Whether it’s a recent breakup, the stress from the pile of undone homework, or that Starbucks is out of your favorite drink for the third week in a row, sometimes all you need is to curl up in bed and have a good cry. Sometimes all it takes to start feeling better is to let it all out of your system, shed a tear, and move on. I get it, trust me. As ridiculous as it may sound to cry after a long day, it happens. (Especially when it's week ten and you have three finals next week). Here’s a list of songs to listen to when you need a good cry. Plus a list of songs to listen to help you get back into your good mood when the tears stop. Enjoy!
1. Photograph- Ed Sheeran
"We keep this love in a photograph/ We made these memories for ourselves/ Where our eyes are never closing/ Hearts are never broken/ And time's forever frozen still."
Ed Sheeran sure knows how to get the tears flowing. It's almost impossible to listen to this song without thinking about old memories.
2. Terrible Things- Mayday Parade
"Now, son, I'm only telling you this/ Because life can do terrible things/ You'll learn, one day, I'll hope and I'll pray,/ That God shows you differently."
Although I love this song dearly, when you listen to the lyrics it's one of the saddest songs. It's about a father telling his son about his mother, who was the best thing that ever happened to him; however, she died of a terminal illness.
3. You Should Be Here- Cole Swindell
"You should be here, standing with your arm around me here/ Cutting up, cracking a cold beer/ Saying cheers, hey y'all it's sure been a good year/ It's one of those moments, that's got your name written all over it/ And you know that if I had just one wish/ It'd be that you didn't have to miss this."
This song is about Cole Swindell's heartache after losing his father. It's about missing someone and wanting them to experience the great moments of life with you, even though you know they can't. You want them by your side because you know how much they would enjoy it.
4. A Little Too Much- Shawn Mendes
"Sometimes it all gets a little too much,/ But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up,/ And you don't have to be afraid because we're all the same,/ And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much."
This song is about a girl dealing with depression. On different levels, we all deal with something like this throughout our life. Mendes writes this song to tell others to not let your depression get in the way of your ability to be great. You'll be okay. The feeling is only temporary and things will get better.
5. A Beautiful Mess- Jason Mraz
"Although you were biased I love your advice/ Your comebacks they're quick/ And probably have to do with your insecurities/ There's no shame in being crazy,/ Depending on how you take these/ Words that paraphrasing this relationship we're staging."
If you listen to the lyrics to this song, they don't hold the same sad meaning that the others do. However, the song as whole and the music fits in.
6. Boston- Augustana
"She said, I think I'm going to Boston/ I think I'll start a new life/ I think I'll start it over/ Where no one knows my name."
This song is about wanted to be done with the old things in life and wanting to move on to bigger and better things. It's about escaping the mistakes that you've made in the past and starting fresh and new.
7. Stay- Rihanna
"“Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving'/ Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving.”
Rihanna sings about the temptation that comes with love and the inability to resist it. Sometime's a relationship with someone is all that you want even if it's the cause of your pain and hurt. Trying to find a balance and figuring out what to do it hard. As Rihanna says, " I want you to stay" even if they shouldn't.
8. Fast- Luke
“Sixty seconds now feels more like thirty/ Tick-tock, won't stop, around it goes/ Sand through the glass sure falls in a hurry/ And all you keep trying to do is slow it down, soak it in/ Keep trying to make the good times last as long as you can/ But you can't, man/ It just goes too fast.”
Luke sings about how as we group up we want things to go fast. We wish we were older or that our jobs progressed more quickly. We want to fall in love. We want to drive fast cars. Everything we want, we want to be fast. However, as he gets older and reflect on the years that have passed, all he wishes was that he could slow things down and go back to old memories.
9. Happier- Ed Sheeran
“'Cause baby you look happier, you do/ My friends told me one day I'll feel it too/ And until then I'll smile to hide the truth/ But I know I was happier with you”
Ed Sheeran gets everyone in their feels. This song is about seeing your ex with someone else. After a breakup, everyone is always too bitter and angry about it all, especially when you start to see your ex with someone new. However, this song appreciates seeing your ex with someone else and saying, "Wow, they actually look happier with them then they were with me." It's about being happy that they're happy, even if it's hard.
10. Colder Weather- Zac Brown Band
"Well it's a winding road/ When you’re in the lost and found/ You're a lover I'm a runner/ We go 'round 'n 'round/ And I love you but I leave you/ I don't want you but I need you/ You know it's you who calls me back here."
This song is about the relationship that was ruined because of bad timing and distance. It's about wanting things to work out, but eventually realizing that it won't.
11. Stay- Mayday Parade
"Oh can you tell, I haven't slept very well/ Since the last time that we spoke, you said/ Please understand if I see you again don't even say hello."
Mayday Parade's songs have a reputation for being about deep subjects, and this one is not an exception. The song is about his girlfriend getting into an accident and being taken to the hospital. They got in a fight before the accident, so they left things on bad terms and now he's afraid he's going to lose her.
12. Different For Girls- Dierks Bentley
"It's different for girls when their hearts get broke/ They can't tape it back together with a whiskey and Coke/ They don't take someone home and act like it's nothing/ They can't just switch it off every time they feel something/ A guy gets drunk with his friends and he might hook up/ Fast forward through the pain, pushing back when the tears come on/ But it's different for girls."
This song depicts what it's like for a girl after a breakup. She doesn't just go to some bar and drink her sorrows away. It explains the heartbreak that comes along with the break ups.
13. A Drop in the Ocean- Ron Pope
"A drop in the ocean/ A change in the weather/ I was praying that you and me might end up together/ It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert/ But I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my heaven."
Everyone knows what it's like to meet someone and know that they're your other half but you can't be together. He knows it's impossible but he's doing everything he can to try to make it work.
And as an added bonus here’s a few songs for when you’re done crying to pick you back up and put you in a great mood.
1. Walking On Sunshine- Katrina & The Waves
This classic always puts a smile on my face. Roll the windows down in the car and jam out.
2. What's My Name? -Rihanna & Drake
The beat of this song is so full of energy you can't help but dance.
3. Shape Of You- Ed Sheeran
While Ed Sheeran made the list of sad songs more than once, he also made the happy list because you can never get enough Ed Sheeran.
4. Paper Planes- M.I.A.
Another song that we know all the words too. Go ahead, sing the sound effects. It's part of the fun.
5. Truffle Butter- Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne
I pride myself in knowing all the words to this song. It's upbeat and a wonderful song to dance around like no one's watching.
6. Mo Money Mo Problems- The Notorious B.I.G.
You love this song. Don't deny it.
7. Broccoli- D.R.A.M. & Lil Yhachty
"Hey lil mama, would you like to be my sunshine?"
8. Shower- Becky G
You might think this song is annoying at first, but give it a chance. It's fun.
I hope these songs helped get the tears out of your system and reenergized you to be a happy ball of sunshine.