Whether it be tears of pain, agony, sorrow, or joy, music has the power to change our moods in just a few chords. From popular tear jerkers to more underground masterpieces, this list hopes to give you an outlet to let out those tears. To counteract the tears, enjoy the constant face of Leonardo DiCaprio (you are welcome). So, grab the tissues and start this emotional roller-coaster!
1. Twenty One Pilots: “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” Elvis Presley cover
In the rendition of the classic Elvis Presley hit, alternative duo, Twenty One Pilots offer an eerie and hopeful relationship of love. In the music video, Twenty One Pilots’ front man, Tyler Joseph, speaks through the camera for a love that was something the he could not help from having. Whether it be the sentimental lyrics, or the emotional side of Tyler Joseph, this song has the power to bring anyone to tears (especially the hopeless romantics). It can also bring you the giddy feeling of true love.
2. My Chemical Romance: “Cancer,” The Black Parade
In My Chemical Romance’s third studio album, lead singer Gerard Way offers a poignant view into the life of the story’s protagonist, the Patient, in his battle with cancer. Not only does the song show the gruesome trauma of cancer, it also describes the effect of cancer on family members. Gerard Way's raw vocal talent and the subtle piano playing calls for a few crying sessions throughout the two-and-a-half minute song. If you are looking for an even more trembling tale of pain and agony, listen to Gerard’s live version of “Cancer.” Also, with the re-release of The Black Parade for its 10-year anniversary, mainstream duo, Twenty One Pilots, recreated “Cancer” and added an even more eerie feel to the testament of death. Nonetheless, any song about death has the power to haunt you (and/or ruin your entire day).
3. Pentatonix: “Hallelujah,” A Pentatonix Christmas
Whoever is singing this song, whether it be Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, or Pentatonix, “Hallelujah” is eerie and somber every time. Telling a story of different blessings and trials in life, the narrator poses the question as to if there is a God above. From struggling with faith, the lyric that really hits home is that “love is not a victory march.” One cannot win at life, because the real prize is Heaven--the ultimate praise of hallelujah.
4. Elliot Moss: “Slip,” HighSpeeds
Starting with an eerie undertone of “oh-s” and “woah-s,” front man tells the story of a couple that are starting to drift apart. Although the couple still loves one another, they are sure that they will slip out of each other’s arms and out of each other’s lives. Claiming that one might be at fault, the narrator asks why his partner looks so sad, and if she will catch him if he were to fall. The narrator longs for the light that was once their love. The track was released on a non-mainstream level, but broke through many platforms with the release of an independent dance performing to “Slip.” In this dance, a man and a woman are poignantly describing the loss of passion that many couples feel. The couple accurately shows the excruciating loss of love between two who had so much passion at one point. This track is for anyone who had a breakup. With limited instrumentation, the listener can seep into the tragedy that is a love loss.
5. One Republic: “I Lived,” Native
In the album, Native, One Republic show the power of life. In their single, “I Lived,” front man Ryan Tedder shows a poignant open letter to anyone who is living. He pleads with the audience to live a life worth living, and, at the end, they can look back on their time on earth and see that they have lived. In relation to the song’s powerful music video, the song is overlaid with a personal tale of a young teen who is battling Cystic Fibrosis. With his battle, he never gives up. He knows that he only has the chance to live the maximum of age 35, but he is determined to live his life to the fullest. The story of the teen matches the tone of the overwhelmingly optimistic song of courage and hope.
6. My Chemical Romance: “Disenchanted,” The Black Parade
In My Chemical Romance’s third studio album, The Black Parade, lead singer Gerard Way tells the story of a life that is less then enchanted. Keeping with the theme of the album, Way portrays ‘the Patient’ as he goes through life knowing that he will die. Before his last day, the Patient reflects on his life. Claiming that his life started with “an all right scene,” but ended tragically, the Patient has found little meaning in his life. In turn, the protagonist lead a life that should have been enchanted but ended in a disenchanted way. Listen to feel like you have little control over your life! Fun, right?
7. One Direction: “History,” Made in the A.M.
In their final album before their hiatus, One Direction released the nostalgic song that declared the history of One Direction to be what made our (well at least my) childhoods. In the song, the lyrics are geared toward a relationship that involves two people who are breaking up, but are still together at heart. In relation to the band, the song proved to the Directioners that the band would not be gone forever, and that they will live through their music until they get back together. *cue tears*
8. Sarah McLachlan: “Angel,” Surfacing
Released after the death of Smashing Pumpkin’s keyboard player, McLachlan poignantly describes life after loss, and the process of the dead going to heaven. McLachlan desperately hopes that the afterlife is what it seems. Also, McLachlan describes that the angel that the dead become are know the angels that surround the people on earth. Although haunting in its own right, “Angel,” receives the most tears when it is placed with the somber videos and pictures of animals in a shelter. Trying to really get good cry? Listen to this song paired with little Fido in a cage looking for an owner. Crying yet? No? Are you human?
9. Green Day: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” American Idiot
Perhaps one of their most iconic songs, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” shows what it is like to live a life that was not fulfilled. Of one of Green Day’s more ballad-esc songs, front man Billie-Joe Armstrong’s edgy rock voice offers raw emotion and feel to the tragic storyline. This song is for when anyone does not feel as though their dreams are being achieved. Although pessimistic, Green Day’s dream of winning a Grammy was achieved with the album in which this track was released on.
10. Justin Bieber: “Life is Worth Living,” Purpose
In Justin Bieber’s most recent studio album, the narrator tells a story of a broken girl who is healed by the one who loves her. Theatrically displayed in the music video, Bieber’s visual representation was surrounded around a story of a girl who was severely wounded. After emotionayly dancing alone, the camera shifts to show that she has a partner. The duo begins to passionately dance with one another. After the routine, and the song’s climax that the girl’s life is worth living, the camera shows that the girl is healed. Dramatically stereotyping, Bieber is attempting to show that love can heal all wounds. However, the song is getting at the fact that life is worth living because eventually you can find true love--a love that can heal even the most broken people. The song paired with its video offer a clear representation of the power of love--a positive tearjerker.
Seen above, songs can vary in length, artist, genre, and a multitude of other things, but they all have one thing in common--music had the ability to change our perception of the world. Songs and their lyrics can break through the troubles of the day and let us get lost in a relatable fictional tale. Listen, like, and share (and repeat a hundred times until you are obsessed) this article and these songs to let everyone be moved by such powerful pieces of art.
