Sad Songs About Loneliness and Being Brokenhearted
Diana has been writing on Spinditty for over 2 years. She is a music enthusiast with a deep love for pop culture.
These songs may bring you some comfort when you are sad, depressed, heartbroken, lonely, or feeling isolated. Here’s a list of 75 songs that may bring you to tears and make it easier for you to live through hard moments in your life.
Top 10 Songs About Loneliness
- “All By Myself” by Celine Dion
- “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths
- “Dancing On My Own” by Calum Scott
- “With or Without You” by U2
- “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith
- “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
- “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake
- “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley
- “Tears Dry on Their Own” by Amy Winehouse
- “The Scientist” by Coldplay
1. “All by Myself” by Céline Dion
“All by Myself” is an anthem to loneliness. Originally released by Eric Carmen in the 1970s, the song was covered by Céline Dion and became an instant hit. Everyone who has been feeling alone at some point in their life can relate to her dramatic delivery.
Hard to be sure
Sometimes I feel so insecure
And love so distant and obscure
Remains the cure
— Céline Dion, “All by Myself”
2. “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths
You can tell from the very first line that this is one of the saddest, if not the saddest Smiths song. “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” is a very simple, but very emotional song. The chorus is painfully
Haven’t had a dream in a long time
See, the life I’ve had
Can make a good man bad
— The Smiths, “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”
3. “Dancing On My Own” by Calum Scott
This is another anthem for lonely people. Imagine you are dancing alone in the club while watching your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend with another person. Calum Scott’s take on Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” gained him his first ever standing ovation during an audition on Britain’s Got Talent. It’s a really popular cover of the hit that everybody knows!
Somebody said you got a new friend
Does she love you better than I can?
— Calum Scott, “Dancing On My Own”
4. “With or Without You” by U2
“With or Without You” will make you cry your eyes out, especially if you can relate to it. This song is just so desperate and hopeless that it may be the most depressing song in your playlist. It’s about wanting something you can’t have. What can you do if you can’t imagine your life without a certain person, but have to be kept apart from them?
I can’t live
With or without you
— U2, “With or Without You”
5. “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith
You will surely need a tissue for this anthem for the lonely. In his Grammy-winning song “Stay With Me,” Sam Smith tells about those moments in the morning after a one night stand. You will be completely blown away by his soulful voice and its sincerity.
I don’t want you to leave, will you hold my hand?
— Sam Smith, “Stay With Me”
6. “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
This is a popular hit by the Beatles that explores the loneliness and isolation of elderly people. Unfortunately, in today’s world, lonely people come from everywhere and feel that they belong nowhere, with no one. This song explores this sad, but important truth about society.
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
— The Beatles, “Eleanor Rigby”
7. “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake
Here’s a great song about facing challenges. It’s also about having a broken heart and the loneliness that comes with it.
Here I go again on my own
Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known.
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone…
— White Snake, “Here I Go Again”
8. “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley
The writers of this song had come across a report about a man who committed suicide (he decided to jump out of a hotel window). The story is really sad. He left a note that read, “I walk a lonely street.” The song is about loneliness. It’s one of Elvis’s most successful songs.
I walk a lonely street…
— Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel”
9. “Tears Dry On Their Own” by Amy Winehouse
In this song, Amy Winehouse sings about loving someone who doesn’t love her back. The lyrics explore how her lover takes advantage of her. On the one hand, she regrets everything she’s doing with him, but on the other hand, she is lost in love and can think of no one but him. To know what decision she will make, listen to the song until the very end!
He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I’m grown
— Amy Winehouse,“Tears Dry On Their Own”
10. “The Scientist” by Coldplay
This song is about a man who gets completely lost in his work and starts to neglect his lover. However, he realizes soon that all the science in the whole world can’t fulfill him as his woman did. He wants to “go back to the start.”
Nobody said it was easy
It’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
— Coldplay, “The Scientist”
More Songs About Feeling Lonely
11. “Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol
12. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston
13. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams
14. “Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)” by Roy Orbison
15. “Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley
16. “So Lonely” by The Police
17. “You are Alone” by The Flaming Lips
18. “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan
19. “The Outside” by Taylor Swift
20. “Lonely Avenue”
Songs About Broken Heart
21. “Without Me” by Halsey
22. “I’ll Never Love Again” (A Star Is Born) by Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper
23. “Always Remember Us This Way” (Soundtrack to “A Star Is Born”) by Lady Gaga
24. “I’m Not The Only One” by Sam Smith
25. “What Goes Around…Comes Around” by Justin Timberlake
26. “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake
27. “Send My Love” (To Your New Lover) by Adele
28. “Dangerously”
29. “Three Empty Words” by Shawn Mendes
30. “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes
31. “Alarm” by Anne-Marie
32. “Big Girls Cry” by Sia
33. “Out Of My Head” by John Newman
34. “Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga
35. “Naked” by James Arthur
36. “Hello”
Even More Break-Up Songs
37. “Far Away” by Nickelback
38. “Already Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
39. “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum
40. “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars
41. “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry
42. “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey
43. “Wish You Were Here” by Avril Lavigne
44. “Everytime” by Britney Spears
45. “Please Don’t Leave Me” by Pink
46. “When You Are Gone”
47. “Here Without You” by 3 Doors Down
48. “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt
49. “Out of Reach” by Gabrielle
50. “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse
51. “My Immortal” by Evanescence
52. “Breakeven” by The Script
53. “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis
54. “Someone Like You” by Adele
55. “Un-Break My Heart” by Toni Braxton
56. “Broken Hearted Me” by Anne Murray
57. “Without You” by Oh Wonder
58. “Without You” by Mariah Carey
59. “How Do You Heal a Broken Heart” by Chris Walker
60. “Broken-Hearted Girl”
Even More Songs That Will Make You Cry
61. “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars
62. “Wake Up Alone” by Amy Winehouse
63. “All of Me” by John Legend
64. “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper
65. “Your Song” by Elton John
66. “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
67. “They’ll Be Sad Songs”
68. “True” by Spandau Ballet
69. “I Can’t Tell You Why” by The Eagles
70. “Dance With My Father” by Luther Vandross
71. “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins
72. “Someone Like You” by Adele
73. “Stay” by Rihanna
74. “Youth” by Daughter
75. “Halo” by Beyoncé
