Sometimes we don’t have the words to express ourselves, but songs do. In this listicle, there are words for feelings you’ve had that are beyond the elementary happy, sad, mad, etc, accompanying songs that represent the sentiment. Use my playlist to explore all your super-specific feelings, but remember to auricularly pre-game with “In My Feelings” By Lana Del Rey.
All songs are linked individually as is the full playlist (1hr 44min)
Compunctious
feeling remorse or regret
- “Eventually” By Tame Impala
Alexithymia
inability to identify and express or describe one’s feelings
- “Gymnopédie No.1” By Erik Satie
Compathy
shared feeling (as of joy or sorrow)
- “Rainbow Connection” By The Muppets
Desiderium
an ardent desire or longing; especially: a feeling of loss or grief for something lost
- “Space Song” by Beach House
- “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd
- “Wait” by M83
- “Where’d All The Time Go?” By Dr. Dog
All-overish
vaguely uneasy, slightly indisposed
- “Transgender” By Crystal Castles
Callosity
lack of feeling or capacity for emotion
- “Fear” by Current Joys
Chrysalism
the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm
- “Treehouse” By Alex G, Emily Yacina
Kairosclerosis
the moment you realize that you’re currently happy—consciously trying to savor the feeling
- “Never Going Back Again” By Fleetwood Mac
Anecdoche
a conversation in which everyone is talking but nobody is listening
- “Not Allowed” By TV Girl
Anemoia
nostalgia for a time you’ve never known
- “Bleached” By Video Days
Mimeomia
the frustration of knowing how easily you fit into a stereotype, even if you never intended to
- “Backwoods Barbie” By Dolly Parton
Monachopsis
the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place
- “Swimming” By Lunar Vacation
Énouement
the bittersweetness of having arrived here in the future
- “Fearless” By Pink Floyd
Daguerreologue
an imaginary interview with an old photo of yourself
- “Cigarette Daydreams” By Cage The Elephant
Chagrin
distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated.
- “Gilded Lily” By Cults
Avenoir
the desire that memory could flow backward
- “Sunsetz” By Cigarettes After Sex
Xeno
the smallest measurable unit of human connection
- “Kristofferson’s Theme” By Alexandre Desplat
Hiraeth
A blend of homesickness, nostalgia, and longing
- “Sign Of The Times” By Harry Styles
Mal de Coucou
a phenomenon in which you have an active social life but very few close friends
- “Real Friends” By Camila Cabello
Altschmerz
weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had
- “Runaway” By Kanye West, Pusha T
Ambedo
a kind of melancholic trance in which you become completely absorbed in vivid sensory details
- “Dream” By Alex Lustig
Liberosis
the desire to care less about things
- “The Air That I Breathe” By The Hollies
Silience
the kind of unnoticed excellence that carries on around you every day
- “Crush” By kmoe
Keyframe
a moment that seemed innocuous at the time but ended up marking a diversion into a strange new era of your life
- “Pacifica” By Caleb Bryant
Gnossienne
a moment of awareness that someone you’ve known for years still has a private and mysterious inner life
- “You Don’t Know Me” By Ben Folds (ft. Regina Spektor)
definitions provided by Merriam-Webster and Thought Catalog