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 Songs in Western Music — From Timeless Classics to the Newest Hits — (131–140)
Leave Herd4vd
A song released in February 2024 by up-and-coming Texas singer-songwriter DeForVD.
It’s included on the album Withering.
The sound is marked by reverb-drenched guitar tones and a rock-inspired drum beat.
The lyrics explore the difficulty of clinging to past relationships and the need to discover a new self, expressing complex feelings toward an ex who reaches out in the middle of the night.
It’s a track that resonates with anyone facing heartbreak and a journey of self-discovery.
CryinAerosmith
When we met, I was crying, and when we parted, I cried too.
This song expresses the helpless feeling of having to part with someone you truly love from the bottom of your heart.
I especially love Steven Tyler’s harmonica in this track—it’s beautiful.
There’s about a 40-second harmonica solo in the middle of the song, and it really resonates with the heart.
Hate MeBlue October
A song by Justin Furstenfeld, the frontman of Blue October, about taking back his life and making amends to those he hurt through his drug addiction.
The track is notable for Justin’s very straightforward vocals, and the music video features his mother.
This Ain’t A Love SongBon Jovi
The way it suddenly crescendos at the chorus makes it such a cool song that it hardly feels like a ballad, but if you listen closely to the lyrics, they’re steeped in the bittersweet tone of a ballad.
It’s so captivating that once you hear it, you’ll find it addictive.
GeneradeBruno Mars
Generade means “hand grenade.” It’s a song that powerfully expresses a one-sided crush—the resolve to catch even a hand grenade for the sake of someone precious, to endure any pain.
When sung in Bruno’s voice, the sense of longing becomes even more poignant.