I find listening to depressing music when I’m upset to be a cathartic release. I understand that some people prefer to listen to more upbeat music when they're feeling down to get them out of a slump. But here’s a playlist of songs for those masochists like me who love to sulk in the darkness when things aren’t going your way:
1. "Holocene" by Bon Iver
When to listen: This song is great for any sadness. Post-breakup, mourning a passing — all things work. You don’t even necessarily need to lyrics with this one. The tempo is slow, and Bon Iver’s voice says it all. Grab some tissues.
Lyric that gets you:
... and at once I knew I was not magnificent.
2. "The Trapeze Swinger" by Iron & Wine
When to listen: When you’re thinking back about a past relationship. This song is all about pleading with an ex to remember all the good times you two shared in your relationship. Anyone who has had a messy breakup with an ex can relate when all you want is for the other person to remember you, not for just the negative things.
Lyric that gets you:
But please remember me, fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
3. "Slow it Down" by The Lumineers
When to listen: Anytime you are upset. Even when your fine and just doing work.
Lyric that gets you:
Act like you’ve been here before
Smile less and dress up some more
Tie up your scarf real tight
These boys are out for blood tonight
4. "The Funeral" by Band of Horses
When to listen: Anytime works, but it is especially chilling if you're mourning a loss.
Lyrics that get you:
To the outside, the dead leaves lay on the lawn
For they don't have trees to hang upon.
5. "Mary (Alternate)" by Yellow Ostrich
When to listen: This song is great for any sadness. It’s about confronting a friend about her drug use. That fact alone and the incredible instrumental work by Yellow Ostrich is enough to make this song perfect to listen to when you’re feeling down.
Lyrics that get you:
Terrors may be coming-
they are only games.
Everything turns around
6. "The Greatest Bastard" by Damien Rice
When to listen: When dealing with a breakup, especially if you're the one doing the breaking up. In fact, most Damien Rice songs are perfect for when you’re upset.
Lyrics that get you:
Please don't let on
You don't love me
Cause I know you do
7. "Rivers and Roads" by The Head and the Heart
When to listen: When you’re heading off to a new place — whether it is leaving friends to go to college, moving to a different place or even going away for the summer. This song is all about journeying off to a new part of your life but still keeping around loved ones. It’s also great to listen to when you’re feeling nostalgic.
Lyrics that get you:
Nothin' is as it has been
And I miss your face like hell
And I guess it's just as well
But I miss your face like hell
8. "Never Say Never" by The Fray
When to listen: If you and your significant other are arguing. It’s about not wanting to let a relationship die out and wanting to fight to make things work.
Lyrics that get you:
We're falling apart,
And we're coming together,
Again and again
We're crawling apart,
But we're falling together,
Falling together
Together again
9. "Where We Gonna Go From Here" by Mat Kearney
When to listen: Whenever you’re upset. Kearney’s melancholic voice is enough to pierce through anyone’s heart.
Lyrics that get you:
Time is moving on our side
How could I miss you to another guy
10. "Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event
When to listen: If you got dumped. If an ex you still love starts dating someone else. This song is sure to give you feelings like nothing else, especially the end.
Lyric that gets you:
Then she leaves
With someone you don't know
But she makes sure you saw her, she looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling, your stomach in ropes
And then your friends say, "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."
11. "Re: Stacks" by Bon Iver
When to listen: All the time. Espcially if it is raining.
Lyrics that get you:
Everything that happens is from now on
This is pouring rain
This is paralyzed
12. "Anymore" by Frank Turner
When to listen: If your relationship is falling apart. It doesn’t matter if you're the one who wants to end things or the other way around; this song is about the sobering realization that you don’t love a person anymore.
Lyric that gets you:
I can't do this anymore, oh you know I did my best.
Oh my darling, I don't love you anymore.
13. "Mad World" by Gary Jules
When to listen: Whenever you want to feel pretty angsty.
Lyric that gets you:
And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
14. "Fix You" by Coldplay
When to Listen: When you feel like giving up. When nothing is going your way. When you fail. When you feel hopeless.
Lyric that gets you:
When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
15. "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds
When to listen: OK, this is a love song that is very romantic. However, if you’re a single hopeless romantic, then this song will bring you to tears.
Lyric that gets you:
Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties
And one day passed away in his sleep
And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days
And passed away
I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong
