There is almost nothing in the world as cathartic as a good cry. Collapsing on your bed, face buried, hiding from the light, and letting it all out feels freeing, and really helps purge negative feelings from your mind. But sometimes the tears just wonโt flow – and thatโs where music comes in. Nothing helps flip our faceโs faucet faster than a truly sad song. Like an echo chamber, the saddest songs reflect your inner turmoil until youโre a quivering ball of putty.
Now, letโs start bawling together! And no, we wonโt be including โDisco Duckโ on this countdown, even though that novelty noise has caused more people to break down sobbing than every other song ever written combined. Grab your tissues, letโs cry.
โThe Sound of Silenceโ – Simon and Garfunkel
![the sound of silence](https://doyouremember.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sounds-of-silence.jpeg)
When a songโs opening lyrics are, โHello darkness my old friend, Iโve come to talk to you again,โ you know that the next three minutes of your life probably arenโt going to be too uplifting. And youโd be right, because despite the sweet and almost fragile vocals of Simon and Garfunkelโs first-ever single, โThe Sound of Silence,โ the song doesnโt really have a happy bone in its body. Paul Simon actually wrote the song in his bathroom with the lights off when he was just 21, and later stated that the song is about peopleโs inability to communicate emotionally, and so to never truly love each other. Whoa. Heady stuff for someone yet to graduate college, and a tearjerker for sure.
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โLove Will Tear Us Apartโ – Joy Division
Now moving on from generic existential dread to something much more specific, though no less poignant. In 1980 Joy Division was one of the hottest up-and-coming young bands in Britain, but despite the groupโs growing popularity, all was not well with lead singer Ian Curtis. Just listen to the bandโs hit single โLove Will Tear Us Apart,โ in which Curtis documents his failing marriage, and struggles with depression and epilepsy. The anguish and resignation as he intones over and over, โLove, Love will tear us apart, again,โ becomes even more heartbreaking when you realize Curtis hanged himself one month before the song was even released. One of the saddest songs of all time, and impossible to listen to without becoming misty-eyed.
โWish You Were Hereโ – Pink Floyd
As hard as it is when someone you love dies, losing a friend or family member to mental illness is sometimes even worse – the person still looks the same but just isnโt the person you knew and cared for anymore. And Pink Floyd perfectly captured this unique torment in their 1975 song โWish You Were Here,โ a beautiful and haunting ode to their original lead singer and songwriter, Syd Barrett. In 1968 the band was forced to oust Barrett after continued abuse of psychedelic drugs and potential schizophrenia had led to a complete mental breakdown. And while Pink Floyd would become one of the best-selling bands of all time, they always wished they could have done it with their old friend beside them. Cue the waterworks.
โWonderful Tonightโ – Eric Clapton
Tears donโt always have to be sad. People cry tears of joy all the time, especially at happy events like weddings. And what song has caused the wettest cheeks at weddings? Probably one of the most popular of first dance songs, Eric Claptonโs โWonderful Tonight.โ But things become cliches for a reason, and Claptonโs tale of marveling at his wifeโs beauty and elegance while she gets ready for a Buddy Holly party at Paul McCartneyโs house is such a loving, pretty ballad that itโs no surprise people choose it to commemorate their first dance. If youโve ever looked at your significant other and thought to yourself, wow. This person is truly amazing, then you know exactly where Clapton is coming from, and probably struggle to keep your eyes dry when โWonderful Tonightโ plays.
โMad Worldโ – Tears for Fears
If youโve ever felt like youโre just a bit too happy, sit down and listen to Tears for Fearsโ 1982 single โMad World,โ and let that non-stop laugh riot bring you down a bit. The band was inspired by controversial experimental psychologist Arthur Janov and his book The Primal Scream, and the results were, uh, kinda depressing. While the song is both ethereal and hauntingly beautiful in a way, lyrics like โAnd I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, The dreams in which I’m dying, Are the best I’ve ever had,โ and โHide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow, No tomorrow, no tomorrow,โ make โMad Worldโ one of the best songs to listen to when you just want to bury your head in a pillow and sob.ย
โIโm So Lonesome, I Could Cryโ – Hank Williams
For the next song, weโre going to jump back a bit in time, because when Elvis describes something as โprobably the saddest song Iโve ever heard,โ then it has to be included on a list of songs that make you cry. And Iโm of course talking about Hank Williamsโ mournful 1949 single โIโm So Lonesome, I Could Cry.โ A song that shaped the course of country music for decades, Williamsโ song perfectly captures the unrelenting sadness of being all alone in the world – a pain that every one of us has felt at one time or another. As Bob Dylan said, โI didn’t have to experience anything that Hank did to know what he was singing about. I’d never heard a robin weep, but could imagine it and it made me sad.โ
โYesterdayโ – The Beatles
Almost everyone in the world has daydreamed about a past relationship, pining for the good olโ days when both partners lived in blissful harmony. Itโs the good times you always remember, and The Beatles perfectly capture this sentiment in their lovely, remorseful ballad, โYesterday.โ Telling the story of a heartbroken man yearning for past love, the song marked one of the first times the fab four took a risk and experimented musically – โYesterdayโ only contains an acoustic guitar and backing string arrangements. Well, they obviously did something right, as โYesterdayโ is the most covered song in history – as of today, there are more than 2,200 versions floating around. But by far the best and most moving is The Beatles original.
โHallelujahโ – Leonard Cohen
Funerals are a unique experience. Youโre at once feeling terrible sadness grieving the death of a loved one while at the same time experiencing the joy of celebrating their life. And if youโve ever wanted to listen to a perfect distillation of this strange dichotomy, check out Leonard Cohenโs 1984 single โHallelujah.โ With triumphant, soaring highs, and lows that hit you in the very depth of your soul, โHallelujahโ is the perfect song to listen to anytime you need to shed tears that are both happy and sad. And if youโre really in need of an extra sad cry, check out Jeff Buckleyโs 1994 cover, which takes Cohenโs dirge and turns it into a melancholy masterpiece.
โAngieโ – The Rolling Stones
Known more for their upbeat, raucous bangers like โSatisfactionโ or โBrown Sugar,โ The Rolling Stones pivoted in 1973 from making our feat stomp to making our eyes leak when they released their hit single โAngie.โ When you start to really loathe the other person in a relationship itโs pretty easy to end things. Much worse is when you still really love your partner but know things just arenโt right and canโt last. And Mick Jagger makes you feel every ounce of that pain as he painfully croons about his lover – โOh, your kisses still taste sweet, I hate that sadness in your eyes, But Angie, Angie, Ain’t it time we said goodbye?โ Breakups are always hard, but at least if Jagger is feeling the same pain we know that everyone is.
Alright, everyone, you can put your tissues away. Thatโs the end of the tears – for now. Which of these songs do you listen to when you need to let out some raw emotion? Which songs do nothing for you? Let us know in the comments below, we read every one!ย