Songs to Inspire and Motivate Product Managers: A ProductCamp Anthology

Product management isn’t just about numbers, charts, and features. It’s a thrilling journey filled with challenges, collaborations, and discoveries. Much like a campfire sing-along, the right songs can light up the path for product managers, inspiring creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether it's Flirting with Disaster by Molly Hatchet or Won't Back Down by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the tunes you choose can set the tone for your daily work.

The Starter Set: Songs Every Product Manager Should Know

Playing the role of a product manager is a unique blend of strategy, leadership, and creativity. Here’s a playlist that covers the essential themes:

1. Patti LaBelle: Best Is Yet To Come (roadmap remix)

Remind your team that the future is full of possibilities with T])). Best Is Yet To Come (roadmap remix). Just like the song, your product roadmap always has room for improvement and innovation.

2. Rolling Stones: You Cant Always Get What You Want

Foster resilience and adaptability in your team with the iconic lyrics from Rolling Stones: You Cant Always Get What You Want. Knowing that not every idea will succeed can help the team stay focused on what truly matters.

3. Beyoncé: Irreplaceable

Emphasize the value of your team with Beyoncé: Irreplaceable. This song can serve as a reminder that each team member brings something unique and invaluable to the table.

4. Bruce Springsteen: Im On Fire (revenue re-release)

Elevate your team's spirits with Bruce Springsteen's Im On Fire (revenue re-release). Regardless of product difficulties, this is a song that can ignite passion and drive for success.

5. The Who: Im Free (in-app purchase remix)

Empower your team to take ownership and embrace freedom with The Who: Im Free (in-app purchase remix). An in-app purchase might sound like a small feature, but its impact can be significant for your business.

6. Indigo Girls: Closer To Fine (beta refresh)

Nudge your team to stay close to their end goal with Indigo Girls: Closer To Fine (beta refresh). Beta releases are critical, but they’re also moments of refinement that bring a product closer to perfection.

7. Nicki Minaj: I Lied (dedicated to our enterprise sales team)

Motivate your enterprise sales team with Nicki Minaj: I Lied. As a product manager, it’s crucial to be honest and communicate openly, even if it means admitting mistakes or shortcomings to gain trust.

8. Tori Amos: A Sorta Fairytale (business plan critique edition)

Assemble your team and tackle challenges with Tori Amos: A Sorta Fairytale (business plan critique edition). This song can inspire collective brainstorming and critique sessions that lead to better product planning.

9. Blondie: Rip Her To Shreds (competitive analysis release)

Promote healthy competition within the team with Blondie: Rip Her To Shreds (competitive analysis release). Embrace competitive research as a tool to improve your product and stay ahead of the market.

10. Marika Hackman: Good Intentions (product UX duet)

Encourage collaboration and communication between product managers and UX designers with Marika Hackman: Good Intentions (product UX duet). A harmonious relationship is critical for creating user-friendly products that align with business goals.

11. Selena Gomez: Everything Is Not as It Seems (tech doc re-release)

Bloom your product and technical documentation with Selena Gomez's Everything Is Not as It Seems (tech doc re-release). Transparency and clear documentation ensure a better understanding of the product’s features and functionality among users.

12. Jefferson Starship: We Built This Version

Celebrate the team’s collective effort with Jefferson Starship: We Built This Version. Bond and celebrate the product’s development and launch together as a team.

13. Foreigner: I Want To Know What Love Is (business canvas mix)

Stay curious and open to learning with Foreigner: I Want To Know What Love Is (business canvas mix). Keep questioning, exploring, and evolving your product and business model.

Product Management Parodies: Bringing Fun to Work

Product management requires a different kind of creativity. Sometimes, nothing hits home quite like a parody song. Here are some parodies from my personal collection:

1. The High-Tech Product Manager

This parody is sung to the tune of Modern Major General by Gilbert and Sullivan, recasting the GM as a high-tech product manager. It’s a humorous yet insightful anthem that encapsulates the daily life and challenges of a product manager.

2. The HP TouchPad

A tribute to the HP TouchPad, this parody is set to the distinctive tune of A Day in the Life by the Beatles. It serves as a nostalgic reminder and a playful nod to the devices that have shaped the tech industry.

3. Next Year’s Goals

With an original tune inspired by Deck the Halls, Next Year’s Goals emerges as a cheerful countdown to the future. This song reinforces the idea that every day is a step towards the next phase of your product journey.

4. Time to Go

Borrowing from the evergreen Let it Snow, Time to Go offers a familiar melody for those times of change and transition in the product world. It’s a reminder to embrace new opportunities and move forward.

5. 12 Days After GA

One of my favorites, 12 Days After GA is a spin on 12 Days of Christmas. This song is a fun way to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that goes into a product’s launch and continuous improvement.

6. Software Product Management Blues

Ba-dum-tss! Scoring a solid emotional hit, Software Product Management Blues is a bluesy take on life as a product manager. Sung to the haunting melody of Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan, it captures the struggles, victories, and everything in between of managing a software product.

ProductCamp Anthology

ProductCamp is a worldwide community of like-minded product managers. Birthed in the heart of Silicon Valley as a small, free event, it quickly blossomed into a global network. Here’s a special ProductCamp song written in the style of Edelweiss from The Sound of Music:

ProductCamp

ProductCamp ProductCamp nSilicon Valley started it nSmall and free share and learn nIt all began so humbly

It blossomed and grew across the world nCity by city unfailing nProductCamp ProductCamp nTeaching innovation

A collection of diverse voices and experiences, ProductCamp offers a unique platform to share knowledge, challenges, and success stories. As symbolized in this song, ProductCamp’s journey is one of enduring innovation and discovery.

Conclusion

Music, whether it’s real songs or parodies, can serve as a powerful tool for product managers. By leveraging the right tunes, product managers can inspire their teams, foster creativity, and drive innovation. So, the next time you need a boost, turn up the volume and let the music guide your product management journey.