50 Best Rock Songs About Lakes
Best Rock Tracks for Lake Days
There’s something strange that happens near a lake. The noise fades, the air gets thick, and the world feels like it’s humming under the surface. You catch yourself staring at the water too long, wondering if you’re waiting for something or trying to forget it. Then a riff cuts through the quiet. Maybe it’s the echo of an old Pearl Jam track bouncing off the water, or maybe it’s the kind of moody Arctic Monkeys song that makes the light feel heavier. These tracks hit that same restless stillness—the calm that hides something unsettled underneath.
Lakes hold an odd kind of energy. The parties feel slower, the mornings come softer, and even the loudest guitars sound like they’re dragging through fog. Some of these songs weren’t literally written with lakes in mind, but they still sink into that space. You can almost see the ripples stretch across the water when the chorus hits, like every snare beat disturbs the surface for a second. It’s the sound of reflection that never fully settles, where peace and noise keep trading places.
There’s a reason so many pop, rock, country, and R&B songs seem to belong near water. It’s not the scenery—it’s the pause that comes with it. That in-between feeling before something starts or ends. These songs fit that headspace, the way a lake does: quiet until the next sound breaks it. Here are the best rock songs for lake moments that linger long after the music fades.
Top 10 Lake Water Rock Songs
1. 'Smoke on the Water' by Deep Purple
2. 'Black Water' by The Doobie Brothers
3. 'Green River' by Creedence Clearwater Revival
4. 'Down by the River' by Neil Young
5. 'When the Levee Breaks' by Led Zeppelin
6. 'Take Me to the River' by Talking Heads
7. 'River Deep - Mountain High' by Ike & Tina Turner
8. 'Come Sail Away' by Styx
9. 'Lady Of The Lake' by Crown Lands
10. 'Lake of Fire' by Meat Puppets
Water Themed Rock Songs #11 to 20
11. 'Fire Lake' by Bob Seger
12. 'Water' by The Who
13. 'Cool, Cool Water' by The Beach Boys
14. 'Ocean' by John Butler Trio
15. 'The River' by Bruce Springsteen
16. 'Down By The Water' by PJ Harvey
17. 'In the Summertime' by Mungo Jerry
18. 'Sea and Sand' by The Who
19. 'Walk on the Water' by Creedence Clearwater Revival
20. 'The Same Deep Water as You' by The Cure
Rock Songs About Rivers and Water #21 to 30
21. 'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison
22. 'Waterfall' by The Stone Roses
23. 'Ocean Avenue' by Yellowcard
24. 'Cry Me a River' by Aerosmith
25. 'Big River' by Van Halen
26. 'River Runs Deep' by Eric Clapton
27. 'Sold Me Down The River' by The Alarm
28. 'Down to the Waterline' by Dire Straits
29. 'River Of Deceit' by Mad Season
30. 'Dam That River' by Alice In Chains
Classic and Alternative Rock Water Songs #31 to 40
31. 'The River' by PJ Harvey
32. 'Down By The Water' by The Decemberists
33. 'Where the River Goes' by Stone Temple Pilots
34. 'The Nile Song' by Pink Floyd
35. 'Blue Water' by Public Image Limited
36. 'Sad Waters' by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
37. 'Water Song' by Jethro Tull
38. 'Riders On the Storm' by The Doors
39. 'Aqueous Transmission' by Incubus
40. 'Ride the River' by Eric Clapton & J.J. Cale
Water Body Inspired Rock Songs #41 to 50
41. 'Sailing' by Christopher Cross
42. 'Southern Cross' by Crosby Stills & Nash
43. 'The Ocean' by Led Zeppelin
44. 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' by Gordon Lightfoot
45. 'River' by Joni Mitchell
46. 'Wide River' by Steve Miller Band
47. 'Dirty Water' by The Standells
48. 'The Cool, Cool River' by Paul Simon
49. 'Oceans' by Pearl Jam
50. 'Boat On The River' by Styx
© 2025 Carson McQueen
