This exploration looks at how artists across decades have used song to cry out for nature and the climate. It begins with a memory of waking in a lush, tropical setting and then turning to a concrete image—a vast parking lot that stretches to the horizon. The songwriter’s voice lands with irony: the trees that once shaded the hills are gone, their legacy turned into a museum exhibit priced at a dollar and a half. The line about not realizing what one has until it is lost echoes as a warning, a reminder to guard the living world before it is too late.
‘Pollution’, Johnny Hallyday (1970)
The veteran rocker from Hexágono uses the album Vie to comment on pacifism and environmental concerns, era-appropriate topics for the time. The song portrays rabbits and fish dying from pollution, while factories keep smoking and colors fade. The sun loses its brightness, and people seem to be gasping for air. The message lands with blunt clarity, insisting that the very world that sustains life is under threat from human activity.
‘Mercy, have mercy on me (ecology)’, Marvin Gaye (1971)
On the landmark album What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye shifts from romance to social reflection, wrapping heavy themes in smooth, soulful grooves. Nature becomes a central question, with lines that ask where the blue sky has gone and point to poison in the air. Phrases that name concrete pollutants—oil, mercury, radiation—anchor the message in real-world problems. The closing mood is one of longing and loss, signaling that the situation has changed forever.
‘Stop’ by Joan Manuel Serrat (1973)
During Serrat’s farewell era, the singer-songwriter laments a fading landscape. The river is no longer singing, the forest is thinning, and the signs of a disrupted cycle are clear: pines without needles, absent birds, and a sense that natural rhythms are breaking down. The themes build on earlier albums such as Mediterraneo and later works like Plany al mar, underscoring a persistent environmental conscience in Serrat’s catalog.
‘Blackened’, Metallica (1988)
Metallica confronts humanity’s darker impulses without glorifying them. The song speaks to the death of Mother Earth and the looming end of human civilization, a world scarred by wars and ecological abuse. The imagery of bubbling pollution and a planet wounded by violence carries a heavy moral charge, presenting heavy metal as a conduit for urgent, if fierce, advocacy.
‘The world song’, Michael Jackson (1995)
Michael Jackson uses a crescendo of gospel choirs and cinematic energy to urge reconsideration of how people treat their home. The track juxtaposes intimate questions about sunrise and rain with stark visuals of ruined landscapes and distressed wildlife. The accompanying imagery in the music video reinforces the plea for stewardship and global awareness, turning the song into a global call for care and accountability.
‘Wake Up America’, Miley Cyrus (2008)
The former Disney darling shifts to a more serious stance, challenging audiences to confront climate realities. The track calls Americans to acknowledge warming trends and to act together. The message is inclusive, inviting people from diverse backgrounds to see the shared space they call home and to join in protecting it, starting with their own country but with universal implications.
‘Who will stand up?’, Neil Young (2014)
Neil Young, long the voice of environmental dissent, questions who will rise to defend the planet. References to fossil fuels, cracking, and the pipeline era frame a larger debate about energy, policy, and responsibility. The song connects a personal sense of duty to a broader movement that mobilizes for climate justice and systemic change.
‘Apocalypse’, The Established (2017)
The track from Calle 13’s frontman is a rapid-fire panorama of possible futures forged by climate chaos. Weather out of control, sun scorching the earth, sand left to drift, and oceans rising—these are not mere fantasies but warnings. A guest artist contributes a Chinese-language verse to reinforce the global scale of these threats, underscoring that the crisis crosses borders and languages.
‘Despite repeated warnings’ by Paul McCartney (2018)
Paul McCartney channels frustration with climate skepticism and political shifts, including withdrawal from international accords. The lyrics employ nautical metaphors to describe a captain steering toward danger while ignoring repeated alerts. The song frames climate action as an urgent, collective duty rather than a distant concern, urging readers to confront rising temperatures with responsibility.