As a true believer that music can have many meanings, there is no struggle to find sad songs to relate to me. Music has glued my heart back together more than once, but it has also broken it. Listening to sad songs to fuel my hour-long crying session is pretty normal for me. From family struggles to the romantic heartbreak I’ve never experienced, my Spotify playlists are carefully crafted to fuel my sad girl days, and now I’m here to share the songs that make up those playlists. You could keep listening to “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers on repeat (no shame, I do that, too), or you could explore different songs to sob your heart out to. Me and my musical god complex are here to supply your new fix of melancholic songs to fuel your sad girl days.
My credentials are that I am a Cancer, bipolar, and the oldest daughter. Enjoy!
“stick season” by noah kahan
“So I thought that if I piled something good on all my bad
That I could cancel out the darkness I inherited from dad.”
Listen, I know what you are thinking: why on Earth am I recommending a country song written by a man? Normally, I would be confused as well, but just take the chance on this break-up song and listen to the utter pain this man portrays through his lyrics. This song is about the person that he was in love with leaving him and taking part of him with them — something that isn’t specific to only romantic relationships, but platonic and family relationships, too. This song was one of my top-played songs in September, and I guarantee that you’ll also have it on repeat for days.
“ELDEST DAUGHTER” BY ISABEL PLESS
“I would do anything to be needed
Over and over again.”
I recently came across this song while looking for more personal songs to relate to. Isabel Pless is an up-and-coming artist who has a talent for making relatable content. Her song“Eldest Daughter” is about this need to please others as the result of her being the eldest daughter, and it is very easy to relate to, even if you aren’t the eldest daughter. Give the song a listen, and I promise you’ll feel your people-pleaser side perk up.
“tHE GOLD” BY PHOEBE BRIDGERS
“You don’t have to hold me anymore
Our cave’s collapsing, I don’t wanna be me anymore.”
If you have been on TikTok this past year, you may recognize this heart-wrenching song that Phoebe Bridgers covered, originally sung by The Manchester Orchestra. This song is originally about a miner’s wife who has fallen out of love with her husband, but it can be interpreted in many different ways. No matter which way you interpret it, it will break your heart into a million pieces, and it is definitely a go-to for me when I want to cry over someone else.
“FRANCIS FOREVER” BY MITSKI
“I look up at the gaps of sunlight
I miss you more than anything.”
Normally I love to gatekeep Mitski, but this song is so good that I don’t think I can. This song is about love, heartbreak, grief, and isolation. Although short and simple, Mitski is very good at making you feel so much in so few words. The utter grief in her voice is addicting, and if you don’t already listen to Mitski, I highly suggest this song as an entrance into her music.
“fOR YOU” BY DELANEY BAILEY
“Need to stifle my voice again
Need to make myself small again
So that I can fit in the palms of your hands
So that I can be loved again.”
One of my favorite artists of all time is Delaney Bailey. There will be multiple of her songs on this list, but this is the one I really want you to take away from it. “For You” is a beautiful song about giving pieces of yourself to someone else and never feeling whole again. There is this beautifully soothing tone to this song that relaxes you while stinging you with heart-wrenching lyrics in the most miraculous way. Do yourself a favor and add this song to your queue.
“IRIS” BY THE GOO GOO DOLLS
“And I don’t want the world to see me
‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand.”
This song is infamous for being a “sad white boy song.” Although I don’t necessarily disagree, it is still an amazing song that portrays this plain want to love someone with everything you have but not being able to. For context, the song was written for the 1998 movie “City of Angels” and about the angel who was willing to give up everything, even his immortality, to be able to hold and touch the woman he had fallen in love with. The Goo Goo Dolls are very good at portraying this unconditional love. I highly recommend listening to this song if you haven’t heard it already.
“cOFFEE STAINED SMILE” BY DELANEY BAILEY
“And a smile, it’s the first thing you’d notice about a girl you’d adore
Well, I think it’s good you won’t notice me first anymore.”
Here I go with Delaney Bailey again (beware — two more of her songs do make an appearance). I would honestly give anything just to hear this wonderful, magnificent woman perform her disgustingly sad songs live. This song, specifically, is about wanting to change parts of yourself so you aren’t connected to a person anymore, such as staining your teeth yellow because your ex loves chicks with white teeth. It’s a song to scream to in your car or sob to under the covers — take your pick.
“My tears ricochet” by taylor swift
“And I can go anywhere I want
Anywhere I want, just not home
And you can aim for my heart, go for blood
But you would still miss me in your bones.”
We all know Taylor Swift and her talent for making all of her listeners suffer with her, right? I mean, come on, “I can go anywhere I want, just not home.” She knew what she was doing. This beautiful song is about a tormentor showing up at the funeral of his fallen object of obsession and the obsession begging him to leave, as he has done so much to hurt her. This song is honestly one of my favorite songs ever, as it can be interpreted in many different ways by many different people. If you aren’t already hooked on Taylor’s “folklore” album, go listen. Now.
“finish line” by delaney bailey
“If this breakup was a race
You’d win by a landslide
And I’d be tying my shoes back by the start line
You lap me and I’d be happy just to see you pass.”
We are back with Delaney again because, Jesus Christ, these sad songs just fall out of her mouth. Delaney writes from the perspective of someone going through a breakup, watching their ex-significant other recover and move on much faster than they are able to. She sings in such a way that is happy for her ex, but in despair for herself as she realizes that she must not have meant enough to her ex for them to be as heartbroken as she is. It’s an amazing song for those who want to be happy that someone is moving on from them but can’t seem to move on themselves.
“Nana” by the 1975
“I wish you’d walk in again
Imagine if you just did
I’d fill you in on the things you missed.”
When I lost my own grandmother this past summer, this song was immediately added to my playlist a few days after her death. After days on repeat, I had cried enough to fill up an entire pool but somehow felt more healed than I had when I found the song. This song is a beautiful piece about the grandmother of one of the band members and how he is mourning her death through music. It’s a very healing song for those who have lost somebody and are still coming to terms with the fact that they are dead.
“Bag of bones” by mitski
“Just move the stuff up off the bed
And do what you came here to do
But first, open up a window for me.”
If you’ve ever struggled with being used for your body or an unhealthy sexual relationship, this song will have you crying your eyes out. Mitski’s ability to use these “I don’t care as long as you let me have this one thing” lyrics to create a song that rips your heart out is astonishing. I highly recommend listening to this song when you need something to sob to.
“Skinny love” by birdy
“Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall.”
I have not stopped listening to this song since I first discovered it at 10. It was initially written by Bon Iver, but Birdy’s extra-emotional take on it will have you rolling in your mountains of tears. “Skinny Love” refers to a love that is not being nourished enough or a love that is falling apart. If you’ve ever experienced a friendship or relationship that has begun to fall apart at the seams, this song is perfect for you.
“Naked” by james arthur
“Hey, get out.
I’ve got nothin’ left to give and you give me nothin’ now
Read my mouth
If you ever want me back, then your walls need breakin’ down.”
If you are ever looking for an artist who seems to only write sad songs, James Arthur is absolutely perfect for you. This song specifically is about a one-sided relationship where only one person is making the effort necessary to keep the love alive. I highly recommend this song to anyone who needs a song to scream in the car.
“Funeral” BY PHOEBE BRIDGERS
“And I have this dream where I’m screaming underwater
While my friends are waving from the shore.”
Phoebe Bridgers is my go-to for any sad song, especially when it comes to feeling alone. All of her songs can relate to a plethora of people, but I think “Funeral” is the best example of just how easy it is to find meaning in her music. Although the song is about going to the funeral of a boy around her age and how it all puts her life in perspective, the lyrics in it are just as heartbreaking as the scenario. I highly suggest putting all of Phoebe’s songs on your playlist.
“I DON’T NEED YOU TO SURVIVE” BY DELANEY BAILEY
“And now I hate that I have to remember you
For so much longer than I knеw you
I hate that I wanted to give you thе stars on the trees
But I forgive the world I built ’cause it gave me me.”
This is the last one by Delaney Bailey, I swear. If you’ve ever had to move on from someone but still felt the utter grief of losing them, this song is a perfect listen for you. I said it once, and I’ll say it again — LISTEN TO DELANEY BAILEY! Go listen to all of her songs and decide which ones you like, but the four on this list are, for sure, ones you should listen to.
“LET YOU KNOW” BY SODY
“I gave you my all, but you still want more
I thought you were proud, but it’s not enough.”
I’ve been listening to Sody since my freshman year of high school. A lot of her music is metaphorical, but this song is straight to the point: why keep giving if they just keep taking? It’s perfect for when you feel like you aren’t enough because no matter how much you give, no one seems to acknowledge it. Give this song a listen and try some of Sody’s other songs — I guarantee she’ll be added to your playlist.
“NEPTUNE” BY SLEEPING AT LAST
“I’m only honest when it rains
If I time it right, the thunder breaks
When I open my mouth
I wanna tell you, but I don’t know how.”
If you’ve ever struggled with speaking up about something and just sharing how you feel, this song is perfect for you. I personally really struggle with talking about my own feelings and past experiences; when I first heard this song, I cried for an hour straight. Sleeping At Last is an amazing band, but this, by far, is my favorite song by them. Give this song a listen and cry as loud as you want to it.
“COMPLEX” BY KATIE GREGSON-MACLEOD
“I need him like water, he thinks that I’m alright
I’m not feeling human, I think he’s a good guy.”
I came across Katie Gregson-Macleod on TikTok about three months ago. The video was of her singing an original song, and I instantly fell in love with it. The utter pain in her voice as she sang about unrequited love or a person who didn’t love her as much as she loved him, was absolutely heartbreaking. If you’ve never heard this song before, I highly recommend giving it a listen and supporting this up-and-coming artist with much more to offer.
“rOMANTIC HOMICIDE” BY D4VD
“In the back of my mind
I killed you
And I didn’t even regret it
I can’t believe I said it
But it’s true
I hate you.”
If this song isn’t on my Spotify wrapped I will be absolutely shocked. “Romantic Homicide” has been on my “Repeat” Spotify-generated playlist since September and is a go-to for when I am mourning or grieving somebody who is still alive. D4vd, or David, created this song in his sister’s closet on his iPhone and yet it is still this absolute masterpiece. Whether you cry to it or scream it while driving, it is a perfect song to grieve to.
“aNGRY” BY PARAVI
“Why is everybody not angry, crying out
Throwing empty bottles at walls?
Why is everybody so happy, in the sun
Like nothing ever happened at all?”
This is another new song that has been on repeat since I found it. There are multiple times that I have felt so alone because of my emotions, and this song perfectly portrays that. This song is perfect for those times when you are angry or upset, and everyone else seems fine, and you can’t figure out why. I felt this a lot after the loss of my grandmother and, more recently, on the anniversary of her death. I just got past the four-month anniversary with this song on repeat the entire day, and in an odd way, it helped. So, give it a listen, and you will be scream-crying to it in no time.
No matter what songs you listen to or how sad you are, I want you to know that you are loved and appreciated for who you are. You can endure anything as long as you know there is an end to it, and I promise that there is an end to feeling depressed and in despair. Things will get better, and if these songs help you get through the hard times, then I’m glad I got to share them with you. I am so proud of you all. Now go listen to your sad girl playlist and do some self-care.