Gut-Wrenching Songs
Music has the uncanny ability to touch our souls and move us in ways that few other art forms can. Sometimes, a song comes along that captures a feeling of loss, longing, or vulnerability so perfectly that it leaves us in tears. With that in mind, here are 20 perfectly curated songs to cry your heart out to.
1. You Can Be King Again
“You Can Be King Again” is a song by Lauren Aquilina. It is a powerfully written song that has beautiful lyrics and an epic, soaring voice. It is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, when we may feel as if we have lost our way, we all have strength and resilience within us.
2. Hurt
"Hurt" is a power ballad performed by Johnny Cash. The song was originally written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Cash's simple yet emotionally shattering version, recorded at the end of his life, makes it one of the most moving things you'll ever hear. The sincerity, regret, and resignation in his voice is devastating—a cracked shell around a broken man, a man who knows he's nearing the end, and what he leaves behind is, in so many ways, the most powerful testament to his life he could possibly give.
Nixon's official photographer, Ollie Atkins on Wikimedia
3. Nothing Compares 2 U
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a haunting ballad performed by Sinéad O'Connor. Written by Prince, the song's minimalist production and O'Connor's achingly vulnerable delivery turn it into a heart-wrenching expression of loss and longing. Its raw emotional honesty can move one to tears, capturing the universal pain of missing someone irreplaceable.
Leah Pritchard from Den Haag, Netherlands on Wikimedia
4. Meet Me on the Battlefield
“Meet Me on the Battlefield” is a powerful song by singer-songwriter SVRCINA. The song combines moving lyrics with a poignant melody, exploring themes of resilience, sacrifice, and the hidden battles we all face. It has the ability to bring listeners to tears, as it is both deeply personal and universal: a call to stand firm in the face of pain and adversity.
5. Drivers License
"Drivers License" is a ballad performed by Olivia Rodrigo. It is an autobiographical song about heartbreak. The ballad details the common theme of the suffering at the end of a relationship and the memory of what used to be special times with a partner. Rodrigo once again creates a deeply emotional song that will most likely make you cry.
White House staff on Wikimedia
6. Someone Like You
Adele has a strong, soulful voice and performs this moving ballad with great feeling. "Someone Like You" is a song about pining away for a lost love and the pain of seeing that ex-partner with someone new. The combination of emotional rawness and vulnerability has made the song quite the tear-jerker.
Christopher Macsurak on Wikimedia
7. A Change Is Gonna Come
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a soulful and evocative song by Sam Cooke. Written in the context of the civil rights movement, it conveys a message of hope, pain, and the longing for justice in the face of struggle and adversity. The song's stirring emotion and heartfelt delivery is certainly moving.
Macfadden Publications page 1 on Wikimedia
8. Both Sides Now
"Both Sides Now" is a song written and performed by Joni Mitchell. Poetic and bittersweet, it muses on love, loss, and how perspectives shift with age and experience. Its soft, wistful tone can make you weepy, as it's both an elegy for innocence lost and a gentle, loving acceptance of life's many shades.
9. The River
“The River" is a beautiful song by Bruce Springsteen that tells a story about love, family, and the loss of dreams. It paints a vivid picture with its lyrics of the struggles of daily life and the crushing weight of dashed hopes. Its melody is haunting, and its raw emotion can bring listeners to tears.
10. Everybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. is a beautiful and poignant song. The lyrics are comforting, acknowledging that everyone experiences pain at times and reminding the listener that they are not alone in their suffering. The song's tender melody and compassionate message can be very moving.
11. Wake Up
"Wake Up" is a painfully self-aware, EDEN-penned indie track that the singer has built a name for through its lyrics and stripped-back production style. The song is a journey through self-loathing, numbness, and feelings of personal disconnect, as well as frustration and pure craving.
12. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is a Neil Young song. It's just a few lines of simple lyrics accompanied by Young's characteristically soulful voice. This is a sad song that will move some listeners to tears. It aches with the power of love and the destruction it can cause, yet shows how much we need love and want to love someone with all of our heart, despite the heartbreak that's possible.
13. Teardrop
“Teardrop” is an a cappella song by Massive Attack with ethereal vocals by Elizabeth Fraser. Hauntingly beautiful, it features fragile, almost melancholic melodies. It deals with feelings of loss, longing, and vulnerability.
14. Lazarus
"Lazarus" is a profoundly moving and elegiac song by David Bowie. Penned in the twilight of his life, the song is a meditation on mortality, legacy, and the fragile beauty of life. The raw poignancy of its lyrics and Bowie's spectral vocal delivery are often overwhelming.
15. How to Disappear Completely
"How to Disappear Completely" is a gorgeously elegiac Radiohead song. The swelling, otherworldly music and Thom Yorke's delicate, spectral voice create a sense of otherness, dislocation, and the will to vanish from the painful feelings being experienced.
16. Nutshell
"Nutshell" is a haunting and heart-wrenching song by Alice In Chains. Its sparse acoustic arrangement and Layne Staley's raw, vulnerable vocals create an atmosphere of isolation and despair. The song touches on themes of loneliness, personal struggle, and the pain of inner turmoil.
17. Cats in the Cradle
"Cat's in the Cradle" is a touching song by Harry Chapin. The lyrics tell the story of a father and son relationship. The time passing by and the regret of not spending it together are the main themes. This song can make you cry because of the sadness of losing time and the realization of what truly matters, like family and being there for them.
18. Between the Bars
"Between the Bars" is a sad, slow song written by Elliott Smith. The song has a simple acoustic guitar rhythm, and Elliott Smith sings the words in a soft, barely audible voice. The song is about being lonely and can be quite relatable after a heartbreak.
Alexis from Bronx, United States on Wikimedia
19. The Heart Wants What It Wants
"The Heart Wants What It Wants" is a very emotional song by Selena Gomez. The lyrics are pure and raw. It is about wanting someone you know you shouldn't, being hurt, and feeling helpless. This song can make you cry because it expresses the vulnerability, yearning, and emotional mess of falling in love against your better judgment.
Lunchbox LP, Culver City, California on Wikimedia
20. Songbird
"Songbird" by Fleetwood Mac is a sweet, melodic ballad with lead vocals by Christine McVie. The simple piano and McVie's soft, earnest voice fill the song with love, thanks, and yearning.
