool street from childhood.
3. "Puff, the Magic Dragon", Peter, Paul and Mary: the end of make-believe.
4. "Stressed Out", twenty one pilots: wishing you were a kid again.
5. "Kodachrome", Paul Simon: memories in bright colors.
6. "Castle on the Hill", Ed Sheeran: growing up in a small town.
7. "Never Grow Up", Taylor Swift: wishing a child could stay little.
8. "The Best Day", Taylor Swift: childhood memories with Mom.
9. "7 Years", Lukas Graham: a whole life, one age at a time.
10. "Summer of '69", Bryan Adams: the summer you never forget.
11. "Glory Days", Bruce Springsteen: telling the old stories.

Country songs about growing up

12. "The House That Built Me", Miranda Lambert: visiting the house you grew up in.
13. "Back When", Tim McGraw: missing simpler times.
14. "Boondocks", Little Big Town: a celebration of a small-town upbringing.
15. "Mayberry", Rascal Flatts: longing for a slower life.
16. "Something Like That", Tim McGraw: a first summer romance.
17. "Watching You", Rodney Atkins: a little boy copying his dad.

Childhood through a parent's eyes

18. "Slipping Through My Fingers", ABBA: a mother watching her daughter grow up.
19. "You're Gonna Miss This", Trace Adkins: enjoy every stage.
20. "Cat's in the Cradle", Harry Chapin: about time lost between a father and son.
21. "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)", John Lennon: written for his son.
22. "Forever Young", Rod Stewart: a blessing for the years ahead.
23. "100 Years", Five for Fighting: every age, one verse at a time.

Songs about childhood friends

24. "Graduation (Friends Forever)", Vitamin C: moving on with friends behind you.
25. "Our House", Madness: a busy, happy family home.
26. "Kids", MGMT: about the freedom of being young.

Disney and movie songs about childhood

27. "You've Got a Friend in Me", from Toy Story: the friendship of childhood.
28. "When She Loved Me", from Toy Story 2: about a toy that was outgrown.
29. "Circle of Life", from The Lion King: life passing from one generation to the next.
30. "Pure Imagination", from Willy Wonka: the wonder of being a kid.
31. "The Bare Necessities", from The Jungle Book: the easygoing life.

Childhood homes and hometowns

The house and the town you grew up in are often at the heart of childhood memories. "The House That Built Me", "Castle on the Hill", "Penny Lane" and "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen all go back to a specific place. For more, see our songs about home.

Childhood summers

Summer is the season most people associate with being a kid: long days, bikes, pools and fireflies. "Summer of '69", "Kids", "Glory Days" and "Something Like That" capture it, and our songs about summer have plenty more.

Sad songs about childhood

Some childhood songs hurt: "When She Loved Me", "Puff, the Magic Dragon", "Cat's in the Cradle" and "Stressed Out" are about what we lose when we grow up. They are especially moving for parents watching their own kids get older, and for grown children packing up a family home for the last time.

Childhood songs for a slideshow

For a graduation, a milestone birthday or a family reunion slideshow, start with "In My Life" over baby photos, move to "Never Grow Up" or "7 Years" for the school years and finish with "Forever Young". Three songs carry about 150 photos.

Songs about childhood for a 30th or 40th birthday

For a milestone birthday, mix the songs from the birthday person's childhood with these nostalgic picks: "Summer of '69", "Glory Days" and "Kids" set the mood. For more, see our songs about growing up.

Songs about your children growing up

For parents, the songs about watching your kids grow are the ones that hit hardest. See our lists of songs for my son and songs for my daughter.

Why childhood songs make us emotional

Music from our childhood is tied to vivid memories, so a single song can bring back a kitchen, a car or a summer evening in seconds. Songs about childhood add another layer: they put words to the feeling of time passing, and they let parents and grown children share the same memory from two different sides.

A song about your childhood memories

The street you grew up on, the summers at grandma's, the friends from the neighborhood: a personalized song can turn your family's childhood memories into music, a moving gift for a parent's birthday or a sibling's milestone.

How to create a song about childhood memories

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: acoustic, country, pop, folk and more.
2. Add the names of the people in the song.
3. Share three childhood memories.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $24.99, or $29.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Turn your childhood memories into a song: create a song and hear four previews for free.