Cheesiest songs that make you cry or get emotional

Couldn't find a thread on this specific niche despite some searching.

I'll go first: no matter the circumstance, DJ Sammy's "Heaven" makes me tear up. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This thread is a safe space!! No judgment!

ughhh james taylor fire and rain 🙄

that’s a good one. i also get teary to “Runnin’ on Empty”

“Everybody Hurts”

that one got me a few months ago, it doesn’t always make me teary but i hadn’t heard it in a few years— i usually skip it tbh!— but i was doing a task and had to let it play out

one of the songs from the CBBC show The Fimbles, which my older son used to watch when he was 3 or so.

Over 20 years ago during a hangover, the Weezer 'Buddy Holly' synth/guitar break after the first chorus made me break down due to being that good

The Fimbles was brilliant, though as I recall they just missed the cut of the CBeebies album I had for Christmas in 2002

Tbh I don't really know how to contribute to this thread, so much possibly maybe corny makes me emotional

Keeping it CBeebies though, the Tweenies' "No. 1" was a big favourite of mine at the time and it wouldn't make me tear up or anything but it's always sorta sounded a bit melancholy to me and has kept that quality, it even has a "Tap Turns On the Water"-ish key change.

Very related to that (bcus they're the obvious model for the Tweenies' records), but a good handful of S Club 7 hits make me want to well up if they catch me at the right time, "Reach" especially

“Send in the Clowns” lol
Also”inchworm” by Anne Murray

Both remind me of early childhood hence the tears

"Another Suitcase in Another Hall"

Every time

Neko Case’s “Calling Cards” always fucks me up but I don’t think it counts as cheesy.

Hmm honestly, a great deal of songs off these - to pick some fairly at random - again because early childhood

https://www.discogs.com/release/8104381-Various-Contenders-For-The-Record-Of-The-Year-2000
https://www.discogs.com/release/4627261-Various-Pepsi-Chart-2002
https://www.discogs.com/release/9152357-Various-New-Pepsi-Chart-2002
https://www.discogs.com/master/1196409-Various-Marching-On-Together-Leeds-United-Greatest-Hits
https://www.discogs.com/master/219253-Various-The-Best-Unofficial-Footie-Anthems-Ever
https://www.discogs.com/master/1615857-Various-The-Greatest-Hits-Of-1998

Really do want to shoutout the Crew's "We Are Leeds", from 1990, I don't even follow sport (it's my dad's thing) but that one has absolutely has kept its musical bittersweetness, even if the mystery of it (and Royksopp's So Easy and Zombie Nation's Kernkraft 400 and Fathers Angels' Bok to Bach, to pick on a few other tracks my tiny brain found mysterious and evocative and brilliant) is, err, more explainable now. It still makes me emotional, wistful piece of tinny minor-key vaguely housey synthpop IMHO (there's also an excellent very hooky rave-into-big-beat 12" on that Leeds comp if anyone cares but I'll shut up about this now).

Oh and "Mouldy Old Dough", which has also been on the brain today, makes me damn near tear up but I guess I'm not alone there.

In the world of badly produced indie-label Celtic rock: The Iron Horse's "The Luthier". And some of those early Wolfstone records before they actually get more sympathetic production. And Davy Spillane's "Lucy's Tune/Indiana Drones".

The Chainsmokers song with Chris Martin

hahaha good answer

ariana grande "into you"
kesha "your love is my drug"
kylie minogue "love at first sight"
britney spears and elton john "hold me closer"

four non-blondes "what's going on"

daddy edition

"cat's in the cradle"
"the eye of the tiger"
"flight of icarus" iron maiden

The rousing anthems and ballads from Les Miserables

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

Cheesy is socially constructed though … like, there was a time when that Pink Floyd wasn’t cheesy, I think, like 35 years ago when my high school crush put it on a mixtape.

Is Winner Takes It All by Abba cheesy? I think that one’s variable.

This one probably counts as cheesy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRcehJl5p3o

charlie rich, feel like going home

also i absolutely fucking loved air supply when i was a child; could no doubt still summon up some feelings for that

Lord of the Dance

i also get teary to “Runnin’ on Empty”

otm

mary chapin carpenter - "he thinks he'll keep her"

Alone again… naturally

Someone posted Cat's In The Cradle to our Music League a while back and I wasn't expecting it to actually get me ffs

Ambushed by unexpected emotion

Cat Stevens, Father and Son

Bonnie Raitt, Nick of Time

Cat Stevens, Father and Son

In the last few years Cat Stevens’ more sentimental stuff has migrated for me from rolled eyes to tugged heartstrings. “Don’t Be Shy” esp

You'll Never Walk Alone always gets me (and I don't like LFC).

Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Royals

Style

Mean

and less-uncool songs by Patti Smith and Chumbawamba

“I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” from Sesame Street as sung by Ernie

Omg yes. I was just playing that for my kids (as I used to when they were v. small) and my 10yo daughter got teary.

Bruce Hornsby and the Range - The way it is.

Amy Grant's version of "If These Walls Could Speak"
and any number of showtunes I guess

also Rose Laurens - American Love

rachel platten - fight song

Joe Brown doing "I'll See You in My Dreams"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTWI28r5-ag

Joe Longthorne doing "We Don't Cry Out Loud", especially the sweaty live version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmRFbDl5iJo

...but I think those are both quite beautiful songs. Cheesy: probably hearing the "Ted Lasso" theme during the pandemic, got me every time.

Dario G "Sunchyme"

And, feh, probably the Taggart and Boon themes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3M1-kqejA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k6RF7nBxX8

Maria Bethania singing a song from a children's program soundtrack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLxfeI-j1UI

For the record I only listed the cheesiest songs that make me emotional — the real list would take too long and be too revealing!!

What A Wonderful World

Bette Midler “The Rose”
Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time”

Willeke Alberti - Samen zijn

“Something Good”, from The Sound Of Music.

since Dario G was mentioned, I'd also add the original version of "Life In A Northern Town." It's funny: this song never really got to me until the "Buckley's ghost" episode of King of the Hill

Phil Collins "Against All Odds" forever.

"Moon River"

Let It Go from Disney's Frozen
Taylor Swift - The Best Day

Phil Collins "Against All Odds" forever.

Yes

Climax Blues Band: I Love You

Kermit 'Rainbow Connection'....this is before I saw Pharrell once say it makes him cry, I said it before he did.

I'll take "Bein' Green" myself.

Cmon ppl everyone who knows the song cries at Rainbow Connection

Add to those "Halfway Down the Stairs"

Rainbow Connection is cheesier than Bein' Green, I'll give you that.

OK, I'll admit to loving Chicago "I've Been Searching So Long" by their cheesiest member, Peter Cetera.

I like the mystery in the melody, and I'm a sucker for the sweeping string arrangement building up the second half.

no shame in "rainbow connection"

“Rainbow Connection” was our wedding processional song, so, yes, big emotions

number of times i've had to leave the room in front of my kids so they don't see me cry when "part of your world" starts up and Ariel bids farewell to Triton at the end of "The Little Mermaid"

Part of Your World is a beautiful song

I don't really buy into "cheesiness", I might acknowledge some songs are more mawkish than others. The real test is when you listen to something on a loop for half an hour while drunk/hungover and sobbing as you sing along

This thread is maybe in the ballpark

Ambushed by unexpected emotion

Anyway, besides "Against all odds" this was the last time this happened

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=culQ6vqg9aU

"Maybe" from Annie the musical makes me tear up every time too

Robert Miles 'One and One' as it was playing in the car on the way to the hospital after we found out my Mum had terminal cancer.

Slightly more lightheartedly, decades ago: Cutting Crew 'I Just Died In Your Arms' used to make me snivvel, as it reminded me of my first love. A total ned / chav / trailer-park girl (delete as geographically appropriate). I'm over that one thankfully. It was 30 years ago....

"Baby Can I Hold You"

^^ not cheesy

I cry at everything and yet I can't think of anything I'd describe cheesy I'd cry at.

Gaslight Anthem - 59 Sound. I can't articulate why.

"happiness" from the peanuts musical, you're a good man charlie brown

hey xyzzz sua estupidez is GOAT of all time, thank you for celebrating that

that clip is part of an annual end of year tv special Roberto Carlos has since... idk when

Is he still doing it? (I grew up in Brazil btw) (he's in his 80s now?)

I think he is... or either he just does the show but it's not televised anymore!

And yes, in his 80s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAxDF2fuQNI

'Teach Your Children'. Many songs about children and parents (parents growing older, children growing older and knowing more than their parents ever did, etc.) will make me well up on command.

Although I'm not sure most of them qualify as 'cheesy'.

That song is definitely cheesy.

tbf you are a “weller” tho

Taylor Swift - The Best Day

― peace, man, Monday, September 15, 2025 8:34 AM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

ditto

tbf you are a “weller” tho

true