4 Incredibly Sad Soft Rock Songs That Bring a Tear to Any Baby Boomer’s Eye

With its tender melodies, lush instrumentation, and soulful grooves, soft rock is the perfect musical vehicle for all things sentimental and sappy. This genre thrives in matters of the heart, from the highest highs of romance and optimism to the deepest lows of heartbreak and grief. When it’s happy, it’s really happy. When it’s sad, it’s devastating—like these four incredibly sad soft rock songs that will inevitably bring a tear to any baby boomer’s eye.

“Cat’s In The Cradle” by Harry Chapin

Any baby boomer with kids will likely shed a tear (or two or three) when listening to the ultimate parent-child ballad, “Cat’s In The Cradle”. Harry Chapin’s heart-wrenching song tends to hurt even worse the older the parents and their children become. As more and more time passes and both parties realize that their lives are irrevocably different, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic, wistful, and maybe even regretful for how we acted when we were young and “too busy.”

“Tears In Heaven” by Eric Clapton

No matter your personal opinions on Eric Clapton and his music, no parents should ever have to endure a tragedy like the one Clapton and Lory Del Santo suffered through following the loss of their four-year-old son, Conor. Conor fell out of the 53rd-floor window of Clapton’s New York City apartment. “Tears In Heaven” was a song Clapton wrote as a tribute to his late son, who was ripped from the world far too early and far too violently than any child deserves.

“The First Cut Is The Deepest” by Rod Stewart

Something about Rod Stewart’s gravelly voice imbues the lyrics to this reflective, heartstring-tugging song (originally written by Cat Stevens) with even more sentimental emotion. For as good as love can feel, it can also hurt just as bad. “The First Cut Is The Deepest” describes the pain of romance gone wrong with uncomfortable clarity, making it all the more relatable (and capable of bringing tears to the eyes).

“Without You” by Harry Nilsson

Finally, closing out our list of devastating soft rock songs is Harry Nilsson’s “Without You”, which is sad, desperate, painful, and longing all in one. Nilsson’s voice reaches a fever pitch as he declares his undying love for someone he lost. “I can’t live if living is without you, I can’t live, I can’t give anymore.” His vocal delivery is so emphatic and pained that you can’t help but shed a tear, even if it’s a sympathetic one.

Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images