Are you crafting a poignant video tribute, a heart-wrenching short film, or a deeply emotional commercial? Finding the perfect music can elevate your project from good to unforgettable. The right soundtrack can amplify the intended emotion, making your video resonate deeply with viewers. That's why we've compiled this ultimate list of the best songs for emotional videos, spanning a variety of genres and moods. From soaring orchestral pieces that evoke feelings of grandeur and loss to intimate acoustic ballads that capture moments of quiet reflection, this curated selection offers the perfect musical backdrop for any emotional narrative. Whether you're aiming for joy, sorrow, nostalgia, or a complex blend of emotions, this guide will help you find the perfect soundtrack to amplify your storytelling and leave a lasting impact on your audience. Choosing the right music is crucial; let's dive into the songs that will truly make your video resonate.
| Song | Artist | Album | Listens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Perfect | Ed Sheeran | ÷ (Deluxe) | 4B+ |
| 2. Let Her Go | Passenger | 4B+ | |
| 3. I Will Always Love You | Whitney Houston | The Bodyguard - Original Soundtrack Album | 2B+ |
| 4. When I Was Your Man | Bruno Mars | Unorthodox Jukebox | 1B+ |
| 5. The Scientist | Coldplay | A Rush of Blood to the Head | 1B+ |
| 6. Stay With Me | Sam Smith | In The Lonely Hour | 1B+ |
| 7. Someone You Loved | Lewis Capaldi | Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent | 909M+ |
1. Perfect (Ed Sheeran - 2025)
Emotional Resonance: Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" tugs at the heartstrings with its gentle acoustic melody and deeply personal lyrics about love and commitment, making it ideal for evoking tender emotions in a video.
Vocal Performance: Sheeran's emotive vocals, full of warmth and vulnerability, perfectly capture the song's heartfelt message, amplifying the emotional impact for viewers.
Visual Synergy: The song's simplicity lends itself well to a variety of visual styles, allowing for creative freedom in crafting emotionally resonant video scenes.
2. Let Her Go
Emotional Resonance: Passenger's raw, vulnerable vocals in "Let Her Go" create a deeply affecting atmosphere, perfectly capturing the pain of lost love and regret.
Acoustic Simplicity: The song's stripped-down acoustic arrangement enhances its emotional impact, allowing the lyrics and vocals to take center stage and resonate deeply with viewers.
Visual Storytelling Potential: The melancholic melody and relatable lyrics of "Let Her Go" lend themselves beautifully to visual storytelling, making it ideal for evoking a wide range of emotions in emotional video projects.
3. I Will Always Love You
Vocal Performance: Whitney Houston's powerhouse vocals are incredibly emotive, conveying a depth of sadness and longing perfectly suited to poignant video moments.
Emotional Resonance: The song's lyrics about letting go and accepting the end of a relationship resonate deeply, making it ideal for scenes depicting loss or bittersweet farewells.
Musical Arrangement: The simple yet powerful ballad arrangement, with its soaring chorus and restrained verses, provides a flexible sonic backdrop for a wide range of emotional video styles.
4. When I Was Your Man
Emotional Resonance: Bruno Mars' soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics in "When I Was Your Man" create a powerful sense of longing and regret, perfectly capturing the raw emotion needed for a poignant video.
Melodic Simplicity: The song's simple yet effective melody allows the emotion to take center stage, making it easy for viewers to connect with the story being told visually.
Visual Enhancement: The song's pacing and dynamic range provide a strong foundation for building visual tension and release throughout an emotional video, enhancing the narrative's impact.
5. The Scientist (A Rush of Blood to the Head - 2025)
Haunting Melody: Coldplay's "The Scientist" features a melancholic piano melody that creates an immediate sense of longing and reflection, perfectly setting the tone for an emotional video.
Chris Martin's Vocals: Martin's emotive vocals, filled with vulnerability and regret, add a layer of raw honesty that deeply resonates with viewers experiencing a range of emotions.
Building Intensity: The song's gradual build-up from quiet introspection to a more powerful crescendo provides a dynamic emotional arc ideal for visually representing changing feelings within a video narrative.
6. Stay With Me (In The Lonely Hour)
Vocal Performance: Sam Smith's emotive vocals are perfectly suited to evoke a powerful emotional response, making this track ideal for tugging at the heartstrings of your viewers.
Melodic Structure: The song's melancholic melody and gradual build create a compelling narrative arc, perfectly complementing the unfolding emotions in your video.
Emotional Resonance: "Stay With Me" possesses a universal appeal of longing and vulnerability, ensuring a broad emotional connection with your audience.
7. Someone You Loved (Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent - 2025)
Vocal Performance: Lewis Capaldi's raw, emotionally charged vocals are perfectly suited to evoke a powerful response, making it ideal for tugging at the heartstrings of your viewers.
Melodic Structure: The song's melancholic melody and poignant lyrics create a deeply affecting atmosphere, enhancing the emotional impact of any video.
Emotional Resonance: Its universal theme of loss and heartbreak resonates deeply, ensuring a strong emotional connection with audiences regardless of the video's specific content.
8. Boulevard of Broken Dreams (American Idiot)
Haunting Melody: Boulevard of Broken Dreams' melancholic melody and Billie Joe Armstrong's raw vocals create a deeply emotional soundscape perfectly suited for evoking sadness and reflection in a video.
Lyrical Depth: The lyrics explore themes of disillusionment and lost dreams, resonating with viewers experiencing heartbreak, loss, or a sense of unfulfilled potential, making it ideal for emotional video storytelling.
Visual Synergy: The song's pacing and dynamic shifts lend themselves well to visually complementing a montage of scenes depicting emotional journeys; consider using slow-motion shots and evocative imagery.
9. Un-break My Heart (1996)
Vocal Performance: Toni Braxton's powerhouse vocals are incredibly emotive, conveying a depth of heartbreak that's perfect for tugging at viewers' heartstrings in a video.
Emotional Resonance: The raw vulnerability in "Un-Break My Heart" resonates deeply, making it ideal for scenes depicting sorrow, loss, or overcoming adversity.
Musical Arrangement: The song's soaring melody and building instrumentation create a dramatic arc, perfectly suited to underscore powerful emotional moments in a video.
10. Say Something
Vocal Performance: Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World's combined vocals create a raw, emotionally resonant performance that perfectly captures the vulnerability of heartbreak.
Emotional Resonance: The lyrics' poignant depiction of lost love and longing resonate deeply, making it ideal for evoking heartfelt emotion in video projects.
Musical Arrangement: The piano-driven melody and subtle instrumentation create a melancholic yet hopeful atmosphere, perfectly complementing the emotional arc of many video narratives.
11Fix You
Coldplay
2005
X&Y
12Iris
Goo Goo Dolls
1998
13Nothing Compares 2 U
Sinéad O'Connor
1990
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
14Jealous
Labrinth
2014
Dangerous Levels of Introspection
15Hero
Mariah Carey
1993
16You Are Not Alone
Michael Jackson
1995
HIStory - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE - BOOK I
17If I Ain't Got You
Alicia Keys
2004
The Diary Of Alicia Keys
18How to Save a Life
The Fray
2007
How To Save A Life
19Hallelujah
Jeff Buckley
1994
Grace
20Wake Me up When September Ends
Green Day
2004
American Idiot
21With Or Without You
U2
1987
The Joshua Tree (Super Deluxe)
22Everybody Hurts
R.E.M.
1992
Automatic For The People
23Tears in Heaven
Eric Clapton
1992
Rush (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)
24Dancing on My Own
Robyn
2010
25Piece by Piece
Kelly Clarkson
2015
Piece By Piece (Deluxe Version)
26My Heart Will Go On
Celine Dion
1997
27Wind Beneath My Wings
Bette Midler
1988
Beaches (Original Soundtrack Recording)
28Skinny Love
Bon Iver
2007
For Emma, Forever Ago
29All of Me
Hunter Hayes,John Legend,Jennifer Nettles
2013
Wild Blue, Part I