11 Songs Where The Boys Are Sad | Playlist 🎧

11 Songs Where The Boys Are Sad features music courtesy of Charlie Puth, Dermot Kennedy, Kid Cudi, Post Malone & Ryan Mack.

You don’t have to be a white, tatted-up emo boy to be sad! That’s a stereotype! You can be any type of boy – a pop boy, a rap boy, a late soul legend, or a profane Irish boy who’s SAD AF! The common thread of this 11-song music compendium – 🎧 11 Songs Where The Boys Are Sad – are sad boys! Sorry, NO GIRLS allowed on this one – well – girls are more than welcome to read about/listen to these boys being sad 😉.

So, who are these sad, sad boys on 🎧 11 Songs Where The Boys Are Sad? Well, the sadness has overwhelmed the likes of the adorkable 🎙 Charlie Puth, Irish singer/songwriter 🎙 Dermot Kennedy, left-field, emotional rapper🎙 Kid Cudi, tatted-up, melodic rapper 🎙 Post Malone, and Irish pop singer,  🎙 Ryan Mack among others. So, boys and GIRLS, let’s all be sad together on 🎧 11 Songs Where The Boys Are Sad!

1. Charlie Puth, “When You’re Sad I’m Sad”

💿 Charlie • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2022

🏆 Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/producer 🎙 Charlie Puth feels some type of way in the ballad, 🎵 “When You’re Sad I’m Sad.” “So, I take you back ‘cause when you’re sad, I’m sad,” he sings in the chorus of the 💿 Charlie standout, continuing, “Baby, don’t do that ‘cause when you’re sad, I’m sad.” Yup, it’s safe to say that Charles is NOT in charge – he’s in his feelings.

The plight of love envelops Puth, and his pain is our listening pleasure.  Beyond the theme, the music on “When You’re Sad I’m Sad” yields some fine moments.  The piano and strings are highlights, bringing warmth and tenderness to the track.  Puth’s vocals are radiant throughout, including the harmonized vocals that appear toward the end. Melodically, this is one of the more accomplished moments of Charlie.

Appears in 🔻:

• Sadness: 5ive Songs No. 61 (2022)

2. YUNGBLUD, “Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today”

💿 YUNGBLUD • 🏷 Locomotion Recordings Limited / Geffen • 🗓 2022

“I don’t wanna go out today / I wanna lie in bed so that I run away / From what the internet says, all the playground games / Don’t feel like feeling sad today.” Honestly, can’t you identify with 🎙 YUNGBLUD’s feelings? He continues the chorus of 🎵 “Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today” as follows: “I don’t wanna go out tonight / I wanna be right here, right by your side / While all the people are cruel, you’re an hour away / Don’t feel like feeling sad today.” The world is a whirlwind, filled with sadness, but 🎙 Dominic Harrison wants no parts of the bad vibes – it’s all positivity baby!

While “Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today” lacks duration, there’s no shortage of energy. Also, the quality and sufficient content are there too! YUNGBLUD always brings plenteous personality and attitude to the table.  That’s the case with this advanced single from his third studio album, 💿 YUNGBLUD.  Set in a major key, with a quick tempo, Harrison is locked in from the get-go – he’s ready to rock TF out!  He mentions a number of situations that aren’t optimal in both verses, including a prudent observation about politics: “Better pull myself together / How long does it take to figure it out? / The politician ain’t gonna help you / He’s only gonna try and take your house.” Woo! That’s a mic drop! YUNGBLUD doesn’t solve world problems on “Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today,”but his positive vibes and anti-sadness carry ample weight.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: July 2022

3. Joshua Bassett, “Sad Songs in a Hotel Room”

💿 Sad Songs In A Hotel Room • 🏷 Warner • 🗓 2022

“How the hell we end up, where we did? / Don’t you think it’s messed up? It all went to shit.” That shit is the reason why 🎵 “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room” gets an explicit label.  Sigh, a potty-mouthed young man!  Honestly, the s-bomb is well worth it given that 🎙 Joshua Bassett is coping with heartbreak on this compound-duple-metered opener on his 2022 EP, 💿 Sad Songs In A Hotel Room.

Vocally, Bassett sounds beautiful even if he is, “Singin’ sad songs in a hotel room / … Where I once held you.” Oh, the plight of love! Beyond the relatable songwriting, the production shines, especially the guitar and the use of keys.  The harmonic progression, for you music theory nerds, is gorgeous too.  Safe to say, the title track sets the tone of the entire EP.  Furthermore, as a standalone record, it’s pretty sweet – in a sad sort of way!

Appears in 🔻:

• Sadness: 5ive Songs No. 61 (2022)

4. Myylo, “Sad Boys”

💿 I’m a Nice Boy Too (EP) • 🏷 Myylo • 🗓 2019

“Hug all the sad boys / Chilling in their Gucci sweaters / Shrug off the sad boy / You won’t feel this way forever.” Talented LGBTQ pop singer/songwriter 🎙 Myylo highlights the often-neglected topic of male sadness on his succinct but thoughtful, must-hear record, 🎵 “Sad Boys”. The lo-fi highlight, which marks the second Myylo entry from 💿 I’m a Nice Boy Too (EP), not only tackles depression, but explores the way that masculinity allows or doesn’t allow men to deal with sadness.

“Sad Boys” is low-key in regard to sound, placing more emphasis on the lyrical content, mood, and theme.  That’s a pro, because Myylo has so much to say, beginning with the chromosomal reference of the first verse, to expressing sadness as men, something society so often frowns upon:

“But all my friends never get to say

We’re blue with grief

We’re thinking deep thoughts

We’re thinking deep thoughts like you woulda woulda not

Believe oo-ee believe me.”

Myylo offers solutions as well as more of the mindset on the second verse (or section if you will) of “Sad Boys.” The pop singer seems to mention about the importance of support for males going through a variety of issues that cause depression.  Adding to the characterization of “Sad Boys,” it’s also a counterpoint to dads who tell their kids to “man up” and a culture that frequently proclaims that “crying is for girls.” “Sad Boys” is a deep, must-hear record that does a superb job of tackling a topic that seems to be ‘swept under the rug.’ Society needs to progress, particularly when it comes to masculinity.  Myylo provides ‘food for thought’ for the world, and we all seriously need to devour it.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs Where the Sadness is Legit
• A Compendium Comprised of 100 Notable LGBTQ+ Songs🏳️‍🌈
• 50 Awesome Boy or Girl Songs

5. Panic! At The Disco, “Sad Clown”

💿 Viva Las Vengeance • 🏷 Fueled By Ramen • 🗓 2022

“I thought that I had friends, I thought I even liked them / But now I’m thinkin’ maybe not so much…” Um, okay… Do you love robust vocals and plenteous drama? Well, if the answers are yes and yes, you won’t be able to resist the 10^th track from 💿 Viva Las Vengeance, 🎵 “Sad Clown.” Basically, from the jump, 🎙 Brendon Urie / 🎙 Panic! At The Disco are turned the f#¢k up – this record is on 10.

“Five minutes, ten minutes, to a half an hour / But no the rest of my life.” Listening to “Sad Clown,” it sounds as if Brendon has given his all on this one track.  He wows with his prodigious, seemingly endless range.  This is about as wild as Viva Las Vengeance gets, showcasing a musician who is inspired to the n^th degree.  The chorus, well – it’s certainly something!

“Leave me alone (A pagliaccio triste)

Leave me alone (He not so molto bene)

Your majesty’s magnificent, my tragedy is imminent

Even though I’m smiling, I’m crying

I shall win.”

Only Brendon Urie, folks!

Appears in 🔻:

• Sadness: 5ive Songs No. 61 (2022)

6. Post Malone, “I Cannot Be (A Sadder Song)” (with Gunna)

💿 Twelve Carat Toothache • 🏷 Mercury / Republic • 📅 2022 

“How am I free when you hold me so tight? / How can I beam when you blocking my light?” Those are legitimate questions, 🎙 Post Malone! The 🏆 Grammy-nominated melodic rapper/singer goes on to say, “I cannot be what you want me / What you want me, what you want me to be” on 🎵 “I Cannot Be (A Sadder Song).”  On this male, sad gem from his 2022 album, 💿 Twelve Carat Toothache, Post enlists 🎙 Gunna for the assist. The results, as you might expect, are a V-I-B-E – specifically, a sad V-I-B-E.  Of course, 🎛 Louis Bell and 🎛 Taurus help to construct this vibe, musically, from a production standpoint.

“What you wanna do is fuck me up, ooh,” Post asserts in the first verse, later stating, “You told me, you’d protect my heart, you’d be my goalie / Thinkin’ ‘bout the bullshit that you told me.” Woo! He closes his dramatic, heartfelt verse by blaming her for why he “get(s) so high.” Likewise, Gunna is skeptical with his current significant other in the second verse, which arrives in his chill, distinct, melodic brand, which complements the more overt Post Malone soundly (“I told her I don’t need her, she can leave out my life (Life)” and “She know I do not care for no pressin’ my mind”). Ah, there’s nothing like sad boys!

7. Ryan Mack, “Sad Fuck”

🎵 “Sad Fuck” • 🏷 Ryan Mack • 📅 2021

“I’m a sad fuck / Self sabotage and I mess things up / Always in my feelings and my head too much, yeah / But I don’t always wanna be a sad fuck.” Wow – that’s quite a self-characterization 🎙 Ryan Mack (Ryan McLoughlin)!  McLoughlin and 🎛 GETH produce the short, fu¢king sad, 🎵 “Sad Fuck”.  It’s worth noting that Urban Dictionary describes a sad fuck in various ways including a “A person who is universally considered to be both a complete prick and a pitiful loser” and a “depressed kid.” In the context of this sad song, Mack seems to fit the bill of depressed kid perfectly, though, he’s not a kid…

Anyways, the Irish musician does a great job of capturing coping with depression.  Essentially, he paints a picture of having “Bad nights,” “doing well, but I get overwhelmed,” and falling into the rabbit hole of sorts “as soon as I compare myself to everybody else.” In the first verse, he aspires for happiness though it’s not easily attained.  The second verse is intriguing as well, as McLoughlin makes a stellar point about ‘things’: “Ain’t it funny how they think I’m fine? / Just ‘cause I got everything they see online.” It’s true – fame and material things aren’t equivalent to happiness.

8. Dermot Kennedy, “Innocence and Sadness”

💿 Sonder • 🏷 Riggins Recording / Island • 📅 2022 

“I woulda waited for you all night to talk for a minute / I’ll sing into the cold dark night till you listen…” Oh, the 🎵 “Innocence and Sadness”! “Innocence and Sadness” appears as the fifth track off of 💿 Sonder, the 2022 sophomore album by Irish singer/songwriter, 🎙 Dermot Kennedy.  In the chorus, Kennedy continues singing, “People spend their life heads down, souls hidden / I’m tryin’ to be who you need me to be, well.” Kennedy penned this gorgeous piano ballad himself, while 🎛 Jonah Shy and 🎛 Scott Harris produce.

Throughout the course of “Innocence and Sadness,” Dermot Kennedy serves up expressive, nuanced vocals. He sings with incredible authenticity – you totally buy what he is selling! “Never felt alone till the late night / Never knew she was my home till the king cried,” he sings in the second verse, adding, “Lost inside the forest, but it feels fine / Innocence and sadness in the same night.” Woo! Kennedy’s performance is commanding to the n^th degree and incredibly sweet. His poetry is magnificent.

9. Kid Cudi, “Sad People”

💿 Man on the Moon III: The Chosen • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2020

“In the dead of the night, I have these dreams / What’ll happen to me? Will I burn out?” Obviously, the title of the song, 🎵 “Sad People,” the 10^th track from 💿 Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, says it all about what 🎙 Kid Cudi is feeling.  Clearly, the rapper is depressed. Both the minor-key backdrop, produced by Cudi, 🎛 Dot Da Genius, 🎛 Take A Daytrip, and 🎛 Dennis Cummings, and anguished lyrics confirm this depression.

He states on the second verse, “I swim in pain.”  Well, that’s a bummer. He adds, however, “Never drown, keep my head up above the waves.”  That’s more positive – could be worse! Another perfectly emo lyric from the Kid: “Scars on my heart, woah.” “Sad People” is definitely a vibe, albeit more of a depressed, emo vibe.

Appears in 🔻:

• 15 Riveting Songs About People

10. AJR,“Way Less Sad”

💿 OK ORCHESTRA • 🏷 BMG Rights Management • 🗓 2021

“Don’t you love it? Don’t you love it? / No, I ain’t happy yet, but I’m way less sad.” 🎵 “Way Less Sad”, appears as the penultimate track and fourth advance single from 💿 OK ORCHESTRA. On their fourth album, 🎙 AJR (composed of the three Met brothers) have some enjoyable, intriguing moments and plenty of creative musical ideas, sometimes overwhelming with the hipster millennial alt-pop script. “Way Less Sad” marks the top tier of OK ORCHESTRA.

Among the pros of “Way Less Sad” is the rhythmic identity established at the onset via the instrumental intro (specifically left-hand piano).  Production is a strong suit, including thoughtful instrumental riffs that work well and an effective 🎙 Simon & Garfunkel sample (🎵 “My Little Town”). Beyond matters of the boards, 🎙 Jack Met delivers nice lead vocals.  His tone is great, and ultimately, easy on the ears. The one con? Thematically, AJR doesn’t shy away from their comfort zone, but that goes with the AJR territory, right? Right.

Appears in 🔻:

• 15 Marvelous Songs That Lead the WAY

11. Jimmy Ruffin, “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”

💿 Sings Top Ten • 🏷 Motown • 🗓 1967

“As I walk this land of broken dreams / I have visions of many things,” 🎙 Jimmy Ruffin (1936 – 2014) sings in the first verse of the beloved soul gem, 🎵 “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”. Ruffin continues singing, “But happiness is just an illusion / Filled with sadness and confusion.” This 1966, brokenhearted classic was his highest charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at no. 7.  Yep, this soul joint was a surefire pop hit.

The first verse is golden, as are the second, third, and fourth verses.  All three following verses speak to the plight of love.  For example, in the third verse, Ruffin asserts, “I walk in the shadows searching for light / Cold and alone no comfort in sight.” Hopeless! Similarly, in the fourth, he sings, “All is lost, there’s no place for beginning / All that’s left is an unhappy ending.” Woo! The centerpiece of this soulful musical selection is none other than the chorus, which is incredibly tuneful and features a marvelous backdrop:

“What becomes of the brokenhearted

Who had love that’s now departed

I know I’ve got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

Help me.”

Beyond the chorus, there’s yet another awesome lyrical and musical moment – the outro. Ruffin states, “I’ll be searching everywhere / Just to find someone to care.” Even when love is unkind, we all still desire it so badly.  “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” was penned by 🎼 ✍ James Dean, 🎼 ✍ Paul Riser,  and 🎼 ✍ William Weatherspoon. Ruffin is responsible for one of the greatest soul songs of all time.  Even pushing 60 years old, it remains fresh and incredibly relevant.

Appears in 🔻:

• Jimmy Ruffin, “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 91
• Sadness: 5ive Songs No. 61 (2022)

11 Songs Where The Boys Are Sad [📷: Atlantic, BMG Rights Management, Brent Faulkner, Capitol, Fueled By Ramen, Island, Mercury, Motown, The Musical Hype, Republic, Riggins Recording, Ryan Mack, Warner, Abhishek sanga, Andres Lugo-Garza, Brian James, cottonbro, Dexon Dave Silva,Ivan Samkov, Kam Pratt, Ketut Subiyanto, Pavel Danilyuk, Pexels, Timur Weber]