Let It Out
Sometimes you don’t want upbeat. You don’t want “good vibes only”. You want the musical equivalent of sobbing into your pillow with mascara running down your face while imagining yourself as the tragic lead in an Oscar-winning drama. Luckily, music has been breaking hearts for decades, and some songs are so perfectly melancholy they practically come with their own box of tissues.
Here’s your ultimate playlist of sad songs—equal parts devastating, nostalgic, and oddly therapeutic.
“Wonderful Tonight” Eric Clapton
On the surface, this sweet ballad sounds romantic, but listen closely and you’ll feel the ache behind it. Clapton’s voice carries the exhaustion of a man watching love fade in slow motion. The tenderness almost makes it hurt more, because the most painful heartbreaks aren’t the loud, dramatic ones—they’re the quiet ones that slip away gently.
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight [Official Live], Eric Clapton
“When The Party’s Over” Billie Eilish
Leave it to Billie Eilish to make emotional devastation sound hauntingly beautiful. Her whispery vocals float like a ghost over minimalist production, making you feel like you’re dissolving into thin air. It’s the kind of song that makes you stare blankly at the ceiling, suddenly remembering every embarrassing thing you’ve ever said at a party.
Billie Eilish - when the party's over, Billie Eilish
“Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” Alicia Keys
This one is a powerhouse ballad drenched in pain. Alicia Keys belts out the agony of trying to carry on when your whole world has been shattered. The driving beat and her raw vocals give the track a sense of determination—because sometimes crying it out is step one, but singing it out is step two.
Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart (Remastered 4K), Ric Di Olive
“To Build A Home” The Cinematic Orchestra
This isn’t just a song; it’s an emotional short film in audio form. The delicate piano paired with lyrics about home, memory, and loss will gut you in the first two minutes. By the time the orchestration swells, you’ll be ugly crying so hard you won’t even care that your neighbor can probably hear it.
The Cinematic Orchestra - 'To Build A Home' (Official Video), Ninja Tune
“Somebody Else” The 1975
Nothing hurts quite like imagining your ex moving on without you, and The 1975 put that feeling to music. The synth-heavy track pulses with jealousy and longing, perfectly capturing the misery of seeing someone you loved belong to “somebody else”. Bonus points if you cry-sing it dramatically into your hairbrush microphone.
The 1975 - Somebody Else (Official Video), The 1975
“The Scientist” Coldplay
Chris Martin basically said, “Let’s make every human on Earth cry at once,” and wrote this song. With its plaintive piano chords and regret-soaked lyrics, it’s the ultimate soundtrack for wishing you could go back in time and fix everything. If you’re not crying by the words “Nobody said it was easy,” you might actually be a robot.
Coldplay - The Scientist (Official 4K Video), Coldplay
“The River” Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell doesn’t just write songs; she writes devastating poetry set to music. “The River” is drenched in longing, regret, and the ache of wanting escape. It’s the kind of sad that sneaks up on you—quiet and reflective—but leaves you hollowed out in the best possible way.
Joni Mitchell - River (Official Music Video), Joni Mitchell
“Re: Stacks” Bon Iver
If sadness could be distilled into sound, it might just be Justin Vernon’s falsetto. Stripped back and intimate, “Re: Stacks” feels like eavesdropping on someone’s deepest heartbreak. It’s a song that doesn’t demand your tears so much as it patiently waits until you’re ready to let them fall.
Bon Iver - RE:Stacks (Music Video), ProjectedEnt
“Punisher” Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers has built a career on making people cry in indie coffee shops, and “Punisher” is one of her finest works. The lyrics are both surreal and painfully real, blending imagery of loneliness and disconnection with her featherlight voice. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve wandered into a dream you don’t really want to wake up from.
Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers || Live at RedRocksxUnpaused
“My Heart Will Go On” Celine Dion
The Titanic theme song isn’t just a song—it’s a cultural reset. Celine Dion’s powerhouse vocals paired with James Horner’s sweeping composition practically dare you not to sob. Even if you’ve never lost a Jack Dawson to icy waters, this song will convince you that you have.
Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On (Official 25th Anniversary Alternate Music Video), Celine Dion
“Last Words Of A Shooting Star” Mitski
Mitski has a gift for making sadness sound achingly personal, and this track is no exception. With haunting vocals and sparse instrumentation, it feels like a quiet confession written in a diary you weren’t meant to read. It’s fragile, beautiful, and leaves you with the unsettling sense of floating away into the night sky.
Mitski - Last Words of a Shooting Star - Audiotree Live, Audiotree
“I’ll Never Love Again” Lady Gaga
Fresh from the emotional wreckage of A Star Is Born, this ballad might be one of Gaga’s most vulnerable performances. Her voice cracks in places, and you can feel every ounce of grief. If you’ve ever lost love so deep you wondered if you’d ever recover, this one will resonate like a gut punch.
I'll Never Love Again (from A Star Is Born) (Official Music Video), Lady Gaga
“Hurt” Nine Inch Nails
Whether you prefer the raw industrial original by Nine Inch Nails or Johnny Cash’s devastating cover, “Hurt” is basically sadness distilled. The lyrics wrestle with regret, addiction, and mortality in a way that feels both universal and crushingly intimate. It’s not just sad—it’s existentially sad, the kind that makes you question your whole life while staring at the floor.
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt (VEVO Presents), Nine Inch Nails
“Dreaming Of You” Selena Quintanilla
Selena’s voice is full of warmth and yearning in this track that perfectly captures the bittersweet ache of unrequited love. It’s tender and romantic but tinged with longing, making it all the more heartbreaking given her tragic passing. Listening to it feels like pressing on a bruise you know will hurt—but you can’t stop yourself.
Selena - Dreaming Of You (Official Music Video), Selena
“Call Your Mom” Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan has quickly become the sad boy troubadour of our time, and “Call Your Mom” is proof. The song is a gentle plea for connection in the middle of pain, full of earnest vulnerability. It’s the type of track that makes you want to cry, then actually pick up the phone and reconnect with someone you love.
Noah Kahan - Call Your Mom (Live), Cody
“Beyond” Leon Bridges
Leon Bridges makes heartbreak sound smooth, like whiskey neat on a lonely night. “Beyond” carries a soulful sadness, reminding you that sometimes even the strongest love can’t outrun fate. His velvety voice makes the sorrow go down easy, but trust me—you’ll still feel the sting.
Leon Bridges - Beyond (Official Video), Leon Bridges
“Asleep” The Smiths
Morrissey’s melancholy voice finds its perfect home in this devastating ballad. It’s haunting, gentle, and feels like a lullaby for someone who doesn’t expect to wake up. Somehow both comforting and crushing, “Asleep” is for the nights when you want your sadness to be poetic.
“Purple Rain” Prince
Prince turned heartbreak into a stadium anthem with “Purple Rain.” The epic guitar solo alone could wring tears out of a rock. Equal parts longing and catharsis, it’s the kind of song that makes you feel like you’re crying with the entire world at once.
“Slow Burn” Kacey Musgraves
This song isn’t overtly sad, but its quiet reflection carries a bittersweet sting. It’s about time, change, and the realization that everything passes eventually. The mellow vibe lulls you into a soft sadness—the kind that doesn’t overwhelm, but lingers long after the last note fades.
Kacey Musgraves - Slow Burn (Live From Tokyo), K A C E Y M U S G R A V E S
“Landslide” Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” is timeless, a song about aging, loss, and the inevitability of change. Stevie Nicks’ ethereal vocals transform life’s toughest truths into something heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s not just a sad song—it’s a soul song, the kind you’ll return to every time life feels like it’s shifting beneath your feet.
Fleetwood Mac - Landslide (Live) (Official Video) [HD], Fleetwood Mac
Final Thoughts
These songs remind us that sadness is universal, and sometimes leaning into it is exactly what we need to heal. Whether you’re ugly-crying into your couch cushions or just letting a single dignified tear roll down your cheek, let this playlist be your soundtrack. After all, tears dry—but these songs will stick with you forever.
I'll Never Love Again (from A Star Is Born) (Official Music Video), Lady Gaga
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