Hi all, I've been looking for some heartbreaking songs to listen to. I'm not feeling particularly down, just kind of in the mood to listen to some beautiful real music. I've been up and down lists of the saddest songs, but an astonishing amount of them are neither good nor sad. Many are songs that may have a sad concept, but very little actual emotion behind them (i.e. "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry was on several lists. "Pale Blue Eyes" by Velvet Underground as well, though I think the performance is bland enough to negate how admittedly devastating those lyrics are). I suppose my criteria for a heartbreaking song are a little more elaborate than Buzzfeed's. The delivery of the song is a crucial factor for me. Obviously some mainstream artists (fucking Adele man) are amazing at this, but I actually rolled my eyes at a lot of the entries on those various lists.

Let me give some examples of songs I would put on such a list, and then I would really appreciate suggestions of other songs that fit that mold. It's Friday and links are deactivated, so I'm including the most fitting lyrics, though all of these are worth taking the time to do your own search.

1. "Pussy Is Mine" by Miguel
   > Lie to me, lie to me, lie to me so sweet, 'cause I don't ever want to imagine, all the other n*****s like me ever had a chance to get in your pants. Tell me that that pussy is mine ... I don't want to believe anyone is just like me.
   

An emotionally charged song that uses vulgarity to offset the message of wanting to be unique- irreplaceable- to the one you love... and knowing that you aren't. This totally gets to me.

1. "Sandcastles" by Beyoncé
   > Pictures snatched out the frame, bitch I scratched out your name and your face. What is it about you that I can't erase?

I might be going mainstream here, but holy shit Beyoncé's delivery in this song is absolute gut-wrenching devastation. I think it must have taken a lot of dwelling for her to make Lemonade from her lemons.

1. "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails > What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know goes away in the end. And you could have it all, my empire of dirt. I will let you down; I will make you hurt.
   

Everybody has heard one of two versions of this song. Johnny Cash's version is probably more well-known, but I'm talking about the original here because I find Cash's cover to be self-pitying, while Trent Reznor's performance is absolutely dripping with self-hate, which is the most disturbing element of the song. It also gains a new dimension when taken in the context of the concept album from which it originated: it's the last song, and it's pretty clearly intended to be the main character's suicide note.

1. Birdy's cover of "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver
   > Come on skinny love, just last the year.
   

My favorite thing about this song is that the lyrics are somewhat open to interpretation. I've been told that Bon Iver's version might not actually be a sad song. But Birdy's cover is, from the very first line, sung so beautifully and with such despair that it's definitely heartbreaking when she's through with it.

So those are some examples of songs I think are truly heartbreaking because of their lyrics and the artist's performance. I do understand that different people cry to different songs, but I'm confident that these ones would hit anybody right in the feels.

Anyway, I didn't come here to do random song reviews and play at being a music critic. Can you guys throw me some other songs that would fit on this list? I want to really feel the hurt XD