Saying sorry
You've typed sorry four times and deleted it four times. Maybe it needs a melody.
An apology song that says what you find hard to say
A song cannot apologize for you, but it can carry the words you keep getting stuck on. Write what you did, what it cost them and what you will do differently, then hear it before you decide whether it belongs with a face-to-face sorry.
Hear the second a name lands
Theo, you are my favorite place to go
You wrote“Theo leaves sticky notes with terrible drawings on the bathroom mirror.”
The song singsYour sticky notes on the mirror make me smile
From a real song made here: “Our First Key”, for Theo, from what his girlfriend typed.
The moment you give it
It won't fix everything, and it isn't meant to. It shows you thought about them long enough to remember the small things, which is usually what the apology was missing.
Tuesday, 11:02 pm
I didn't know how to say it, so I wrote you this. Two minutes, please.
Read
okay. listening.
Start with one memory
Pick a question. The form opens with your first line already started.
Apology songs people already know
Sometimes an existing song says it well enough. These are familiar ones; none of them knows what actually happened between you.
| Song | Good for |
|---|---|
| Sorry | Justin Bieber |
| Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word | Elton John |
| Hard to Say I'm Sorry | Chicago |
| If I Could Turn Back Time | Cher |
| I'm Sorry | Brenda Lee |
Hear how plain lines become a song
Our samples are celebration songs; the same method turns honest, specific lines into an apology.
What you get for $12.99
You hear it first, free. You pay once, only if you keep it.
- Free preview
- The first 60 seconds, ready in about two minutes after you enter your email. No card.
- The song
- The full song, about two minutes long, as an MP3 to download and keep.
- Lyrics
- Every line is on the preview page before you pay. Unlocking adds the lyric sheet, to print or save as a PDF.
- Their link
- A private link that plays the whole song without an account, with your name and a short note. Switch it off any time.
- Photo video
- Free: a vertical 9:16 photo video of your photos with the lyrics on screen, plus 15- and 30-second cuts. Made in your browser.
- The name
- Unusual name? Type how to say it (SEER-sha for Saoirse) and the singer says it that way.
- Re-record
- One free re-record per song: change a line, the style or the voice and record it again.
- Name sung wrong?
- After you pay, a free remake with the name fixed, once per song.
- Languages
- Sung in English, German, French, Spanish or Japanese.
- Teaser
- Before you pay, a 15-second teaser link that tells them a song is on its way.
- For this song
- Nothing ships: the preview, the unlock and their link all happen here, so it works the same day.
What makes an apology land
- Name the thing you did, plainly, without "if you were hurt".
- Say what it cost them: the evening, the trust, the plans.
- Leave out excuses and the reasons it was not really your fault.
- Say one concrete thing you will do differently.
- Mention something good between you that you do not want to lose.
- Do not ask for an answer in the song.
A song is not the whole apology
Use it alongside a real conversation, not instead of one. Play it after you have said sorry in person, or send it with a short note that says you would like to talk when they are ready.
If they have asked for space or for no contact, respect that and do not send a song. A gift should never be a way to pressure someone into forgiving you.
For example
An honest apology brief might be:
- I missed Maya’s gallery opening because I stayed late at work and did not call.
- She had saved me a seat in the front row for a month.
- From now on, her big nights go in my calendar first.
More song ideas
Questions
Own it, in their song.
Start with the one sentence you have not managed to say.