Best Songs to Cry To

Key takeaways

• Sometimes you don't want to be talked out of a feeling, you want a song that meets you exactly where you are and lets you actually have the cry.
• Here's a list sorted by what kind of sad you're feeling, plus my honest take on why a well-chosen sad song is more useful than forcing yourself toward something upbeat too soon.

Why does deliberately listening to a sad song when you're already sad actually help?

Because it validates the feeling instead of fighting it, which tends to let the emotion move through you rather than getting stuck from being suppressed. There's a real difference between wallowing indefinitely and letting yourself fully feel something for the length of one song before moving forward, and the right sad song can function as a release valve rather than a spiral.

If you're grieving a loss

"Fix You," Coldplay. built for exactly this purpose, moving from quiet devastation to a swelling, cathartic conclusion that mirrors the actual shape of processing grief.

"Hurt," Johnny Cash's cover. His weathered, aging voice against the original's already devastating lyrics gives this version a different, more mortal weight than Nine Inch Nails' original.

If you're mourning a relationship ending

"Someone Like You," Adele. Still one of the most reliably devastating breakup songs ever recorded, precisely because it doesn't rage or blame, it just sits in genuine, resigned heartbreak.

"The Night We Met," Lord Huron. Quietly devastating rather than dramatic, capturing the specific ache of wanting to undo something you know you can't.

If you're sitting with anxiety or overwhelm

"Breathe Me," Sia. Builds slowly toward genuine vulnerability, giving space to feel small and overwhelmed without demanding you snap out of it by the song's end.

"Skinny Love," Bon Iver. Raw, unpolished vocal delivery that feels unguarded, matching the specific rawness of anxious, overwhelmed feelings.

If you're missing someone specifically, not mourning them

"Landslide," Fleetwood Mac. A reflective song about change and time passing, well suited to missing an earlier version of a relationship or a person as they used to be.

"Two Ghosts," Harry Styles. Captures the specific strangeness of still loving someone who's become, in some sense, a different person than who you fell for.

My honest opinion on why some "sad songs" don't actually help you cry

I think some songs marketed as sad are actually too aggressively dramatic or manipulative in their production to let you settle into genuine feeling, they're performing sadness at you rather than sitting with you in it. The songs on this list tend to share a real quality of restraint, letting the lyrics and quieter production do the emotional work rather than manufacturing drama through volume or bombast.

Is it actually healthy to seek out sad music when you're already upset?

Generally yes, in moderation, as a way of processing rather than avoiding a feeling. If you notice yourself returning to the same handful of devastating songs on repeat for an extended period, especially alongside a broader pattern of persistent low mood, that's worth paying attention to and possibly talking to someone about, rather than something a playlist alone should be expected to resolve.

How should you actually build a "cry it out" playlist?

Sequence from quieter, more restrained songs toward the more emotionally swelling ones, letting the playlist build the same way a good cry actually builds, starting low and reaching a real peak before settling. Ending on something a touch more hopeful, even subtly, can help the playlist function as genuine processing rather than an unbroken spiral.

Frequently asked questions

What's a good song for grieving a loss? "Fix You" by Coldplay and Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" both build toward genuine catharsis around loss.

What's the best song for a breakup specifically? "Someone Like You" by Adele remains one of the most reliably devastating, resigned breakup songs ever recorded.

Is it healthy to listen to sad music when I'm already upset? Generally yes, in moderation, as a way of processing rather than avoiding a feeling, though persistent patterns are worth paying attention to.

What's a good song for feeling anxious or overwhelmed, not just sad? "Breathe Me" by Sia and "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver both capture a rawer, more overwhelmed emotional register.

Want something to help you feel better once you're ready?

Our song recommendation quiz can help you find something to shift the mood once you've had the cry you needed.