Sad Breakup Songs To Wallow In When You’re Missing Your Ex

You shouldn’t be missing your ex, but it always happens at the worst times. One day you’re fine, the next day you’re hit with the reality that they aren’t around. Music is therapeutic and also has the ability to wring out every sad emotion in your body by bringing it all out to the surface. If you’re looking for sad breakup songs that hit you where it hurts, here are a few suggestions.

1. “favorite crime” by Olivia Rodrigo Choosing anything by Olivia Rodrigo (like her entire Sour album) is a no-brainer, but something about “favorite crime” describes the absolute betrayal of giving your heart to someone who only used you and never returned the respect you gave them. Along with the complicated feelings of hoping you meant something to them, even if they had no problem dragging you through hell throughout your relationship.
2. “Sandcastles” by Beyoncé From the Lemonade album which also has other tracks about breakups and infidelity, this ballad will thoroughly destroy you. Promises that can’t be held, mutual regrets, and powerful belting alongside a melancholy piano makes this song the perfect track to embrace your sorrows.
3. “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift Yes, we mean the 10 minute version, no exceptions. “All Too Well” details an age gap relationship that eventually falls apart and the agony the singer feels over never having her efforts reciprocated. It also acknowledges how relationships can strip you of your personality, your happiness, and your ability to feel normal. For more tears, watch the music video.
4. “Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga Did your breakup involve you trying to justify keeping an ex that gave you a million reasons why you needed to break up, but you stayed for the way they made you feel? Did you give your all, but your all wasn’t enough? If so, this one will help you process those feelings.
5. “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye Another jarring thing about breakups is how you go from loving someone and having them in your life 24/7 to the harsh reality of being total strangers. The sudden cut-off from a person that was your everything cuts deep, and with Kimbra’s guest vocals, it’s the perfect indie pop track to cry to.
6. “The Scientist” by Coldplay You would think the science metaphors would make it cheesy or overtly nerdy, but far from it. If you’ve ever wanted to go to the first part of a relationship when everything seemed so perfect, this song laments the desire to return to the good feelings and for their beloved to come back to “haunt” them.
7. “I’ll Come Running by to You” by Sam Cooke Looking for a classic? This song is from the perspective of a man who believes he has “lost everything” by not treating his beloved right. It also talks about the struggle of wanting to start over from scratch and having the opportunity to begin again. This one is perfect for those secretly (or not so secretly) wish their ex would think that way about them.
8. “Linger” by The Cranberries Feel hopelessly in love with your ex to the point that it’s physically painful? Or your breakup happened out of the blue? The Cranberries’ track acknowledges a need to have your ex back in your life because you feel intrinsically connected to them.
9. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler Another classic for your roster, this one is for the nights where you keep fantasizing that you will run back into each other’s arms and you’ll stop feeling the intense need for your ex-SO. If you’re hoping for a second chance at love, this is the tune for you.
10. “Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac Stevie Nicks’ vocals on this track really make it a hard-hitter in the tragic breakup song department. It tells a story of everything a love could have been, if only the other person reciprocated. It details the aftermath of the breakup between Nicks and the Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The absolute best version of the song, in my biased opinion, is the live version performed at Warner Brothers Studio in 1997. Nicks’ vengeful bridge on the song promises that her former lover will never be able to escape her presence, no matter how much time passes.
11. “Always on My Mind” by Willie Nelson There’s a reason they used this version of the song in the sad SPCA commercials. Something about Nelson’s vocals and the pleas of forgiveness will have you crying beneath blankets for hours.
12. “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus When the song first came out, everyone had a field day making parody versions of the music version. But nudity aside, the lyrics describe the absolute destruction of a heart when you feel that you’ll never love another person. According to Cyrus, the repercussions of loving another person can include everything from emotional warfare to feeling like a pile of ashes on the ground. Pretty accurate, if you ask me.