Music Fans Name the Saddest Songs Ever on Reddit

A group of music fans named some of the saddest songs ever on a Reddit thread, and a lot of rock and metal tracks were suggested.

The user who wrote the post specified that they were looking “to extreme ugly cry for one straight hour,” and asked fellow Redditors to suggest the most heart-wrenching songs to help get the waterworks going. They wanted a mix of genres, and asked users to explain what in particular makes the song so sad.

The comment that received the most upvotes named the song “Puff, the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary because “it’s about a boy who outgrows his best friend.” A lot of users agreed with the comment, noting that it brought back childhood memories for them.

While that was definitely a good suggestion, a lot of rock and metal songs were mentioned throughout the thread as well. This supports the recent study we covered that revealed the top rock and metal artists found on mental health playlists, which further found that a solid percentage of individuals listen to rock and metal when they’re anxious and depressed.

We went through the Reddit thread and made note of the rock and metal songs that were mentioned the most, and listed them below. Keep reading to see which tracks you should listen to for a good cry, and check out the thread linked above for the conversation.

Alice In Chains, ‘Nutshell’

This one comes as no surprise. Layne Staley penned the emotional lyrics for the Jar of Flies track, but it was his haunting performance of it during Alice In Chains‘ 1996 MTV Unplugged show that especially struck a nerve in most fans.

“The MTV Unplugged version is like Layne [the lead singer] singing at his own funeral,” one user wrote.

“Nutshell” was recommended by several people throughout the thread, but some other Alice In Chains songs were mentioned as well, including “Rotten Apple,” “Down in a Hole,” “Rooster,” “Shame in You” and “Black Gives Way to Blue.”

Alice In Chains, ‘Nutshell’ (Unplugged)

Pink Floyd, ‘Wish You Were Here’

Another track that was brought up several times during the discussion was Pink Floyd‘s “Wish You Were Here” from their 1975 album of the same name. A couple of the individuals who mentioned it had really sad stories connected to it.

“We played ‘Wish You Were Here’ (what else) at my son’s funeral. Haven’t been able to listen to it without shedding a tear since then,” one person wrote.

“‘Hurt’ by Johnny Cash and ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd. Both these were played at my brother’s funeral, after he was murdered. I personally chose Pink Floyd, due to our shared love of the band, and that song was our favorite. Both these songs make me cry quite easily. And I’m not much of a crier,” another explained.

READ MORE: 13 Heavy Songs We’ve Definitely Cried To

A Pink Floyd fan chose another track by the band that was sang by Syd Barrett, “Jugband Blues,” from their 1968 album A Saucerful of Secrets. The fan theorized that the track was Barrett’s “final and haunting goodbye to the band he had named,” as he was struggling severely with his mental health at the time.

“The song makes you understand the true meaning behind many of their songs and album (Wish You Were Here),” they stated.

Pink Floyd, ‘Wish You Were Here’

Johnny Cash, ‘Hurt’

Johnny Cash‘s cover of Nine Inch Nails‘ “Hurt” is arguably more famous than the original because it’s that emotional. It was suggested a few times in the Reddit thread. Aside from the person that mentioned it along with “Wish You Were Here,” no one really gave a reasoning as to why they chose it.

Again, it’s just that sad. We’ve even done a video about it on YouTube called “The Greatest Cover Song of All Time?”.

The Nine Inch Nails version came out on the band’s 1994 record The Downward Spiral, and then Cash released his reimagination of it in 2002 on his album American IV: The Man Comes Around.

Johnny Cash, ‘Hurt’

Linkin Park, ‘One More Light’

Not only does “One More Light” sound sad, but the backstory behind it (and what it later became) is tragic. Mike Shinoda said in an issue of Kerrang! that the track was written after a friend of the band died from cancer, and he argued that “the most important thing to do is to connect with the people you love and remind them you care about them.”

Linkin Park performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the night before the album was released on May 19, 2017, and dedicated the performance to Soundgarden‘s Chris Cornell, who just died the day before.

Two months later, Chester Bennington died, and the band released the song as their next single. A handful of individuals on the Reddit thread chose this song, and one mentioned that it’s even more painful when you know the context behind it.

Linkin Park, ‘One More Light’