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Have you ever noticed how we turn to music when we suffer a loss?
To lose a friend is one of the most painful experiences in life. Whether you lost a friend through death or because you had a major falling out, the experience is usually heartbreaking.
Your friend may have been a regular presence in your life for a long time. Their absence makes life different, and sometimes more challenging.
In our moments of grief, songs about losing a friend provide solace for our aching hearts. In today’s article, we’re sharing a collection of songs to help ease the pain and sorrow caused by losing a friend.
These songs encourage us to cherish the beautiful memories shared with a friend who’s no longer part of our lives.
They also serve as a reminder that we are not alone in feeling this kind of sorrow and pain—that there have been others before us who have journeyed along this painful path and found solace in music.
Songs About the Death of a Friend
1. See You Again, Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
“It’s been a long day without you, my friend. And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”
This song was primarily created as a tribute to Paul Walker, an actor well known for starring in the Fast and the Furious movie franchise, who died in 2013.
The song is about missing a friend, especially during those moments that the narrator thinks the friend would have also experienced. It’s about looking forward to meeting each other again and catching up on those moment’s they’ve spent apart.
2. Return, OK Go
“You were supposed to grow old. Reckless, unfrightened and old… Return… You were supposed to return…”
Some people experience having a friend pass away when they’re still young. This song expresses the frustration and regret that a friend died in their youth.
In the heart wrenching lyrics, the narrator laments the things that the friend isn’t able to experience.
3. Who Knew?, P!nk
“If someone said three years from now you’d be long gone, I’d stand up and punch them out ’cause they’re all wrong. I know better ’cause you said forever and ever. Who knew?”
We all assume that the people we love will be with us for a long time. In this song, P!nk expresses her dismay and sadness when her friend passes suddenly.
She recalls the times when they promised to be with each other forever. Now, she’s still reeling from the pain of her loss.
4. Gone Too Soon, Michael Jackson
“Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight. Here one day, gone one night. Like a sunset dying with the rising of the moon. Gone too soon.”
This song is about the transience of life. We are here one moment and gone the next. It is a reflection about the suddenness of death and how we can’t fully live our purpose if we’re taken too soon.
5. The Last Carnival, Bruce Springsteen
“We’ll be riding the train without you tonight, the train that keeps on moving. Its black smoke scorching the evening sky. A million stars shining above us like every soul living and dead has been gathered together by God to sing a hymn over your bones.”
The suddenness of death is a subject often reflected on by musicians. In this song, the narrator grapples with the reality that his friend is gone. It also serves as a final farewell for a very good friend.
6. Light Years, Pearl Jam
“And wherever you’ve gone and wherever we might go, it don’t seem fair. You seem to like it here. Your lights reflected now, reflected from a far. We were but stones. Your light made us stars.”
Here’s another song about saying a final goodbye to a friend. It honors the memory of a person who inspired friends to be the best they could be.
7. I’ll Remember You, Bob Dylan
“In the end, my dear sweet friend, I’ll remember you.”
When you and your friend have shared a lot of ups and downs together, it’s impossible to simply forget them.
This is a poignant farewell song in which the narrator promises the one who’s gone that their memory will live on.
8. So Far Away, Avenged Sevenfold
“I have so much to say but you’re so far away.”
This song is a tribute to the band’s former drummer, who passed away suddenly in 2009. It’s about missing a friend who’s already gone.
9. In My Life, The Beatles
“Though I know I’ll never lose affection for people and things that went before, I know I’ll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more.”
This song is about recalling, with fondness, memories of friends and places. Some people who may have been part of your life in the past are no longer in it now. However, the affection and love remain, even when those you’ve loved are already gone.
10. Watching Over Me, Iced Earth
“We shared dreams like all best friends, blood brothers at the age of ten. We lived reckless. He paid the price. Why did he have to die? It still hurts me to this day. Am I selfish for feeling this way? I know he’s an angel now. Together we’ll be someday.”
In this song, a best friend who met an untimely death is commemorated. The narrator expresses his pain over the loss, and also the hope that they’ll be together someday in the afterlife.
11. My Lovely Man, Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Rest with me, my lovely brother. For you see, there is no other. Memory so sad and sweet. I’ll see you soon. Save me a seat.”
In this song, the narrator expresses his love for a friend who passed away. He’s optimistic that they’ll see each other one day, perhaps in the afterlife. He requests that the friend save him a seat.
Songs About Broken Friendships
12. Best Friend Breakup, Lauren Spencer Smith
“Break up. I just always thought that it’d be love that was gonna mess me up. Didn’t think it’d hurt this much when best friends break up.”
Having a friend is like having a psychiatrist, cheerleading squad, and tag-team partner, all in one.
Losing a best friend through misunderstanding can sometimes be more heartbreaking than losing a romantic partner.
In this song, the narrator realizes just how painful it is to lose one’s best friend.
13. We Used to Be Friends, The Dandy Warhols
“A long time ago we used to be friends but I haven’t thought of you lately at all.”
Have you experienced being close friends with someone when you were younger, and then, for non-specific reasons, both of you stop speaking to each other and you drift apart?
This is a song about that kind of situation. In this song, the narrator thinks about a former friend, musing at how he hasn’t thought about this person in a while.
14. Save Myself, Ed Sheeran
“I gave all my oxygen to people that could breathe. I gave away my money and now we don’t even speak. I drove miles and miles, but would you do the same for me?”
Some people consider you their friend only when they think they can benefit from the relationship. These people aren’t real friends.
In this song, a guy recounts the times he was there for people he considered friends. He also recalls those occasions when the people he counted on to be there for him weren’t around at all.
15. Breathe, Taylor Swift ft. Colbie Caillat
“It’s two am. Feelin’ like I just lost a friend. Hope you know it’s not easy, easy for me.”
This is a farewell song for someone you’ve been friends with for a long time. After everything that both of you have been through together, the time arrives for you to go your separate ways.
Although the parting of ways is amicable, losing a friend this way doesn’t make it less heartbreaking.
16. Real Friends, Camilla Cabello ft. Swae Lee
“I thought that I could trust you. Nevermind. Why all the switching sides? Where do I draw the line? I guess I’m too naive to read the signs.”
At least once in your life, you’ll likely encounter a fake friend. This is the dilemma faced by the narrator in this song. All she wants is to have real friends, but those she encounters are fake ones who betray her.
17. People You Know, Selena Gomez
“We used to be close, but people can go from people you know to people you don’t.”
This song is about the grief one feels when they lose a friend because of a falling out.
The dissolution of a friendship is a painful experience, akin to losing a loved one through death. And just as with any loss, it is okay to grieve when a friendship falls apart.
When you’re ready to move on, here are some strategies for getting over a friendship breakup.
18. Dead to Me, Kali Uchis
“I don’t know what you been told. See, I am not your enemy. But if there’s one thing that I know is that you ain’t a friend to me.”
This song is a harsh declaration. What could have happened between friends for their friendship to fall apart like this?
19. Don’t Speak, No Doubt
“You and me, we used to be together, every day together, always. I really feel that I’m losin’ my best friend. I can’t believe this could be the end.”
Many couples consider their partners to be their best friends. It’s painful when a relationship breaks down. You lose a romantic partner as well as a friend.
This is a breakup song, where the narrator expresses her disbelief as their relationship ends.
20. I Lost a Friend, Finneas
“I know I’ll be alright, but I’m not tonight. I’ll be lying awake counting all the mistakes I’ve made. Replaying fights. I know I’ll be alright, but I’m not tonight. I’m on the mend, but I lost a friend.”
In this song, Finneas laments a broken friendship. In real life, he had a falling out with one of his long-time friends.
This is also a song about resilience, as Finneas expresses that, although he is currently hurting, he’ll be alright eventually.
21. Make Like Paper, Red House Painters
“Way back, back then, I considered you my best friend. But the last time I saw you, I knew I’d never see you again.”
Many of us have friends who have been with us for a long time, perhaps since childhood. We did everything together. Perhaps we were each other’s confidantes. However, not all friendships last.
This song is about close friends drifting apart. Now, they are like strangers to each other.
Final Thoughts on Songs About Losing a Friend
Friends are one of life’s greatest treasures. That’s why losing a good friend—either through death or a falling out—is a heartbreaking experience.
The songs featured today can serve as consolation. They are proof that you’re not the only person who has experienced the pain of losing a friend.
May these songs remind you that, although a friend is no longer part of your life, the wonderful memories you shared together live on in your heart.
If you are interested in more song compilations, feel free to check out the following posts:
