Lost love is a theme that’s been explored in several hit songs. And why not? Lost love is something both musical celebrities and common folk experience.
Except you never loved your partner. Breakups and separations can leave you sad. It’s even worse when your ex moves on to another person, leaving you to mourn what could have been.
The period after a breakup can be an emotional hell for even the strongest individuals. Listening to songs about lost love can help you heal and move on from your ex.
Here is a rundown of the best-lost love songs that’ll help you overcome the pain:
Visions of Gideon — Sufjan Stevens
In the final scene of Call Me By Your Name, Elio (Timothee Chalamet) sits beside a fireplace and cries softly while Vision of Gideon by Sufjan Stevens plays softly in the background.
Elio is crying because of his now-over relationship with Oliver — mourning a lost love. With lyrics like “I have loved you for the last time/And I have kissed you for the last time,” anyone experiencing lost love would enjoy this song.
Back to Black — Amy Winehouse
Before her death, Amy Winehouse delivered some excellent musical gems. One was Back to Black, a song that explores the pain of someone leaving you for another person.
“We only said goodbye with words/I died a hundred times,” Winehouse sings on the track. She rounds off the chorus, singing, “You go back to her, And I go back to black,” as she yearns for her lost love.
Million Reasons — Lady Gaga
Now, Lady Gaga isn’t the person you’d associate with a sad song about lost love. But the eccentric pop star recorded Million Reasons as an ode to her failed relationships, making it as good a post-breakup song as any.
“I’ve got a hundred million reasons to walk away,” she sings but acknowledges that she needs “just one good one to stay.”
Isn’t how we all feel after a breakup? That sense that despite all the problems with our relationship, we could still fix it?
Someone Like You — Adele
Adele has written some of the best-known songs about lost love and heartbreak in modern musical history. Hence, she deserves a spot on this list.
Someone Like You captures the human tendency to hold on to a past relationship when the other person has moved on. This song will likely leave you in tears, so it’s better to have a tissue around.
On the track, Adele sings:
“I couldn’t stay away/I couldn’t fight it.”
“I hoped you’d see my face/ And be reminded that for me it isn’t over.”
We Don’t Talk Anymore — Charlie Puth
Pop songs tend to be about the dreamy-eyed, butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of love.
However, Charlie Puth, best known for See You Again, sings about lost love on We Don’t Talk Anymore.
This song is memorable because it captures the inner turmoil we all face when we see our former love with someone else.
He sings, “I just heard you found the one you’ve been looking/I wish I would have known that wasn’t me, cuz even after all this time, I still wonder why I can’t move on just the way you did so easily?”
On the track, Charlie Puth is like anyone experiencing post-breakup sadness. He’s grieving for his now-ended relationship and angry that his former lover has moved on quickly.
Further into the track, he sings about his former relationship, asking, “What was all of it for?” while admitting that “We don’t talk anymore…like we used to do.”
This is the perfect song for those experiencing a torrent of emotions immediately after a breakup. Charlie Puth’s lyrics will surely be cathartic and help you heal from the pain.
Since U Been Gone — Kelly Clarkson
You can only be sad about your past lover for so long. They’ve probably moved on while you’re still here, hoping that they’ll come back to you.
Break Free From the Chains of Emotional Trauma!
Since U Been Gone is a fiery anthem for anyone looking to get over a lost love, Kelly Clarkson Since U Been Gone is a fiery anthem. Sing the lyrics to this song, and you’d start thinking of your ex less — or at least you won’t cry when you think of them.
According to Kelly Clarkson, since the exit of her former lover, “I can breathe for the first time/I’m so moving on, yeah, yeah/Thanks to you, now I get what I want.”