55 Songs About Losing A Friend

Filed Under: Life Songs

Losing a friend is never easy, whether due to death or drifting apart. Sometimes, listening to music by people who have experienced a similar kind of heartache can be a source of comfort during these difficult times.

I. Pop songs about the death of a friend

At some point or another, we all have to face the fact that death is a part of life. Of course, that doesn’t take away from the pain that we experience when the people we love are taken from us, but hopefully listening to some of these tracks will bring you solace in your time of grief.

1) Gone Too Soon

Michael Jackson produced this song as a tribute to Ryan White, a teenage boy who suffered discrimination as a result of his HIV/AIDS infection. However, the song really applies to anyone who has experienced the untimely death of a friend or loved one.

2) Fire and Rain

“Fire and Rain” chronicles several incidents in the life of James Taylor, which includes the death of a close friend. More than 50 years have passed since its release, but the song continues to resonate with audiences around the world.

3) For a Dancer

4) To Where You Are

This piano ballad by Josh Groban is a real tear-jerker, but it also serves as a gentle reminder that, although the person has passed on, they are never truly gone as long as their legacy lives on in the people they left behind.

5) Who Knew

6) All Those Years Ago (2009 Mix)

II. Tribute songs for a friend who died

While most of the songs in this list pay homage to certain people, the pain of losing a loved one is universal.

1) Brendan’s Death Song

2) See You Again (feat. Charlie Puth)

This heartfelt number was dedicated to the late Paul Walker, but the lyrics will resonate with anybody who experienced the death of a friend like family.

3) I’ll Be Missing You (feat. Faith Evans & 112)

This classic 90s track won a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and is one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was recorded in memory of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, who was murdered in March of the same year.

4) Song For Josh

5) Life Without You

6) Tears In Heaven

Ranked by Rolling Stone as one of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, “Tears in Heaven” poses a question that everyone has asked at least once in their lives and yet no one has been able to answer, namely: will our loved ones recognize us when we join them in Heaven?

III. Songs about losing a friendship

Having a fallout with a friend is upsetting, especially when you’ve been through so much together. But people are complex and sometimes do things for reasons you may not understand. So, here is a list of friend “breakup” songs to help you deal with the hurt you may be feeling.

1) I Lost a Friend

2) I Have Questions

Depending on how you see it, the lyrics to this song could be directed at an ex-lover or an ex-friend. Either way, it’s about wanting answers when there appears to be no rhyme or reason why they left.

3) Breathe (feat. Colbie Caillat)

4) Bad Blood

There is no worse feeling in the world than being betrayed by the person you thought you could trust the most. But singing your heart out to this gritty number by Taylor Swift might just make you feel a little better.

5) Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)

6) Friends Never Say Goodbye

The Road to El Dorado revolves around the exploits of lovable partners-in-crime, Miguel and Tulio. But towards the end of the film, differences of opinion drive the two friends apart. This emotional number by Elton John plays in the background as they prepare to go their separate ways.

IV. Songs about friendship and memories

These songs will remind you of the friends you had when you were a child or those who grew up with you and never left your side.

1) Seven

“Seven” is a nostalgic track from Taylor Swift’s most recent album, folklore. It reminisces about a long-lost friendship and how the singer still thinks about them as adults.

2) Dorothea

3) That’s What Friends Are For

4) I’ll Be There For You

Fans of the famous sitcom Friends will know this one. It’s a catchy tune that encapsulates the meaning of true friendship: that, no matter your life circumstances, they will always be there to support you.

5) You’ve Got a Friend In Me

6) If I Didn’t Have You

We all have that one person that helped shape our identity. It may be a parent, a mentor, or a friend, but one thing’s for sure: we wouldn’t be who we are today without them.

7) Count on Me

V. R&B songs about losing a friend

There’s something about the soulful, gospel-esque melodies that often characterize R&B music that’s extremely reassuring when experiencing the loss of a friend.

1) It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Saying goodbye to a friend is hard, but the thing that will help get you through life’s challenges are the memories you made together.

1) Really Gonna Miss You

2) These Three Words

This song is a reminder that life is brief and that you should never take your loved ones for granted.

3) One Sweet Day

4) So Alone

5) Easier

This song is an excellent example of the adage that everything gets better with time.

VI. Rap/Hip-hop songs about losing a friendship

While the rap and hip-hop genres are not for everyone, one subject that they do cover particularly well is the pain of losing a friend. One of the reasons for this may be the fact that many of the artists from the two genres have experienced the loss of a friend due to the high-risk activities that they frequently partake in.

1) How Come

2) Betrayal (feat. Scarface)

3) I Ain’t Mad At Cha (feat. Danny Boy)

“I Ain’t Mad At Cha” basically states that the rapper holds no grudges against a friend who is no longer in his life.

4) The Loser Wins

5) False Prophets

6) You’re Never Over

Eminem penned this song as an ode to his friend and fellow rapper Deshaun “Proof” Holton. In it, he reflects on Proof’s impact and continues to have on his life.

VII. Country songs about losing a friend

Country music often has a melancholy air about it, so it naturally represents the heartache surrounding the loss of a friend or a loved one particularly well.

1) You Should Be Here

“You Should Be Here” is about missing a friend during the social gatherings that you used to attend together.

2) See You Again

3) Who You’d Be Today

There are times when we can’t help but wonder about the people we’ve lost and about who they might have become if they had been given a chance.

4) There You’ll Be

5) My Old Friend

6) I Miss My Friend

Sometimes our best friend is also our greatest love. This song by Darryl Worley perfectly sums up the pain and longing we may experience after losing a partner or spouse.

VIII. EMO songs about losing a friend

Songs that fall into the punk rock category are generally regarded as “emo.” They are typically filled with emotional turmoil and angst, so you may find quite a few songs from this genre that deal with heartbreak and loss.

1) Seventy Times 7

“Seventy Times 7” seems to contradict the Bible verse that instructs Christians to forgive the people who have wronged them “seventy times seven” times. It’s the equivalent of telling someone to “Go to Hell” for the sins they committed against you.

2) 1998

3) Black Fish

4) Move On (feat. Reaper)

5) My Sweet Fracture

The singer of this 90s rock song has some pretty harsh words for the friend that he feels betrayed him. It’s an excellent track for letting off steam if you feel particularly let down by someone close to you.

6) Your Deep Rest

IX. Metal songs about losing a friend

You’d never expect a genre anchored in themes of anger, death, and violence to address the subject of losing a friend, but you’d be wrong. On the contrary, feeling angry about the death of a friend or loved one is not uncommon and even forms part of the seven stages of grief. 

1) Forget Your Name (feat. Keith Buckley)

Sometimes, after being betrayed by a friend, the only option you have is to cut them out of your life completely. At least, this is what the singer in this song does.

2) Vahle

3) Youngblood

4) Mile Zero

“Mile Zero” is an expression of the intense feelings of grief that you may experience after losing someone close to you and the struggle to accept the finality of death.

5) 10 Years Today

6) Goodbye