10 songs that always bring a tear to your eye
Music can have such a powerful impact on us – it can make us feel uplifted, happy, sad, whimsical, or even sway wildly between all of these emotions within one track.
There are some songs, however, that are so emotional that they always seem to bring a little tear to your eye. So if you are in the mood for a bit of a cry, try out one of the songs below.
1. Unchained Melody – Righteous Brothers
A little bit of heartache can always bring on the waterworks, and this track has it in spades. It was actually written for a film, called Unchained (1955), where a man is deciding whether to break out of prison and live his life on the run, or finish his sentence so that he can return to his wife and family.
Tear jerk moment:
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
2. Yesterday – The Beatles
This slow, acoustic track just screams of melancholy and heart break. It is so relatable as many of us have had someone move out of our life for reasons we don’t understand.
Tear jerk moment:
Why she had to go I don't know,
She wouldn't say.
I said something wrong,
Now I long for yesterday
3. Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Bob Dylan
The classic Dylan song (also reprised by Guns and Roses) about a deputy facing death has such a haunting melody. It’s hard not to imagine what you would be feeling, knowing that you were about to die.
Tear jerk moment:
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door
4. Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
This song can make you cry just from reading about it, let alone hearing it. The song was written by Clapton himself, mourning the death of his four year old son Conor who fell from a window in a high rise apartment in New York in 1991. Clapton arrived at the apartment shortly after the incident, and the devastation that he felt is clearly evident in the lyrics.
Tear jerk moment:
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
5. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
The emotion that Houston packs into this song is palpable. Her high notes leave you literally choking back tears as she shares the heartache of leaving a loved one.
Tear jerk moment:
So good-bye.
Please don't cry
We both know I'm not what you, you need
6. Candle In The Wind (Princess Diana Version) – Elton John
Originally written as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, the 1997 re-write is an emotional ode to the late Princess Diana. After her death, Elton felt a great sorrow that he decided to turn into a heart felt tribute to the ‘people’s princess.’ The song was only performed once, at Diana’s funeral, and John has refused repeated requests to sing it again on other occasions since. Even when he was asked to perform it at Diana’s memorial concert in 2007, he said that he had vowed never to perform it again unless he was asked to by Diana's sons.
Tear jerk moment:
Now you belong to heaven,
and the stars spell out your name.
7. Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel
The almost hymn-like track is about providing comfort to a person in need. The breaking voice and the high notes can give you goose bumps every time.
Tear jerk moment:
And pain is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
8. The Living Years – Mike & The Mechanics
This song echoes the regret of the breakdown in communication between a father and son after the father’s death. Ironically the lyricist had a son of his own 12 weeks after his father passed away.
Tear jerk moment:
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye
9. R.E.M. – Everybody Hurts
The straightforward lyrics were aimed at teenagers, who often have trouble expressing how they feel. The sadness in the voice of lead singer of R.E.M Michael Stipe echoes the sense of loss in the track.
Tear jerk moment:
If you're on your own in this life
The days and nights are long
10. Someone Like You – Adele
Since most of us have experienced a break up, it’s easy to see why this song was so universally popular. Inspired by her own break up and how she came to terms with it, Adele wrote this song about the end of a relationship.
Tear jerk moment:
Don't forget me, I beg
I'll remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."
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Keith Richards’ best rock ’n’ roll quotes
The best Frank Sinatra songs of all time