Finding Comfort in Sound: Alternative Songs About Mental Health
by Richard Howlett
• Published 22/01/2025
We talk a lot about mental health here on funeral-notices.co.uk, and we always try to reinforce the idea that you are not alone. No matter what you are going through, there are people who can help, people who can understand, and people that can listen.
If you’re not quite ready to reach out, then you can actually get a lot from listening to music that either inspires you to push through or that relates to you on an emotional level.
Here are seven tracks from alternative artists that discuss mental health in interesting and relatable ways.
Get Better by Frank Turner
“I'm trying to get better because I haven't been my best
She took a plain black marker, started writing on my chest
She drew a line across the middle of my broken heart,
And said: "Come on now, let's fix this mess"
We could get better
Because we're not dead yet”
What an anthem. If you have that hopeless feeling and need something to inspire you to pick yourself up and carry on, then this is the song to do it.
Not Dark Yet by Bob Dylan
“Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear
It's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there”
The overall tone and mood of this song is so dark, and probably not something you want to listen to while you’re at your lowest, but you might just recognise your own feelings, or even use the song to explain how you feel sometimes.
Dust Me Off by Tilly & The Wall
“Got to remember to fight
Off the darkness that creeps in sometimes
And turn that sadness into something that feels right
Cause you're two friends I can count on when I'm blue
You pull me up, you dust me off, you pull me through”
This is a much more joyful song than the previous one. It acknowledges that we will experience the dark days, but that there are people around you that will help you get through them.
Crawling by Linkin Park
”There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing
This lack of self-control I fear is never-ending
Controlling, I can't seem
To find myself again”
A powerful song about battling the demons within, whether that’s depression, addiction or anxiety, the walls can often feel like they’re closing in. This is a great song to scream out the lyrics to if you just need to let it all out.
Fake Happy by Paramore
“Hey, if I smile with my teeth
I bet you believe me
If I smile with my teeth
I think I believe me”
The lyrics talk about hiding the sadness through fake smiles and pleasantries, while also positing that you’re not alone in feeling like this, and everyone else is ‘fake happy’ too. Ultimately it's kind of a sad song, but also somewhat reassuring.
Hi Ren by Ren
“Hi Ren, I've been taking some time to be distant
I've been taking some time to be still
I've been taking some time to be by myself
And I've spent half my life ill”
Is this a song, or is it performance art? Either way, it’s powerful to hear a person arguing with their own negative subconscious. This song features strong language, but if you are going to listen to it then I’d advise watching the video along with it to get the full impact.
Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.
“When your day is long
And the night, the night is yours alone
When you're sure you've had enough
Of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go
'Cause everybody cries
Everybody hurts sometimes”
We have to end this list on Everybody Hurts by R.E.M., because it is such a great reminder that you are not alone. Whatever you are going through, there are others out there who have experienced the same thing and who have made it through.
Everybody hurts, sometimes.
If you're hurting and need someone to talk to, contact the Samaritans on 116 123.
