Psychologists and philosophers have long puzzled over why people enjoy songs about sad topics. Even more paradoxically, some of the saddest songs are set to upbeat tunes—The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye,” ...

It's totally normal to need a good cry sometimes, and there's nothing that does the trick quite like the best sad songs can. Hearing your favorite artists of all time singing the saddest lyrics and ...

"What came first — the music or the misery?" That sad-sack line from High Fidelity more or less sums up most people's relationship with sad music: necessary and potentially indulgent. But as it turns ...

Tear-jerkers such as Adele’s Someone Like You frequently top the charts these days, while gloomy classical compositions like Mozart’s Requiem have moved people for centuries. Both portray and bring ...

For as long as I can remember, I have always preferred sad music. As a child, I used to force my mom to listen to me belting along to karaoke tracks of “My Heart Will Go On” and “I Will Always Love ...

… but our independent journalism isn’t free to produce. Help us keep it this way with a tax-deductible donation today. For most people, sad music helps lighten their mood by evoking pleasurable or ...