Look, sometimes I get sad. And when I get sad, I really just want to listen to sad songs, and I want those sad songs to have to do with what I’m sad about. Is that so much to ask for? Whenever something sad is on my mind, I turn to music; and it is in that music that I feel the most heard.
So, here is a compiled list of my favorite songs to listen to for all the different kinds of sad. Because no two sad feelings are the same.
Be My Mistake – The 1975
For song number one, I have one of the most universal types of sadness: regret. We’re all young and we all make mistakes. This song is about making a mistake and being in the wrong. It follows a man who fell for two amazing women but is only in love with one of them. Sometimes we screw up, and sometimes there’s nothing we can do but wait until we are forgiven for our mistakes.
Highlight: “I shouldn’t have called, ‘cause we shouldn’t speak. You do make me hard, but she makes me weak.”
Nothing New – Taylor Swift ft. Phoebe Bridgers
Oh, to be Taylor Swift and know what goes on inside her head. I may not be her, but I do get how she feels. This one is for all of us girls out there who feel as if our youth has passed us by. Maybe the odds have been stacked against you from the start, or maybe today the pressure that society puts on you just feels like too much. Either way, Taylor is there for you, and she hears you too.
Highlight: “And my cheeks are growing tired, from turning red and faking smiles. Are we only biding time ‘til I lose your attention? And someone else lights up the room? People love an ingénue.”
Mary – Big Thief
Another universal sadness is longing for someone, missing them deeply. Maybe even missing a time you shared with someone that you know will never be the same again. This song is a beautiful, yet haunting recollection of a friendship that was maybe something more. It’s nostalgic and feels more like a comforting childhood memory of a girl you once knew.
Highlight: “What did you tell me, Mary? When you were there so sweet and very full of field and stars. You carried all of time. Oh and, heavens, when you looked at me, your eyes were like machinery. Your hands were making artifacts in the corner of my mind.”
We’ll Never Have Sex – Leith Ross
Not all sadness has to come from sad things, and this song is proof of it. “We’ll Never Have Sex” is a hopeful one that sometimes makes me shed tears of happiness. It’s all about loving someone who loves you for you. To leave your doubts at the front door and live in peace. I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes love like that makes me cry.
Highlight: “You look perfect, you look different. I don’t wonder about your indifference. If I said you could never touch me, you’d come over and say I looked lovely.”
Memories – Conan Gray
Even when something has been over for a while, you can still miss them deeply. Conan Gray gets it. That painful mixture of missing someone more than anything, while also begging for them to stay in your memories. What’s past is past, and sometimes that is that painful part.
Highlight: “I can’t be your friend, can’t be your lover. Can’t be the reason we hold back each other from falling in love with somebody other than me.”
Girl Crush – Little Big Town (Harry Styles Cover)
How could I make this list without mentioning Harry Styles, himself! Okay, so he didn’t write it, but he did give a beautiful rendition of it. This song is all about wanting to be with someone who’s already taken. You want to be the person that your person is in love with, you want to be anything if that means they will love you. Feel free to cry about the person you love the most, while also singing about their partner’s lips!
Highlight: “I want her long blond hair. I want her magic touch. Yeah, ‘cause maybe then, you’d want me just as much. I’ve got a girl crush.”