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51 Best Songs About Missing Someone You Love

Ever had that aching longing in your chest for someone you miss? Everyone has, and that’s why we listen to these types of songs: to find relief and support.

Try not to cry too hard as we give you the 51 best songs about missing someone.

1. I Miss You – Blink 182

blink-182 - I Miss You (Official Video)

This song represents how the impact of a person you love can linger “like a ghost”. You can’t go through your teenage emo phase without listening to this song.

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2. Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine

So much emotion packed into a simple accompaniment. Bill Whithers doesn’t need any complex tunes to describe life after the one you love is not around anymore.

Next: Best love songs ever made

3. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith

Aerosmith - I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (Official HD Video)

Have you ever missed someone so much that even if they’re still there, if you’d close your eyes, you’d still miss them? This song bleeds love so much that such a thing is possible.

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4. Someone Like You – Adele

Adele - Someone Like You (Official Music Video)

It’s hard to let go of someone you once loved. This song is about coming to terms with the fact that the love of your life has moved on from the relationship.

Next: Great songs about falling out of love with someone

5. Somebody to Love – Queen

Queen - Somebody To Love (Official Video)

Who doesn’t love Queen? In this song, the character is literally begging God to give him somebody to love.

6. Goodbye My Lover – James Blunt

James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover (Official Music Video) [4K]

Goodbye My Lover is a heart-wrenching song about losing the one you love. Blunt wrote this about a former girlfriend and the painful idea of having the one you love the most is out there in the world, and you can’t have them. This song almost always gets mistaken for a death song due to the passion of grief overlaid throughout the music. For more songs about pain and hurt, check out our list now.

Next: Best songs about saying goodbye ever made

7. Homesick – MercyMe

MercyMe - Homesick (Pseudo Video)

No, sadly this song isn’t about missing home. The band MercyMe experienced 9 deaths of people they loved in a short time and from that, a song of grief and longing was created.

8. Pray – Sam Smith

Sam Smith - Pray (Official Audio)

Sam Smith received a reality check from working with the charity War Child in Iraq. He said the experience opened his eyes to what was going on in the rest of the world. The last stanzas of the lyrics seem to call on someone to reconnect and pray with them.

9. Candle in the Wind – Elton John

Candle In The Wind (Live At Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia / 1986)

This song celebrates the life of Marilyn Monroe and Diana Princess of Wales. Both women were an inspiration in their own way and had their lives tragically cut short. This song was written twice. Once for Marilyn and the second time when Diana died.

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10. Dancing On My Own – Robyn

Robyn - Dancing On My Own (Official Video)

This song received polarized reviews. Some called in melodramatic while others praised the song. The story is about a girl dancing with herself while watching her ex-dancing with another.

11. Somewhere Out There – Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram

This song was originally written for the animated movie An American Tail. While in the movie, this song was sung by a brother and sister mouse missing each other, but hopeful that they will one day see each other again. Linda and James’s soundtrack version perfectly capture the same emotion

12. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s

I swear we all had this song playing on repeat during our teen years. The song oddly enough is about a real person that Tom Higgenson met named Delilah. While the two never actually got together, the song is about a long-distance relationship between two teens talking about their future.

Next: Top songs about long distance relationships

13. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers

This has got to be the catchiest and happiest out of all the different songs about missing someone you love. We guarantee this will be one you’ll want to listen to on repeat.

14. Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

This song is a passionate plea for one’s lover. The scattered memories in the lyrics suggest a breakup happened and the drunk protagonist becomes overwhelmed with longing, they can’t help but call up their ex.

15. Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton

Missing someone who’s died may be one of the worst feelings ever. Especially if it’s the death of a child. Erick Clapton lost his 4 year old son, Conor, and wrote this song as a testimate of his grief.

16. My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion

One of the most iconic songs on this list, this tune was composed by James Horner for the movie Titanic and performed by Celine Dion. This love power ballad relays hope that even though the person you love is no longer here, that doesn’t mean they can’t live on in your heart.

17. Hate that You Know Me – Bleachers

While most songs about missing people talk about longing and wishing they were there, this one pack in the resentment. While the person still misses their ex, they hate it.

Consider next: Best songs about revenge ever made

18. Goodbye’s the Saddest Word – Celine Dion

Another song by Celine Dion, the singer wrote this for her mother, who was still alive when the song was made. The song is a future lament for when her mother will die.

Consider next: Best family songs ever made

19. Supermarket Flowers – Ed Sheeran

This song according to Sheeran is meant to make you cry, and it does a good job of accomplishing just that. He wrote this song to commemorate his late grandmother who died while he was in the studio.

20. This is Your Song – Ronan Keating

Whos song? Ronan Keating’s mother, that’s who. The song was written 23 years before Keating decided to perform it at a charity event, celebrating his late mother.

21. Joanne – Lady Gaga

We’re used to seeing Lady Gaga as an extreme figure onstage. This song takes a more dramatic turn than most of her songs. It was written about her aunt who died before Gaga was born. Lady Gaga has one of her middle names named after her aunt to honor her.

22. Missing You – John Waite

While John Waite was creating his new album, No Brakes, he had to leave his wife behind in England. “Here were quite a few women in my life at the time, and it all came sort of floating to the top.” This captures the contradiction of missing his wife, yet superficially not at all.

23. Miss You Much – Janet Jackson

This song was Jackson’s comeback after a two year period of being silent on the top charts. This song is about the joy of seeing that special person once again after being gone for so long.

24. Fly Before You Fall – Cynthia Erivo

Another unique song of longing, this song sets a gentle reminder that experiencing the pain of longing is ok. The song was written for the movie Beyond the Lights.

25. I Need My Girl – The National

This song doesn’t shy away from the fact that everybody needs somebody to help them get through life even if they can stay grounded without them.

26. Radar Love – Golden Earring

Some people drive miles to be with the one they love. This one is a bit more reckless, but the idea is still there. Radar Love is about a truck driver wanting to be with his lover so much that he makes impulsive choices.

27. Faithfully – Journey

This song was once called the greatest power ballad ever recorded. It’s about the relationship of a man on the road and addresses his faithfulness to his wife and family.
This song is often played at weddings.

28. Love is Stronger than Death – The The

Another song about a deceased relative, Matt Johnson wrote this song after the death of his brother. He’s said that writing was therapeutic for him during his depression.

Next: Top songs to listen to when depressed

29. I’ll See You in My Dreams – Giant

A lot of sadness mixed in with a little hope, this song about dreaming is about the regret of lost love, but the hope that the happy thought of them will stay in their dreams.

Next: Best songs about regret ever made

30. Stardust – Nat King Cole

Stardust - Nat King Cole

The feeling of sentiment and reflection about love is what Stardust is. The song is very poetic in describing to us the idea that even after a long time, our memories never fully leave us. Just like stardust.

31. I Can Dream About You – Hall & Oates

I CAN DREAM ABOUT YOU - Hall & Oates

Another song that was written for a movie soundtrack. I Can Dream About You doesn’t feel like a sad song as it shares the hope of still being able to dream about the person you love even if they aren’t there.

32. Yesterday – The Beatles

Yesterday (Remastered 2009)

This song sets a gentle reminder to watch what you say to the person you love. In this song, the teen regrets losing his girlfriend because of something he said and wishes things could go back to being like they were yesterday.

33. Baby I’ve Been Missing You – the Independents

The Independents: "Baby I've Been Missing You" (1972)

This song knows how to take it slow. Tender and full of emotion, Baby I’ve Been Missing You is another song about missing your love.

34. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

This song does more than just portray the comradery between the absent band members. It also represents a middle finger to the music industry for tearing everyone apart and straying from music roots by greed and success.

35. The Bed’s Too Big Without You – The Police

The Bed's Too Big Without You - The Police

The song is inspired by the suicide of a loved one. Lead singer Sting poured all his regret and sorrow into this captivating number as an ode to his first girlfriend.

Next: The best songs about suicide ever made

36. So Far Away – Carole King

Carole King - So Far Away (Official Audio)

Most songs describe being away from your lover as only in physical terms. This song stays fresh by exploring the idea of emotional distance.

37. Home – Michael Bublé

Michael Bublé - Home [Official Music Video]

Home focuses on the separation of lovers. Bublé wrote this song for his then-fiancé as he missed her terribly during his touring.

38. The Man Who Can’t Be Moved – The Script

The Script - The Man Who Can’t Be Moved (Official Video)

This song narrates the story of a stubborn man waiting at the corner for his lost lover to come back to him. However, according to guitarist, Mark Sheehan, the song is more about making the person who dumped you resentful. This song is about forcing your ex to miss you instead of the other way around. Pretty unique.

39. Always – Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi - Always (Official Music Video)

Once again, we see a song written for a movie soundtrack. The only difference here is that Bon Jovi didn’t give the producers the right to use his song because he didn’t like the screening. The song itself is about an obsession one has for their love who’s already moved on.

40. How Can I Help You Say Goodbye – Patty Loveless

Patty Loveless How Can I Help You Say Goodbye

This song has three different themes of longing. One, the loss of her childhood best friend. Two, the separation from her husband, and three, her mother’s death. This all centers around the fact that the singer’s mother had always been there for her when she lost a loved one and it ends with the death of that very person.

41. I Will Remember You – Sarah McLachlan

This song was inspired by the instrumental “Weep Not for the Memories”. I Will Remember You carries more regret with it than its counterpart. Though it’s a typical, lost love song, McLachlan is still able to move people to tears with her amazing lyrics.

42. Missing You – Diana Ross

This song is Diana Ross’s last biggest hit and was inspired by conversations Ross and Lionel Richie had about the murder of Marvin Gaye by his father. This song was meant as a memorial to him.

43. Better Together – Jack Johnson

This song takes a more positive note on reminiscing about a loved one. Even the tune carries with it a bouncy joyful vibe. Johnson wrote the song for his wife but tried to make it broader so that the general audience could enjoy it.

44. A Picture Of Me (Without You) – George Jones

The narrator of this song creates a juxtaposition for his lover to imagine a world without complete things and then imagine what it’s like without each other.

45. Miss You like Crazy – Natalie Cole

The title may have the word “Crazy” in it, but this song is very gentle and soothing. Miss You Like Crazy is another song about missing the person you love. The singer still loves her former lover and believes that they can reconnect.

46. When I Was Older – Billie Eilish

In this song, Billie Eilish takes us through her childhood reminiscing on all the lost love of friendships she had along what way. Although not a part of a movie soundtrack, the song took heavy inspiration from the movie Roma.

47. Missing – Everything but the Girl

This song was originally intended to be a dance track and become a musically diverse number that received covers from different genres. It’s about missing the person you loved who’s moved away.

48. Hollywood – Jukebox the Ghost

This song compares the longing of someone you love to a fabulous Hollywood experience. Unfortunately, the lover only wants a fake love that you see in a Hollywood movie. The singer is trying to get them to understand that’s not real life and that they’re yearning for a fake reality.

49. Talking to the Moon – Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars - Talking To The Moon (Official Lyric Video)

Sometimes when you miss someone so much, you start pleading to the moon. The narrator of the story just lost his girl and doesn’t know where she is. He believes she’s out there and spends his nights talking to the moon and knowing that somewhere out there, she’s looking at the same moon and hopefully thinking of him too.

50. Miss You – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones- Miss You

“Miss You” was inspired by discos and was meant to be a “damn good disco song” according to co-writer Keith Richards. Jagger stated the song was not meant to be about a girlfriend or wife, but instead it’s about the general sense of longing.

51. Get Here – Oleta Adams

We end with a gentle request to a lover to come back home. This song is as sweet and soothing as silk despite it being a demand. It sets a reminder that no matter how far away lovers are away from each other, they can always get back to each other through anything.

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