2000s Rock Songs About Making It and Going Home

A song list · 15 songs · updated October 2026

Leaving home to chase something, getting part of the way, and thinking about the people you left. A lot of the big 2000s rock ballads are about exactly that, and so are a few of my songs, which are marked ZN Rock. Every song has a line on what it's about and a link to play it.

1. Home · Daughtry

   Chris Daughtry came to fame on American Idol, and this 2007 single became the song the show played when contestants were sent home. It's about being worn out from chasing something and heading back to the people who know you.

   Official videoSpotify

2. If Today Was Your Last Day · Nickelback

   From Dark Horse (2008). It's about living like there's no tomorrow: calling old friends, making amends, not putting things off.

   Official videoSpotify

3. Tell Him I Made It · ZN RockZN Rock

   Looking at an old photo of the kid you used to be and wishing you could tell him it worked out. A message back through the years: hold on, the worst of it ends.

   Lyric videoLyricsSpotifyApple MusicYouTube Music

4. When I'm Gone · 3 Doors Down

   From Away from the Sun (2002), with a video shot aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. It's about asking someone to hold on to you while you're away.

   Official videoSpotify

5. Photograph · Nickelback

   From All the Right Reasons (2005). Chad Kroeger flips through old pictures and remembers growing up in Hanna, Alberta, the small town he left behind.

   Spotify

6. My Long Way Around · ZN RockZN Rock

   Every wrong road and dead-end town, and not being sorry for any of it. It's about keeping every busted part of the hard way you came.

   Lyric videoLyricsSpotifyApple MusicYouTube Music

7. Second Chance · Shinedown

   From The Sound of Madness (2008). Brent Smith wrote it about leaving Knoxville, Tennessee, to go after a life in rock, and telling his parents this is his life.

   Spotify

8. Nine Years In · ZN RockZN Rock

   Nine years of staying angry at an old friend over something small, while he never even felt it. It's about who a grudge really costs, and calling someone while you still can.

   Lyric videoLyricsSpotifyApple MusicYouTube Music

9. Here Without You · 3 Doors Down

   Also from Away from the Sun. A road ballad about being far from someone you love and still feeling them with you.

   Spotify

10. I Keep Saying I'll Be Happy When · ZN RockZN Rock

    Always one more year and one more round of work before you let yourself be happy. Saying goodbye to an old friend makes it clear what people remember, and the when becomes now.

    Lyric videoLyricsSpotifyApple MusicYouTube Music

11. Rockstar · Nickelback

    A tongue-in-cheek wish list of every rock star cliché, from All the Right Reasons. The video is fans and famous faces lip-syncing it.

    Spotify

12. It's Not Over · Daughtry

    Daughtry's debut single (2006), nominated for the Grammy for Best Rock Song. It's about refusing to give up on something that isn't finished yet.

    Spotify

13. My Best Bad Idea · ZN RockZN Rock

    A toast to the worst advice ever taken and every wrong turn, burned bridge and bad call along the way. Everyone said it would go wrong, and it still turned out right.

    Lyric videoLyricsSpotifyApple MusicYouTube Music

14. The Reason · Hoobastank

    The title track of Hoobastank's 2003 album, nominated for the Grammy for Song of the Year. An apology to someone you hurt, and the reason you want to be better.

    Spotify

15. Somewhere Safe Again · ZN RockZN Rock

    On this list for the way home: after the worst nights, digging for a spark and walking yourself back somewhere safe.

    Lyric videoLyricsSpotifyApple MusicYouTube Music

Play the whole list