Turn Up the Volume to Drown Out the Sobbing: Top 10 Tearjerkers
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Whether you’re reeling in the aftermath of a messy breakup or battling the post-holiday blues, sometimes you just need to let it all out with a good cry! By now, you’ve likely worn your Adele record thin and are in need of some fresh tunes to produce the waterworks. We’ve rounded up 10 of our top ugly-cry inducing tracks to help you feel all the feels. Arm yourself with a box of tissues and check out the tearjerkers below:
“Move Together” – James Bay
Best New Artist Grammy nominee James Bay says this song is about facing the troubles that come with holding a relationship together. Written with Reservoir writer Jamie Hartman, the song asks the questions, “If we can’t move together, come close, how we gonna breathe, how we gonna be together?”, making us all question: who in their right mind wouldn’t move closer together to Bae?!
“Cry Me A River” – Justin Timberlake
Inspired by his break up with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake penned this song with help from Scott Storch and Timbaland. Amid rumors that Britney cheated on Justin (before he brought sexy back), this song became the ultimate break up anthem with its pouring rain sound effects and haunting Gregorian chants. While we were destroyed when pop music’s biggest power couple of the 2000s split, at least we got this cut as a parting gift.
“Start Again” – Conrad Sewell
Conrad Sewell recently revealed that the cut, co-written with Reservoir writer Jamie Hartman, was born from the rubble of a devastating split with his ex-girlfriend. Underscored by simple piano instrumentation, the song pleads, “there’s a hole in the middle of my heart again, can we start again?” To anyone who has ever wished for a do-over with a past love, this song is for you.
“Half A Heart” – Seal
British R&B singer Seal bares his whole heart on the cut “Half A Heart” written with Reservoir writer Phil Bentley. Likely inspired by Seal’s recent divorce from supermodel Heidi Klum, this jazz-influenced ballad pulls on all our heartstrings with lyrics like “you took a piece of me when you left” and “I lied when I said I didn’t miss you.” We’ve all been there. Cue the waterworks.
“It’s Not Over” – ON AN ON
Experimental pop band ON AN ON proclaim “I’m dying to get you on the dance floor and tell you it’s not over” in this synth-pop dance track. The song carefully mixes hope and disappointment to leave you wondering, if “it’s not over” is the truth or just wishful thinking?
“Dust Is Gone” – MØ
Indie-pop darling MØ’s asks “what went wrong?” on this dreamy synth-pop record. Her ethereal vocals and haunting harmonies will put you in a trance-like state, as she sings “I had a little dream I would have liked us to work on, life had other plans.” Us too, MØ, us too.
“Exit Wounds”- Luke James
Luke James laments being dumped in the piano-driven “Exit Wounds”. The bitter ballad, produced by Danja, gets brutally honest when James sings, “my brain is scarred each time I let you through”. Ouch.
“Wish U Were Here” – Jamie Foxx
If there’s one thing that Oscar and Grammy-winning actor and artist Jamie Foxx knows how to do is show emotion! With this “heavy, heavy song” about his grandmother, Foxx proves that not all sad songs are about romantic love. *Sniff* We miss our grandmas too, Jamie.
“Me And Baby Jane” – Leon Russell
With synth piano chords to underscore his soft and wistful vocals, Leon Russell narrates the story of his first love in “Me And Baby Jane”. You can hear the pain in his voice when he sings about remembering the good times with Baby Jane before he lost her forever to addiction.
“Sometimes Like Butterflies” – Donna Summers
Co-written by Reservoir writer Bruce Roberts, this piano ballad from the queen of 70s disco, Donna Summers, brings all the feels. “Butterflies are meant to fly,” she croons, “come on baby, set me free”, bringing to mind the popular idiom “if you love something, let it go.”
Bonus song:
“No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” – Barbra Streisand & Donna Summers
When your tear ducts have dried up, and you can’t go on any longer, channel the fierceness of Streisand and Summers on the powerful “Enough Is Enough”. The power anthem co-written by Bruce Roberts is about gathering the strength to pick yourself back up after heartbreak, which is why we’ve included it at the end of our cry-sesh. The title says it all: No more tears. Enough is enough.