We’ve all been there — although some of us might not like to admit that we have. Whether it be due to friendships that come to a halt or true loves that have gone sour, every one of us have been heartbroken at one time or another. In honor of moving on, I’ve created a playlist solely made up of amazing feel good songs that remind us that it’s alright to let things go when we only find ourselves constantly hurting.
Even if you’re not going through a rough patch relationship-wise, these songs are perfect to just give you feelings of tranquility. If that’s not enough persuasion, you can simply never discover too many songs.
- Moving on and Getting Over by John Mayer. Yes, you read that right. John Mayer, the singer-songwriter of Gravity and Free Fallin’ is back with a new album “The Search for Everything” and within this album is a shining gemstone entitled Moving on and Getting Over, which was released sometime in January of this year. This song brings you back to the root of the relationship and how much you miss it. However, it also signifies the ability to distinguish the difference between needing the relationship and wanting the relationship. The essential phrase in the beginning of the song seems to be “I still can’t seem to get you off my mind”, yet, near the end, the lyrics end with “Consider me as good as gone, I’m moving on”. This song always seems to remind me that there is a difference between wanting/missing someone and needing someone.
- Ok, It’s Alright With Me by Eric Hutchinson. I stumbled across this lovely song while watching ‘Life Unexpected’ and upon first hearing it, I simply fell in love. No doubt about it, there was such a calming tone about it and whenever I hear the song, I feel as if everything will truly be alright. Hutchinson sings “Ok, it’s alright with me. Some things are just meant to be, it never comes easily and when it does, I’m already gone”. This always reminds me of the phrase “It is what it is”. Initially, the singer is stating that it’s alright with him since it is what it is and he has seemingly made his peace with the reality of things. In this way, in any broken relationship, it is what it is. We have no control over how others react or how they feel. We only control our own actions and therefore, it truly comes down to finding peace in the way things are and getting over our dissatisfaction of things.
- Gone by Olivia Broadfield. This song is absolutely amazing and the shining factor for me, besides the piercingly truthful lyrics, is Olivia Broadfield’s beautiful and mellow voice. ‘Gone’ seems to highlight every heavy feeling associated with being in a toxic relationship and coming to terms with the fact that sometimes, all that’s left is for you to leave it behind. The opening line is “And I gave you all I’m sure I can give but it’s not enough and I feel it sting.” This line seems to remind me of the hurt that comes when, in a toxic relationship, I do my best but it’s still not enough for the other person. The next part of the song talks about the hard stuff we don’t want to admit: If in this relationship, the other person goes out of their way to hurt you and “says all these things just to keep [you] down”, was it ever a healthy relationship? Was it always simply a toxic relationship? At the end of the song, the parting words are “I found my voice and I’m saying all these things because I’ve got the choice. I’m leaving and your storm keeps on raging”. The moral of the song is that there is a point when it gets to be all too much and it’s time to move on before the storm consumes you. You are your own person after all.
- Tears by Clean Bandit ft. Louisa Johnson. ‘Tears’ may sound pretty upbeat at first hearing, but don’t be fooled by its facade, it’s a breakup song. It isn’t necessarily a romantic relationship breakup song, but it is a breakup song nonetheless. When I first heard it, it reeled me in because it was such an honest song about understanding that if it was meant to be, it would be. The main lyrics are “You won’t bring me down. These tears will get me through. And I’ll get over you.” This is an empowering message to anyone that although it hurts to lose any relationship that meant something to you and tears will be shed that the tears are a necessary part to getting over the relationship. The sad feelings from the loss of a relationship are normal and tears are not a form of weakness. It’s all a part of the process of letting go, sometimes. Check out this song to feel empowered like you can conquer the world and, of course, for motivation to let go
- It’s Time by Imagine Dragons. A couple of days ago, I was sitting in the car with the radio playing, feeling hopeless and helpless while thinking about the broken relationships within my life. All of a sudden, ‘It’s Time’ played and it had been years since I last heard the song but when I took the time to truly listen to the lyrics, I found myself feeling renewed. Sometimes, in a relationship, people may expect you to change into something you don’t want to be without regards to your feelings. Other times if you are in a toxic relationship, you may find yourself conforming into someone you ultimately did not want to become. This song helped me to understand that I can’t change into what someone else wants me to become if it’s not what I want to become. Imagine Dragons sings “I get a little bigger but then I’ll admit, I’m just the same as I was. Now don’t you understand that I’m never changing who I am.” It’s hard but you have to walk your own path and grow based on your own agenda sometimes. Your world revolves around you, not anyone else. Change begins with what you want for yourself.
I know this may not sound like a lot of songs at all, but we all know how handy the repeat button can be when we’re sulking in our feelings. I hope that these songs give you guys a bit of peace, as it did for me, in understanding that all good things must come to an end sometime or another.
At the end of the day, we’re all trying our best to deal with our own relationships. And to tell you the truth, relationships are hard. They can even feel nearly impossible. We all feel that we’re falling apart at sometime or another and broken relationships don’t help at all, regardless of whether it’s romantic or simply friendships. If at any time you feel that you’re alone in the way you feel, play these jams and know that you are anything but alone in the way you feel.
