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Man cries in his car while listening to 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls, and people can't help but relate

Crying in the car is healing.

cry songs, iris goo goo dolls
@olivermillsn/TikTok

Some songs are meant to make you cry no matter what.

Though content creator Oliver Mills is no stranger to serenading viewers on his TikTok channel with his charming, laid-back "car-aoke" videos, he recently hit listeners right in the feels as he began unabashedly shedding tears while singing the iconic 90’s rock song (slash ultimate sad anthem) “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls.

In the caption of the raw, vulnerable video, Mills wrote, “Crying in the car is healing,” and included hashtags like #mentalhealthawareness, #mentalhealthmatters, and #mensmentalhealth.

The song was written by John Rzeznik for the movie “City Of Angels'' to convey the immortal protagonist’s willingness to give up eternal life for love. But despite the specific storyline, it touches on something universal—that aching feeling of yearning for love. Add to that Rzeznik’s passionate, wistful vocals, and oof, you’ve got the perfect song for the bittersweet beauty of love at all its stages. Really, it’s got something for everyone.

This was made all too clear as more and more people commented on Mill’s video sharing how the song had a similar effect on them.

“Glad we all cry to this song,” one person shared.

“This is such a good cry song. I approve,” another added. And still another shared that the song got them through their “darkest moments.” Hopefully we all have a song like that.

Watch:

@olivermillsn Crying in the car is healing #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #therapy #mentalhealthawareness #mensmentalhealth #healing ♬ original sound - Oliver Mills

At the very least, folks could agree that there was something especially soothing about crying in the car.

“Crying in the car alone at night hits different,” the top comment read.

One person even revealed that “I cry in my car everyday after work to just decompress.” Relatable.

And of course, people applauded Mills for being so open with his feelings.

“I love that the lyric was ‘I don’t want the world to see me’ yet you’re being so vulnerable here. Thanks for sharing.”

There’s really nothing like full-on ugly crying in your car as you sing your heart out to a tune that perfectly encapsulates what you're feeling. Tear-evoking music has a magical way of helping us viscerally connect with hard-to-process emotions. In particular, the emotions of sadness and awe, as discovered in a 2018 study from the University of North Carolina.

And the power of music is only magnified when we find ourselves driving alone, safe inside a mobile exoskeleton while out in the open—both protected and vulnerable at the same time. It’s honestly the perfect recipe for cathartic emotional release.

We all need to let our guard down every once in a while. Thank goodness healing is sometimes only a long commute and a good song away.

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Wonder how volunteering can change your life? Ask a Peace Corps Volunteer.

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Larissa Gummy was first introduced to the work of the Peace Corps in high school. All it took was seeing a few photos shared by her ninth-grade teacher, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, to know that one day, she would follow in those footsteps.

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Karolina Geits|TIkTok

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via Long Day Closes/X

Fiona Apple speaking at the 1997 MTV Video Music awards.

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