Pep Talk Song

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

A song that contains encouragement, advice, and maybe a little tough love, generally meant to lift the listener's spirits.

Related to You Are Not Alone.

Examples of Pep Talk Song include:

Film

  • "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian is a darkly humorous twist on this, given that it's sung at the finale of the film by dying, crucified prisoners.
  • "Never Say Never" from An American Tail
    • "The Girl You Left Behind" from Fievel Goes West warns the listener that leaving their lovers behind will "cause their heart to wander".
    • "Get the Facts" and "Who Will" from the fourth movie, Mystery of the Night Monster.
  • "It's Easy Mmm'kay" from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
  • "Dig a Little Deeper" from The Princess and the Frog.
  • "Marry the Mole" from Thumbelina is a strange pseudo-example. While Miss Field Mouse thinks she's giving Thumbelina good advice and encouragement, she's also telling her to marry someone for their money and that love is over-rated.
    • "Follow Your Heart" from the same film is a more straight example, as Jacquimo encourages Thumbelina to not just say things are impossible and instead keep trying to achieve her goals.
  • "Big And Loud" from Cats Don't Dance is one. But not the Dark Reprise.
  • "The Worry Song" from Anchors Aweigh, sung by Gene Kelly and Jerry.
  • "Learn to Do It" from Anastasia: "If I can learn to do it, you can learn to do it."
  • "The Bare Necessities" from Disney's The Jungle Book.
  • "One Last Hope" in Hercules has aspects of this as well as Training Montage, with lines like "It takes more than sinew, comes down to what's in you!"
  • "Friends to the End" from Tom and Jerry: The Movie.

Live-Action TV

  • In New Girl, one of Jess's quirks is her tendency to give herself songs meant to boost her own confidence.

Jess: She's goin' out to find a rebound... Who's that girl? It's Jess!
Nick: Wait, did you make up a theme song for yourself?

Music

  • The Frank Sinatra classic "That's Life"
  • Sly & the Family Stone did a few, including "Stand" and "You Can Make It If You Try"
  • "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Jimmy Cliff
  • The clearest early-21st century example may be "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World.
  • Madonna, "Express Yourself"
  • Billy Joel: "Second Wind", "Tell Her About It"
  • REO Speedwagon: "One Lonely Night", "Don't Let Him Go"
  • Bobby McFarrin, "Don't Worry, Be Happy",
  • The Eagles' "Get Over It" is a bit harsher than most, probably tongue-in-cheek
  • Phil Collins / Phillip Bailey, "Easy Lover"
  • Stratovarius, "Hold Onto Your Dreams", "Season of Faith's Perfection", "Find Your Own Voice"
  • Charles O'Flynn, "Smile Darn Ya Smile!", which has been performed by many since, famous for appearing in an episode of Looney Tunes and in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.
  • Oasis, "Don't Look Back in Anger", "Roll With It", "Supersonic" ("You need to be yourself, you can't be no one else.")
  • D'Mite, "Read A Book", is a foul-mouthed parody of one.
  • Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's "Don't Give Up".
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Fight Like a Brave".
  • The Novas' "The Crusher" (covered by The Cramps) is essentially a Pep Talk from a wrestling coach.
  • The All-American Rejects, "Move Along"
  • Cab Calloway, "Wake Up And Live"
  • Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray, formerly of Helloween) is in love with this trope. Notable songs in this vein include "I'm Alive", "Lust for Life", "Heaven Can Wait", and "Salvation's Calling".
  • Lost Horizon does it in "Sworn in the Metal Wind", and again in "Welcome Back":

Now is really the time to wake up, you old jade
 Such as Phoenix spreads his fire wings
 I will help you remember by KICKING YOUR ASS!
 And the will shall return
 And again hearts shall burn
 All the horns now will sing
 Leading you back to the metal wind!"

Theatre

Western Animation

  • Pinkie Pie's "Giggle At the Ghostly" song from the second episode of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
    • She also tries to sing to Fluttershy to encourage her to make a jump in "Dragonshy" ("You can make it if you try/with a hop, skip, and jump!")
    • "You Gotta Share", also by Pinkie Pie, from "Over a Barrel".
  • The first My Little Pony TV special, "Rescue at Midnight Castle," has "Dancing on Air," in which Firefly insists (over Megan's protests) that the other little ponies will be overjoyed that Megan is coming to help them against Tirac.
  • In the Wartime Cartoon "Scrap Happy Daffy", the ghosts of Daffy Duck's ancestors sing him a song of patriotic encouragement after he gets beaten up by a Nazi goat.
  • "Wonderful Ways to Say No" from the anti-drug PSA Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.
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