torch song

noun

1. a popular song concerned with unhappiness or failure in love.

torch song

noun

1. a sentimental or romantic popular song, usually sung by a woman

Derived Forms

• torch singer, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of torch song¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Word History and Origins

Origin of torch song¹

C20: from the phrase to carry a torch for ( someone )

Example Sentences

Haigh’s work does for me what the filmmaker says a torch song or a tearjerker does for him: “That is the thing that makes me feel less alone,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

The duo stockpiled a few hundred songs and whittled them down to the final 11, from the anguished torch song “Never Not Love You” to the encouraging “Get Up Kid.”

From Seattle Times

O’Connor plucked this Prince song from an album by his busman’s holiday the Family — the Purple One didn’t even design to release it on his own — and turned it into an uncommonly somber torch song.

From Los Angeles Times

The wrenching, piano-driven torch song “Lighthouse,” on the other hand, gives her a little more breathing space and puts a spotlight on one of the album’s most impassioned vocal performances.

From New York Times

On the surface, it’s like, “Oh, it’s a torch song. It seems simple.”

From Washington Post