3 Emo Songs That Make Me Think of My First Big Heartbreak

They don’t call it heartbreak for nothing. Your first heartbreak is particularly tough because you’ve never experienced that pain before. If your first heartbreak happened anywhere near the time that emo bands dominated alternative music, these songs must’ve been your anthems. Here are 4 songs that remind me of my first big heartbreak.

“hold me down” by Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack has multiple songs that remind me of my first big heartbreak. They were one of my main bands at the time. The final track on Commit This To Memory is an autobiographical breakup song. I still feel gut-punched with lines such as “I’ll have my brother stop by this Saturday to pick up my things, just make sure you’re not there. This may sound bad, and don’t take it the wrong way. I love you; however, you hold me down.”

I have to admit, I once messaged the lead singer, Justin Courtney Pierre, to express what this track means to me. He responded, cementing my love for Motion City Soundtrack.

“i don’t love you” by My Chemical Romance

Another gut-puncher is this track off My Chemical Romance‘s The Black Parade. It’s a tear-jerking ballad about falling out of love and finding the words to admit it. It sits on the album immediately after the iconic “Welcome To The Black Parade” and was the third single released. As far as the theme of the album, the track serves as a way for “the patient” to let go of his loved ones as he’s dying. That makes it even sadder, I know. This track always takes me back to the first time I fell out of love. Confusing times, for sure.

“that’s what you get” by paramore

Alright, so this one’s not nearly as sad as the others. There are multiple phases of heartbreak, and this song covers regret. Oftentimes, you work against the rational and allow yourself to feel, knowing it may hurt. This track perfectly captures that “told you so” moment. You knew you could get hurt, yet you let yourself grow attached anyway. “That’s what you get when you let your heart win” rather than using your head. It’s a classic tale of “do I listen to my head or my heart?” When you’re young and naive, this is a tough decision to make. Typically, we choose the heart and have to learn from that mistake.

Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage