Everyone has a Workout playlist, an I Need to Feel Happy playlist, Cathartic Breakup Songs playlist, and the songs From High School That I Embarrassingly Will Love Forever.
But I think another playlist, which I’ve been slowly making for myself over the past few years should be added to everyone’s repertoire: Sobbing in My Car Songs. It all started because of a scene from season 1 of Glee (iknowshutup) wherein Emma is sitting in her car in the pouring rain, sobbing and singing along to All by Myself.
Now, while I have rarely done this exact thing, this scene has come back to me several times over the years and thus the Sobbing in My Car playlist was born. Here are some highlights, in no particular order:
Solitaire – The Carpenters
Solitaire’s the only game in town
And every road that takes him, takes him down
This is a depressing song and really exemplifies the “I will be alone forever!” section of the Sobbing In My Car playlist. I own two Carpenters records on vinyl (hipsterrrrrrr), but sadly Solitaire isn’t on either one. I know I’d play it all the damn time if I did, so maybe it’s better for the impression I leave for my neighbors that I’m not the weird girl in the basement (LITERALLY) who plays sad, lonely person songs all the time.
Not Over You – Gavin DeGraw
If you ask me how I’m doing I will say I’m doing just fine
I will lie and say that you’re not on my mind
Ok, this is a bit of a cheese-fest pick, but I can’t help it. It’s maybe a bit more cathartic than the others, I think, and its a recent addition I can’t get out of my head. It also really succinctly sums up the gut punch of having that conversation with someone you can’t quite get over. Ugh.
Every Time We Say Goodbye – Every. Damn. Version.
Every time we say goodbye, I die a little
Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little
This song, like the others is just so sad to the very core of your everything. Also this particular song for me is loaded a bit because I have tried for YEARS to find the exact version that is in The Parent Trap (LiLo version, BITCHES) when the twins are saying goodbye at the Napa house IN THE POURING RAIN. Wow! CIRCULAR LOGIC I AM IN YOU.
Honorable Mentions:
A Blossom Fell by Nat King Cole
Selfless, Cold and Composed by Ben Folds
Anyone else have a playlist like this, even if it’s just in your head? Let’s share the sadness in the comment section, and be upbeat on some other rainy Friday.
This One Thing 
I have a similar playlist – a ‘Dark’ playlist 😛 haha. which basically comes down to the same thing as a sadness list.
Top of mine:
Heartless – William Fitzsimmons
Also: The Fray also has a cover, pretty decent too
I have never had a cheer up playlist but my melancholy list is in the triple digits. God, that is depressing, isn’t it? A few of my faves:
*Kenny Loggins “Celebrate Me Home” is my go-to Christmas Sob song on the off years I can’t come home.
*Adele “Someone Like You” oh lawd ‘Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you….don’t forget me…’
*A new one: the Secret Sisters “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder” from the Hunger Games soundtrack. It should cheer you up, but you get the feeling this is what Katniss actually sang to Rue right before she OH NO NOW I’M CRYING AGAIN
*And just to throw in some super crazy sob fest a la broadway, what about the group therapy song from Rent “will I lose my dignity, will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?” GAH