The 55 Best Sad Songs All of Time - Page 3

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42Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Did you know?Surprisingly, I Will Follow You Into the Dark was not written about anyone in particular, but rather about Ben Gibbard’s obsession over death. This was after his realization that at 29, he had not lost anyone really special in his life. Knowing that he was being comfortable and death would eventually strike made him take stock of how important everyone around him truly is. The solo was recorded in mono with just one microphone and almost no editing.

Moment you'll tear up:

Love of mine

Someday you will die

But I'll be close behind

I'll follow you into the dark

41Alter Bridge - In Loving Memory

Did you know?In Loving Memory is about lead guitarist Mark Tremonti’s mother. The track was never released as a single despite it being the most popular in Alter Bridge’s repertoire.

Moment you'll tear up:

You were as kind as you could be

And even though you're gone

You still mean the world to me

40Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Did you know?

The music video features a funeral procession in which Winehouse mourns over a grave that reads "R.I.P. the Heart of Amy Winehouse." This song is sadder still, considering the recent events that enlisted her as a member of the tragic 27 Club.

Moment you'll tear up:

And I tread a troubled track

My odds are stacked

I'll go back to black

39The Beatles - Yesterday

Did you know?

Yesterday is a melancholy acoustic guitar ballad about a break-up.

Moment you'll tear up:

Why she had to go I don't know

She wouldn't say. 

I said something wrong

Now I long for yesterday

38Eminem - Stan

Did you know?Despite popular belief, Eminem’s character Stan is purely fictional. Eminem has admitted that he gets a lot of fan mail and people take his words too literally — that is what Stan is based on. The referenced story from In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins is also an urban legend.

Moment you'll tear up:

And even if I could it'll all be gray

Put your picture on my wall

It reminds me, that it's not so bad

It's not so bad

37U2 - With or Without You

Did you know?

Bono wrote the lyrics while struggling to reconcile his responsibilities as both a married man and a musician. Being part of a band was often at odds with his domestic life. While writing the lyrics, he came to the realization that neither of these facets defined him; rather, the tension between the two did. He explains that the final lyric is about "torment" and how repressing desires only makes them stronger.

Moment you'll tear up:

My hands are tied

My body bruised, she's got me withNothing to win and

Nothing left to lose

And you give yourself away

36Kelly Rowland - Stole

Did you know?

The lyrics of the track chronicle three different scenarios with teenagers whose lives are drastically changed by the aftermaths of a school shooting and a suicide.

Moment you'll tear up:

Mary's got the same size hands

As Marilyn Monroe

She put her fingers in the imprints

At Mann's Chinese Theater show

She coulda been a movie star

Never got the chance to go that far

Her life was stole, oh

Now we'll never know