Sure, “drivers license” is great, but what about some other sad songs?

Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” was released on Jan. 8 and instantly became a big hit, now having over 68.5 million streams. It remained number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for over a month, and it broke Spotify’s record for the most streams of a song in just one day having over 17 million. Although it is a great song, I think there are better songs to cry to. With that, here are some of my favorite songs to have a nice breakdown. 

“Something in the Way” – Nirvana

This song is great to have a good silent cry. It’s very soothing, and it leaves you feeling fairly numb after listening to it. Kurt Cobain’s voice shows how much pain he was in at the time, and it’s very easy to feel that energy from this song. If you like this song from Nirvana, some more songs that leave you feeling the same way are “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle,” “Dumb (MTV Unplugged version),” and “Pennyroyal Tea (MTV Unplugged version)”

“Roslyn” – Bon Iver

Not only is this song generally really sad, it also brings nostalgia, which makes you even more prone to crying. Because this song was in “Twilight: New Moon,” it makes listening to it even more difficult since it brings so many memories of better times. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve cried to this song, so that’s definitely a win for the “Twilight” soundtrack. Also, any of Bon Iver’s songs are great for crying, such as “Re: Stacks” and “Skinny Love.” 

“Sorry (Acoustic)” – Nothing but Thieves

With this song, the original is amazing, but the acoustic version contains so much more emotion. This song is so relatable, but it’s also just awesome to interpret. It’s the type of song that feels the same as lying down and staring at the ceiling. If you like this song, some other songs I recommend by Nothing but Thieves are “Itch,” “Particles” and “Excuse Me.” 

“Sparks” – Coldplay

Coldplay has so many emotional songs, and this one happens to be my favorite to have a good cry fest. This is the song that always ends up getting me, because it’s just that great. This song also has so much emotion behind it, and it leaves you feeling so relieved after you listen to it. Some other Coldplay songs like this one that I recommend are “The Scientist” and “Fix You.”

“No Surprises” – Radiohead

Most people only know Radiohead for their hit song “Creep,” but they have so many other great songs. One example being this one, because it just hits you. There are so many, but I feel like “No Surprises” is one of the most relatable. If you like this song, some other favorites of mine are “Exit Music (For a Film),” “Bones” and “Paranoid Android.”

“Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac

Most Fleetwood Mac songs are there to put you in a good mood, but that’s not the case with this one. This song highlights what it feels like growing up, and it’s just relatable in the sense that time is passing so fast. It’s a great one to cry to if you’re reflecting on memories and/or thinking of when times were so much simpler. Some other great songs by Fleetwood Mac to cry to are “Blue Denim” and “Silver Springs.”

“I Know the End” – Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers has a lot of emotional songs, but this one is by far one of my favorites. The song starts off really soft and then builds until the end when everything just turns sort of chaotic. “I Know the End” leaves me with chills every time I listen to it, and it’s a great one to have a mental breakdown. Some other emotional songs include “Funeral” and “Motion Sickness.”

“Fade Into You” – Mazzy Star

This song does happen to be the most popular when it comes to Mazzy Star, but it is for a good reason. It might just be because it holds a lot of memories for me, but it really is such a soothing song overall. In fact, this entire album, “So Tonight That I Might See,” is really great if you’re looking for something more relaxing. Some other songs I recommend are “Five String Serenade,” “Wasted” and “Mary of Silence.”

“Right Before My Eyes” – Cage the Elephant

This band has so many amazing songs, with their Melaphobia album being my personal favorite. These songs have been there for me for years now, and they are all just so relatable. This song in particular is very relatable nowadays with one of the lines being “Right before my eyes, I saw the whole world lose control. The whole world lost control before my eyes,” so it really is great to cry to. Some other songs that leave me feeling the same way after this one are “Telescope,” “Hypocrite” and “Skin & Bones.” 

Of course, there are so many other great songs to have a good cry. These just happen to be some of my favorites. As I mentioned before, “drivers license” is a good song, but I think these songs deserve just as much credit.