If you’ve had a long day or a restless night, you’re probably desperate for some sleep. Luckily, the peaceful songs on this list can help ease you into a deep snooze while you have the music playing.
Featuring sweet ballads, sad love songs, and ambient instrumentation, this list of songs to fall asleep to has some of the best tracks to help relax your mood and lead you to sweet dreams. It’s more than your typical list of deep-sleep music you find on other sleep-related playlists!
Contents
- Teardrop – Massive Attack
- Weightless – Marconi Union
- I’m So Tired – The Beatles
- Only Time – Enya
- I Need Some Sleep – Eels
- Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones
- Pure Shores – All Saints
- Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
- Sun’s Coming Up – Tame Impala
- The Scientist – Coldplay
- Asleep – The Smiths
- Moon – Foals
- Angels – The xx
- All Alright – Sigur Rós
- Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
- Falling – Harry Styles
- No Distance Left to Run – Blur
- How to Disappear Completely – Radiohead
- Wedding Song – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- Pale Blue Eyes – The Velvet Underground
- Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur
- Delicate – Damien Rice
- All I Want – Kodaline
- Breathe – Taylor Swift
- Cool Waves – Spiritualized
- The Asphalt World – Suede
- Sleeping with Ghosts – Placebo
- 8 – Billie Eilish
- Here – Pavement
- Run – Snow Patrol
- Daysleeper – R.E.M.
Teardrop – Massive Attack
The repetitive instrumentals in this soothing song lull you into a state of grief that matches the song’s lyrics. With many references to death and crying, the narrator has likely lost someone close to her. The line “teardrop on the fire” tells us that even though she keeps crying, it is not nearly enough to douse the passion of her love nor the depths of her grief.
Related: Feeling sad, happy, or mad? There’s a song for you on our list of songs about emotions and feelings.
Weightless – Marconi Union
‘Weightless’ is an instrumental track filled with a synth that slowly oscillates back and forth—this is definitely a song you should listen to with headphones! The continuous beat and slow rhythm suspend you in time, making you feel weightless indeed. The music video is an interesting one, featuring a drone dancing through the air over a pond at the foot of a valley. It’s mesmerizing, which adds to the weightlessness creeping into your mind.
Related: You can also find this song on our playlist of getting work done music.
I’m So Tired – The Beatles
When you’re tired, there’s nothing better than the promise of sleep, and there’s nothing worse than sleep eluding you. John Lennon wrote this song while on a meditation retreat, where he found himself suffering from insomnia. He sings, “I’d give you everything I’ve got for a little peace of mind,” and it’s true that fatigue can make you that desperate. Hopefully, the swaying melodies of ‘I’m So Tired’ can help coax you into sleep.
Related: Need a nap? Here are the best songs about being tired.
Only Time – Enya
The reverberating vocals of this transportive ballad immediately put you in a dreamlike state. Enya sings about the unmatched omniscience of time; only the passage of time can answer the present’s questions. It’s a reminder to us not to try and rush our fates. Time will reveal everything we need to know and all that we will be. We just have to wait.
I Need Some Sleep – Eels
Do you need some sleep? Well, maybe this song can help—or at least give you something to relate to! The chiming instrumentation sounds like noises that a hanging mobile might make, contributing to the lullaby feel of the song. The narrator is tired but is struggling to let go of the thoughts keeping him up. We’ve all been plagued by an overactive mind before bedtime, which can certainly be a struggle.
Related: If your thoughts are plaguing you, check out these songs with think in the title.
Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones
Norah Jones has a gorgeous voice, offering you comfort as sleep calls to you. It’s soft yet full, with just enough rasp to add a little tension. Jones grapples with her fear of commitment in ‘Don’t Know Why,’ wondering why she cannot accept the love she has for this other person. She tries to find solace in wine, but even that cannot stop her thoughts from landing on her love: “my heart is drenched in wine, but you’ll be on my mind forever.”
Related: Sip your drink while you enjoy the best songs about wine.
Pure Shores – All Saints
This track’s soft electronic pop feel offers a nice groove to calm your mind. The All Saints search for paradise in ‘Pure Shores,’ yearning for something peaceful that is purely theirs. They sing, “I’m searching for more,” after realizing that the hustle and bustle of everyday life are sometimes just too much. Perhaps for you, that thing you’re searching for is some sleep!
Related: Listen to more songs from The Beach movie.
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
‘Hallelujah’ is one of Jeff Buckley’s most famous songs, and there is no secret as to why. The thought-provoking lyrics, the reverent vocals, and the smooth instrumentation make this song moving. This track has many religious references, but you don’t need to understand them to feel the longing for love that this song captures.
Related: This song features on our playlist of great song covers.
Sun’s Coming Up – Tame Impala
A simple piano riff repeats throughout this song and distorted vocals add a hazy feel. The track seems to follow the narrator through an existential crisis. He is looking at his past and present, finding them totally different. He recalls everything his youthful self thought would last forever, realizing that “they’re now all memories.”
The Scientist – Coldplay
‘The Scientist’ is a classic Coldplay song, an emotional track if there ever was one. The scientist is the song’s narrator, a man who has been so absorbed by his work that he neglected his love. He is filled with regret, begging the universe, “take me back to the start.” The orchestral arrangement combined with pop elements hits hard.
Related: Hear more of the best songs about giving love a second chance.
Asleep – The Smiths
Let The Smiths sing you to sleep with this lovely piano ballad! Lines like “sing me to sleep, I don’t want to wake up on my own anymore” make this a track filled with loneliness. Sometimes all we want is to be held, and falling asleep without that can hurt.
Related: Drift off with these songs about sleeping.
Moon – Foals
‘Moon’ is quiet and immersive, with calm yet eerie sonics that feels like walking alone on a cloudy night. Vivid imagery like “my teeth fall out my head into the snow” and “blood on your weddin’ dress” make the story an apocalyptic one, and the expansive instrumentation adds perfectly to that.
Angels – The xx
This breathy and echoing love song describes a connection we all hope to have and are scared of losing. ‘Angels’ is a mostly stripped-back track, which allows the lyrics to sink in. The narrator talks about how she is so in love with all the details of this other person, noticing things that no one else does. She sings “a silent devotion. I know you know what I mean,” to show how well the pair understands each other.
Related: Enjoy our perfect angel song list.
All Alright – Sigur Rós
‘All Alright’ has a lengthy and simple intro, with just a few piano chords being played with a lot of space between them. When the vocals come in, they are soft and intimate, pulling you closer to the emotions of the track. The singer seems remorseful about something, saying, “I want him to know what I have done.” We don’t find out what this thing is, but it clearly weighs on him heavily.
Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
A breakout hit for Lewis Capaldi, ‘Someone You Loved’ is a piano ballad with gut-wrenching lyrics and powerful vocals. Capaldi sings about feeling lost after being left by a partner. He feels blindsided by the breakup, singing, “I let my guard down, and then you pulled the rug.” Just when he was finally comfortable with being loved, the other person changed their mind.
Related: You won’t want to miss your chance to hear our playlist of regretting songs.
Falling – Harry Styles
It’s easy to fall asleep to ‘Falling,’ a piano ballad with raw and intimate vocals. Harry Styles sings about how he feels he has lost himself, ultimately leading to losing the person he loves. The pain in his voice is palpable as he cries, “what am I now? What if I’m someone I don’t want around?” It’s an identity crisis and a heartbreak wrapped up into a beautiful song.
No Distance Left to Run – Blur
The end of a relationship is the perfect subject for a slow song, and ‘No Distance Left to Run’ demonstrates that nicely. The electric guitar lilts through remorseful riffs as the narrator mourns the love he used to have. He wants to run from the pain, but there’s nowhere to go that the heartbreak won’t follow- “I got no distance left to run.”
How to Disappear Completely – Radiohead
This track opens with the narrator dissociating, which is when you have an out-of-body experience. Soft vocals and eerie strings put the listener in the same trance that the narrator is experiencing. It almost feels like he is dissociating, so he doesn’t have to face reality, saying, “I’m not here. This isn’t happening.”
Related: Here are some more songs for when you’re sad.
Wedding Song – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
‘Wedding Song’ will have you falling asleep with dreams of true love floating through your head. Lead singer Karen O wrote the song for her husband—it was their literal wedding song. The track is full of passion and unfiltered devotion, with lines like “you’re the breath that I breathe,” telling us how deeply this couple is in love.
Related: You’ll love our songs about getting married playlist.
Pale Blue Eyes – The Velvet Underground
The soft intimacy of ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ adds a nice effect to the track, as it sounds like the narrator is singing directly to his love. It almost feels like we’re intruding as listeners, hearing an honest confession that isn’t meant for us. The song tells a bittersweet story of a friendship that can never be more because the woman is already married. Still, the narrator harbors a deep love for her.
Related: See our list of song lyrics about blue eyes.
Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur
James Arthur has a velvety voice full of feeling, and it shines in this track. The heartwarming ballad captures all the different feelings of love, like fear, hesitancy, devotion, and care. Arthur wants to be with this person through everything in life, even the most monotonous days, hoping to be “grey and old” with them someday.
Related: Is love at first sight possible? Here are some songs about instant love.
Delicate – Damien Rice
Subdued guitar, lovely strings, and warm vocals give this song a peaceful vibe. There’s no better place to listen to it than your bed while you ruminate on the delicate nature of love. Damien Rice feels betrayed by someone, asking, “why’d you sing Hallelujah if it means nothing to ya?” It seems this person has played him, and he is hurting.
All I Want – Kodaline
Perhaps one of the most poignant heartbreak songs ever, ‘All I Want’ is a soul-bearing track about trying (and failing) to move on after a breakup. The quivering vocals and ambient production style are enchanting, and you can feel all the torment the singer is experiencing. He asks a simple question, but it is devasting all the same: “if you loved me, why’d you leave me?”
Related: Move forward with these songs about moving on from your ex.
Breathe – Taylor Swift
Sometimes the hardest part of a breakup is when you have no one to blame. “People are people, and sometimes it doesn’t work out,” says Taylor Swift. Swift’s vocals have a resigned calmness, creating a lullaby about saying goodbye to someone. She sings, “I can’t breathe without you, but I have to,” to explain the ache of lost love.
Related: Slow down and take a breath with our breathe songs list.
Cool Waves – Spiritualized
This ambient track’s ‘Cool Waves’ wash over you as you listen, transporting you to a blissful soundscape of stacked vocals and comforting horns. The track takes you through the beautiful story of a man who loves someone so much he is willing to let them go. He reaffirms his love for this person without hesitation but says, “if you gotta leave, you gotta leave,” to show them he would never try to hold them back.
The Asphalt World – Suede
The muse of ‘The Asphalt World’ is a woman untethered to anything, and the narrator ponders over his love for her, wondering if it is authentic. The opening line, “she walks the asphalt world,” is a clever way of saying that this woman lives in a different world (even though that world might just be the streets). Echoing vocals create intrigue that makes you think about this girl along with the singer.
Sleeping with Ghosts – Placebo
‘Sleeping with Ghosts’ explores themes of soulmates and love, backed by experimental synth and rippling guitar. Even when a relationship ends, it doesn’t necessarily mean the connection will fully fade. You don’t have to be afraid of losing love entirely because “soulmates never die.”
Related: Don’t get too spooked by these ! ghost songs.
8 – Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish pitched up her vocals for some sections of this song, and the effect, along with the warm ukulele strumming, immediately makes ‘8’ feel like a lullaby. It takes a bit of a darker turn when the drums and voice distortion come in, but it remains a relaxing melancholy song all the same. Eilish sings about a confusing relationship where she is in love but has no idea what the other person is feeling. She asks, “do you even feel anything?”
Here – Pavement
Though this song’s bleak and defeated outlook isn’t the most joyful way to fall asleep, the steady rhythm and emotion-filled vocals may help ease you into your dreams. The narrator feels hopeless, knowing that no amount of praying can prevent sad times or death—”everything’s ending here.”
Run – Snow Patrol
Lead singer Gary Lightbody says goodbye to a lover in this song. Many people believe that the imagery in the song suggests that the other person is in a coma, but the heartwrenching lyrics could apply to any unfortunate love story. Lightbody dreams of the pair making it to a place free from sorrow, saying, “we’ll run for our lives.”
Daysleeper – R.E.M.
This track takes on the persona of someone who works the night shift, meaning they have to sleep during the day. The song was inspired by lead singer Michael Stipe seeing a sign that said “daysleeper” on the door of an apartment. He began thinking about what that person’s life must be like, and this song was born!
Related: Is someone invading your thoughts? Check out these songs about dreaming of someone, where you’ll also find this song.
