Tear-jerking Western songs: recommended classics and popular tracks
Here are some timeless and popular tear-jerking Western songs recommended by our studio staff.
Why not let yourself have a good cry once in a while and give your heart a detox?
Tear-jerking Western songs: Recommended classics and popular tracks (1–10)
Bohemian RhapsodyQueen
This is a track that resonates like a grand, roughly six-minute tale, as if you’re watching a single film.
Created by Queen, the song’s structure is breathtaking as it whirls from a beautiful ballad to opera and then into fierce rock.
Yet behind its dramatic sound lies the anguished cry of a protagonist who regrets his sins and struggles against fate, tightening your chest with sorrow.
Released ahead of the landmark album A Night at the Opera in October 1975, it’s also known for its memorable use in the film Wayne’s World.
When you’re crushed by inescapable loneliness or despair, surrendering yourself to this vast sonic world will let emotions well up from the depths of your heart.
Lover, You Should’ve Come OverJeff Buckley
This is an achingly beautiful soul ballad left behind by the legendary American singer Jeff Buckley, who died far too young at 30.
It sings of the helpless regret and burning longing after a breakup.
If you’ve ever let go of someone precious because of youthful mistakes, you’ll likely find this song deeply relatable.
Wishing “I wanted you to come see me,” only to realize it’s too late—those feelings with nowhere to go are truly painful.
The track appears on the classic album Grace and was also featured in the drama FlashForward.
Even decades after its August 1994 release, it continues to move hearts.
On a quiet night when you want to be alone with your thoughts, you might let yourself sink into this heavenly voice.
HelloAdele
It’s a hit tune that used to play on FM radio all the time, with a deeply reverberant vocal that leaves an impression like it keeps resonating deep in your ears.
When you listen to it at times of extreme fatigue, when your emotions feel drained, it seems to soothe you and revive your spirit.
InconsolableBackstreet Boys
This is a Backstreet Boys power ballad that sings of incurable heartache with mature harmony.
It can be heard as a portrayal of the helpless loneliness after losing someone precious and the feelings that will never fade.
Set against a grand sound woven by piano and strings, the four members’ aching vocals overlap to breathtaking effect.
Released as the lead single from the October 2007 album “Unbreakable,” it was also used as an image song for a TV commercial in Japan.
When you’re carrying an unshakable sense of loneliness, the deep sorrow of this song might, paradoxically, be the very thing that stays close to your heart.
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to YesterdayBoyz II Men
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.
Summertime SadnessLana Del Rey
“Summertime Sadness,” a signature song by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey.
It’s an achingly beautiful track that sings of the radiant days of summer and the sense of loss brought on by a friend’s tragic end.
Lana Del Rey’s languid, dreamlike vocals match the song’s melancholic atmosphere perfectly.
The chorus, pleading “Kiss me hard before you go,” feels like the climax of a tragic film.
As you listen, happy memories resurface even as you’re confronted with the reality that there’s no going back—you may find yourself unable to hold back tears.
Only Love Can Break Your HeartNeil Young
This is a classic song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young that quietly portrays the pain of heartbreak.
It’s said to have been written with his bandmate Graham Nash’s painful breakup in mind.
The universal message in the title—“In the end, only love can break your heart”—pierces deeply into the soul.
That helpless sense of loss when you lose someone precious—many of us know it all too well.
Neil Young’s delicate, fragile voice and the gentle acoustic tones softly cradle a wounded heart.
It’s a song that carries a warm reassurance, as if to say, “You’re not alone,” offering quiet comfort.