12 Grey's Anatomy songs ranked by how much they destroyed your life

5 May 2016, 16:20 | Updated: 25 September 2021, 12:50

By Katie Louise-Smith

SOMEBODY SEDATE ME!

Can we just have a moment to talk about the music in Grey's Anatomy please?

Ever since the first episode waaaaay back in 2005, we've been introduced to some amazing artists and iconic tracks that might have otherwise slipped under our radar. Also, remember when we got to hear Taylor Swift's 'White Horse' for the first time in the season 5 premiere episode!? What a moment!

But what Grey's Anatomy gives with one hand, they also take away with the other. After 18 seasons and countless memorable moments, it's impossible to count how many times our emotions have been compromised by the show's music supervisors.

So, here's a list of some of Grey's standout music moments, ranked by how much they made us cry.

---> BEWARE SPOILERS, NETFLIX WATCHERS. <---

12) Ingrid Michaelson - 'Keep Breathing'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Burke left Cristina at the altar and then she went back to his apartment to find he had left and then she cried and then she couldn't get out of her wedding dress and then Meredith had to cut her out of the wedding dress and then we were sad?

It was a devastating moment but like, she was free, y'know? Cristina was finally free.

11) Tegan And Sara - 'Where Does The Good Go'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Meredith and Cristina had one last 'dance it out' session and they played this song and it was so bittersweet and then Cristina left and then we spent the next 7 seasons low-key wishing she would come back?

Sobbing. Mostly because this Tegan and Sara track was stacked with season 1 first-year intern nostalgia.

10) Jill Andrews - 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: April was about to marry Matthew but she was low-key in love with Jackson and then he stood up in the middle of their wedding and declared his love?

The quintessential Japril song. I love them.

9) Zola Jesus - 'Skin'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Henry died and then he was just lying there on the table and Teddy just sobbed by his side?

I have never been able to listen to this song without thinking about this scene since.

8) Anna Nalick - 'Breathe (2AM)'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Bailey was giving birth while her husband almost died in Derek's OR and then Meredith was holding a BOMB?

Just one of the most iconic TV scenes of the past 20 years, to be quite honest. And it's made even sadder when you remember that Lexie sings it during the music episode.

7) Ed Sheeran - 'Kiss Me'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Ben and Bailey were having their first dance as a married couple and Webber was watching and then Meredith showed up and he told her Adele had died and they both stood there and cried?

Crying because Ben and Bailey are perfect. Crying because Adele died. Crying at the tears silently falling down Webber's face before the camera cuts to him and Adele dancing together. Just... crying.

6) Greg Laswell - 'Off I Go'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Izzie was waiting for the elevator doors to open and then they opened and then George was standing in the elevator and everyone was like WHAT is going on? And then... we realised?

An iconic Grey's Anatomy song if we ever did hear one. A game-changing moment. Truly one of the most devastating scenes in the history of the show.

5) 'In My Veins' by Andrew Belle

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: There was a shooter in the hospital and Percy got shot and Bailey was trying to save him but he was dying and she tried to get him down to an OR but the elevators had stopped working and she literally just couldn't save him?

There is literally no water left in our bodies to even think about producing tears at this point. Chandra Wilson deserved all the Emmys for this scene.

4) One Two - 'Without You'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Mark Sloan was taken off life support and Derek and Callie both sat by his side the entire time until he finally passed away?

A devastating death for an unforgettable character, paired with a memorable song that we literally cannot ever listen to again without crying.

3) The Wind And The Wave - 'Chasing Cars'

ABC / via giphy.com

Remember when: Meredith finally arrives back home one year after Derek's death and she walks into her bedroom to find one of Derek's shirts, his cologne, the tumour and the post-it on the wall. And then she goes back to work and finds Derek's ferryboat scrub cap in his lab coat pocket. And then she puts the scrub cap on?

How many different ways can this show find to torture us with this song? The devil works hard but the Grey's Anatomy music supervisors work harder.