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

One Call AwayCharlie Puth

Charlie Puth – One Call Away [Official Video]

A song about rushing over with just one phone call if anything happens.

Charlie Puth’s sweet vocals match it perfectly.

If you listen to it after a breakup, you might not be able to stop the tears.

Recommended for those who want to cry it all out and move on to the next love.

Say You Won’t Let GoJames Arthur

James Arthur – Say You Won’t Let Go

This is a song called “Say You Won’t Let Go,” released in 2016 by James Arthur, a singer-songwriter from the UK.

Reading the lyrics, it’s a very sweet love song that depicts a relationship from the moment they meet to their future together—and songs like that really hit home after a breakup, don’t they? Even if your relationship has ended, let’s look for someone with whom you can imagine a wonderful future like the one in this song!

ChandelierSia

Sia – Chandelier (Official Video)

This is the iconic song that made the name of Sia—a popular Australian singer-songwriter also known for hiding her face—known around the world.

In the striking music video, the girl performing avant-garde ballet with the same hairstyle as Sia is Maddie Ziegler.

The combination of the song’s brilliance and the video’s high level of artistry led to a global hit.

The introspective, seemingly self-destructive lyrics reflect Sia’s earnest feelings as she faced numerous hardships.

While it isn’t specifically about heartbreak, it’s sure to resonate with anyone who, after losing someone important, finds themselves in a desperate state of mind.

When I Was Your ManBruno Mars

Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man [Japanese Subtitled Ver.]

It’s a classic ballad that clearly brings out Bruno Mars’s delicate talent as a songwriter—despite his string of massive hits and the strong party-animal image he somehow carries.

In Japan, it was even given the Japanese title “Kimi ga Ita Ano Koro ni” (“Back to When You Were There”).

His voice, pouring out the feelings of a protagonist who only realizes what mattered after losing someone important, who regrets that there’s no going back, and who still tries to entrust “your” happiness to your new partner, is enough to move you to tears.

The emotions portrayed here may be a man’s egoism, a selfish feeling—but many people have surely felt something similar, and the wonderful melody and vocals make you believe it’s anything but a lie.

The Yellow MileMarika Hackman

Marika Hackman – The Yellow Mile (Official Music Video)

It’s a farewell song sung by English singer-songwriter Marika Hackman, serene yet suffused with a strong sense of resolve.

Crafted with just an acoustic guitar and her voice, the piece portrays someone confronting the past—as if laying their former self to rest—while memories of a finished love gnaw away at them.

Even when you know the relationship was painful, it isn’t easy to let go; many of us may have felt that same frustrating pull.

This track appears on the album “Big Sigh,” released in January 2024.

For anyone wishing to quietly face forward and bring a difficult romance to a close, this song may offer gentle companionship.

Need you nowLady Antebellum

Lady Antebellum – Need You Now

The debut single from a Grammy-winning country group.

It’s a song about wavering at 1:15 a.

m.

—even though they said they wouldn’t call their ex, they’re torn about what to do.

If you’re feeling heartsick and clinging to the past, you might find some relief by crying along to the song with a glass of whiskey.

Say SomethingA Great Big World, Christina Aguilera

A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera – Say Something

With its straightforward and deeply emotional lyrics, this is the song “Say Something,” a collaboration between A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera, that feels like it could make you cry just by listening.

There’s always a reason when someone initiates a breakup, but it’s not something that can be easily put into words, is it? I feel like this song is filled with the feelings and unspoken words of the person left behind in such moments.