[2025] Western Work Songs: A Collection of Classic Tracks About Work

9 to 5NEW!Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton – 9 To 5

Created as the theme song for a film released in 1980, this track is a quintessential work song that powerfully voices the daily lives and feelings of working women.

Its percussion, modeled after the rhythm of a typewriter, is memorable, and there’s a well-known anecdote that Dolly Parton herself created the sound by clicking her acrylic nails.

Blending country and pop into a catchy melody, the song captures the struggles and hopes of office workers.

It reached No.

1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1981 and won multiple Grammy Awards, including Best Country Song.

Give it a listen on your commute or before work, and it’s sure to put you in a positive frame of mind.

Work SongNEW!Hozier

Hozier – Work Song (Official Video)

I want to crawl back home to the one I love—even if I have to drag my exhausted body—this song is like a prayer that longs only to return to a beloved.

Featured on Irish artist Hozier’s 2014 debut album “Hozier,” the track blends elements of blues, soul, and gospel, with church-like handclaps and a resonant, throaty vocal performance.

Released as a single in March 2015, it received high acclaim, including triple-platinum certification in the United States.

The lyrics, which claim that not even the grave can hold the body, draw from traditional gospel influences, delivering a moving message of salvation: that love transcends death amid burnout and loss born of labor.

It’s a song that will resonate especially with those worn out from work and sustained by the presence of someone precious.

Working Man’s SongNEW!Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen – Working Man’s Song (Audio)

As part of the album “I’m the Problem,” released in May 2025, there’s a song Morgan Wallen dedicates to today’s working people.

Even when you work from nine to five, the days don’t pay off; the daily grind can feel like a life sentence.

Riding on raw guitar riffs and a powerful beat, this track gives voice to the struggles and conflicts of blue-collar life—an anthem for workers everywhere.

Its gritty blend of country and rock is sure to ignite live crowds.

It’s a song we hope everyone feeling worn down by their daily job will give a listen to.

UnderdogNEW!Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys – Underdog (Official Video)

A single from the seventh album ALICIA, released in January 2020, this pop-leaning R&B number was co-written with Ed Sheeran and others.

It’s an anthem dedicated to “underdogs” who strive in the shadows—people working on society’s margins, migrant workers, single mothers—offering encouragement to those whose efforts often go unseen.

Built around a simple, piano-centered arrangement, its message—find your voice, recognize your power, and overcome adversity—truly resonates.

The music video portrays ordinary people working through financial hardship, visually reinforcing the song’s theme.

Performed at the 2020 Grammy Awards with Brittany Howard and later certified platinum, it’s a work that gives courage to all of us who face our jobs every day, urging us to walk with pride no matter our position.

Livin’ On A PrayerNEW!Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer

Bon Jovi, who erected a monument in 1980s American rock, released this anthem for the working class in 1986 from the album Slippery When Wet.

Portraying the story of Tommy, a dockworker who lost his job due to a strike, and his girlfriend Gina, who works at a diner—two young people facing a harsh reality—the song spent four consecutive weeks at No.

1 on the Billboard chart and became one of the defining rock anthems of the year.

Its memorable sound, featuring a talk box-driven guitar riff, intertwines with a universal message of “hanging on and making it through,” resonating across generations and borders.

It’s a powerful number that gives you a push when you’re worn out from daily work or need that extra bit of strength.

She Works Hard for the MoneyNEW!Donna Summer

Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money

This is a single released in 1983 by Donna Summer, known as the “Queen of Disco.” Issued as the lead track from the album of the same name, She Works Hard for the Money, it became a major hit, peaking at No.

3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending three consecutive weeks at No.

1 on the R&B chart.

Inspired by seeing an exhausted restroom attendant at a restaurant, the song was created as an anthem for hardworking women.

Driven by powerful drum beats, synthesizers, and a horn section, its message of respect and appreciation for workers resonates deeply.

It’s an uplifting track that encourages everyone who battles through their work day.

Workin’ For A Livin’NEW!Huey Lewis & The News

Huey Lewis And The News – Workin’ For A Livin’

Included on the 1982 album Picture This, this track is a rock number that portrays working people in a realistic light.

Listing a range of jobs—from busboys and bartenders to mechanics—it powerfully sings of the everyday life of workers who are “just working to get by.” Written by Huey Lewis based on his own experience as a truck driver, the band’s sound—featuring memorable harmonica and organ—gives a pop sheen to the gloom and resignation felt by those who toil.

It was also used in the 1988 film Big and continues to be beloved as an anthem that resonates with everyone facing the grind of daily work.