50 Best Rock Songs About Grief and Loss
Best Rock Tracks That Capture Grief and Loss
There’s a kind of silence that follows grief that no one warns you about. It’s not peaceful, not even quiet, just heavy in a way that makes everything else sound distant. You’re driving with the windows cracked, or sitting in a room that still smells like someone who’s gone, and a song slips through the static. It hits without trying. The guitars drag a little, the drums sound tired, and the voice wavers like it’s holding something back. These tracks sit in that space where words start to fall apart, and all that’s left is noise that understands before you can explain.
Some of these songs were written in the middle of loss, others weren’t anywhere near it, but they still carry that same ache. Maybe it’s a power chord that stumbles, or a lyric that lands too close. Grief has a way of making everything sound different, even tracks that once felt clean or distant. The world shifts under them. That’s why they fit, even when the story behind them doesn’t line up. It’s not always about mourning someone. Sometimes it’s the loss of a version of yourself, or a time that refuses to come back.
What ties them together is the way they refuse to rush through the feeling. No big crescendos or shiny resolutions, just the kind of honesty that hangs in the air a second too long. You’ll find some crossover with pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that know how to sit still in the wreckage. The kind that doesn’t try to fix anything, only to make the silence a little less empty. Here are the best rock songs for grief and loss.
Top 10 Grief Rock Songs
1. 'Wish You Were Here' by Pink Floyd
2. 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton
3. 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash
4. 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' by Green Day
5. 'Everybody Hurts' by R.E.M.
6. 'November Rain' by Guns N' Roses
7. 'Fade to Black' by Metallica
8. 'Hear You Me' by Jimmy Eat World
9. 'Cemetery Gates' by Pantera
10. 'My Immortal' by Evanescence
Rock Music About Loss and Remembrance #11 to 20
11. 'Let It Be' by The Beatles
12. 'Say Hello 2 Heaven' by Temple of the Dog
13. 'Brendan’s Death Song' by Red Hot Chili Peppers
14. 'In Loving Memory' by Alter Bridge
15. 'Black' by Pearl Jam
16. 'The Show Must Go On' by Queen
17. 'Shadow Of The Day' by Linkin Park
18. 'Fix You' by Coldplay
19. 'Love of My Life' by Queen
20. 'One More Light' by Linkin Park
Rock Songs Addressing Death and Bereavement #21 to 30
21. 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' by Bob Dylan
22. 'Fire and Rain' by James Taylor
23. 'Gone Away' by The Offspring
24. 'A Long December' by Counting Crows
25. 'Here Without You' by 3 Doors Down
26. 'Dream On' by Aerosmith
27. 'Keep Me in Your Heart' by Warren Zevon
28. 'Last Kiss' by Pearl Jam
29. 'Stairway to Heaven' by Led Zeppelin
30. 'The Living Years' by Mike + The Mechanics
Rock Ballads About Sorrow and Loss #31 to 40
31. '(Don’t Fear) The Reaper' by Blue Öyster Cult
32. 'Dust in the Wind' by Kansas
33. 'Angie' by The Rolling Stones
34. 'The Needle and the Damage Done' by Neil Young
35. 'Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song)' by Toby Keith
36. 'Beth' by Kiss
37. 'Goodbye' by Slipknot
38. 'Ain't Wastin' Time No More' by The Allman Brothers Band
39. 'Who Wants to Live Forever' by Queen
40. 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark' by Death Cab for Cutie
Essential Rock Tracks on Grief and Healing #41 to 50
41. 'Slipped Away' by Avril Lavigne
42. 'Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)' by Elton John
43. 'Try Not to Breathe' by R.E.M.
44. 'Roses for the Dead' by Funeral for a Friend
45. 'Say Goodbye' by Theory of a Deadman
46. 'I'm a Loser' by The Beatles
47. 'Gimme Shelter' by The Rolling Stones
48. 'Do You Realize??' by The Flaming Lips
49. 'My Hero' by Foo Fighters
50. 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd
© 2025 Carson McQueen
