After my mom died, listening to music by people who had lived through their own grief made me feel less alone. It brought me closer to her and to the artists who knew that kind of pain well enough to turn it into something we could all feel. My mom loved Carly Simon and I have such fun memories of listening to the song “Life is Eternal” that it makes me feel so close to her still to this day. – Sarah
Why Music Helps
Music holds grief in a way that feels safe. It gives structure to chaos. It speaks when we cannot. It says, “Me too” when we think no one understands. Whether we are crying in the car, walking alone with headphones, or sitting in traffic on a commute, music helps us feel seen and less alone.
Prompts to Explore Your Own Grief Playlist
- What song reminds you most of the person you lost?
- What kind of music do you turn to when you’re overwhelmed?
- Is there a lyric you’ve memorized because it brings comfort?
- What song feels like a letter to someone you miss?
- If your grief had a sound, what would it be?
Closing Thought
Grief doesn’t always come with the right words. But music often does. From rock legends to rap storytellers to vulnerable pop stars, artists have turned the pain of loss into songs that stay with us. This post explores how different genres express grief and offers over 40 songs that speak to love, memory, and mourning.
| Genre | Artist | Song Title | Lyric Quote |
| Rock | Eric Clapton | Tears in Heaven | Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven? |
| Rock | The Beatles | Let It Be | There will be an answer, let it be. |
| Rock | Pink Floyd | Wish You Were Here | We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl. |
| Rock | Queen | Who Wants to Live Forever | There’s no time for us, there’s no place for us. |
| Rock | The Rolling Stones | Wild Horses | Wild horses couldn’t drag me away. |
| Rock | Led Zeppelin | All My Love | All of my love, to you. |
| Rock | Bruce Springsteen | The River | Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true, or is it something worse? |
| Rock | Bob Dylan | Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door | Mama, take this badge off of me. I can’t use it anymore. |
| Rock | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Free Bird | If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? |
| Rock | The Eagles | Wasted Time | So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key. |
| Rock | Simon & Garfunkel | Bridge Over Troubled Water | When you’re weary, feeling small, I will dry your tears. |
| Rock | Neil Young | Philadelphia | City of brotherly love, place I call home, don’t turn your back on me. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | 2Pac | Life Goes On | How many brothers fell victim to the street? |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Kanye West | Only One | Hello my only one, remember who you are. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Joyner Lucas | I’m Sorry | I’m sorry that I let you down. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Notorious B.I.G. | Miss U | I miss you, yes I miss you, miss you madly. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | DMX | Slippin’ | I’m slipping, I’m falling, I can’t get up. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | J. Cole | 4 Your Eyez Only | All we got is each other, through the pain, through the struggle. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Mac Miller | Circles | I’m running out of gas, barely breathing, feel like the walls are closing in. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Jay-Z | Glory | The most amazing feeling I feel, words can’t describe the feeling, for real. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | NF | How Could You Leave Us | I guess forever doesn’t last too long these days. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Logic | 1-800-273-8255 | I’ve been on the low, I been taking my time. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Nas | Dance | I just wanna dance with you, mama. |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Big Sean | One Man Can Change the World | Don’t forget to dream, and don’t forget to pray. |
| Pop | Billie Eilish | Everything I Wanted | I had a dream I got everything I wanted. |
| Pop | Taylor Swift | Marjorie | Never be so kind you forget to be clever. |
| Pop | Ed Sheeran | Supermarket Flowers | So I’ll sing Hallelujah, you were an angel in the shape of my mum. |
| Pop | Adele | Hometown Glory | I like it in the city when two worlds collide. |
| Pop | Ke$ha | Praying | I had to learn how to fight for myself. |
| Pop | Harry Styles | Matilda | You can let it go, you can throw a party full of everyone you know. |
| Pop | Sia | Soon We’ll Be Found | Soon we’ll be found. |
| Pop | Rihanna | Stay | Not really sure how to feel about it. |
| Pop | Christina Perri | A Thousand Years | I have died every day waiting for you. |
| Pop | Sara Bareilles | She Used to Be Mine | She is gone, but she used to be mine. |
| Pop | Sam Smith | Lay Me Down | Can I lay by your side, next to you? |
| Pop | Beyoncé | Heaven | Heaven couldn’t wait for you. |
| Pop | Olivia Rodrigo | Hope Ur Ok | I hope that you know how proud I am you were created. |
| Classical | Samuel Barber | Adagio for Strings | (Instrumental – evokes collective mourning) |
| Classical | Gustav Mahler | Kindertotenlieder | Now has the day shrunk, to rest my child again. |
| Country | Vince Gill | Go Rest High on That Mountain | Go rest high on that mountain, son your work on earth is done. |
| Country | Carrie Underwood | See You Again | Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking. |
| Country | Brad Paisley | When I Get Where I’m Going | I want to walk with you, dear, when I get where I’m going. |
| Indie/Folk | Bon Iver | Re: Stacks | Everything that happens is from now on. |
| Indie/Folk | Sufjan Stevens | Casimir Pulaski Day | Tuesday night at the Bible study, we lift our hands and pray over your body. |
| Indie/Folk | Iron & Wine | Passing Afternoon | There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days. |
