Last week, it seemed, a lot of people were experiencing some type of loss, be it the loss of a friendship, relationship, or the loss of life. What often follows is a storm of confusion, complete with conflicting emotion, the vain questions about why does a loving God do this to people, reminisces, laughing, crying, rioting, dogs and cats living together, etc. What it all comes down to is saying goodbye. Goodbye to a friend, a lover, or a state of being we didn’t think would ever end. Saying good-bye can be hard, to which these songs can attest.

Top 5 tunes for saying goodbye:

1. “Late,” Ben Folds
Folds wrote this lament for his friend, the brilliant singer-songwriter Elliot Smith, after Smith took his own life. The fact that “Too Late” is sung to Smith makes it all the more poignant.

2. “Your Thesaurus Won’t Help You Now,” Paper Moon
Ever had to let someone go, but couldn’t find the right words? So has Canadian band Paper Moon.

3. “Almost Lover,” A Fine Frenzy
A song filled with sorrow, regret and ache. Alison Sudol sounds hurt beyond her years.

4. “Leaving Home Ain’t Easy,” Queen
Guitarist Brian May handles the vocals on this tune that is as subdued (at least by Queen’s standards) as it is bittersweet.

5. “Into the West,” Annie Lennox
Written for “Return of the King,” the Fran Walsh-penned lyrics are inspired by Cameron Duncan, a young filmmaker who died of cancer. As tragic as that sounds, the song is filled with a hopefulness that there are better things, once we venture beyond sorrow. Or, as our favorite wizard says, “not all tears are an evil.”

[skip to 0:35 to avoid unintentional laughter at Liv Tyler's "Seven Year Itch" voice]

Runners up: “Still Pretty Angry,” Blues Traveler; “Don’t Think Twice,” Bob Dylan; “Bobby Lee,” Kris Delmhorst; “Tuesday’s Gone,” Lynyrd Skynyrd; “Goodbye to You,” Michelle Branch; “Entre Nous,” Rush. What are your Top 5 tunes for saying “auf wiedersehen”?