The best sad songs to cry to

The beautiful thing about music is that there's a song for every single mood out there, including every kind of sadness. Whether it's a devastating breakup, a melancholic memory of a loved one, or a general anguish about existence, there's a minor chord for you.

Though it may seem masochistic, our indulgence in sad music is actually for good reason. Research suggests that music filled with sorrow can make you happier than joyful songs. By identifying and empathizing with lyrics, you ultimately understand that others share similar experiences of rejection, loss, unrequited love, or other kinds of sadness, and you realize you're not so alone.

Click through to see a list of some of the saddest songs to ever draw pools of salty tears from listeners.

Sia, 'Breathe Me'

The melancholic desire to be understood is perfectly captured in this mournful ballad.

Johnny Cash, 'Hurt'

Cash actually covered this song in 2002, and it ended up being one of his final hit releases before his death.

Bonnie Raitt, 'I Can't Make You Love Me'

Even just the memory of an unrequited love is enough to bring on the waterworks.

Eric Clapton, 'Tears in Heaven'

The song is sad enough without knowing that Clapton wrote it while mourning the accidental death of his four-year-old son.

Bon Iver, 'Skinny Love'

The cover by Birdy, when she was just 14 years old, is equally tear-inducing.

Sinead O'Connor, 'Nothing Compares 2 U'

This song was originally performed by Prince, but it was O'Connor's cover that became well-known for making men cry.

Joni Mitchell, 'River'

There's a reason why Emma Thompson cries while listening to Joni Mitchell in 'Love Actually.'

Ed Sheeran, 'Small Bump'

For every parent who has ever lost a child, and for every person who could ever even imagine having a child, this song is a waterfall waiting to happen.

Amy Winehouse, 'Back to Black'

Everything Amy Winehouse ever sung is now tinged with tragedy, but this song tells the tale of being abandoned by a lover and not knowing how to recover.

Billie Ellish, 'When The Party's Over'

This quiet, tearful track about letting go of a loved one is both haunting and beautiful.

'I Dreamed a Dream' from 'Les Misérables'

If you didn't shed a tear at this song... maybe your tear ducts are broken?

Adele, 'Someone Like You'

Adele wrote this song after reportedly breaking up with her boyfriend of 18 months. That's a heartbreak most can relate to.

Velvet Underground, 'Pale Blue Eyes'

The last verse is the kicker: the singer reveals that the song's subject is married, but he vows to love her anyway.

A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera, 'Say Something'

The song, often used in sad moments in films, appropriately evokes a cinematic single tear flowing slowly down the cheek.

Sarah McLachlan, 'I Will Remember You'

This song is so sad and tear-jerking that McLachlan was asked to perform it during the "in memoriam" slideshow at the Emmy Awards.

Gary Jules, 'Mad World'

Originally written and performed by Tears for Fears, this song appeared on the soundtrack for the film 'Donnie Darko,' which is well-known for its melancholy.