10 More Songs That Make You Cry
It’s therapeutic to have a good cry. If at least one of the following doesn’t loosen the tear ducts, then you are made of stone! Friendship, love and loneliness are all featured. So, get the tissues ready. It’s not just the lyrics that get to you; it’s those damned minor keys! If you enjoy this list of sad songs and even if you don’t, here are 10 more sad songs that will get the water works going.
10. Ebony Eyes by the Everly Brothers
‘And I knew the heavenly ebony skies had taken my life’s most wonderful prize, my beautiful ebony eyes’.
The duo had a hit single in 1961 with this John D. Loudermilk song, which tells the tragic story of Flight 1203. The narrator has a weekend pass to marry his fiancée but the plane bringing her to him has crashed. Most songs with a spoken part are cringe worthy but our hero (was it Don or was it Phil?) carries it off with aplomb.
9. Tell Me on a Sunday by Marti Webb
‘I’d like to choose how I hear the news‘.
Andrew Lloyd Webber teamed up with lyricist Don Black to produce a ‘song cycle’ titled ‘Tell Me on a Sunday’ about an English woman named Emma who emigrates to America and has a series of disastrous love affairs. There are witty observations of a Brit’s view of the US alongside the sad and sometimes angry songs about the relationships. In the title song, Emma knows that she is going to be dumped one day. She would like a little control and wants to be told on a Sunday and in the park. Marti Webb, who also played Eva Peron in Evita on stage, is superb and conveys every emotion.
8. Friend of Ours by Elbow
‘Love you mate’.
The British band Elbow came together in 1990 but their commercial success peaked with the release of the 2008 album, ‘The Seldom Seen Kid‘. The critical praise heaped on the album culminated in a prestigious Mercury Music Prize. ‘Friend of Ours’, written by the band, is a song about lead singer Guy Garvey‘s best friend, Bryan who died from a sudden illness. The seldom seen kid is a nickname that Garvey’s father gave Bryan. Love you mate is a phrase that Bryan used to say when saying goodbye to his friends. When Guy Garvey quietly delivers that line, he is visibly moved.
7. In My Room by the Beach Boys
‘Now it’s dark and I’m alone but I won’t be afraid’.
The Beach Boys, under the guidance of Brian Wilson, developed from purveyors of good time surfing songs to beautifully crafted ballads. The 1963 album ‘Surfer Girl’, showing a cover of the boys holding a surfboard, contains a gem with ‘In My Room’. Brian produced the record and co-wrote it with Gary Usher. Teenagers all over the world can identify with the lyrics that identify one’s room as a sanctuary, a place where you can ‘do my crying and my sighing’ and ‘tell my secrets to’. The gorgeous harmonies wash over you like a warm dip in the ocean.
6. Shine on You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd
‘Nobody knows where you are, how near or how far’.
This is Pink Floyd’s tribute to founding member, Syd Barrett. Written by Richard Wright, David Gilmour and Roger Waters for the 1975 album, ‘Wish You Were Here’, it is a composition made up of nine parts and lasts almost thirty minutes when played in full. Barrett was a tragic victim of mental health problems, possibly caused or worsened by psychedelic drug experimentation. He left the band in 1968 and became a recluse after a brief solo career. He had written many of Floyd’s early songs and was their driving force. The song hails him as a ‘piper‘ and a ‘seer of visions’. The crazy diamond passed away in 2006.
5. Everybody Hurts by REM
‘When you think you’ve had too much of this life, well hang on’.
Written by the band, the song appears on the 1992 album, ‘Automatic for the People’, and is probably their best known song. John Paul Jones, bassist with Led Zeppelin, was responsible for the string arrangement. The band has said that the song was written with teenagers in mind. The British charity for people seeking help when thinking of suicide, the Samaritans, has used the song for one of its campaigns. It is a song intended to give hope; ‘take comfort in your friends’ and ‘you are not alone’.
4. The Scientist by Coldplay
‘Come up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry, you don’t know how lovely you are’.
The track appeared on the bands’ second album, ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head‘ and was released as a single. Written by the band, it’s about a relationship gone wrong. He wants to apologise and start again. The accompanying video shows a car crash in reverse time, illustrating this desire to turn back time. ‘I was just guessing at numbers and figures‘ shows a preoccupation with trying to understand a complex world through science and mathematics. The third album would be titled ‘X & Y’.
3. Exit Music (for a film) by Radiohead
‘Now we are one in everlasting peace’.
No one delivers a poignant lyric like Thom Yorke. The song was written by the band for Baz Luhrmann’s film, ‘William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’ and is played over the closing credits. It’s also a track on Radiohead’s 1997 album, ‘OK Computer’. The lyrics interpret the plight of the star-crossed lovers but can be applied to a personal tragic situation. Just like Romeo and Juliet, ‘today…we escape’.
2. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) by John Lennon
‘I can hardly wait to see you come of age’
This is Lennon’s gift of love to his son, Sean. It is a joyful song and appears here, purely because of the context. Lennon sang to his son every night at bedtime. Sean was five years old when his father was killed. The song was released on the album, ‘Double Fantasy’, three weeks before the murder. The final spoken words say it all, ‘goodnight Sean, see you in the morning’.
1. Hurt by Johnny Cash
‘Everyone I know goes away in the end’.
‘Hurt’ was already an outstanding song when Nine Inch Nails recorded it for their album, ‘The Downward Spiral’. Written by band member, Trent Reznor, the lyrics tell of a life of regret, ‘I will let you down, I will make you hurt’. Johnny Cash can be forgiven for taking such a personal song. This is a song about pain, something Cash was familiar with. He recorded it towards the end of his life for his album, ‘American IV: The Man Comes Around’. The voice is frail and full of emotion. The accompanying video, which shows a montage of his life, is exceptional. Cash did something magical with this song and we are beholden to him.
I really enjoyed compiling this one.
good call on the crazy diamond, ive cried to that one before
they forgot hey there delilah
i hope you're joking
you better be joking
I have to agree..sadly.. if I hear Hey There Delilah I want to cry jn pain as well.
I think Concrete Angel by Martina McBride should be on there. Its so sad :’((((
superb list, hurt has to be number one, gets me everytime.
Thank you Shane. Glad you enjoyed it.
I'm sorry everyone but these songs just didn't make me cry, I've always been looking for something that could really make me cry, does anyone know anything that might work?
To Joey Bassani:
Try listening to:
"Hallelujah" cover by Jeff Buckley
"The Woman's Work" by Kate Bush or the cover done by Maxwell.
"One" by U2
"Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane
"Someday We'll Know" by the New Radicals
Let us know if any of these turn on the faucets.
man you really have to get into the music, it helps if you know or could imagine the feelings and the soul that the artist was trying to bring across, like the song "shine on you crazy diamond" was written for a man that they felt very strongly and had mixed emotions toward, paired with there passion for music, the wrote almost a masterpiece, certainly one of the greatest most heartfelt song that has ever been written as a tribute, and sometimes those lyrics become relevant to your own life..
Try some Celine Dion… no not Titanic! Goodbyes the saddest word which has me suicidal, in the good way, every time!
One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and boys II Men – does it for me
Missing you – by P Daddy and Faith Evans
try some like
"i can't live"- Mariah carey
"you are not alone"- Michael Jackson
7. Alone Without You – The Nightwatchman
James Blunt's song 'Carry you home' always manages to bring a tear to my eye.
ok here is a list
carnival – natalia merchant
maybe tomorrow – stereophonics
damaged- plumb
watch
concrete angel and runaway love
Definitely My heart will go on (titanic song) it makes me cry every time.
Something I Can Never Have – Nine Inch Nails
It's a Wonderful Life – Neil Armstrong
Hollow – Pantera (Especially if you've ever had a loved one in a coma)
Boys Don't Cry – The Cure
Daddy – Korn
Teardrop – Massive Attack
Photograph – Nickelback
try 'the sleep' from pantera, off the cowboys from hell album, the solo is an amazing piece of composition, mind blowing even, make me miss dime soo much
Warwick Avenue – Duffy
Try Warren Zevon, Please Stay – recorded while he was dying of cancer – gets me every time, especially if I listen to the whole album in one sitting (album is called The Wind, and also includes a cover of Knockin' on Heaven's Door).
Also No-one but you/Only the Good Die Young or These are the Days of our Lives by Queen.
And not exactly a song, but an orchestral piece – Gabriel's Oboe, from the soundtrack to The Mission.
Missy Higgins- The Special Two, Ten Days, and Where I Stood
Sara Bareilles- Between the Lines
U2- With or Without You
and how about some Daddy/Daughter songs:
Bob Carlisle-Butterfly Kisses
Tim Magraw- My Little Girl
Just needed a cry and couldn't find the key… then I found…
PiL – order of death
Joy Division – Love will Tear us Apart
Ladytron – Tomorrow
Go Betweens – Bye bye pride
Queens of the Stone Age – I never came
The Cure – In Between Days
and some others. Ladytron and PiL especially worked a treat! Look forward to much more cathartic music induced crying…
If you want a slower version of the Joy Division song, try Love will tear us apart by Broken Social Scene, i love the origional but the cover is slower and more moving i would say
good riddance (time of your life) – green day
The Drugs don't work by the verve
everytime
i concour
Hurt-NIN or Johnny Cash
Welcome Home-Radical Face (the chorus is so calming it gives me chills and makes me cry)
Through the Roof 'n' Underground-Gogol Bordello
also,
Sunrise Sunset- Bright Eyes
Everybody hurts was also featured in the early 90's movie Night at the Roxbury.
lover you shouldve come over by jeff buckley.his voice alone will make u go a big rubbery one
Samuel Barber 1936: Adagio for Strings and Agnus Dei (the choir version) Most famous use was in movie Platoon.
Wow, you are so right about the Agnus Dei chorus version, located here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkObnNQCMtM
It is such a moving piece! The voices sound like angels piercing your soul. This song had me in tears with its sheer beauty.
this songs makes me cry
Lets try again – New Kids On The Block
Snuff – SlipKnoT
Valentines day – Linkin Park
One – U2
i'm very sentimental jejejeje
nice compilation, but unfortunately i didnt cry to any of these. am i emotionless?
James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover
casimir pulaski day – sufjan stevens.
Southern Comfort – Arrah and the Ferns. If you've ever been suicidal or know someone who is… this shoud make you sad. Some may find it sad in a "happy way" if that makes sense, or just plain sad.
Between the boy's line "I don't want to be your burden. I don't you to worry for me. Just know it will be better now, it will be better we all agree. When I don't have to be so many things…" and The final verse by the girl "You know it could be better here… it could be better if you just try." and "I won't try anymore, I won't build you a house. I won't cry when when you leave, I know that you're weak. I did all that I could, you know I tried to give you a reason. You can die if you please, but remember the ones who have to bury the seeds. Just know that when you go, you place death upon every life." I cry every single time. Actually the whole song. The lyrics are so sad, but accompanied by the up-beat yet somehow melancholy "oh la la oh la lu"'s it just gets to me.
Nothing to Lose – Billy Talent. The music video made me cry like a little kid. Okay well I was like 13.
Jeremy and Last Kiss – Pearl Jam. Kinda… self-explanatory.
Missing – Evanescence. Now I feel kind stupid for crying over an Evanescence song… hahaha.
Song to Say Goodbye – Placebo.
Follow You Into the Dark – DCFC actually made me more sad when I realized I'd probably never find anyone, that we'd be so in love like the way the singer talks about…
Speeding Cars – Imogen Heap. It's just so sad, and the lyrics make me cry.
No One Will Ever Love You/I Don't Love You Anymore – The Magnetic Fields. These songs don't make me cry…. I just feel incredibly sad.
Song For A Friend – Jason Mraz. Again, just makes me fell really sad…
A Change is Going to Come – Sam Cooke. I just get so sad, because he's dead… and he never got to see that change…
Wow… I notice that 99% of these songs have a common topic of Suicide…
Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley. It's just so comforting to know that he's never gonna give me up, or let me down, or run around and desert me, it brings tears to my eyes. …….. Okay just kidding about this last one.
Actually… I love sad songs. I don't know why, but I really really love listening to sad songs… I love happy songs too. I have so much eurobeat and bubblegum pop. I like hardcore songs, like I listen to metal a lot too… but I just have some morbid love for sad songs.
i juzt n33d3d a mom3nt of p3ace so that i can cry alil' bout somthang.
Happy by Leona Lewis, Teardrop by Massive Attack, Hey There Delilah, Sweet November Theme, Look What You've Done are some songs that I could think of.
The ultimate song that makes me cry every single time i listen is Bird york- In the deep. Featured in the movie "crash", you can't not cry!
What about ERIC CLAPTON – TEARS IN HEAVEN.
Definately the live version 1995 Jeff Bcukley playing in Chicago Halelujah…. beautiful harmonic real
Definitely Tears In Heaven- Eric Clapton, just the story behind the song brings tears to your eyes.
ANYTHING Jeff Buckley too, he had a beautiful voice and its so upsetting that he died so tragically.
I'd also say Eva Cassidy- Somewhere Over The Rainbow, the way she sings is so amazing and touching.
I have two songs: 1) Mother by John Lennon and 2) I want you by Elvis Costello. But if you really want to cry, listen to the Fiona Apple/Elvis Costello live version of the song on Youtube. It's Haunting.
You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol is sad
try the following
Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
When A Man Loves A Woman – Percy Sledge (original, not bolton's unsoulful remake)
More Than Words – Extreme
Number one almost pissed me off because I thought you weren't going to give Trent credit for it.
But I do agree, Cash sounds as if he's uttering his last words almost.
Just how it should sound.
i loved her first is also one:)
i loved her first is also one
Snuff by slipknot makes me cry every time i hear it.. so sad
Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton. Honestly, I love this list but that should have been #1! I don’t think there’s a time I’ve heard it that I haven’t cried.
Hurt is the only song that gets me, and not the Cash cover version. Good to god trent reznor. He gets me time and time again. Cash im afraid to say doesn’t have trent’s balls. I don’t see him saying the things that need to be said to get me gone. And the instrumentals are nothing compared to NIN’s. NIN’s are way more powerful.
Coldplay-Politik, made me cry.
the harsh and powerful intro of the song then the slow music coupled with Chris martin singing beautifully. That really gets you…
You COuld Be Happy by Snow Patrol. I can’t even listen to the intro without bursting into tears.
Never went to church by The Streets.
It’s about his dad passing away.
First time i heard it i burst into tears in the middle of a packed train.
Josh Groban – You raise Me Up
Mj – Little Susie
Bee Gees – Be Who You Are
Eels – Elizabeth In The Bathroom
This list is crap. Only 2 that affects me:
Last Kiss – Pearl Jam
The Grave – Don Mclean
Radiohead – Videotape
Radiohead – Last Flowers
Those songs espicially in the Basement sessions, can be fond on youtube.
Not necessarily in order, but here’s my list.
1. Stormy-The Classics IV
2. The theme from the 1966 French film “A Man and a Woman”
3. “Hungry” and “Kicks” -Paul Revere and the Raiders
4. Willow Weep for Me-Chad and Jeremy
5. You and Me Against the World-Helen Reddy
6. Bluesette-Various Artists
7. Summer Wind-Frank Sinatra
8. Nothing But a Heartache-The Flirtations
9. Dirty Water-The Standells
10. In the Rain-The Dramatics
11. Don’t Cry Daddy-Elvis
12. Wives and Lovers-Jack Jones
13. Ask Any Girl-Diana Ross and the Supremes
14. A Girl Like You-The Rascals
15. Summer Samba-Walter Wanderley
Call me by Shinedown, Accoustic version of rapture by hurt, in this river by black label society.
Just for the fun of it. Listen to the fourth movement of Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony and see how you react. This is what I want to hear as I die in my sleep…..
Fix you – Coldplay
I feel like a heartless fool but I havent cried to one of these songs…I don’t know why…