It's no secret that I'm a pretty happy person. I like to smile, and I have perpetually full reservoir of optimism. Similarly, I'm not a big fan of the crying thing. Fairly often, I like to say that I lost my tear ducts in the war and leave it at that, because I'm not a person to shed a tear at the drop of the hat. I blame my default cheerfulness.
However, I'm also not an emotionless robot, so I do cry when there's something in my life to cry for. When sad times strike down my mood, my music choices have to match. Here are my favorite "crying songs."
1. "Big Girls Cry" - Sia
Sob-Inspiring Lyrics: "And I don't care if I don't look pretty / Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking"
Number of Tears Shed: 146
This song kind of reads like a break up song, but it listens like a soul-crushing ode to being and feeling completely and absolutely alone. Combine this theme with Sia's haunting voice, and you've got a recipe for some rolling tears.
2. "Turning Tables" - Adele
Sob-Inspiring Lyrics: "I won't let you close enough to hurt me / I won't rescue you to just desert me"
Number of Tears Shed: 30
I used to think that this song was about someone who's been hurt before so refuses to let anyone else in, but now I realize it's about someone who's being hurt by their current relationship and is getting out. This is an angry-cry song, to listen to when you're crying because you're frustrated at a certain someone.
3. "Dreaming With a Broken Heart" - John Mayer
Sob-Inspiring Lyrics: "She takes you in with her crying eyes / Then all at once you have to say goodbye"
Number of Tears Shed: 74
If anyone can musically capture the sound of a heart breaking, this song is it. The feeling of hopelessness and crippling despair feels like you were just kicked straight in the gut, and I feel like this every time I listen to this song.
4. "Let It Go" - James Bay
Sob-Inducing Lyrics: "Everything's that broke / Leave it to the breeze / Let the ashes fall / Forget about me"
Number of Tears Shed: 24
Similar to the Adele song, this is more of an angry/sad break-up song. While I can last most of the song, the above lyrics are what get me every time.
5. "Not Like the Movies" - Katy Perry
Sob-Inducing Lyrics: "I didn't feel / The fairytale feeling, no / Am I a stupid girl / For even dreaming that I could"
Number of Tears Shed: 127
This song is all about having a significant other that doesn't feel quite right, but not being sure if there's someone out there that would fit better. It takes all the uncertainty that you feel in a romantic relationship and compares it to looking for that fairytale ending. It's equal parts hopeful and hopeless, which makes more sense after you listen to the song. I usually extend the song's meaning to the point where I'm questioning my life choices, and that's a pretty big downer as well.
6. "Not Today" - Imagine Dragons
Sob-Inspiring Lyrics: "It's gotta get easier and easier somehow / But not today"
Number of Tears Shed: 200
This song literally takes any sort of hope young love and young life could have and totally destroys it. Like, completely and thoroughly obliterates it. If you've ever read/seen Me Before You, which is what this song was written for, it totally makes sense, and it definitely makes you cry about 10 zillion times more.
7. "Terrible Things" - Mayday Parade
Sob-Inducing Lyrics: "So don't fall in love, there's just too much to lose"
Number of Tears Shed: 1,092
This is a story song that will pull you in with how adorable it is and then proceed to RIP YOUR HEART OUT WITH NO MERCY! This is one of the very few songs that made me cry the first time I listened to it. You've been warned.
8. "Angel" - Sarah McLachlan
Sob-Inducing Lyrics: "It's easier to believe in this sweet madness / This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees"
Number of Tears Shed: 5,000+
Fun fact: Sarah McLachlan wrote this song for a friend in the music industry who overdosed on heroin and died because of the pressure. This song is in one of those ASPCA commercials, and if you don't change the channel with tears streaming down your face when you hear the first line, I'm going to have to call you a liar. I can hardly think about this song without crying.
So, if you're ever in the mood to stare at the wall, cry your eyes out, and use an obnoxious amount of tissues, feel free to enjoy these songs. They really set the mood.
