Nobody else is around, the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and the only way to cleanse yourself of this overwhelming emotion is to play a song which you have a personal connection to. A song that only you can understand because it penetrates deep into your bones, and targets every fiber of your being to the point where you feel it was recorded just for you at this very moment in time. These are the songs that extract emotion out of us at our most vulnerable moments. Im sharing a few of my own selections, but Im more interested in what everyone else has to share. So make sure to hit up the comment section below, or stop by Facebook and Twitter to join in the conversation.

Pink Floyd

Coming Back to Life

While the original track comes off Pink Floyd’s Division Bell album, the version I fell in love with was witnessing Floyd guitar player David Gilmour perform the song at a Fender anniversary concert. The lyric “Where were you when I was burned and broken?” cracks through a sorrow soaked guitar intro, and launches into one of the most lyrically poignant songs Ive ever heard.

Dream Theater

The Spirit Carries On

From the legendary concept album Metropolis II: Scenes From a Memory, this track is originally slated to fit inside a much bigger story. However, you can’t help but find a relatable message within the lyrics and apply them to your own life. What happens after we pass will always be a huge mystery for everyone with a beating heart, but songs like this help some of us ease that curiosity towards the unknown.

Anathema

Lost Control

Sometimes its important to embrace an overwhelming sadness so we can not only prevent it from infecting us at a deeper level, but also to teach us how to release such intense pain. Anathema has always been good at helping me extract some of the things I tend to hold on to, which I should be letting go of.

My Dying Bride

For My Fallen Angel

Not many metal bands have ever had such a somber impact on my own soul, and while there may not be any distorted guitars or skull crushing drums, the message of this song is translated perfectly with a tasteful string arrangement that’s sure to drown you in sadness.

Hans Zimmer

Rise

Batman has always been an iconic part of my memory ever since I was a kid, and while Im not obsessed to the point where I have my own bat cave, I will always be intrigued by the overall story. As a child it showed me how to be courageous and embrace fear, as opposed to running from it. Like many moments from our childhood, those feelings tend to get lost as time goes by. I never expected those emotions to return in full force during the final act of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, which was brilliantly scored by the always imaginative Hans Zimmer.