Songs That Make You Cry: Heart-Wrenching Western Music—from Timeless Classics to the Newest Hits
There are times when, instead of listening to music to get pumped up or fired up, you deliberately want to listen to poignant or slightly sad songs and have a good cry alone, right?
Upbeat tracks that give you a push are great, but in this article we’ve researched and selected timeless, heart-wrenching English-language songs that empathize with listeners’ feelings, both old and new.
From classic standards to recent hits and the latest buzzworthy tracks, we’re bringing you a genre-crossing selection.
Try listening in whatever setting makes you feel most at ease—whether that’s in your bedroom or on a drive!
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Tearjerkers! Heartbreaking Western Songs — From Timeless Classics to the Newest Hits — (71–80)
Out of LoveAlessia Cara
Alessia Cara, a Canadian singer-songwriter who has earned strong support from many listeners by expressing human emotions straightforwardly.
Her song “Out of Love” also conveys, in a direct way, the feelings of a woman who has broken up with her boyfriend, paired with a melody imbued with quietude.
How can you mend a broken heartBee Gees
A song that became the Bee Gees’ first No.
1 hit on the U.S.
charts.
It’s also known as a song Robin Gibb wrote effortlessly in about an hour.
Al Green covered it in 1972 on his album “Let’s Stay Together,” and his version was used in the 1999 film “Notting Hill.”
I Can’t Make You Love MeBonnie Raitt
A song written by songwriters Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin.
Reid got the idea for the song from a newspaper article about a man who, while drunk, shot his girlfriend’s car.
It is sung from the perspective of a woman who knows that the person she loves is no longer interested in her.
Slide AwayMiley Cyrus
Slide Away stands out with its mysteriously neither-bright-nor-dark melody.
It’s one of Miley Cyrus’s staple breakup songs.
That said, the lyrics are about her initiating the breakup, so depending on the person, it might actually feel refreshing, even cathartic (lol).
Love Is A BattlefieldPat Benatar
A heartbreak song written by Mike Chapman and Holly Knight.
It was released as a single in 1983 from Pat Benatar’s live album “Live from Earth.” The song became a hit in countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
CryingRoy Orbison
A song depicting a reunion that came too late with a woman he still loves.
It carries the message that crying is not a weakness but a sign of sensitivity.
The song was begun by Roy Orbison for a country singer named Don Gibson, and its working title was “Once Again.”
Cut You OffSelena Gomez
Selena Gomez is known for having many lyrics that feel very real.
Her song “Cut You Off” is a work where that characteristic of hers stands out prominently.
The melody is mechanical and rhythmic, but the lyrics shape it into a rather cold breakup song.