Sad Songs That Make You Cry

Sad songs that make you cry are often the best music when you're feeling down but can't express yourself. Which sad songs make you cry depends on what tugs at your heart the most and what is bothering you at the time you are listening. Even if you're the happiest you've ever been, this sad songs can still make you cry or form that lump in your throat.

1. "Angel" (1997) The combination of Sarah McLachlan's melancholy voice, the subject matter and the use in a humane organization appeal makes "Angel" one of the more depressing songs out there. The song was penned by McLachlan about Jonathon Melvion, a keyboard player for the Smashing Pumpkins who died in 1996 from a drug overdose, and included on her album "Surfacing." In 2007, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals used the song during a televised appeal for donations, during which various scenes of abused animals who were rescued are shown.
2. "Tears in Heaven" (1992) Eric Clapton's hit ballad from the soundtrack for the movie "Rush," "Tears in Heaven" is about Clapton's son Connor, who tragically fell to his death from an open apartment window when he was only four years old. "Tears in Heaven" is definitely a sad song that will make you cry, as Clapton's deep loss is exposed in both the lyrics and his style of singing.
3. "Hurt" (2002) Johnny Cash covered this Nine Inch Nails song on his "American IV: The Man Comes Around" album. Cash's health was failing him at the time, and his personal regrets are showcased in the absolutely devastating way he sings the song's depressing lyrics, which center around self-destruction. "Hurt" is a sad song that makes you cry to begin with, and the addition of Cash's haunting vocals makes the effect even more potent.
4. "Hallelujah" (1994) Jeff Buckley's cover of the 1984 Cohen song on about a dying relationship, "Hallelujah" is a sad song that makes you cry based on its own merit and the knowledge of the tragic end of the singer. Buckley did not live to see his cover (included on his 1994 album "Grace") become a hit, as he drowned in an accident in 1997 at the age of 30.