Are you a sad girl? Are you a grown man in his feelings at the moment? You don’t have to be a girl to enjoy some of the best sad girl songs of the 2020s. Let’s look at a few tracks you should add to your crying-alone-in-the-bathroom playlist!
1. “I Know The End” by Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers has cornered the market on sad girl songs in the 2020s, and we’ll likely hear even more between her and boygenius in the next few years. “I Know The End” is one of the best pieces of work to come out of her 2020 album Punisher. The haunting closing acapella vocals Bridgers dishes out will get under your skin. “The end is here, the end is here” has never been more apt.
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2. “I Want You To Love Me” by Fiona Apple
“I Want You To Love Me” by Fiona Apple is one of the best sad girl songs to come out of the 2020s, though it’s worth noting that this song isn’t exclusively sad.
Rather, this incredible track from Fetch The Bolt Cutters is an acknowledgment, with a more mature mind, of the good and the bad that has happened to Apple through the years. Ultimately, it has all led her to who she is today… And the song is a beautifully written recognition of her emotional growth. “I know a sound is still a sound around no one” is such a smart line.
3. “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” by Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens proved that he hasn’t lost his penchant for musical poetry with the 2023 release of Javelin. That album is packed with sad girl songs that would rival a few of the entries on this 2020s list, but our favorite has to be the heartwrenching “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”
4. “Right Back To It” by Waxahatchee
This fresh 2024 Americana track from Waxahatchee is a beautiful piece of work. Katie Crutchfield herself said that she enjoys writing loves songs that are “gritty and unromantic”, and that’s exactly what you get with “Right Back To It”. It’s such a relatable song, one that anyone who has ever felt insecure in a long-term relationship will vibe with.
Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association
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