Paper Aeroplanes by Angus & Julia Stone. My ex girlfriend introduced the song to me just before she died. Even over 10 years later I still struggle to listen to it.

Hero of War by Rise Against - I’m a vet to this hits fucking hard.

Blackbird by Alter Bridge - My stepdad got cancer in 2020 and had a very slow decline until he finally passed in 2025. Watching him wither away was heartbreaking. I saw him around Christmas of 2024 and he was still able to get up and move around on his own, but only for a short period of time. I went back down a month later to help my mom, because he couldn’t even get out of bed anymore. The hospice nurse came one day and basically told us he maybe had a week at most. He couldn’t even talk at this point, would not eat, and you could tell he was just in constant pain. I told him not worry and that I appreciated everything he did for my mom and that I would take care of her. He passed a few minutes later with his dog in his lap. Later that afternoon, after I had gotten everything taken care of, I took his dog for a walk. This song just happened to come on while I was walking her. The line, “May you never be broken again” made me breakdown right there in the middle of the park. To this day I still cry every time I hear the song.

“Boys will be boys” by Stella Donnelly. Best listened to blind, imo, so won’t give context.

Hero of War by Rise Against. An American soldier’s view of war.

Raoui by Souad Moussi (I can’t understand arabic so she might be singing a shopping list, but the pain in her voice gives me shivers every time)

No Bravery by James Blunt. A British soldier’s view of war.

I have a long playlist of stuff like this called “Managed Melancholy” - it’s part of my mental health self care to immerse myself in sad sometimes and really feel. (I’m fine btw, and this is part of giving me an outlet)

I mean not so much an emotionally break me down but tulls we used to know, elegy (which has a wierd life thing that happened), and further on. They definately have the power to shift my mood.

It’s Quiet Uptown from the musical Hamilton.

A Better Place, A Better Time by Streetlight Manifesto always fucks me up.

Al Green - How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

When he sings, “Cos mine is”, it gets me right there. See also “How can you mend… this broken man…” 😭

He stopped loving her today by George Jones.

The First Time ever I saw your face by Johnny Cash.

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.

I’m Not Gonna Miss You by Glen Campbell. He wrote and recorded it as Alzheimers was eroding his memory. It was the last song he recorded. I heard it just after my mom was diagnosed.

Idk so much about depth, but more because of the story it is tied to. I’m a nerd and have been playing a game that just told a story that hurt quite a bit and then they had 2 songs go with that story. One from the perspective of the main character being written for a second character, and the second song from that second character we’ve “lost” which was written for the main character. Its been two weeks and they still choke me up lol

The lyrics are ok, but I believe they were in Chinese first and then translated so I think they suffer from the need to fit within the melody and read kinda odd.

Vernal Days Dreamed by the Star

Voyaging Stars Farewell