If you’ve visited a preschool in recent years, you might’ve heard this upbeat song during the toddlers’ exercise time. We write songs like this for our children (this was the theme for Zootopia), because we see so clearly, in hindsight, how the world is their oyster. We see how fear of failure might hold them back from trying. “Don’t hold back!” we cry, hoping they’ll listen, realizing vaguely that our elders cried the same to us. But there’s no expiration date for the lessons of fairy tales and children’s songs. While there’s breath in our body, we can still try.

Shakira, "Try Everything," written by Sia, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen & Tor Erik Hermansen, 2016.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to May 31, 2025.

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