Men are so darn adorable when they’re hard-and-soft. You know the kind I mean: the tough, manly exterior with the chewy, puppy-dog center. Like Wolverine. Or Don Draper. Or Rosie Greer.
Anyway, if your guy has been a little too tough and not enough vulnerable lately, here’s help: A new poll by PRS Music has nailed down the top three songs that make men cry. And this list came after this week's Glee, so "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as sung by Kurt is not one of them.
Wondering what they are? Got a few good guesses before you click? Let us know if you got any right!
"Everybody Hurts," by REM
There’s something lonesome and universal about this song. It’s not even the words, necessarily; Michael Stipe’s wailing, wavering voice always cut me to the core, even back when he was singing about Driver 8. Paired with a gentle guitar line and trembling keyboards, it’s the perfect storm of “waah.” That’s why proto-emo guys from the '80s always had REM cassettes baking on their windshields as they drove along back roads, trying to clear their minds. Sigh.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rOiW_xY-kc
"Tears in Heaven," by Eric Clapton
I mean, it’s unbearable, what this song is about. In case you’re not familiar, it’s the song Clapton wrote after his 3-year-old died in a tragic fall (google it, I can’t talk about it or I’ll freak out and have to go hug my kids, and then I’ll never make my deadline). “Would you hold my hand if I saw you in heaven?” he asks. Gentle guitar. Mournful emotions. Not cool. Of course it makes guys cry.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjS3Jq35kDA
"Hallelujah," by Leonard Cohen
True story: I was in a fight with a boyfriend and was feeling awful. I was watching a TV show and this was on the soundtrack. I emailed him to ask if he had ever heard it and he emailed me back with all the lyrics. Later, we broke up anyway, but that’s not the point. This tale of misbegotten love, the pain of heartbreak, and “the baffled king, composing Hallelujah” — ouch. Doesn’t hurt that he throws in the image of a lady in the bath who ties you to a chair, but that’s another story. Maybe it’s that combination of sexy and heartbroken that does it. Guys are funny like that.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AWFf7EAc4
What songs make you cry? Is there another song that makes your guy get misty? Tell us in the comments!
Image via cauchisavona/Flickr
