If you're feeling drained or worried about life in general, never underestimate the power of a great sad song. Sure, it may sound counterintuitive, but some of the best slow, emotional tracks allow us to acknowledge our feelings - a painful but necessary step in the right direction. Here are 47 of them to listen to as you sadly look out the bus/car/train window.
1. When we were young - Adele
Not only did Adele invent winged eyeliner, she also perfected the art of a sad song that will make you cry. “You still look like from a movie. You still sound like a song. My God, this reminds me of when we were young." But this is a really sad song that makes you cry...
2. Beyond - Leon Bridges
This song is so cute. The music video is so cute. Leon Bridges is so cute. Everything about this song is so sweet. "Beyond" is about dating someone and having that feeling of knowing that it's higher than any other feeling you've ever had for someone before.
3. I'm On Fire - Chromatic
I'm a big fan of Bruce Springsteen's original version, but there's something about hearing it from the Chromatics' point of view that gives the song a whole new meaning.
4 Someone Else - 1975
“I don't need your body, but I hate thinking about you with someone else. Our love has grown cold. You are intertwining your soul with someone else." Lyrics unlike any other for a song with a sad yet joyful sound that is unparalleled. It's safe to say that this is the song that takes your breath away.
5. Homesickness - Dua Lipa
Home is not a place, but a person from Dua Lipa's song "Homesick", performed with Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin. Famous catchy pop tunes like her new song "Don't Start Now" Lipa reminds us of the best sad songs start with vocals.
6. "How Will I Know" - Sam Smith
Sam Smith's cover of Whitney Houston's iconic "How Will I Know" makes you feel so many things you didn't know you could have. Most covers pay homage to the original in some way, but Smith gives the song a new light.
7. From the dinner table - Harry Styles
This song is so intimate that I almost feel guilty listening to it. "Why don't you ever say what you want to say? By the way, even my phone does not miss your call. For a heartbreaking listening experience, I recommend using headphones. Sometimes after such songs it is impossible not to think about the meaning of life...
8. Nothing can hurt you baby - Cigarettes after sex
“Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby” is one of those songs that takes you instantly to another place. I still can't decide what I like better - the song or the YouTube comment.
9. LANY - ILYSB
Lany's acoustic version of the hit "ILYSB" makes full use of Paul Klein's lyrics to love someone so sick. No pain, no gain, right?
10. Right now - HAIM
I can't decide if the best part of this song is the bass line or the drum solo. "Right Now" reminds us why the Haim sisters are one of the best bands of the decade. I recommend listening to it during golden hour for full dramatic effect.
11. Lost - J. Cole
Jay Cole is a seasoned storyteller, and in Lost, he tells the story of a couple who are forced to confront their traumas when they face a major roadblock in their relationship. Taking into account both the guy's and the girl's point of view in each verse, the song slowly gets sadder and sadder until you realize that you were downright crying for four minutes and 23 seconds.
12. "River" - Ben Platt
Ben Platt makes the Joni Mitchell song his own when he performs it on the first episode of the Netflix series The Politician. Platt's voice will pull you into his world for four minutes, and we are very grateful.
13. "Dancing on my own" - Calum Scott
Remember the group of New Yorkers who sang Robin's "Dancing Alone" in the middle of a subway platform? In fact, Calum Scott's version won't have that (you'll probably cry on the subway instead)... and that's all you really need to know.
14. Slow Burn - Casey Musgraves
"Golden Hour" may have won four Grammys, but "Slow Burn" deserves 100 more - just for every tear I've shed while listening to it and allowing myself to process my emotions.
15. "Be Alright" - Dean Lewis
Australian heartthrob Dean Lewis has given us the perfect excuse to let go of someone who unfortunately just doesn't want us to come back. Reminder: Everything will be fine.
16. You Talk - Lauren Daigle
Lauren Daigle's "You Say" is deeply emotional if you're struggling with feelings of self-doubt: "You say I'm loved when I don't feel anything / You say I'm strong when I think I'm weak / You say I am hold me back when I can't do it."
17. I will never love again - Lady Gaga
Even if you haven't watched A Star Is Born, you can tell the song's emotional complexity from the title.
18. "Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me, but I have it" - Lana Del Rey
It's impossible to make a list of sad songs without a Lana Del Rey song...or five songs from Lana, because her songs always give you goosebumps. “Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me,” one of the first singles from her upcoming album Norman F*cking Rockwell, is a heartbreakingly beautiful reminder that sometimes hope is all we have.
19. Scientist - Coldplay
The official drafting of a petition to classify Coldplay as an original sad song™ in the dictionary.
20. Past Life - Maggie Rogers
Maggie Rogers' "Past Life" is so different from other songs like "Fallingwater" and "On + Off" from her new album Heard It in a Past Life, which is perhaps what makes it so great. It's a clear reflection of who she was and who she's becoming - we all need to leave space from time to time. A very soulful song in English about love from Maggie Rogers, born in 1994, originally from the USA.
21. Palace - Cam
Cameron's cover of Sam Smith's "The Palace" (which she originally wrote, by the way) is a heartbreaking tribute to the former lover she clearly still loves. "And I'll miss you / And I'm still there / Sometimes I wish we never built this palace / But true love is never a waste of time."
22. Self Care - Mac Miller
The tragic death of Mac Miller at 26 is still fresh in our memory. It seems appropriate to just sit quietly and listen to this song while reflecting on your life. Call it self-care.
23. "How to Disappear Completely" - Radiohead
The song is so melancholy that you will feel like an astronaut who has lost contact with the space station. The line most likely to make you say "same" is: "I'm not here / this isn't happening."
24. "Hallucinations" - dvsn
Some songs are uplifting, others make you cry - "Hallucinations" somehow fit both categories. Whether you're sending a risqué lyric late at night or re-reading your ex's old lyrics through tears, this song is sure to get you all the way.
25. "End of Love" - Florence + Machine
"The End of Love" is home to Florence + The Machine's new album, High as Hope. The title pretty much conveys the atmosphere.
26. "Heartbreak Warfare" - John Mayer
“Heartbreak Warfare” is number five on our list of “The Best John Mayer Songs of All Time” because, well, it’s really great and will make you feel right there.
27. "Say My Name" - The Weeknd
Another sad song in English
When he says "I almost cut myself off for your life / Guess I was just another pit stop / Until you made up your mind / You just wasted my time"...
28. "Goodbye" - Secondhand Serenade
If you're looking for an adult version of Secondhand Serenade's "Fall for You" this is it.
29. "Purple Rain" - Prince
Want to make everyone cry at karaoke? This epic ballad is sure to fit. Between Prince's powerful guitar solo and the dreamy lyrics (which The Purple One so poetically described as "the end of the world and being with the one you love"), there won't be a dry eye in the house.
30. "Responsibility" - Lord
Say hello to the grand opus of Lord's second studio album, Melodrama. You feel how her heart (and yours at the same time) breaks in every line. It makes you hit on anyone who thought you were "too much" for them. A good cry is guaranteed.
31. Re:Stacks - Bon Iver
This sad, wistful song plays in my yoga class every time we sit in savasana. It is very relaxing, but at the same time very emotional.
32. "I have nothing" - Whitney
The third single from the hit movie "Bodyguard" is one of the top five songs to sing to the fullest in the shower. This song brings tears to my cheeks...
33. Stone Cold - Demi Lovato
"I was your amber, but now she's your golden hue." Demi gives us all the thrills with this raw, emotional single from her 2015 album Confident.
34. "If I ever feel better" - Phoenix
The answer to the question "Why am I crying at the club?" every time.
35. "Be Your Love" - Rachel Yamagata
Yes, that's the song you hear in movies when the good girl doesn't understand the guy. Now you just sit back and wonder what you did to deserve this tragedy.
36. "Coke" - BLOXX
Someone put it in a teen movie where the heroine is driving around the streets thinking “what are we?” relationship question. (I've heard it continues past 30, so good guitar music like this might work for a movie about it too - if Hollywood ever decides to recognize women of that age.)
37 "I Dream of You" - Selena Quintanilla
To do this, you will need several boxes of tissues. The mid-tempo jam of the 90s is all about longing for a loved one, but the heartbreak factor is multiplied a million times when you realize that this was one of the last songs Selena recorded before her tragic death in 1995.
38. "Never Be Like You" - Flume feat. Kai
Electro-pop can be sad, especially if the English lyrics describe your life situation: “Hey, the narrator (you) did something wrong to justify ending the relationship, and now he/she (you) should regret it.”
39. "On Hold" - xx
Romi Madeley Croft really loves jugular with unquestioning emotion in her vocals. It doesn't hurt (help with a slash) that the subject again is a relationship that didn't work out.
40. Agnes - Glass animals
Let's put it this way: when it comes to shuffling, remove yourself from any group situations, otherwise you might scare someone with a sudden emotional outburst. How could you not watch this epic, chest-full track about helplessly watching someone struggle with unbearable heartache?
41. Try to sleep with a broken heart - Alicia Keys
Nearly a decade after its release, this heartbreaking Alicia Keys song has rightfully earned its place on every sad girl™ playlist “whose song should cry”.
42. Appointments - Julien Baker
So beautiful, so emotional, it will make you feel good (at least). After all, it's Julien Baker. These are the names of the song under which you want to cry and be sad ...
43. "This is happiness" - Lana Del Rey
When did you get so dark, LDR? With lyrics like "One gun on the table / Headshot if you can," this is a painfully beautiful single that could have been part of her third studio album, Ultraviolence.
44. Blackberry Stone - Laura Marling
"I'd be sad that I never held your hand when you were put down / But I'd realize I'd never let you go." This song quickly turns into a chase, but you will enjoy it while bleeding.
45. "Without Me" - Mac DeMarco
This song is even sadder than the acoustic one, so we included this version with old Mac playing the guitar while sitting on a tree stump in the forest.
46. "I am not God" - Samoht
Anyone who has ever had to give up a toxic relationship for their own sanity will feel too much about this song. “I want to save you, but I am not God,” Samoh sings sadly on the track. "I want to heal you, but that's not my job." Brb, crying.
47. "Cold" - Marriage ritual feat. Lizzy Land
Can a song make you shiver? Despite the fact that this track is a love song on the surface, you still feel hints of past regrets, which - combined with a massive hook - make for excellent material wrapped in a burrito-on-the-floor blanket.
