50 Best Rock Songs About Old Friends Growing Up
Rock Tracks That Hit When Old Friends Drift and Grow
There’s a strange kind of ache that follows when the friends you grew up with start becoming people you only see in photos. The group chats slow down, someone moves away, another gets married, and suddenly those inside jokes feel like fossils from a different era. It’s not all sad though. There’s something almost electric about looking back at those messy years and realizing how much you’ve all changed. Some songs capture that blur perfectly. They sting a little, but they still feel warm. Not every track here speaks directly to friendship, but they sit right in that space where nostalgia hits and old faces linger for a bit.
Rock’s always done well with that half-sweet, half-stupid ache of growing apart. Sometimes it’s loud guitars covering up the quiet parts, sometimes it’s a slow burn that never quite resolves. The sound of youth turning into memory. You can hear it in riffs that feel too big for the moment, or in vocals that sound like they’re fighting to hold onto something slipping away. These tracks pull from the same pulse that runs through pop, rock, country, and R&B songs about time, loss, and hanging on. There’s no need for clear answers here. It’s more about catching that pulse before it fades.
This playlist lands somewhere between reunion and goodbye. The kind of songs that make you text someone you haven’t talked to in months, then stare at your screen without hitting send. Maybe the lyrics miss the point, maybe they nail it by accident. Either way, they get it. These are the best rock songs for remembering old friends growing up.
Top 10 Old Friends Growing Up Rock Songs
1. 'With a Little Help from My Friends' by The Beatles
2. 'You're My Best Friend' by Queen
3. 'Glory Days' by Bruce Springsteen
4. 'Wish You Were Here' by Pink Floyd
5. 'Jack and Diane' by John Mellencamp
6. 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring
7. 'In My Life' by The Beatles
8. 'Keep Your Heart Young' by Brandi Carlile
9. 'We're Going to Be Friends' by The White Stripes
10. 'Friends' by Led Zeppelin
Best Classic Rock Songs About Friendship #11 to 20
11. 'Waiting On A Friend' by The Rolling Stones
12. 'Forever Young' by Bob Dylan
13. 'Summer of '69' by Bryan Adams
14. 'Old Friend' by Sea Wolf
15. 'Bobby Jean' by Bruce Springsteen
16. 'Stay Free' by The Clash
17. 'Cemetary Gates' by Pantera
18. 'I Don't Want to Grow Up' by The Ramones
19. 'Do You Remember Walter?' by The Kinks
20. 'Castle on the Hill' by Ed Sheeran
Favorite Indie and Alternative Rock Songs About Growing Up #21 to 30
21. 'All My Friends' by LCD Soundsystem
22. 'Bros' by Wolf Alice
23. 'Teenagers' by My Chemical Romance
24. 'Patience' by Tame Impala
25. 'Wake Up' by Arcade Fire
26. 'Alright' by Supergrass
27. 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' by The Killers
28. 'The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!' by Sufjan Stevens
29. 'When You're Young' by The Jam
30. 'For Absent Friends' by Genesis
Rock and Folk Songs About Childhood Memories #31 to 40
31. 'Fire and Rain' by James Taylor
32. 'The River' by Bruce Springsteen
33. 'Time Turned Fragile' by Motion City Soundtrack
34. 'The Circle Fades' by Tan Vampires
35. 'Bob Dylan's Dream' by Bob Dylan
36. 'The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most' by Dashboard Confessional
37. 'Seasons in the Sun' by Terry Jacks
38. 'Friend of the Devil' by Grateful Dead
39. 'Photograph' by Nickelback
40. 'Hallelujah' by HAIM
Rock Songs About Long-Lasting Friendship #41 to 50
41. 'Dig' by Incubus
42. 'Long Haired Lover from Liverpool' by Little Jimmy Osmond
43. 'With a Little Help from My Friends' by Joe Cocker
44. 'You've Got a Friend' by James Taylor
45. 'Keep the Faith' by Bon Jovi
46. 'Lean on Me' by Bill Withers
47. 'Thank You Friends' by Big Star
48. 'The Boys Are Back in Town' by Thin Lizzy
49. 'We Did it All For Don' by Against Me!
50. 'Sing Along Forever' by The Bouncing Souls
© 2025 Carson McQueen
