The right music for saying goodbye
Music can often highlight the best moments of our lives. The same can be said about the bittersweet art of saying goodbye when you’re moving. That’s why we’ve gathered almost 10 hours of music related to goodbyes. Whether you’re moving away, moving on, experiencing a breakup or starting a new adventure — we have songs to help get through it. We’ve compiled a playlist with a wide mix of genres, eras and feelings about saying goodbye to family and friends.
Ready to listen? Check out our complete Spotify playlist here:
Our top 10 sad songs about moving away
Our favorite goodbye songs capture a wide range of emotions — the highs, the lows, the memories. And these songs perfectly express every feeling when moving away:
- “A Bad Goodbye” – Clint Black and Wynonna Judd
- “I Try” – Macy Gray
- “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” – Simple Minds
- “Wherever You Will Go” – The Calling
- “Please Don’t Go Girl” – NKOTB
- “I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston (Also check out the original by Dolly Parton)
- “Nothing Compares 2 U” – Chris Cornell (Also check out the cover by Sinead O’Connor and the original by Prince)
- “Here Without You” – 3 Doors Down
- “If You’re Gone” – Matchbox 20
- “Right Here Waiting” – Richard Marx
“Goodbye, easier said than done. Goodbye”
Clint Black and Wynonna Judd, “A Bad Goodbye”
Sentimental songs for moving after graduation
Whether you’re looking for music to commemorate leaving for college or starting a new life, these songs are full of nostalgia for the closing of a chapter that comes with graduation:
- “Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac
- “I Hope You Dance” – Lee Ann Womack
- “Graduation Song (Friends Forever)” – Vitamin C
- “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” – Green Day
- “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” – Baz Luhrmann, Quindon Tarver and Josh Abrahams
- “Free Bird” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- “Forever Young” – Bob Dylan (Also check out the cover by The Pretenders)
- “Today” – Smashing Pumpkins
- “I Will Remember You” – Sarah McLachlan
- “Photograph” – Nickelback
“Time makes us bolder. Children get older. I’m getting older, too.”
Fleetwood Mac, “Landslide”
Songs about leaving for a new adventure
Sometimes people sing about leaving for exciting things, like a new job or a new home. And other times, they sing about leaving a relationship or leaving something meaningful behind. These happy goodbye songs cover all those situations and more:
- “Fight Song” – Rachel Platten
- “You Gotta Be” – Des’ree
- “Unwritten” – Natasha Beddingfield
- “Wide Open Spaces” – The Chicks
- “Breakaway” – Kelly Clarkson
- “Second Chance” – Shinedown
- “Brave” – Sara Bareilles
- “The Climb” – Miley Cyrus
- “Million Reasons” – Lady Gaga
- “Don’t Forget Where You Belong” – One Direction
“And I don't really care if nobody else believes, 'cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me”
Rachel Platten, “Fight Song”
Goodbye songs for friends moving away
It’s never easy when friends leave. Keep a positive mood with these farewell songs for friends as you promise to remember them long after they’ve moved:
- “Lean on Me” – Ben Withers
- “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King
- “A Thousand Miles” – Vanessa Carlton
- “You’ve Got a Friend” – James Taylor
- “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Randy Newman
- “I’ll Be There for You” – The Rembrandts
- “I’ll Stand by You” – The Pretenders
- “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye” – Patty Loveless
- “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday” – Boyz II Men
- “Goodbye to You” – Michelle Branch
“Lean on me when you're not strong. And I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on”
Ben Withers, “Lean on Me”
Breakup songs
Breakups can be hard whether you’re sad or relieved about moving on. Grab the tissues for this group of songs:
- “Un-Break My Heart” – Toni Braxton
- “Stitches” – Shawn Mendes
- “The First Cut is the Deepest” – Sheryl Crow (Also check out the cover by Rod Stewart and the original by Yusuf/Cat Stevens)
- “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” – Taylor Swift
- “Lose You to Love Me” – Selena Gomez
- “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor
- “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” – Travis Tritt
- “Survivor” – Destiny’s Child
- “Wrong Direction” – Hailee Steinfeld
- “Gravity” – Sara Bareilles
“Un-break my heart. Say you'll love me again. Undo this hurt you caused when you walked out the door and walked out of my life”
Toni Braxton, “Un-Break My Heart”
Songs to say “I miss you”
Sometimes a broken heart just needs time to wallow or reminisce in the memories. These “I miss you” songs are just the ticket when missing someone:
- “When You’re Gone” – Avril Lavigne
- “I’ll Be Missing You” – Diddy, Faith Evans and 112
- “Missing You” – John Waite
- “When You’re Gone” – The Cranberries
- “Miss You Love” – Silverchair
- “I Miss You” – Beyonce
- “Stay (I Missed You)” – Lisa Loeb
- “Miss You” – Foster the People
- “I Miss You” – Incubus
- “Miss You” – Darius Rucker
“When you're gone, the pieces of my heart are missin' you. When you're gone, the face I came to know is missin', too”
Avril Lavigne, “When You’re Gone”
Party music for moving
Whether you’re having a going away party, packing up or unpacking at a new place, these upbeat crowd pleasers will set the right mood. Now that you’ve got a playlist ready, check out these other tips to throw a great send-off for a loved one.
- “MMM Bop” – Hanson
- “Cheap Thrills” – Sia
- “Put Your Records On” – Corrine Bailey Rae
- “Shut Up and Dance” – WALK THE MOON
- “Party in the U.S.A.” – Miley Cyrus
- “Glad You Came” – The Wanted
- “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen
- “Closer” The Chainsmokers and Halsey
- “Y.M.C.A.” – Village People
- “Twist and Shout” – The Beatles
- “La Bamba” – Ritchie Valens
- “Boom Clap” – Charlie XCX
- “This is What You Came For” – Calvin Harris and Rihanna
- “Just Dance” – Lady Gaga and Colby O’Donis
- “Save Tonight” – Eagle-Eye Cherry
Have a song to add to our list?
Is your favorite goodbye song missing from our list? Please share it with us in the comments below!
Do you need something more than music to tell someone farewell? Check out these goodbye quotes for even more touching sentiments.
