While sparking indie artists and vocal communities to improvise a dynamic range of music about forgiveness that you can listen to at Soundcloud, Music Director for the Forgiveness Challenge, Rachel Bagby has curated this genre-spanning list of 10 songs to help more people discover how the act of forgiving can bring more love and peace to your life. When enough of us forgive – we can change the world!
When you Sign up, you’ll receive a daily inspirational email from the Archbishop and Rev. Mpho Tutu, with a link to join their online forgiveness course and community. The 30-day Challenge starts whenever you do. Sign up anytime and start your own journey for forgiveness at ForegivnessChallenge.com.
top image courtesy of Walter McBride/INFphoto.com Ref.: infusny-236
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1. Alanis Morissette - This Grudge
Morissette’s brilliant story-singing shines through this autobiographical account of a long journey of unforgivingness; both its painful consequences and the longing for release. Morissette is actively participating in the Tutu’s Globally Forgiveness Challenge.
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2. Amos Lee - Ease Back
Amos Lee wrote this beautiful song the day after he spoke to a friend. In it, he talks about letting go of grudges and how important it is to do this, or else the grudge will come back to haunt you. “Let it ease back brother and let it slip away.”
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3. Matthew West - Forgiveness
This inspiring video shows the mother whose daughter and her friend were killed in a drunk driving accident and tells the story of how she forgave the 24 year old man (who was sentenced to 24 years in prison) for her daughter’s death. Her story moved Matthew West to write “Forgiveness.” It will no doubt touch you too.
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4. Don Henley - The Heart Of The Matter
According to SongFacts.com, Don Henly co-wrote the lyrics with J.D. Souther. It is about one man's discovery that his former lover found another person and how they dealt with it.
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5. India.Aire – Wings of Forgiveness
Aire covered “The Heart of the Matter” earlier in her career and forgiveness continues to be a theme in her music. In her own “Wings of Forgiveness” Arie poignantly invokes Mandela, Gandhi and Jesus as paragons of forgiveness; her inspiration to offer forgiveness to her partner while asking forgiveness for herself.
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6. Toby Mac – Forgiveness
This song features Grammy Award-winning Christian rapper Lecrae with Toby Mac talking about the two-sided element of forgiveness. "There are two sides to forgiveness. There's asking for it and there's offering it," explained Toby, according to SongFacts.. "But before you can be forgiven, you have to confess. In a lot of ways, this song is a confession. We're all going to cross that line one time or another, but the important thing is recognizing it and turning around."
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7. Susan Tedeschi - Sweet Forgiveness – written by Iris Dement
This heart-touching song about the grace of receiving forgiveness was written by Grammy award-winning singer songwriter Iris DeMent. The youngest of 14 children in her family, DeMent was born in Arkansas, raised in Southern California and grew up immersed in gospel music and traditional country.
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8. Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me
"We needed a song for the greatest hits album, which was entitled So Far So Good," Adams told SongFacts. "[Producer] Mutt Lange came up with the idea for the song and we wrote it while working in France in 1993. It was the first time we had recorded with a whole band in the studio.”
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9. Eminem - Headlights ft. Nate Ruess
On Mother’s Day 2014, Eminem gave his mom a fabulous gift. He premiered his new video directed by Spike Lee for the single "Headlights." In it, he seeks forgiveness from his mother for the harsh things he's said about her over the years.
WARNING - Features strong language
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10. Mary Mary - Forgiven Me
Siblings Erica Campbell and Tina Campbell are the chart-topping, Grammy award-winning singing sister act who share a mission: Sending uplifting messages through music and words that are relatable to everyone. This heartful song about forgiveness does just that.