Songs About Regret
Regret is a hard thing to admit, but we’ve all felt it, which makes it a very relatable topic for music.
Sometimes we regret decisions, and sometimes we regret indecision. Let’s explore some great songs about regret.
Always by Bon Jovi
Is it just me, or do most Bon Jovi songs seem to be about a love he had, made mistakes, and now regrets his actions? What I love about this song is the honesty with which he sings this song. It’s raw and it’s passionate.
A Life Of Regrets by Chester See
A life of waiting and of regrets. It’s a sad tune, but with sweet vocals that make this song feel melancholy relatable.
Yesterday by The Beatles
This is one is the best songs of the 20th century. From the initial chords, you can’t but feel emotional, and relate to this song so much that you almost want to cry. Everyone has a yesterday. And the longer we live, the more yesterdays we will have. That’s the piercingly philosophical and even subconscious truth that this ballad taps into.
Hitting Air by Alex Genadinik
This is an imaginative hard rock song that pictures a 5-year old me tugging at the sleeve of the middle-aged me, and asking whether I did right by him. Each verse progresses through life, and looks back at the decisions I made, and choices I had to live with – never truly being sure of them. Here is the link to the full analysis of this song about growing up with song lyrics.
Time In A Bottle by Jim Croce
In this sweet tune, Jim Croce regrets that he doesn’t have enough time to spend with his newborn son. It’s sweet and relatable.
Cats In The Cradle by Harry Chapin
In a very different song that the one by Jim Croce, this song regrets the opposite. It looks back at a father who neglected his son and never spent time with him. It’s sung from the point of view of the father who regrets that his song grew up just like him.
Dreams I Weave by Alex Genadinik
This is one of my latest songs. It’s about a couple who dream about each other, but when the time comes to say the right thing, they don’t. The moment passes them by, and they live in regret while living in the dreams they weave about each other.
Here is a link to a page with a longer analysis and full lyrics of this song about being apart.
If I Could Turn Back Time by Cher
I can relate to this song. You say something stupid that hurts someone else, and it’s too late to change it back. All you can do is dwell on what happened so much that it becomes a catchy and passionate chorus to a song.