Music from This Is Us Season 1 guaranteed to make you cry

This Is Us famously inspires tears with its honest stories, and its bittersweet soundtrack adds an overwhelming boost of emotion. These 11 songs are guaranteed to make you cry.

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From the minute we met the Pearson family on This Is Us, music was ingrained in the narrative. We acquainted ourselves with the Pearsons through the use of somber ballads, mid-tempo tear-jerkers, and even a hit pop song by Selena Gomez. And as Rebecca and Kate revealed their passions for singing, music not only elevated the stories but it became even more integral in telling them.

This September, This Is Us will release its first soundtrack, a collection of songs from Season 1’s most memorable moments. There’s the song that welcomed us to the family, the song that revealed the big twist, and the song that celebrated the life of a fan favorite characters. The soundtrack’s 20 songs don’t miss a beat or an emotion. If you thought the episodes were the sole source of our tears, wait until you listen to the music associated with the scenes that break our hearts and test our feels. These are the 11 songs from the first season of This Is Us that are guaranteed to make you cry every single time.

1. “Watch Me” by Labi Siffre

Featured episodes: Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”; Season 1, Episode 11, “The Right Thing To Do”

Why it’ll make you cry: As the song that plays when we discover the big twist of the series, you can count on the song triggering you whenever you hear it.

2. “Death with Dignity” by Sufjan Stevens

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”

Why it’ll make you cry: Before we get to know the Pearson family in depth, the spare acoustic ballad plays during their introductions and foreshadows that major Jack twist.

3. “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Blind Faith

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 2, “The Big Three”; Season 1, Episode 18, “Moonshadow”

Why it’ll make you cry: While the song doesn’t sound like the type to inspire the waterworks, it’ll never not remind you of Jack giving Rebecca her moon necklace.

4. “Blues Run the Game” by Jackson C. Frank

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 3, “Kyle”

Why it’ll make you cry: William fans, steer clear of this one. The song soundtracks the montage that tells the story of William’s demise as he falls in love with Randall’s birth mother.

5. “Some Day Soon” by Alexi Murdoch

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 4, “The Pool”

Why it’ll make you cry: When the Pearsons head to the pool, it’s not the most carefree summer day. But Jack, Rebecca, and the Big Three come together at the end of the episode to the tune of this ballad.

Must Read: Mandy Moore's 10 most underrated deep cuts

6. “If I Ever Was A Child” by Wilco

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 6, “Career Days”

Why it’ll make you cry: The bittersweet Wilco song arrives during a moment of resolve for the futures of Randall’s career and young Randall’s schooling. All the tears.

7. “The Wind” by Cat Stevens

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 7, “The Best Washing Machine in the Whole World”

Why it’ll make you cry: “The Wind” bookends the first This Is Us episode to flash back/forward to the Big Three as teenagers and the first episode to magnify the cracks in Jack and Rebecca’s marriage.

8. “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 8, “Pilgrim Rick”

Why it’ll make you cry: Okay, so the upbeat pop song isn’t the front runner for making the masses cry, but after you understand the Pearson connection, you’ll never hear the song the same way.

9. “Evergreen Cassette” by Goldspot

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 12, “The Big Day”

Why it’ll make you cry: Remember the bottle episode that tells the behind the scenes story of the day the Big Three were born? Well, this song closes that incredibly emotional hour.

10. “Photograph” by Ringo Starr

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 14, “I Call Marriage”

Why it’ll make you cry: Of the songs to associate with the love of Jack and Rebecca, this might be the big one as it plays during the flashback to the This Is Us OTP’s wedding day.

11. “We Can Always Come Back To This” by Brian Tyree Henry

Featured episode: Season 1, Episode 16, “Memphis”

Why it’ll make you cry: This Is Us fans can hardly hear the word “Memphis” without having a meltdown, much less hear the song specially written for the series’ saddest episode to date.

Next: 5 musicians we'd love to see guest star on This Is Us

Be sure to pick the official soundtrack when it becomes available this fall. Until then, check out the entire This Is Us playlist on Spotify:

Which song from the first season do you love the most? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter at @thisisuscrying!

This Is Us returns for Season 2 on Tuesday, September 26 at 9/8c on NBC.

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11 songs from This Is Us season 1 guaranteed to make you cry

By Reed Gaudens | Aug 20, 2017