41 Songs About Hurrying

Hurry, Hurry

Some folks believe it's a badge of honor to brag about how busy they are and how they are so overwhelmed, overloaded, and rushed, especially when it comes to work. Perhaps they believe it makes them sound important to be in such a hurry, scurrying around like a hamster from one place to the next, never completely being fully mentally and emotionally engaged.

There's little time for anything except hurrying to the next appointment, where they'll show up predictably late and without apologies (because as they say with a conspiratorial eye roll, "So busy! You know how it goes"). Their social and business calendars are overscheduled, and only if you're lucky can you get penciled in. No one would dare tell them that they are holding others hostage to their poor time management skills.

Whether it's you or someone close to you who is always in a rush, make a playlist of pop, rock, country, and R&B songs about the habit of being in a hurry.

1. "I'm In A Hurry (And I Don't Know Why)" by Alabama

What's the point of rush, rush, rushing through one's days when our purpose is to simply live fully and then die? That's the simple question that the guy in this memorable 1992 country tune asks. He finds himself feeling hurried for no apparent reason, and he picks up his pace. The frazzled fella claims to be in a "race with the clock" and drives fast because he can't afford to be late. Hurrying, however, takes much of the fun out of life. Perhaps you see yourself in this song.

2. "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes

"You Can't Hurry Love" is one of the 12 number one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart achieved by the iconic American girl group The Supremes. The 1966 R&B tune is about a young woman who is eager to fall in love.

Unfortunately, however, she is experiencing a bit of difficulty in finding a suitable love match. As she grows lonely and impatient in waiting for the right love relationship to materialize, the narrator recalls the sage advice of her mother who cautioned her to be patient in matters of the heart:

"You can't hurry love
No, you just have to wait"
She said, "Love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take."

The song was also a Top 10 hit for Phil Collins in 1982.

3. "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way

The speedy vehicle in this poignant 1988 folk-rock release symbolizes the protagonist's desperate attempt to escape her humble lower working class surroundings. She is a high school drop out, forced by circumstance to quit school to support her alcoholic, unemployed father, as her mother had abandoned the family.

The protagonist recognizes that if she doesn't get out of the depressive, opportunity-depleted environment that envelops her, then she will be destined to repeat her parents' legacy. She thus hurries off out of town with a boyfriend who has a fast car.

The couple endure challenges that include life in a homeless shelter. The narrator eventually gets a good job ,and they have children, yet the couple find themselves repeating the toxic cycle that the narrator sought to escape. Unlike her mother who ran from the family, however, the protagonist kicks her deadbeat partner out.

"Fast Car" has been recognized as one of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine, and singer Tracy Chapman was awarded a Grammy for it.

4. "Run" by George Strait

Absence has certainly made the heart grow fonder for the guy in this 2001 country crossover single. The lovelorn cowboy has been separated from his sweetheart in Dallas and misses her desperately.

He implores his honey to take any mode of transportation available (e.g., plane, bus, train, truck, cab) to hurry and join him. Yearning to reunite with the object of his affection ASAP, the protagonist urges her to run rather than walk: "I need you in a rush so Baby, run."

Scroll to Continue

Does Anyone Ever Really Like To Do Laundry? I Don't

Synth Single Review: “Equuleus’’ by LightSource

Synth Single Review: “Running in the Dark (Steal the Night)’’ by Seersha

5. "Running Out of Time" by Paramore

Admitting that "intentions only get you so far," the protagonist in this 2023 rock track is always in a hurry, thereby feeling overwhelmed by the lack of time remaining. She runs out of time due to her poor time management skills. Consequently, the woman has a menu of interchangeable excuses available: "there was traffic, spilled my coffee, crashed my car, otherwise, would've been here on time." Sound familiar?

The narrator describes a number of situations in which her poor time management skills make her run late and leave her feeling as if she doesn't measure up. She intends to take flowers to a neighbor but runs short on time, hopes to walk the dog a little further but doesn't, presses snooze on the alarm so she can get more sleep, and shows up empty-handed to a party because of poor planning. The woman wonders, "Why we gotta be in a rush?" Her intentions and actions clearly don't align, and it troubles her.

6. "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" by Chris Young

The married couple in this 2009 country ditty have been looking forward to this night out on the town for quite some time. They are dressed up at a fine restaurant with tuxedo waiters and red wine, but as the narrator's wife draws hearts on his hand, he eyes her baby blue eyes in the candlelight, and all he can think about is getting her home. The narrator imagines his wife's sexy black dress hitting the floor and loving her all night long. The missus must be thinking the same thing because she suggests that her husband ask for the check.

9. "Life Is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts

"Life Is a Highway” made Canadian rocker Tom Cochrane a one-hit wonder in 1991. In 2006, country group Rascal Flatts revived the high energy tune.

The song uses the metaphor of life as a long highway with bumps, twists, and turns that is over before you know it ("There's not much time left today."). The narrator beckons the listener to join in on the exciting and unpredictable journey that life offers.

8. "Callin' Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks

Before the era of cell phones, travelers were forced to stop their cars and make calls from pay phones using coins (and later calling cards). That's the situation that is described in this 1993 country number wherein a truck driver falls in love with a Louisiana girl named Samantha. The two spend the night together in Baton Rouge, but the trucker must head out on the highway the following morning for work.

The man's heart, however, is stuck in Baton Rouge. As a result, every 20 miles he stops to call Samantha back in Baton Rouge from a pay phone. Dialing the operator, he says, "Hurry up, won't you put her on the line? / I gotta talk to the girl just one more time."

7. "East Bound and Down" by Jerry Reed

This country track is a trucker's anthem in that it describes getting an impossible amount of work done in an inordinately small amount of time: "We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there." Indeed, trucks are the backbone of America's supply chain, distributing about 70% of the nation's freight.

Written for the 1977 Smokey and the Bandit movie soundtrack, this classic country ditty describes long-haul truckers transporting illegal beer across state lines at breakneck speeds. The driver of this tractor trailer is loaded up and has his foot pressed hard on the gas pedal, hoping to avoid the police.

10. "Hurry Home" by Jason Michael Carroll

A father expresses feelings of unconditional love for his daughter who has run away from home in this 2009 country song. He sits by the phone and waits for her to call, hoping that she will hurry back home to the family, no questions asked.

11. "The Church on Cumberland Road" by Shenandoah

Being late to your own wedding is certainly no way to start a marriage—at least not if you want a happy one. The fella in this uptempo 1989 country single has been partying all night with his groomsmen. As he and his hungover buddies speed to the little church on Cumberland Road, the groom-to-be imagines that his sweet bride is standing there crying, thinking that she's been stood up. The song was Shenandoah's first number one country hit.

12. "Listen Before I Go" by Billie Eilish

Sung from the perspective of a young person who is ready to cut their life short by suicide, this haunting 2019 ambient track features a narrator who is mentally ill. From a rooftop, the narrator reaches out to a friend, "You better hurry, I'm leaving soon."

The protagonist claims that she cannot be saved from jumping off the building, as the only way out for her is down. Eerily, the end of the track features approaching sirens in the background.

13. "Run to You" by Bryan Adams

The cheating husband in this 1984 rock number enjoys the benefits of a faithful wife who claims that her love for him could never die. What the unsuspecting spouse doesn't know, however, is that whenever the philandering conman gets the opportunity, he runs hastily into the arms of his seductive mistress.

14. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross

Nothing can stand in the way of the narrator rushing to the aid and comfort of the one she loves. Even though distance separates the former romantic partners, all he needs to do is call her name and she'll be there.

This 1970 R&B/soul tune was Diana Ross' first solo chart-topper. A testament to the invincible human spirit and the power of love and devotion, the song is a cover of the 1967 original by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell.

15. "Jimmy Mack" by Martha and the Vandellas

In this upbeat 1967 Motown vibe, it's unclear why Jimmy Mack is temporarily apart from his girlfriend, but the protagonist is giving him fair warning that he needs to hurry back real soon to save their relationship. Another guy is making moves on Jimmy Mack's girlfriend and is wearing down her resistance.

The galpal pleads with Jimmy Mack to come home soon, else a heartache is about to happen. Although she misses her boyfriend and has tried to be true, the girl has been getting super lonely without him. A gal can only hold out for so long.

16. "Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman–Turner Overdrive

Five days a week you are jolted by the alarm clock and jump out of bed in a hurry to join the rest of the busy rat race. You hope to make it into work on time so you can labor all day trading time for money.

While you're scrambling about trying to make a living, however, the guy in this 1974 rock release gloats that he has it all figured out. Boasting that he is "self-employed," the man details how laid back and easy his situation is as he goes about workin' overtime "takin' care of business." Some people love their work.

17. "Time Is Love" by Josh Turner

In a twist on the oft-repeated notion that time is money, the guy in this 2012 country track seems to internalize that we only have so much time on earth so we need to spend as much time as is practical loving one another. The narrator makes sure he achieves a healthy work-life balance and doesn't overdo time hanging out with friends. When faced with requests to stay later, he replies the following as he hurries home to his family:

Time is love
Gotta run. Love to hang out longer, but I got someone
Who waits. Waits for me, and right now she's where I need to be
Time is love.

18. "Don't Rush Me" by Taylor Dayne

When it comes to love, the wise woman in this 1988 pop track is cautious and wants to take it slowly. No zero to 60 romance here! Having learned in the past that "desire can mean danger" when one rushes into love quickly, the protagonist wants to take time to get to know her partner well to determine if there is honest chemistry for a lasting relationship.

Her potential love interest has a different time horizon in mind, however. and he is making her feel pressured. The protagonist fires a clear warning about not wanting to be hurried:

Don't rush me
This love could be so much more
It's well worth the waiting for.

19. "Rush Rush" by Paula Abdul

Way before Paula Abdul became an American Idol judge (2002-2009) she hit the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with this passionate 1991 pop ballad. In the song, she expresses her intense desire for a lover, summoning them to quickly join her for some lip-locking together time:

Rush, rush
Hurry, hurry lover, come to me
Rush, rush
I wanna see, I wanna see ya get free with me
Rush, rush
I can feel it, I can feel you all through me
Rush, rush
Ooh, what you do to me .

20. "Hurry Up!" by Superfruit

It's 4 a.m., and the guy in this 2017 pop release is in a bar preparing to leave with someone he just met. Although tonight's date is just another warm body—someone who is "insecure, immature" and "not on [his] frequency"—the narrator is searching for a love interest who is self-assured.

Confident in his own self-identity, the man has never been in love but yearns for the experience. He doesn't need additional false promises from a potential lover. The protagonist thus calls out to his potential soulmate to hurry up, as he's tired of wasting time on the wrong partners and wants to get down to love.

Superfruit is a musical and comedic duo composed of two members of the Grammy Award-winning group, Pentatonix. Also, Pentatonix is an a capella group, Superfruit uses electronic and electronic instruments.

Even More Songs About Hurrying

© 2024 Elaina Baker