20 songs where children sing the chorus

Children are often told they can be anything they want when they grow up, and rapper Nas turned those words into a song in his 2003 single “I Can.” Using a sample from Beethoven’s “Für Elise,” Nas raps inspirational lyrics that encourage children to pursue their dreams with hard work and determination. The children sing in the chorus, “I know I can be what I want to be / If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I want to be.”

In 2004, Eminem released his fifth album, Encoreand one of the standout singles was “Like Toy Soldiers.” On the track, Eminem samples Martika’s 1989 track “Toy Soldiers” as the rapper notes how he is growing as a person and highlights the importance of friendship and respect.

The year 1982 Annie The film already had a popular song, “It’s A Hard Knock Life.” Jay-Z samples the track for his 1998 single “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” as he tells his rags-to-riches life story. As the children sing, the chorus is from the Annie The song perfectly sums up how Jay might have felt growing up.

In his 2002 song “Fabulous,” Jaheim describes the different life experiences of the people who grew up in his neighborhood, saying that just because circumstances mean that some people have a harder life than others, you shouldn’t give up on persevering.

Michael Jackson wanted to raise awareness about human rights and racism with his 1995 single “They Don’t Care About Us”. In this track, Jackson uses children in the intro hook while doing the rest himself. As the world continues to fight for basic human rights to this day, “They Don’t Care About Us” is a track that still sounds relevant almost 30 years after its release.

On MIA’s 2008 single “Paper Planes,” she describes in detail how she deals with her immigration status and tries to get a work permit in another country. In the chorus, she uses more satire to describe how locals feel about immigrants who come in to take some of their jobs.

Pink Floyd’s 1979 song “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” sees the band enlist a choir for a protest song against the education system. The song is not necessarily protesting against what children learn in school, but they believe that schools should always be a place where students can express their free thinking.

One of the most famous liberating and empowering anthems for black people is James Brown’s 1968 song “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” No matter how much the world makes black people feel inferior, being proud of your culture has a huge impact. The world may always try to demean people, but James Brown is ready to lift them up.

Quincy Jones enlists Tevin Campbell and a children’s choir for his 1989 single “Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me)” to show how kids can follow their dreams and make the world a better place for everyone. The children sing, “Everybody says tomorrow is here for us to share / And we’ll send our message of love everywhere / There’s a promise of love, tomorrow’s got something special.”

In Kanye West’s 2004 song “We Don’t Care,” the rapper describes how some people deal drugs just to make ends meet. It may not be the most kid-friendly song, but the kids singing in the song give the impression that they have the mindset of a young person. The kids sing in the chorus, “Drug dealing is just to get by / Stack your money until it goes up in the sky / We shouldn’t live past 25 / The joke’s on you, we’re still alive.”

In 2005, the cartoon band Gorillaz released their second album, Demon days. In the third single, “Dirty Harry,” children sing throughout the song to represent soldiers going through war.

On Gucci Mane’s 2009 single “Lemonade,” children sing along on the chorus as he raps about many of his favorite things about the color yellow. From yellow rims on his fly ride to eating lemon pepper wings, wearing yellow diamonds, and drinking lemonade, the kids add an element to the song that people of different generations can enjoy, even if the song isn’t exactly kid-friendly.

After a five-year hiatus, Mase released his single, aptly titled “Welcome Back.” Mase had originally announced his retirement in the late 90s, feeling that the music world would not be the same without him. The children heard in the chorus fit perfectly with the music video parody of Mister Rogers’ neighborhood.

“Wing$” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis describes people’s infatuation with branded and expensive items. The protagonist tells the story of how he got his first pair of Jordan sneakers while other kids couldn’t afford them. The song has a deeper meaning, which is that people shouldn’t judge other people’s worth based on what they can or can’t afford.

For music lovers who need a lighthearted and upbeat song, Nappy Roots’ 2007 single “Good Day” is just the thing. The chorus number features the kids singing, “We’re gonna have a good day / And all my buddies are gonna ride today / And all these mommies are looking fancy today / And we just wanna get through today.”

As life goes on, people can only hope that progress is made with each generation. This sentiment can be heard in the single “My Generation” by Nas and Damian Marley. The song expresses the sentiment that young people will continue to make the world a better place than it was yesterday.

In 2009, the indie pop band Passion Pit came onto the scene with their debut album. Manners. For the third single, “Little Secrets,” the band teams up with PS22 Chorus to reflect the meaning of the song: a person feeling high on life.

Lil Durk has teamed up with J. Cole for his 2023 single “All My Life.” In the song, Durk describes the ups and downs he’s been through in his life and career, and how he continues to overcome any obstacles that come his way. The kids sing in the chorus, “All my life / They tried to keep me down / All the time / I never thought I’d make it.”

On Trick Daddy’s 2001 single “I’m a Thug,” he describes in detail how he is criticized for his personality, mannerisms, and fashion sense, but he doesn’t change for anyone. The chorus melody features kids singing about how the gangster life is the life they want to live, and these types of lyrics aren’t going to please every parent who hears them.

In 1998, hip-hop trio The Lox released their debut studio album Money creates respect. The album came out nearly a year after their labelmate The Notorious BIG tragically passed away. In Biggie’s honor, The Lox released the song “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa.” Children can be heard singing the chorus of the track, while the group’s lyrics reflect on Biggie’s friends trying to deal with their grief.