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!
- Top Tearjerker Western Songs Ranking [2026]
- Western songs about saying “goodbye” — perfect for bereavement or a departed lover
- When you’re hurting and feel like you want to disappear… timeless Western songs to listen to at times like these
- Hidden gems of tear-jerking Western songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [2026] Moving Western songs that touch the heart: A roundup of recommended classics
- Top Cry-Inducing Western Songs Ranking [2026]
- Beautiful, lovely Western music. A roundup of recommended classic songs.
- Top 2026 Rankings of Melancholic Western Songs
- A Collection of Heart-Touching Western Ballads — From Classics to the Newest Hits
- Really dark... Classic Western songs | So dark that it may trigger depression—proceed with caution!
- Western songs used in commercials — tear-jerking classics and popular tracks
- A collection of emotionally resonant dark-themed Western songs—tracks with lyrics that deeply echo in the heart
- Emotional Western Music Special | Handpicked from All Generations
Tearjerkers! Heart-wrenching Western songs—from timeless classics to the latest hits—(21–30)
Stay With MeSam Smith
Sam Smith’s biggest hit, “Stay With Me.” It’s quite a famous song, so many of you may already know it.
First of all, the melody is heartbreaking.
I recommend it to anyone looking for a deeply emotional tearjerker that distills sadness.
And if you read the lyrics, you might cry even more.
Thinking Out LoudEd Sheeran
This song, with its strikingly beautiful music video that opens with a man and woman dancing, is a ballad that perfectly suits Ed Sheeran’s sweet vocals.
With a somewhat bright tone, it’s a track you’ll want to listen to during a late-night drive or when you’re alone with your partner.
The One That Got AwayKaty Perry
When it comes to Katy, I think she usually has a lot of positive, up-tempo songs, but this one is a heart-breaking track and feels unusual.
The tempo is definitely Katy-like and upbeat, but the song’s theme is about a widow.
Listening to it together with the music video makes it even more poignant.
Someone You LovedLewis Capaldi
A poignant, heart-stirring ballad by Scottish artist Lewis Capaldi is capturing widespread attention.
Centered on themes of heartbreak and loss, the song is marked by deeply emotional lyrics and a powerful vocal performance.
Released in November 2018, it spent seven consecutive weeks at No.
1 on the UK Singles Chart and also reached No.
1 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100.
The music video, produced in collaboration with an organ donation charity, tells a moving story.
It’s a song that stays close to your heart on solitary nights or whenever you’re remembering someone special.
PompeiiBastille
Listening to this song makes me wonder what life is all about and leaves me with a bittersweet feeling that, in the end, nothing really changes.
Despite its upbeat tempo, it’s quite a negative song, and when I looked into it, I found out it’s themed around the volcanic eruption in Pompeii, Italy.