19 Sad Indie Songs, The Saddest Of All Time

11. “The Temptation of Adam” by Josh Ritter

Song Year: 2007

“The Temptation of Adam” is a nesting doll of a song. Josh Ritter brilliantly combines wordplay, a nuclear war story, delicate acoustic guitar, and vocals into one of the saddest songs you’ll ever hear.

Ritter is one of the few songwriters gifted enough to make such a technically proficient song so heartbreaking. The narrator spends his time doing nuclear research with a female scientist, possibly Marie Curie, and falls in love. He doubts the pair would survive outside of the extreme circumstances and is tempted to detonate the atomic bomb, making them the last people on earth.

12. “Let it Die” by Feist

Song Year: 2004

“Let it Die,” Feist’s dark song, considers the irritation of holding onto feelings after a relationship ends. The singer wants to move on and forget her partner, but he keeps invading her thoughts.

The singer lost herself in the relationship and feels she has learned a great deal about what she wants from a partner after their love. However, neither party can move forward, creating a tragic feedback loop.

13. “Album of the Year” by The Good Life

Song Year: 2004

The Good Life specializes in sad songs. “Album of the Year” is the most depressing of a bleak collection. The song tells a familiar story. A boy meets a girl in a bar, and they fall in and out of love.

However, Tim Kasher infuses the song with specificity and life. The singer-songwriter includes personal details that make the lovers feel authentic and intimate, making their inevitable separation painful to witness.

14. “Heartbeats” by Jose Gonzalez

Song Year: 2003

Swedish electro-pop duo The Knife wrote and released the original version of “Heartbeats,” but Jose Gonzalez elevated the song to supreme heartbreak. Gonzalez strips the ode to a one-night stand down to a finger-picked guitar line.

His delicate vocals heighten the sense of sadness created by knowing the flush of excitement from the fling is temporary and fleeting.

15. “Passing Afternoon” by Iron & Wine

Song Year: 2004

“Passing Afternoon” carries a softer sadness than many of the songs on this list. Iron & Wine’s gentle folk ballad tells the story of a lost love. While the narrator laments the end of his affair, he remembers his lover fondly and thinks of her often.

Her memory inspires a sense of loss and melancholy. Sam Beam uses stripped-down instrumentation, allowing his acoustic guitar and voice to do the heavy lifting, building a bittersweet sonic wall of sadness and beauty.

16. “For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti” by Sufjan Stevens

Song Year: 2003

Sufjan Stevens uses his soft vocals and delicate demeanor to lull listeners into a false sense of security. However, “For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti” isn’t only the longest-titled song on this list; it’s one of the most devastating.

Stevens builds his ode to orphans and widows over gentle banjo chords. The piece focuses on loss and sacrifice.

17. “Something” by Julien Baker

Song Year: 2015

Julien Baker’s painful ballad, “Something,” isn’t for the emotionally fragile. The song builds on repetition and Baker’s soulful vocals, trembling over simple instrumentation.

The singer’s lover left, and now she is alone in her bed, wishing she had something to convince him to say. She can’t think past him, and her sadness immobilizes her.

18. “Telepath” by Manchester Orchestra

Song Year: 2021

Manchester Orchestra has a lot of heavy thoughts on its mind for its 2021 album, The Million Masks of God. “Telepath”’s narrator balances the joy of loving someone with the inevitability of losing them.

Mortality weighs heavily on the narrative. The singer traces the pair’s relationship through the years, tempering every happy memory with the shadow of loss.

19. “My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist” by The Decemberists

Song Year: 2004

“My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist” tells a poignant story of a spy meeting and falling in love with an artist during World War II. The star-crossed lovers have children they abandon, one of which is the song’s narrator.

The song uses a vaguely convoluted story to express loneliness and isolation. The narrator longs for a home he never had, aching for human connection.

Sad Indie Songs, Final Thoughts

These sad indie songs are bound to descend you into a sad spiral, but the kind that you can turn off or pause when you need a break. The bands crafting these songs sing about mortality, love, and loss.

Add these tunes to your playlist for when you want to feel a little blue, grab a blanket and some tissues, and have yourself a cozy little cry.