Missing someone is a universal experience, whether we’re mourning the end of a relationship or a loved one who has passed on.
These songs about missing someone are bound to get the tears flowing and reminiscing about the good times (while you wait for the time when you’ll be reunited):
1. Ain’t No Sunshine — Bill Withers
“Ain’t No Sunshine” is a legendary and fantastic listening song that is all about missing someone who brings your whole world together. When she is gone, it feels like the clouds are covering the sun.
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2. Miss You Like Crazy — Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole’s 1989 hit “Miss You Like Crazy” is about missing a former lover so much that nothing makes sense anymore. Most of us can probably relate to feeling the same way after a broken relationship.
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3. Wish You Were Here — Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” is about pondering life’s biggest questions in the absence of a loved one. We don’t know if there was a breakup, a death, or some other reason for parting — we just know that nothing makes sense without them.
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4. Miss You — The Rolling Stones
Have you ever missed someone so much that they were a part of your dreams? The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” is about missing a loved one and feeling like they are haunting you, both awake and asleep.
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5. Talking to the Moon — Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars is known for his punchy pop songs, but his 2010 hit “Talking to the Moon” is worth a deeper listen. The song is about trying to alleviate loneliness by talking to the moon, as though it’s a lost one who has gone away.
6. Missing You — John Waite
“Missing You” is a duet between former lovers who insist that “I ain’t missing you at all.” As the song goes on, it’s clear that they’re putting on an act, and eventually they can’t hide their true feelings any longer.
7. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) — The Proclaimers
How can anyone resist singing along to this song? “I’m Gonna Be” is about missing someone and being willing to do whatever it takes to reunite. The song will get you dancing along with its infectious chorus.
8. I Miss You — Blink 182
As is probably typical for an emo band from the early 2000s, Blink 182’s song “I Miss You” gets a bit dark. Without the person who is gone, the singer feels haunted — in fact, they’re even seeing spiders and hearing voices in the midst of their pain.
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9. Faithfully — Journey
Journey is probably best known for “Don’t Stop Believin’,” but “Faithfully” can stand on its own as a great song. The song is about a traveling man who longs to be back home with his family and swears that he’ll remain faithful as he thinks on his wife.
10. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing — Aerosmith
Missing someone can stir all kinds of emotions, and the ones in Aerosmith’s song are a bit more positive. In the song, the singer contemplates how much he loves his significant other and how he misses her even when she falls asleep.
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11. I Can Dream About You — Hall and Oates
“I Can Dream About You” is about a person who has given up trying to mend a broken relationship, but still misses their ex lover desperately. Since they can’t get back together, the singer concludes that at the very least, they can dream about one another.
12. Baby I’ve Been Missing You — The Independents
Have you ever felt so consumed with longing for someone that it affected every part of your life, even your desire to eat or watch TV? The Independents expressed that feeling all the way back in 1972 with their song “Baby I’ve Been Missing You.”
13. Someone You Loved — Lewis Capaldi
Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” won the Brit Award for Song of the Year back in 2019 for its mournful lyrics about having to power through an emotional crisis without the person that you love. It’s a frightening experience to which most of us can relate.
14. Higher Window — Josh Groban
Josh Groban is no newbie when it comes to singing powerful ballads, but “Higher Window” might just take your breath away. The song is about a man who nearly lost his chance to confess his love before realizing how much he missed them.
15. Need You Now — Dean Lewis
Dean Lewis’ 2021 song is another that starts with protestations. The singer first insists he doesn’t miss or need the person he is singing to, but at last admits that he needs everything about them. Without them, his whole life is falling apart.
16. Home — Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé knows how to croon, and his smooth vocals are on beautiful display with this song, which is all about longing to go home. He compares the grandeur of Paris and Rome and says that they can’t measure up to being with his family.
17. Come Home — OneRepublic
“Come Home” is all about recognizing that the person who left was your better half and begging them to come back and make your world right again.
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18. Missing — Everything But The Girl
“I miss you, like the deserts miss the rain,” says this 1994 song from “Everything But the Girl.” The metaphor is pretty spot on, contrasting how lifeless the desert is without water.
19. I Will Remember You — Sarah McLachlan
Is there anyone who can sing a ballad like Sarah McLachlan? Her stunning rendition of “I Will Remember You” is apt to get emotions flowing. The song has been covered by many other artists, and probably has a special place in the heart of The Office fans.
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20. Let Her Go — Passenger
Passenger’s song “Let Her Go” topped charts in 2013. The song is about knowing that it’s time for a relationship to end but dreading the inevitable. The singer mourns the loss of his relationship and speaks of how much he’ll miss her when she’s gone.
21. Lost Without You — Delta Goodrem
In “Lost Without You,” Delta Goodrem describes how she doesn’t know how to go on without the person she misses. She might not know how to go forward, but she knows she’s not complete on her own.
22. Element — Moses Mayfield
Sometimes we wish we were ready to move on before we actually are ready. Element is about wanting to move on and leave the loneliness behind.
23. Missing You — Diana Ross
One big challenge is when a relationship ends and you don’t understand why. Diana Ross expressed these complicated emotions beautifully in her song “Missing You.”
24. The Man Who Can’t Be Moved — The Script
In this song, The Script describes a man waiting on the street for someone he loves. People try to get him to leave, but he won’t be moved in the hope that his lovers returns.
25. Miss You — Ed Sheeran
Missing someone can make you feel sick. Ed Sheeran describes how the longing makes his chest and stomach hurt and his mind go blank.
26. I Miss You — Beyoncé
In “I Miss You,” Beyoncé’s lyrics ponder what we can do when wounds don’t heal with time. What happens when time marches on and the missing is still there?
27. Need You Now — Lady Antebellum
“Need You Now” is about two people who have ended a relationship but find themselves yearning for each other after a long, lonely night.
28. So Far Away — Dire Straits
Long distance relationships are challenging, which is what “So Far Away” is about. Humans are meant to be with the ones that they love, and “being in love and being all alone” can be one of the hardest experiences in life.
29. Missing You — Black Eyed Peas
The Black-Eyed Peas are proof that a song can be sad and catchy at the same time. “Missing You” will get your toes tapping even while you let those emotions swell.
30. Get Here — Oleta Adams
In “Get Here,” Oleta Adams begs her significant other to make a reunion happen, no matter how he gets to her. She suggests everything from a train to a sled and even a hot air balloon.
31. Far Away — Nickelback
Sometimes our mistakes cause us to lose a loved one and later regret it. “Far Away” is about this experience and the pain it causes.
32. Missing You — Steve Perry
Steve Perry’s song is another one about regretting a relationship that ended through your own mistakes, and desperately missing the person that you hurt.
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33. Someone Like You — Adele
Breakups are always difficult, and Adele is the queen of the breakup song. In “Someone Like You” she bids a fond farewell to a former lover, wishing him all the best.
34. The Bed’s Too Big Without You — The Police
Back in 1979, The Police released “The Bed’s Too Big Without You” and it’s a sentiment that most of us can still relate to more than 40 years later.
35. For No One — The Beatles
“For No One” is a Beatles song about missing someone who no longer misses you. It’s a uniquely bitter experience.
36. Ghost — Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has plenty of upbeat hits, but “Ghost” falls into an interesting category. This song is still fun to dance to, even though it’s all about yearning for someone you love and learning to settle for the memories.
37. I’m Already There — Lonestar
“I’m Already There” is about a father calling his family from the road. In the lyrics, he urges his children to notice all the ways that he is there with them, even while they’re apart.
38. One Sweet Day — Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey knows how to deliver a powerful song, and “One Sweet Day” contains all the feelings. The duet with Boyz 2 Men is a ballad for a person who has passed away, with the lyrics imagining being reunited in heaven.
39. Thinking Bout You — Ariana Grande
“Thinking Bout You” is a song about being so overwhelmed with thoughts about someone you miss, you just can’t control yourself. We’ve all been there, even Ariana Grande.
40. Missing U — Robyn
Not every song is about missing an ex. Singer Robyn’s “Missing U” is addressed to a lover, but she intended it to be a message for her fans after a career hiatus.
41. Driver’s License — Olivia Rodrigo
“Driver’s License” was on every radio station throughout 2021, and it’s not hard to see why it was so popular. The song is about remembering the small parts of a relationship and seeing signs of your ex-significant other everywhere you go.
42. Marvin’s Room — Drake
Marvin’s Room is a resentful song about missing an old lover and being tempted to call her and beg her to come back. The song might be about missing someone, but it’s full of attitude (and might be good to blast in your car after a breakup).
43. I Will Always Love You — Whitney Houston
There’s probably no one alive that hasn’t heard Whitney Houston’s mother of all power ballads. Who can forget (or resist singing along) to that amazing chorus?
44. I Miss You — Incubus
Have you ever dreamed that you woke up and your relationship was mended or a dead loved one had come back to life? That’s what Incubus describes in “I Miss You” saying that to find his loved one back would be a “gift I didn’t think could be real”.
45. I Need My Girl — The National
“I Need My Girl” is about feeling like you are moving backward instead of forward after the loss of a relationship. The singer says that other people think he has grown taller, but he feels like a fraction of himself without his girl.
46. Lay Me Down — Sam Smith
In “Lay Me Down” Sam Smith describes how he wishes he could call out to the person he misses to let them know he wants them back. But even more than that, he wishes he could lay down beside them where he belongs.
47. Thinkin’ Bout You — Frank Ocean
In “Thinkin’ Bout You” Frank Ocean describes the effect that a person’s absence has on his emotions: “My eyes don’t shed tears, but boy do they pour when I’m thinkin’ ‘bout you…”
48. Tears in Heaven — Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton wrote this heartbreaking song for his late son, who died in a tragic accident. It’s a popular choice at funerals, but it perfectly describes the feeling of missing a loved one who hasn’t passed on as well.
49. From Where You Are — Lifehouse
“From Where You Are” depicts a person standing under the sky and pondering where, under the same stars, the person they miss might be. The lyrics describe all the small details of their life together that now haunt them.
50. Reminds Me of You — Van Morrison
Right from the start of the song, Van Morrison lays out how intense his longing is: “I miss you so much I can’t stand it/Seems like my heart is breaking in two.” Most of us can relate to feeling like we’ll never recover from that longing.
51. It Don’t Matter Now — Sarah Darling
“It Don’t Matter Now” is about how a brief but intense relationship can ruin all the little things. The singer laments how, instead of focusing on the things that make her happy, she can’t stop thinking about her ex.
52. Fly Before You Fall — Cynthia Erivo
“Fly Before You Fall” is addressed to a person mourning the end of a relationship. The singer describes their deep sadness and urges them to come to terms with their own grief.
53. So Far Away — Carole King
All the way back in 1971, Carole King was asking why people had to move away. Most of us have probably gone through the same experience and mourned the loss of friends.
54. I Just Don’t Know What to do With Myself — The White Stripes
In “I Just Don’t Know What to do With Myself” The White Stripes describe the pointless sadness of being without someone you love. The lyrics describe how parties and music only make it worse. The only cure is to be back with their person.
55. Come Back… Be Here — Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has written many love songs, but none of them captures the feeling of desperately missing someone like “Come Back… Be Here.” Sometimes those are the only words we can muster to express our longing.