Listen, I’ve never really had my heart broken. But after listening to these five male songwriters, I was missing soulmates I’ve never even met and preparing to jet-set to foreign countries to have a romantic rom-com run-through-the-airport kiss scene.
If you’re looking for songs to make you sink into a couch and wish your Valentine’s holiday was sponsored by Kleenex, continue to read it and weep.
Dean Lewis
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, this crooner is already a head above with an accent that accents his heartbreakingly beautiful ballads. My two personal favorites of his? “Chemicals” and “Waves,” for sure! Many of his songs talk about finding love early and wishing that it wasn’t so fleeting, which is definitely the vibe of my favorite lyric from his song, “Waves.”
Favorite lyrics: “We watch as our young hearts fade / Into the flood, into the flood / The freedom, of falling / A feeling I thought was set in stone / It slips through, my fingers / I’m trying hard to let go / It comes and goes in waves”
Dermot Kennedy
Dermot Kennedy is such a beautiful ballad writer from Ireland. I feel the heartbreak in all his work, even if it’s not meant to sound that way. He’s just that good at feeling and making others do the same. From his most recent album, my two favorite songs—on a heartbreak-o-meter, of course—are “Outnumbered” and “Dancing Under Red Skies.” I like that a lot of his songs have an ambient feel like you could jam out in a coffee shop or jam a gigantic spoon into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, and they’re both suitable. This lyric comes from “Dancing Under Red Skies.”
Favorite lyrics: “Let me tell you, no one ever got my soul right like she could, yeah / Amongst artists in heartlessness, dealing in darknesses / I know, I know / One time nobody ever got my soul right like she could, yeah / Now, I’m close to what I’m needing / Now, I’m close to what I’m needing”
Lewis Capaldi
This Scottish artist—are we seeing a pattern?—is very reminiscent of Ed Sheeran in his songwriting abilities and tones. His outward appearance is minimalistic, but his songs will make you feel all the things. Most people know him for his song “Someone You Loved,” which is one of my favorites, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of his soulful, gut-wrenching vocals in “Bruises.”
Favorite lyrics: “Counting days, counting days / Since my love up and got lost on me / And every breath that I’ve been takin’ / Since you left feels like a waste on me / I’ve been holding on to hope / That you’ll come back when you can find some peace / ‘Cause every word that I’ve heard spoken/ Since you left feels like a hollow street”
James Bay
Yet again, another brooding songwriter from—you guessed it—not the United States. I guess I have a type. James Bay has a more poppy sound to some of his sad songs for those moments when you want a cry with a good tempo. My all-time favorite song from James is “I Found You” with a gospel, church vibe. But my favorite one to have an aforementioned, upbeat cry to is “Pink Lemonade.”
Favorite lyrics: “Let me wake up heavy head lying in my bed with you naked / Go put that song on that you love on repeat until we can’t take it / I wanna drink pink lemonade watching movie trailers ’till’s late / And let’s remember all the words that we think are gonna make our hearts break”
Ben Platt
This vocalist is American, *waits for audible gasp.* Ben Platt, for those who don’t know, played a supporting character in Pitch Perfect and also has some singing chops from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. But I prefer him from his solo album titled Sing to Me Instead. From that album, I love “Bad Habit,” “Better” and “Share Your Address.” But hands-down, my favorite song on the album to get a little (okay, a lot) misty-eyed at is “In Case You Don’t Live Forever.”
Favorite lyrics: “I, I’ve carried this song in my mind / Listen, it’s echoing in me / But I haven’t helped you to hear it / We, we’ve only got so much time / I’m pretty sure it would kill me / If you didn’t know the pieces of me are pieces of you”
And just because I love him so much and this song—and ugly crying, apparently—here’s another favorite lyric from this beautiful, beautiful ballad:
“In case you don’t live forever, let me tell you now / I love you more than you’ll ever wrap your head around / In case you don’t live forever, let me tell you the truth / I’m everything that I am because of you”
BRB, I need another box of tissues! If you can still read this article after holding in waterworks, I’m proud. And now that you’ve persevered, you have a list of songs to peruse when you’re in need of a good sob, whether it’s during Valentine’s season or not.