If you need a good cry but also appreciate some good nostalgia, the following tear-jerker songs from the 1960s might just do the trick. This could have been a very long list, as that decade produced some seriously heartbreaking ballads. However, I think these three songs, in particular, are worth revisiting for their devastating lyrics and overall beautiful musical atmosphere.
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“All I Could Do Was Cry” by Etta James
This classic from Etta James dropped right at the start of the 1960. It occupies that sweet spot in doo-wop R&B music that sounds like the 1950s and the 1960s at the same time. It’s a beautiful song that (deservedly) made it all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart and No. 33 on the Hot 100. It’s your typical heartbreak tune, but the lore behind it is what really makes it devastating.
There have been rumors for decades that the song was inspired by the web of broken hearts that wrote it. The story goes that Billy Davis, who co-wrote the song, had broken up with Gwen Gordy, who was also a songwriter on “All I Could Do Was Cry”. She went on to date Etta James’ former crush, Harvey Fuqua. The pair allegedly went on to marry the same year “All I Could Do Was Cry” was recorded. This lore was never confirmed (except for partial confirmation from James herself), but if the story’s completely true, I can’t imagine the drama in the studio.
“I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” by Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield had a hit on her hands when she released the pop-soul song “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” in 1964. This tender and sad song made it to No. 3 in the UK. It wouldn’t get much love in the States until Dionne Warwick dropped her version a few years later. This song is all about the jarring change in routine and life that comes after a devastating breakup. A lot of people related to its lyrics when it first came out.
“Hey Jude” by The Beatles
The song “Yesterday” by The Beatles always seems to make it to lists of tear-jerker songs from the 1960s, which isn’t surprising. That song is pretty devastating. However, I think the 1968 ballad “Hey Jude” deserves more attention for just how heartbreaking it is, and the real-life story behind it.
Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude” for John Lennon’s young son, Julian, after his father had left his mother for Yoko Ono. McCartney does his best to encourage the boy to have a positive outlook on life and love as he grows older. The fact that McCartney wrote this song and not Lennon himself is particularly heartbreaking.
Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images
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