5 Tearjerker Songs

1992's Automatic for the People was a bold departure from R.E.M.'s typical college-rock sound. The band's mix of acoustic instruments and classical arrangements heightened these songs with immense grandeur. While the sound was certainly something new, "Nightswimming" tapped into something anyone can relate to: the passage of time.

With terrific orchestral arrangement by John Paul Jones, this piano ballad shows Michael Stipe combing through the years of his life with a wistful sense of nostalgia. His recollection of the memory of swimming in a lake in Georgia captures the innocence of youth perfectly, but Stipe is not content with pure nostalgia. There's a sense of inner sadness as Stipe admits that the exuberance of youth won't last forever and we should cherish these moments as we move on. When youthful ambitions are replaced by the hustle of everyday life, the childhood innocence is lost forever.

This is a good example of a song that gets more tearful as the years go on. It may seem sad that your youth is fading, but this song proves the old adage of "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." A great tearjerker song that absolutely deserves a quiet night.