Songs about Mental Health

A collection of playlists curated to empathise, soothe, and hopefully make your day a little better.

  • Screaming Suicide uses negative thoughts to describe a person’s low self-esteem. Lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield explained that the song’s intention was “to communicate about the darkness we feel inside”.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Masking our emotional pain, and the feeling like we’re pressure cookers about to explode, this is a song that expresses those feelings of pretending to be “fine” when we’re not.

    If "F" is for feeling overwhelmed
    And "I" is for "I'm not alright"
    Yeah I'm fine
    If "N" is for not being able to sleep
    "E" for every night
    Yeah I'm fine

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Like ‘Fine’, but in a more melancholic fashion, this song also expresses the feeling of carrying heavy emotional pain, and wanting to be okay.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • This song talks about feeling misunderstood and neglected. The feeling that we have to hide because no one wants to hear it, or no one seems to understand.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Lewis Capaldi sings about the loss of someone to suicide. He wonders what he could have said and done to prevent their departure.

    So, before you go
    Was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting?
    It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • This song is sung as a heart-breaking goodbye to a lover before she ends her life.

    Starting with “Take me to the rooftop / I wanna see the world when I stop breathing”, she has made the decision to kill herself.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • A duet that pulls at your heartstrings, this is a plea for comfort, love, and safety.

    Just wrap me in your arms, in your arms
    I don't wanna be nowhere else
    Take me from the dark, from the dark
    I ain't gonna make it myself
    Put your arms around me
    Put your arms around me
    Let your love surround me
    I am lost
    I am lost

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • When we all fall asleep, where do we go?

    The singer questions what happens after death. In this song, she talks to her inner monster which gives her thoughts of suicide. In an interview, Billie Eilish explains the realisation that she is also her own monster – that she’s “[her] own worst enemy”.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • fter his death, Let Me Out was seen as the K-pop singer’s call for help. The song portrays his helplessness and begs for relief. This song was released as part of his last album Story Op.2. In the very same year, the singer ended his life.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Gotye’s Save Me revolves around the singer’s depression. Speaking about this song and the rest of its album, he said, “There were points that I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish a record I was really into or that I’d give up at some stage.”

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Released on World Suicide Prevention Day in 2020, this song raises awareness about mental health. Inspired by her own battle with her mental health, Demi Lovato reminds us that we can get through our tough times.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • This song mentions a “demon that’s inside you” that fights “a battle that you can never win”. It sends a message of hope and encourages listeners to keep their heads up and continue fighting.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • The title of this song is the phone number for the American National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

    At the beginning of the song, the lyrics relate to feelings of hopelessness, through the voice of someone who wants to kill themselves. The second part of the song takes the view of the lifeline’s receiver. They remind the caller of hope.

    Eventually, the caller says “I finally want to be alive. I don’t want to die today.”

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • The musical Dear Evan Hansen begins with a character, Connor, ending his own life. You Will Be Found is sung as a speech given by protagonist Evan Hansen. As a tribute to Connor, this song sends the message of hope. Throughout a whole verse, the lyrics repeatedly remind us that “You are not alone”.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • A rock song that screams (not literally) the turmoil of feeling like we must stay strong for others, it relays the pain of wishing we could shield others from the pain we feel, or from the pain others may feel from losing us. The final message: it’s difficult, but it also shows strength.

    Kill the pain and
    Kill the family
    Choke the dark down
    Just be happy
    Talk myself off
    Of this ledge I know all too well

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • In the genre of hip-hop/rap, ‘Don’t Do It’ talks about the struggle of not wanting to die, but also wanting to escape from the pain of our lives right now; wanting to find happiness. The second verse sends an empathic message about knowing how painful, and difficult it is, but death is not the only option.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Save You tells of someone who is trying to save a loved one from suicide. Kelly Clarkson assures them that “It’s gonna be alright”. At the same time, she offers to be there for the person, singing “I’m not goin’ nowhere”.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Following many teen suicides making the news in 2010, rock band Rise Against took to music to comment on mental health. Frontman Tim McIlrath said about the song, “The message is: It can get better, it does get better, give it a chance to get better, don’t end your life prematurely.”

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • Nickelback’s Lullaby begins with feelings and thoughts of suicide. The singer relates to these feelings and reminds us that we are not alone. There may be a point where we feel like we’re “out there barely hangin’, on”, but the singer nudges us to remember that there are people who care.

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

  • We’ll let this country song (with a modern twist), speak for itself:

    I can't find myself
    I get lost inside my brain
    I think I might need help, mm
    But I pushed all of 'em away
    I took the cards they dealt
    And there's nothin' I can change
    So, when I'm by myself
    I just pray for brighter days

    [ Spotify | Youtube ]

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  • From the motion picture “Barbie”

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