Still Crying Sara Bareilles is one of the most emotionally revealing songs from the singer-songwriter’s latest chapter, arriving as part of her new album Good Grief, which was released on August 28, 2026. The song first debuted on July 31, followed by a music video directed by Kimmy Gatewood.
The release comes after years of major personal and professional changes for Bareilles. Her newest music focuses heavily on grief, loss, healing and the complicated emotions that can remain long after a painful event. “Still Crying” stands out because it does not portray grief as something that simply disappears with time.
Instead, the song captures the frustration of feeling as though you should have moved forward, only to discover that the sadness can return unexpectedly.
For Bareilles, that emotional contradiction became an important part of the creative process behind Good Grief. The album marks her first studio album since 2019’s Amidst the Chaos and her seventh studio album overall.
When Did “Still Crying” by Sara Bareilles Come Out?
Bareilles released “Still Crying” on July 31, 2026. The track arrived ahead of Good Grief, which followed on August 28.
Apple Music lists the song as a track from Good Grief and gives it a running time of approximately four minutes and nine seconds. Spotify also lists the song on the album, where it appears as track three.
The release strategy gave listeners an early look at the emotional direction of the full album. Bareilles had already introduced Good Grief with “Home,” released in June.
“Still Crying” then offered a more direct expression of the repetitive nature of grief.
The timing was significant because the full album arrived only a few weeks after the single. By the time Good Grief was released, listeners could hear how the song fits into a much larger collection centered on loss, resilience and personal transformation.
What Is “Still Crying” About?
At its core, “Still Crying” examines the feeling of being unable to move through grief as quickly as expected.
The song focuses on emotional repetition. The narrator wants to let go, wants relief and wants to stop hurting, yet continues to experience the same sadness.
That idea gives the track its central emotional tension. There is a desire for healing, but there is also an acknowledgment that healing does not always happen on a predictable schedule.
Bareilles has described the song as being connected to the “redundancy” and “stuckness” of repeatedly finding herself in the same emotional place. She explained that the song began taking shape years earlier before developing further during work with Aaron Dessner.
The result is a song that does not treat crying as a sign of failure.
Instead, the recurring emotion becomes part of the story.
The Personal Experiences Behind the Song
The emotional material surrounding Good Grief is deeply connected to experiences Bareilles has faced in recent years.
One major influence has been the deaths of people close to her. Her longtime manager and friend Chad Joseph died in 2020 after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Bareilles also experienced the loss of Broadway performer Gavin Creel, who died in 2024 from a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma.
Those losses became important elements in her reflections on grief.
Bareilles has discussed how losing people she loved changed the way she understood the grieving process. Rather than presenting grief as something that can be neatly completed, she has spoken about the importance of sharing it and allowing other people to witness the experience.
That perspective helps explain why “Still Crying” feels so direct.
The song is not simply about one difficult moment. It is about what happens afterward, when memories remain and emotions can return without warning.
How Aaron Dessner Helped Shape the Song
Aaron Dessner played an important creative role in “Still Crying.”
The two co-wrote the song, and Dessner also worked with Bareilles during the later stages of the album’s creation. The song developed from an idea Bareilles had carried since 2020 and eventually came together during sessions at Dessner’s studio in upstate New York.
Their collaboration also helped shape the broader sound of Good Grief.
The album includes intimate songwriting alongside fuller arrangements, allowing Bareilles to move between vulnerable reflections and more expansive musical moments.
“Still Crying” benefits from that balance. The emotional subject is heavy, but the production does not overwhelm the songwriting.
That keeps the focus on Bareilles’ vocal performance and the feelings behind the words.
The Music Video Brings Back the Girls5eva Cast
The song’s visual presentation adds another layer to its release.
The “Still Crying” music video was directed by Kimmy Gatewood, who previously worked with Bareilles on Girls5eva. The video also features Renée Elise Goldsberry, another member of the Girls5eva cast. John Lutz and Daniel Breaker also appear alongside Bareilles.
That reunion gives the video a connection to Bareilles’ television work while keeping the focus on the new song.
The choice is notable because the subject matter of “Still Crying” is emotionally serious. Bringing familiar collaborators into the video creates a different visual setting from the heaviness of the song itself.
The result connects two parts of Bareilles’ creative career: her music and her work on screen.
“Still Crying” Is Track Three on Good Grief
The song occupies an important position on the album.
Good Grief contains 14 tracks and runs for roughly 58 minutes. “Still Crying” appears as the third track, following “Home” and “Just A Kid.”
The complete track list is:
- “Home”
- “Just A Kid”
- “Still Crying”
- “A Love Story”
- “Hands Off My Body”
- “Ladies In A Line”
- “Heartland”
- “Capsize Me”
- “Nervous Breakdown”
- “Idiot Heart”
- “Say Leave”
- “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” featuring Brandi Carlile
- “Forever”
- “Wind Is The Weather”
The album includes collaborations with Brandi Carlile, Andrea Gibson, Ingrid Michaelson, Joe Tippett and Megan Falley.
That track list shows how wide the album’s emotional range is.
While grief serves as a major theme, Good Grief is not limited to sadness. It also explores relationships, uncertainty, resilience, anger and the possibility of finding hope after painful experiences.
Why the Song Matters to the New Album
“Still Crying” is particularly important because it expresses one of the central ideas behind Good Grief: grief can continue even when life has moved forward.
Bareilles’ return to studio music comes seven years after Amidst the Chaos. During that period, she remained active across music, theater and television. She also continued developing projects connected to her songwriting and performing career.
The long gap between studio albums gives Good Grief additional weight.
Rather than returning with a collection designed simply to recreate the sound of her earlier work, Bareilles has used the album to examine what changed during those years.
“Still Crying” captures that approach particularly well.
Its emotional message is simple without being simplistic: feeling better does not necessarily mean never feeling pain again.
Bareilles’ Documentary Adds More Context
The song and album are also connected to Bareilles’ documentary Good Grief, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 4, 2026.
The documentary explores the experiences and creative process surrounding the album. It also gives viewers a more personal look at Bareilles as she processes loss and other major changes in her life.
The film makes the relationship between Bareilles’ personal experiences and her music clearer.
Rather than separating the emotional events from the songwriting, the project presents them as connected parts of the same creative period.
That context makes “Still Crying” particularly significant within the wider Good Grief project.
The song is not an isolated emotional moment. It belongs to an album and documentary built around the question of how people continue living while carrying grief.
What Sara Bareilles Has Said About Grief
Bareilles has spoken openly about the idea that grief needs to be shared rather than hidden.
In a conversation connected to the album, she described grief as something that changes through connection with other people. Her comments have emphasized the importance of talking about loss and allowing people to recognize themselves in one another’s experiences.
That philosophy is reflected in the songwriting.
“Still Crying” does not attempt to give listeners a simple solution. It does not suggest that sadness can be erased by deciding to move on.
Instead, it acknowledges the uncomfortable reality that emotional recovery can be uneven.
One day may feel easier. Another may bring the sadness back.
For many listeners, that honesty is part of the song’s appeal.
The Song Is Now Part of Bareilles’ 2026 Live Era
The release of Good Grief is also leading directly into Bareilles’ next major live chapter.
Her Good Grief Tour is scheduled to begin September 9, 2026, at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. The tour includes U.S. dates as well as Canadian stops, with performances scheduled through the fall.
The early U.S. schedule includes Boston and Washington, D.C., followed by dates in other major cities.
For fans who connected with “Still Crying,” the tour provides an opportunity to hear the new material performed live as part of Bareilles’ latest era.
The timing also means the song has quickly moved from a newly released single into a central part of a larger album and touring cycle.
Where “Still Crying” Fits in Sara Bareilles’ Career
Bareilles has built a career around songs that combine strong melodies with emotionally direct storytelling.
From her early breakthrough with “Love Song” to “Brave” and her work on Waitress, she has repeatedly used music to explore complicated emotions.
“Still Crying” continues that tradition while showing how her songwriting has evolved.
The song is more concerned with emotional uncertainty than easy resolution. Its subject is painful, but the presentation remains intimate and controlled.
That approach is consistent with Good Grief, which Sony Music describes as a collection confronting loss while still making room for hope and lighter moments.
What the Latest Update Means for Fans
As of September 2, 2026, “Still Crying” is no longer simply an advance single.
The song is now part of the fully released Good Grief album, which arrived August 28. Its official music video is also available, and Bareilles is preparing to take the new material on the road beginning September 9.
That makes this an important moment for fans following her return to studio music.
The song provides one of the clearest windows into the emotional world of Good Grief. It shows Bareilles confronting grief without pretending that healing follows a straight line.
Ultimately, the power of “Still Crying” comes from its willingness to sit with an emotion instead of rushing past it. The song recognizes that people can want to heal and still hurt at the same time. For Bareilles, that tension has become a defining part of her latest musical chapter.
What do you think of Sara Bareilles’ “Still Crying” and the deeply personal direction of Good Grief? Share your thoughts and stay tuned for the latest updates on her music and upcoming performances.