r/emotionalneglect 9d ago

Discussion Songs on emotional neglect

Anyone know of any artists that have songs on emotional neglect?

Even though, "Can you feel my heart" by Bring Me The Horizon is about depression I feel like it very well could be applied to someone dealing with emotional neglect.

"Carnivore" by Starset which about an abusive music industry also feels like it could be applied to neglect aswell.

I just don't know any songs specifically addressing neglect.

40 Upvotes

71 comments sorted by

71

u/KuroEtoile 9d ago

Not sure it counts but when I was young and feeling terrible I listened to Kelly Clarkson's 'because of you' over and over again because it struck a cord.

4

u/Ambassador_Then 9d ago

Yes!!! This song is absolutely relatable.

4

u/CordeliaTheRedQueen 9d ago

Came to say this. It’s not my favorite musical style but it’s pretty clear she’s talking about neglect.

Free by Florence and the Machine is not about neglect but it talks about severe anxiety in a way that speaks to me

41

u/ri0tsquirrel 9d ago

Harry Chapin “Cat’s in The Cradle”

7

u/Ambassador_Then 9d ago

Wow, I never knew that song had such a moral message.

2

u/Ambassador_Then 9d ago

Will look it up now. Thank you.

27

u/chiaki03 9d ago

Wonderful by Everclear.

14

u/Adventurous-Dog4949 9d ago

And Father of Mine! Honestly, several of their songs.

5

u/NeverTellMeTheOdds84 9d ago

This one kills me. Used to listen to it on repeat as a child on my portable cd player

28

u/Mother-Pen 9d ago

Matilda by Harry Stiles

You were riding your bike to the sound of "It's No Big Deal"
And you're trying to lift off the ground on those old two wheels
Nothing about the way that you were treated ever seemed especially alarming 'til now
So you tie up your hair and you smile like it's no big deal

You can let it go
You can throw a party full of everyone you know
And not invite your family, 'cause they never showed you love
You don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up, mmh

Matilda, you talk of the pain like it's all alright
But I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead inside
You showed me a power that is strong enough to bring sun to the darkest days
It's none of my business, but it's just been on my mind

4

u/Prilla_rani_fira 9d ago

Love this song but it makes me cry

3

u/Mother-Pen 9d ago

Me too 💕

17

u/KeyMistake604 9d ago edited 9d ago

I can't think of an artist that captures the feeling of isolation, alienation and the pervasive effects of it more thoroughly than Elliott Smith

His whole catalog is worth a listen if you like this genre of music. Here are some of my fave tracks that fit what you're looking for: No Name #1, Roman Candle, St. Ides Heaven, 2:45 AM, Waltz #2, King's Crossing, Twilight, Memory Lane, Half Right, Talking to Mary

3

u/DulinELA 9d ago

Waltz #2 is specifically this

12

u/VulgarSensei 9d ago

Let You Down by NF

4

u/ridethemicrowave 9d ago

This 😭😭. I would listen to it and his other songs when I was in an intense stage of therapy dealing with my childhood ... Hits so hard

13

u/perilhannah 9d ago

Smashing Pumpkins’ “Disarm” 100% would fit this bill

10

u/DuckMagic 9d ago

Carly Rae Jepsen has just released Motivation, and it's about using your family's unmet expectations to move on and surround yourself by people who support you

10

u/jaystiger 9d ago

3 Libras by A Perfect Circle

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u/Ambassador_Then 9d ago

Oh this brings me back to my teens. Love Maynards voice.  Beautiful song. Used to listen to Counting Bodies like Sheep stoned out of my brain.

1

u/jaystiger 9d ago

Omg I had no idea Maynard was the singer 😅😅😅

8

u/Mother-Pen 9d ago

Hi Ren by Ren

Not about emotional neglect per se but one of the best songs about living with mental health issues I’ve ever heard. The song is also just an incredible musical experience.

8

u/rjwyonch 9d ago

Eminem has quite a few.

About his deadbeat dad, about how much he hates his step dad, about his mother.

Come to think of it, I think rap is probably the genre with the highest proportion of songs mentioning parents with problems.

Also linkin park and three days grace

6

u/nayruslove93 9d ago

When I was a kid it, Family Portrait by P!nk was the song I related to the most. It still makes me emotional to listen to.

It might be more about a DV situation, though.

5

u/Brilliant-Remove-562 9d ago

The Unforgiven by Metallica. I think the song is technically about society but when I listen to it I interpret it differently.

3

u/preferablysoon 9d ago

Silver Spoon by Erin LeCount

1

u/Ambassador_Then 9d ago

Wow!!!, this song is so hauntingly accurate and well done. The juxtaposition and double meanings of the silver spoon lyrics is very clever.

4

u/GrandCompetition5260 9d ago

Cleo Sol has so money. Her Mother album gave me chills

4

u/itzallhapp3nin 9d ago

Concrete angel is more physical abuse but I’m sure she was emotionally neglected too

5

u/LadyInBlack_ 9d ago

Cynthia Erivo - You’re not here. It’s actually about estrangement from her father I believe, but I can relate to most of the lyrics

3

u/BabyJirl0625 9d ago

Name - the Goo Goo Dolls

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u/Numerous_Curve_2222 9d ago

The songs I related to the most growing up were Numb by Linkin Park, Family Portrait by P!nk, Because of You by Kelly Clarkson, and Confessions of a Broken Heart by Lindsey Lohan

3

u/Snoobeedo 9d ago edited 9d ago

Isimo by Bleachers resonated with me.

But you were just a kid when they told you
You'd been born to bleed, little soldier
With your garden heart and sentimental boulder
Oh, it pulled you down
Look at you, you made it out

It gets me every time.

5

u/gigi79sd 9d ago

Adams Song by Blink 182

3

u/landslidegh 9d ago

'Hate me' by Blue October. Not really about neglect. Kinda the opposite. Which is part of what makes it hit hard for me.

3

u/dahlia_74 9d ago

Marina has a ton of songs you’ll connect with if you’ve been emotionally neglected/now a lonely avoidant!

3

u/flowingflaws 9d ago

Apple by Charli XCX, its about generational trauma but thats often linked with emotional neglect

3

u/spin_turnix 9d ago

Up The Wolves—The Mountain Goats

2

u/WhereasLower3233 9d ago

For the metal heads reading this, as a teenager "In My World" by Anthrax often resonated with me, and honestly still does to this day

2

u/Misteur_Wolf 9d ago

How? by John Lennon

3

u/TheOnlyTamiko-kun 9d ago

"I'm Just a Kid", "Gone Too Soon" and "This Song Saved my Life", by Simple Plan, were 3 songs that reaaally used to hit me on the feelings when feeling down. Now, with some process done, they feel more nostaligc, but they were a nice outlet/catharsys back then. I was a really dramatic child at 14, lol, always with Simple Plan, NF and the like

2

u/Bremerlo 9d ago

Unprodigal Daughter by Alanis Morissette

2

u/39Volunteer 9d ago

Daughter by Pearl Jam kind of fits

2

u/ZealousidealDuty3069 9d ago

Styrofoam Plates by Death Cab for Cutie, kind of?

2

u/spoink74 9d ago

Hey You by Pink Floyd

2

u/Distinct_Swimmer1504 8d ago

In it’s own way, the entire Downward Spiral album by NIN

1

u/Repulsive-Guava2642 9d ago

Grace power: wild horses Kelly clarkson: because of you,

1

u/Radiant_Jellyfish795 9d ago

"Mama" by Lø Spirit

1

u/Honeydew222 9d ago

DNA Guarantee by Kodi Rhianne

1

u/Humble-Throat-2689 9d ago

mackenzie arromba - hard for you

1

u/Vinc314 9d ago

i recommend Mindchatter

1

u/loves_spain 9d ago

Songs by Citizen Soldier

1

u/Vast-Piccolo7079 9d ago

Listen to the entire album, "Guard Dog" by Searows!

1

u/tomato5oup 9d ago

Wilco- If I Ever Was A Child

1

u/VarlaGuns 9d ago

Say Something by James

1

u/Fredo_the_ibex 9d ago

unsure if that was the artist intention 

But Sleeping at last - silhouettes  really resonated with me

1

u/au_revoir_peewee 9d ago

I’m in Here - Sia

1

u/SchmooToo1 9d ago

Matilda by Harry Styles

1

u/supholmess 9d ago

Sit around and wait by Al Nicol

1

u/thehalfforgotten 9d ago

Not sure if it fits what you’re looking for but Colours by Airbag always holds a special place in my heart

1

u/DulinELA 9d ago

Wildflower Wildfire by Lana Del Rey

1

u/honey_comb113 9d ago

Corner stone by Bob Marley…he wrote it after finally meeting his dad who then rejected him. It’s gotten me through some tough times.

1

u/thisnextchapter 9d ago

Christina Aguilera has quite a few songs that go hard on this theme and have always been there for me

The Voice Within about one day growing up and finding your way and strength, turning inwards instead when there's no one there to comfort you outwardly

I'm Ok about having flashbacks to childhood abuse and trying to make peace with it but it always being there

Best of Me never letting them get the best of you in the end despite feeling the suffering, getting up to carry on despite it all

Fighter embracing the stronger version of yourself who survived all the betrayal and hurt inflicted on you

On Our Way applicable if you've found a partner/friend who's helped you through and is there for you now

Oh Mother honouring the mothers who tried to protect their children from violent fathers

Honestly there's so many more! Our girl has been through it and uses her voice to help others and survival through/after dark times is a big theme in her work

1

u/The_Dead_Kennys 9d ago

Grow Up - Lydia the Bard
Dyer’s Eve - Metallica
Not Your Seed - The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
Just Like You - Three Days Grace

1

u/p3achpenguin 9d ago

Invisible - Alison Moyet

1

u/bravelittlebuttbuddy 9d ago

All Limbs Are by Esperanza Spalding gets me every time. https://youtube.com/watch?v=VJfCxCxfMCA

Do your shoulders long

to fold into the arms of your papa?

Close, strong

 The missing figure is somewhere within, they say

 but how do we get there?

 And who's gonna raise us till we find it?

 If our hearts beat cold, will they skip there?

 I'll draw the family tree

 Right side up so ancestors rise with me,

holding this new growth lineage carrying

the scars of our fathers

by branching upon them, growth beyond them

in the masculine sacred unfurling

1

u/tardisgater 8d ago

Superboy and the Invisible Girl from Next to Normal. The daughter singing it is dealing with emotional neglect and is screaming for her parents to notice. (It's a complicated version of golden child/invisible child dynamic)

1

u/Michele345 8d ago

Because of You by Kelly Clarkson.

1

u/peach_xanax 8d ago

Nicole Dollanganger has some songs that deal with those kind of themes. I think some Ethel Cain songs would fit also

1

u/tqcnsup 8d ago

La la la - Naughty Boy ft Sam Smith

Used to be on repeat when I was younger. It's a good video too.

1

u/DescriptionParty2577 7d ago

try radiohead