2025: Heartbreak songs in Western music — tearjerkers to listen to when love ends

Vodka CranberryConan Gray

Conan Gray – Vodka Cranberry (Official Music Video)

Conan Gray, a singer-songwriter from the U.

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who earns immense empathy from Gen Z by singing honestly about his own experiences.

This work portrays the bittersweet feeling of realizing that your partner’s attitude has changed after the relationship ends.

Its delicate, dramatic sound—reportedly reworked twice with a Grammy-winning producer—resonates deeply.

It’s a lead single from his fourth album, Wishbone, scheduled for release in August 2025, and the music video, featuring actor Corey Fogelmanis as his lover, plays like a short film.

The emotional distance conveyed without words heightens the late-summer melancholy even more.

PayphoneMaroon 5

Maroon 5 – Payphone ft. Wiz Khalifa (Explicit) (Official Music Video)

It’s a song about a man who’s been told goodbye by a woman.

The tune itself is upbeat and gets you hyped when you listen to it, but when you look at the lyrics in Japanese, they portray a man who still hasn’t let go, making it a poignant, heartrending track.

lomlTaylor Swift

Taylor Swift – loml (Official Lyric Video)

If you’re seeking an experience where a piano melody quietly resonates in your heart, you should listen to this exquisite ballad by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

This work, featuring her delicate vocals and a piano-centered arrangement co-crafted with Aaron Dessner, deeply stirs listeners’ emotions with its beautiful tones.

It portrays the pain of a phrase meaning “the love of one’s life” turning into “the loss of one’s life,” and the protagonist’s profound regret upon realizing that a once-legendary relationship was fleeting and needless is truly moving.

Included on the April 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department, the song has received high acclaim, reaching No.

12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It’s a perfect track for nights when you want to quietly shed tears and find solace in the sorrow of heartbreak.

It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to YesterdayBoyz II Men

Boyz II Men – It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday

After parting with someone dear, have you ever felt your chest tighten with the thought that you can never return to the joyful “yesterday”? The song “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by the American R&B group Boyz II Men is a classic that sings of longing for the past and the pain of farewell.

Precisely because it’s performed a cappella, without any instruments, the warmth and poignancy of their voices seep directly into the heart.

It’s as if the beautiful harmonies gently embrace the sorrow that overflows no matter how hard you try to hold it back.

This song feels like a warm presence that quietly stays close to a heart that has experienced a painful parting, allowing the tears to flow.

Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)Gotye

Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) [Official Music Video]

Goyte is a popular singer-songwriter from Australia.

Although he was already well-known in his home country, the song that propelled him to global stardom was Somebody That I Used to Know, included on his 2011 album Making Mirrors and released as a single to massive worldwide success.

The light guitar backing, playful sound arrangement, and melodies shaped by an accent different from those in Europe and the U.

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give the track a distinctive character.

With a female guest vocalist, the candid back-and-forth between a separated man and woman hits close to home for many listeners.

You might roll your eyes at the refusal to let go, but relationships between men and women rarely end neatly, do they?

Wrong DirectionHailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld – Wrong Direction

With its majestic piano tones and a pure, girlish singing voice that draws you in, this is a song called “Wrong Direction” by Hailee Steinfeld.

It tells of a bitter breakup—escaping an unhealthy relationship yet still feeling heartache—an experience many can relate to.

SLOW DANCING IN THE DARKJoji

Joji – SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK

Joji is a Japan-born singer and rapper signed to 88rising, one of the most globally talked-about labels originating in Asia.

With the unique background of having first gained major popularity as a YouTuber, Joji released the R&B ballad “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” in 2018.

Its polished production and passionate vocals make it a standout track that showcases his undeniable talent as a musician.

The strikingly intense music video is highly suggestive, and it ties in with the lyrics, which portray a man’s state of mind: despite being tossed around by directionless emotions—like continuing to dance in the dark, just as the title suggests—he finds himself seeking “you” once again.