‘Sad Girl’ song recommendations to cry to

“Sad girl” music first became noticeable in the late ‘90s with artists like Alanis Morrisette and Fiona Apple, but grew in popularity with the rise of social media and artists like Mitski. The style is characterized by slow, sad, and airy singing voices with components of guitar, and tragic lyrics—recently garnering a massive cult following on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The term “Sad Girl music” was coined on Tumblr in the late 2000s and describes a person who romanticizes sadness and manifests these feelings through a curated “aesthetic” revolving around the struggles of teenage girls and young women; such as issues with men, feminism, and everyday life. With the “Sad Girl aesthetic” gaining traction in the 2020s, the genre has turned into a staple of modern music. What should you listen to in this genre? Here’s a list of our best recommendations:

‘Moon Song’ by Phoebe Bridgers

Perfect for when you’re awake at two in the morning thinking about that ex you had three years ago that you kind of sort of miss? But then remembering why everyone congratulated you when you broke up.

This song is a masterpiece, with both the lyrics and the slow acoustic guitar paired with a beautiful violin playing accompaniment. The song is about a relationship with the classic male manipulator, our fave in the Sad Girl indie genre! The already depressing first line “You asked to walk me home but I had to carry you” really captures the somber essence of the song. The song also consists of lyrics that every English teacher would love to pick to pieces! 

‘Your Best American Girl’ by Mitski

For when you feel like you need to change every aspect about yourself to appease the male gaze. Yikes!

This song begins with a slow and steady beat but builds to what ends up being a reckoning earthquake of drums and guitars. Mitski’s lyrics tie in with the Japanese-American artist trying to change for her “All American Boy.” Through her writing, she implies that the couple doesn’t work because they are just from different worlds, and she doesn’t fit with him. 

‘Salt in the Wound’ by boygenius

Perfect for when you want to scream songs while arguing with your shampoo bottles in the shower.

“Salt in the Wound” is a classic sad manipulation song for any unsteady relationship. This song really describes how it feels to be with a toxic person. You get pulled in with nice actions and words, and then you get emotionally destroyed! In the all-too-relatable quote, “You add insult to injury, you say you believe me, but you haven’t decided about taking or leaving me,” the listeners are whiplashed with lyrics that sound just a little too personal. With a slightly passive aggressive “screw you” tone, “Salt in the Wound” hits you like an excruciating needle to your heart.

‘Last Girl’ by Soccer Mommy

Essential for when that one person asked you out, you guys went on the date, they texted you they ‘had fun,’ and then you never talked to them again—but you’re still kind of clinging onto the hope it could turn into something more.

This song. THIS SONG. “Last Girl” expresses what it feels like to always compare yourself and wonder about your partner’s ex, something a lot of teenagers who have been in relationships have experience with. When you spend hours wondering if your partner still thinks about their ex, the singer asks, “Why would you still want to be with me? She’s got everything you’ll ever need,” a line that absolutely broke us into a million pieces. 

‘Scott Street’ by Phoebe Bridgers

For when someone who you talked to for three hours during freshmen orientation then decides that you are best friends after two years of not talking. 

The praise we could give for everything in this song from the instrumentals to the production is infinite. “Scott Street” captures all the vulnerability of simply passing by people you once treated as family that are nothing but strangers now. Bridgers writes the awkwardness of trying to come up with pathetic conversation starters in classes toward the people you’ve known since kindergarten, somehow managing to transform all the childhood feelings of loneliness and growth into a simple train whistle and delicate refrain with, “do you feel ashamed when you hear my name.”

‘Last Words of a Shooting Star’ by Mitski

Amazing for when you can’t fall asleep at night and you’re not having it, so you decide it’s a good idea to cut your own hair.

Surprise! Mitski continues to put emotions that previously didn’t have a name into action! Who else could portray the anxiety of being stuck and falling into a seamless metaphor for a plane crashing down? “All of this turbulence wasn’t forecasted / Apologies from the intercom.” It’s difficult to argue that the song has one concrete meaning—is it about your fate after death, or the realization that the freedoms you thought you had were fake? Mitski yet again amazes us with her difficult-to-dissect lyrics that still evoke all the emotion out of us anyways, like “did you know the liberty bell is a replica?” Truly, we are grateful for her ability to explain society’s fraudulent liberties. 

‘this is me trying’ by Taylor Swift 

Perfect for when you got a 50% on a test you thought you got 100% on, and now all of a sudden, all your life aspirations are falling to the ground.

Taylor Swift, an iconic pop star, brings a heartbreaking and empathetic energy with her eighth studio album “folklore” that can best be summed up by “this is me trying.” Every audience can find a way to relate through these gut-wrenching lyrics, but on a personal academic-validation-craving-while-crying, teenage-girl level, we find her words on never being good enough most compelling. The urge to stay up through the night to finish assignments, to impress them, but barely having enough energy to get out of bed on the weekends. Feeling as if you’re wasting away your youth, but not being able to stop the leaks. “this is me trying” provides an explanation for the spiraling and a source for the hurt. 

‘Get Gone’ by Fiona Apple

For when you’ve had the worst possible relationship of your life and they gaslight you into thinking you’re the issue.

Fiona Apple repeats the constant cycle of hurt and manipulation through her second album, “When the Pawn…,” and nowhere is this better highlighted than her song “Get Gone.” She single-handedly manages to have us dancing in our room one verse and curled up sobbing by the chorus. The song starts with her fragile voice reprimanding herself for playing the victim, while criticizing the man who made her weak. By the bridge, Apple has torn up any hints of calm and develops an impressive anger toward her partner. Anyone who has ever had the nagging urge to scream at someone until they’re gone for good can find a source of comfort in this song. 

We hope this collection of songs brings you all the best opportunities for necessary breakdowns. Let yourself sob to these recommendations and feel the heart-wrenching pain of these women embodying the concept of sorrow. All the love, from us sad girls to you.