10 Best Classic Rock Songs About Getting Older

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Obviously, this was tough to write. No one really wants to get older, but of course, we have no choice. We can surely stay young at heart, but as anyone in their 60s and beyond knows, things start to hurt that never hurt before. Some people deal with aging better than others, and some people have no choice. And of course, as we age, so do all of our musical heroes. Just as they wrote songs about fast cars, teenage love, and all the rest when they were younger, now many of them are writing songs about what it’s like to drift into their golden years. This article showcases some of the best songs about aging, getting older, and moving through life. Some will make you feel good, and some maybe not. Nonetheless, these are ten pretty good ones.

# 10 – Time Waits For No One – The Rolling Stones

We open our classic rock songs list about getting old with a legendary one from The Rolling Stones. While The Rolling Stones have brought us great joy throughout our lives, this one is pretty much a real downer, but still a fantastic song. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote lyrics that tell it like it is, though sometimes it may seem a little harsh, such as: “Time can tear down a building or destroy a woman’s face, hours are like diamonds, don’t let them waste.”

In the end, the point is clear—it doesn’t matter who you are, how wealthy, how successful, how famous, or how poor; none of that matters, because we all end up equal in the end.

# 9 – Sixty Years On – Elton John

I wonder how many people, like myself, heard this song for the first time when we were just teenagers, thinking how far away our 60th birthday would be. Elton John’s “60 Years On” was written about a war veteran, but there’s so much more depth to the song, with symbolism that defines it as a song about growing old. The song’s opening lyric is as haunting as ever: “Who’ll walk me down to church when I’m sixty years of age / When the ragged dog they gave me has been ten years in the grave.”

Bernie Taupin stands as one of the greatest lyricists of all time. The way Elton could take Bernie Taupin’s American imagery and turn it into such a magnificent musical masterpiece is truly incredible and awe-inspiring.

# 8 – Grow Old With Me – John Lennon

This is a really sad one for obvious reasons. John Lennon’s beautiful, heartfelt song about growing old with the one you love was never released while Lennon was still alive. It would eventually see the light of day on the posthumous album Milk and Honey. It must be tough for Yoko Ono to listen to this song. It’s tough for all Beatles fans to hear it, but it serves as an important reminder to cherish every day that we still walk this earth.

# 7 – Against The Wind – Bob Seger

Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” really hits hard. It’s not just a song about growing old but also about moving on in life and still facing challenges. For some people, life never gets easy, no matter how hard they try. The song was released on Bob Seger’s Against the Wind album in 1980, and it stands as one of the greatest recordings of his career.

# 6 – I Don’t Wanna Grow Up – Tom Waits

I guess if we’re going to compose a list of the best rock songs written about getting older, we need to include a song about not wanting to get older. In reality, how many people do you know actually want to get older? Sure, when you’re young, you wish you were older so you could have the freedom that adults do, but that’s probably the only time in your life you’re wishing for that. Tom Waits wrote the perfect song about not wanting to grow up. The Ramones did a great cover version of it too. If you’ve never seen the video for this one, don’t miss it.

# 5 – Kingdom Of Days – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen’s “Kingdom of Days” is a heartfelt song not just about the experience of getting older oneself but also about watching the people you love grow older alongside you. There’s so much beauty in the lyrics of this song, written by a man who is often overlooked for the brilliant lyricist he is. This is one of those Bruce Springsteen songs that has always been overlooked, as it was released not too long ago on the Working on a Dream album. It’s one of the most beautiful songs he’s ever released, and if you’ve never heard it before, we highly recommend you take a listen.

And if you’re one of those who stopped liking him or are always leaving negative comments whenever we write about Springsteen because of his political views, it’s time to put that aside. This man has given so much to the world—he’s done so much for charities, for young people, and for those with cancer. He’s given a lot, so give him a break.

# 4 – Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon

Paul Simon’s song “Still Crazy After All These Years” was just another way of saying that some things never change. While it wasn’t necessarily a song solely about middle age or old age, it was still very much about getting older. The song was released on the Still Crazy After All These Years album in 1975. The album also contained the huge hit “My Little Town,” which was a reunion between Simon and his old partner, Art Garfunkel.

# 3 – Sugar Mountain – Neil Young

Neil Young’s very poignant song “Sugar Mountain” was, of course, written when he was in his teens. It’s interesting that so many of these classic rockers wrote songs about getting old when they were still in their twenties. Yet these songs become more relevant to them—and to us—with each passing decade. “Sugar Mountain” was a brilliant way of talking about reaching a point in life where it feels like it’s pretty much over, but maybe not quite yet. Maybe it’s not time to let go, or maybe you’ve arrived there too soon.

Neil Young weaves in themes of women, cigarettes, and all the joys in life from a male perspective, along with the sorrow of losing many of life’s great pleasures. Neil Young first released “Sugar Mountain” when he was only 19 years old, and it was first released in 1969 as the B-side to the single “The Loner.” I’m sure they’ll be as many people who would have chosen a song like “Old Man” from Neil Young but we thought this one was just a little bit more interesting.

# 2 – The Long And Winding Road – The Beatles

Paul McCartney has always been a songwriter who writes lyrics with such ambiguity that many of his songs are open to interpretation. Of course, having been interviewed a million times over the years, he’s opened up about the meaning of a lot of his songs, which in many ways disappointed some fans because they always thought the songs were about something else. For example, many people thought that “Mother Mary” in “Let It Be” was a reference to the Virgin Mary, not McCartney’s actual mother.

Nonetheless, this song seems to define, if not the end of the road, then certainly a long road traveled in life. Its beautiful but haunting melody cuts right through you. When I first heard it, I thought it was about the end of The Beatles. That’s the kind of interpretation you have in your teenage years. But listening back to it now as I get older, as we all get older, it sounds far more poignant in its message and warmth.

I will always love The Beatles’ version, but Tony Bennett also did a breathtaking version of this song. I’ve left both of them here below for you to take a listen to.

# 1 – Not Dark Yet – Bob Dylan

We close out our rock songs about aging list with one from a musical artist we have all grown up with over the years. Whether you’re in your 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or even 90s, the music of Bob Dylan has likely been a major part of your life. In this wonderful song, released in 1997 on his Time Out of Mind album, Bob Dylan questions his mortality in such a poetic way that only Dylan could do. But it’s not just a question of mortality—it’s also a statement of hope.

It doesn’t matter what age you are; this song has deep meaning because, as long as you’re still breathing, it’s not over yet. It kind of reminds me of the old Yogi Berra saying, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” This song will make you feel both hopeful and melancholic at the same time. It is perhaps Dylan’s most significant song of the 21st century.

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