American Songwriter has put together a short feature highlighting pop songs that manage to convey "bittersweetness" — the tricky emotional mix of happiness and sadness that the outlet says rarely finds its way into catchy, mainstream hooks. The piece argues that while pop music is generally built for straightforward emotions like joy or anger, these four tracks stand out for balancing hope and melancholy simultaneously.

The songs featured span several decades: Billy Joel's "Vienna" (1977), Don McLean's "American Pie" (1971), Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy" (1996) and Tracy Chapman's original version of "Fast Car" (1988), later famously covered by Luke Combs. Each is praised for capturing conflicting emotions at once, from nostalgic reflection to the tension between contentment and unspoken sadness.

– Feature lists four pop songs praised for blending happiness and sadness at once
– Songs include Billy Joel's "Vienna", Don McLean's "American Pie", Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy" and Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"
– Article notes bittersweet emotion is rare in mainstream pop due to its nuance