Gah, I already saw this. I have no idea what they are thinking. Mind you, I've never heard half of these songs, but the ones I have heard just aren't that sad -- I mean, Space Oddity?
And where are the Cowboy Junkies in that list? posted by lupus_yonderboy at 12:59 PM on May 9, 2007
Ugh, 25 clicks. Will a friendly person make a list? posted by dgaicun at 1:01 PM on May 9, 2007
No Portishead either, those guys were sad posted by zeoslap at 1:01 PM on May 9, 2007
Ha, finally the Pernice Brothers make #1 SOMEWHERE.
(I've always thought of that as one of their more uplifting songs...) posted by unSane at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2007
I'm with dgaicun and lupus_yonderboy: already saw this and couldn't click through 25 pages. I like the idea fine, but not the layout. posted by cgc373 at 1:04 PM on May 9, 2007
The list:
25. 'The River' - Bruce Springsteen (1980)
24. 'Nothing Compares 2 U' - Sinead O'Connor (1990)
23. 'No Surprises' - Radiohead (1997)
22. 'A Change Is Gonna Come' - Sam Cooke (1964)
21. 'Space Oddity' - David Bowie (1969)
20. 'That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be' - Carly Simon (1971)
19. 'Lost Cause' - Beck (2002)
18. 'I've Gotta Get a Message to You' - Bee Gees (1968)
17. 'Back to Black' - Amy Winehouse (2006)
16. 'Shilo' - Neil Diamond (1968)
15. 'My Mom' - Chocolate Genius (1998)
14. 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' - Dionne Warwick (1963)
13. 'Naked as We Came' - Iron & Wine (2004)
12. 'In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning' - Frank Sinatra (1954)
11. 'Brick' - Ben Folds Five (1997)
10. 'In the Real World' - Roy Orbison (1989)
9. 'Concrete Angel' - Martina McBride (2001)
8. 'Dance With My Father' - Luther Vandross (2003)
7. 'Hallelujah' - Jeff Buckley (1994)
6. 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' - George Jones (1980)
5. 'I Know It's Over' - The Smiths (1986)
4. 'Hurt' - Johnny Cash (2002)
3. 'Eleanor Rigby' - The Beatles (1966)
2. 'Gloomy Sunday' - Billie Holiday (1941)
1. 'Chicken Wire' - Pernice Brothers (1998) posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:04 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Unspeakably poor list. posted by tkchrist at 1:04 PM on May 9, 2007
I've never thought of Shilo as a sad song. It's about transcending sadness, by rocking out. posted by Flashman at 1:04 PM on May 9, 2007
Reduces me to tears everytime (assuming everytime = the times there's been whisky drinking going on). posted by notyou at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2007
And for that matter, why is it only pop music, nearly all in the last 10 years? Wagner has some of the most incredibly sad songs. "Strange Fruit" is an incredibly sad song. "Stardust" is sad. "Saint James Infirmary Blues" is very very sad. posted by lupus_yonderboy at 1:06 PM on May 9, 2007
by the way, here's a vote for the Wrens' '13 Months in 6 Minutes'. posted by unSane at 1:06 PM on May 9, 2007
I would have put "The River" at the top, not the bottom, personally. And where are "Angie" and "Wild Horses"? posted by scratch at 1:06 PM on May 9, 2007
Oh, and where's "Shake Some Action" (F. Groovies) and "That's Entertainment" (the Jam).
I guess my favorite sad songs suck. posted by scratch at 1:07 PM on May 9, 2007
One more also: Cat Stevens' Father & Son. Seriously.
How can I try to explain?
When I do, he turns away again
It's always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk
I was ordered to listen, now
There's a way and I know that I have to go
Wow, really weak list. It had hope near the top because Cash's Hurt cover and Eleanor Rigby deserve top slots, but there are way too many obvious omissions here.
How about:
Eric Clapton - "Tears in Heaven"
Moxy Fruvous - "Gulf War Song"
Cat Stevens - "Father & Son"
Warren Zevon - "The Wind," "Keep Me In Your Heart," "Don't Let Us Get Sick"
And of course, Harry Chapin - "Cat's in the Cradle." CAT'S IN THE FUCKING CRADLE wasn't on this list. That song should be Pavlovian at this point. You have to say the title in parts just so you don't tear up. It's like the crying version of the Monty Python "world's funniest joke" sketch. posted by XQUZYPHYR at 1:11 PM on May 9, 2007 [9 favorites]
"Sometimes it Snows in April" by Prince
Sometimes it snows in April
Sometimes I feel so bad, so bad
Sometimes I wish that life was never ending,
But all good things, they say, never last
All good things they say, never last
And love, it isn't love until it's past
So sad I can't even listen to it anymore. posted by triggerfinger at 1:11 PM on May 9, 2007
Any random grouping of twenty-five Leonard Cohen songs beats this.
And yeah, the presence of Amy Winehouse destroyed any credibility that list gained by including 'The River'. posted by Pastabagel at 1:13 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
I vote for Willie Nelson's "Always on My Mind." posted by inconsequentialist at 1:13 PM on May 9, 2007
No Elliot Smith? w.t.f.
Don't screw with the curve. This is just semi-professional sad we're talking here. For that olympic-level sad we'd need to dredge out Mozart's Requiem mass and Monteverdi and shit. posted by kid ichorous at 1:16 PM on May 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
Patches, I'm depending on you, son, to pull the family through. posted by box at 1:16 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
More like, Amy Whinehouse!
Am I right, fellas??? posted by ORthey at 1:16 PM on May 9, 2007
Also, most people think "Happy Birthday" is pretty grim, at least once they turn 21. posted by kid ichorous at 1:17 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
'Big Dipper" by Cracker
'Good Feeling' by the Violent Femmes
And as pointed out above, a list of sad songs with no Willie Nelson on it is like a list of... well anything without Willie Nelson on it. Put him on all your lists. He's earned it. posted by ND¢ at 1:20 PM on May 9, 2007
On a list of this quality, the top spot should've gone to "Christmas Shoes." posted by booksandlibretti at 1:20 PM on May 9, 2007
Actually, if you click all the way through to the "Your Sad Songs", there's a song called "Alyssa Lies" that is notable only because the sad part of the song comes so totally out of nowhere that your reaction can only be to shake your head and utter "Jesus Christ!" posted by Pastabagel at 1:21 PM on May 9, 2007
ARG, right, no Leonard Cohen!
Once there was a path
and a girl with chestnut hair,
and you passed the summers
picking all of the berries that grew there;
there were times she was a woman,
oh, there were times she was just a child,
and you held her in the shadows
where the raspberries grow wild.
And you climbed the twilight mountains
and you sang about the view,
and everywhere that you wandered
love seemed to go along with you.
That's a hard one to remember,
yes it makes you clench your fist.
And then the veins stand out like highways,
all along your wrist.
And yes it's come to this,
it's come to this,
and wasn't it a long way down,
wasn't it a strange way down? posted by lupus_yonderboy at 1:21 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Technically, Jeff Buckley's cover of Cohen's Hallelujah is on the list, but still. posted by Pastabagel at 1:23 PM on May 9, 2007
The Pogues cover of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is OK, but the June Tabor cover is considered to be the final word on that song by the original artist, Eric Bogle. Actually, Bogle's acoustic version, as can be heard here (mp3, very slow link at the moment, from this page) is more appealing than the Pogues cover...which isn't bad. posted by maxwelton at 1:23 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Johnny Cash - Spritual
Low - Over the Ocean
U2 - MLK posted by DieHipsterDie at 1:25 PM on May 9, 2007
Hmm. Only two songs before the 1960's. I guess people didn't get sad back in those days.
Kid ichorous, you are correct - Che Faro Senza Euridice is number 1, probably. posted by QuietDesperation at 1:25 PM on May 9, 2007
The biggest flaw inherent in music criticism about the emotive process is exemplified perfectly by a list such as this: the overriding focus on lyrics.
It's in my own experiences that the most sullen, melancholic adventures arrive with instrumentation.
Actually, the *real* number 1 saddest song of all time wasn't printed just because you can't even say the title without falling into a blubbering mess of a sad blob. Here Comes a Regular by the Replacements. See, look at me. I'm sobbing like a recovering alcoholic after a three day bender. Which is appropriate, really. posted by NoMich at 1:28 PM on May 9, 2007 [4 favorites]
* The Night that the Lights went out in Georgia
* American Pie - Don McLean
* Millie and Billy - Alice Cooper
* Down in a hole - Alice in Chains
* 24 Hours - Jem
* Chloe/Crown of Thorns - Mother Love bone
* Dallas 1pm - Saxon
Maybe we need our own list? posted by winks007 at 1:29 PM on May 9, 2007
The readers' addenda cover some of the more egregious lacunae, including "Cat's in the Cradle." And for the record, the saddest song I've heard lately is "Kilkelly Ireland". The lyrics were based on a stash of letters the writer found, written to his great-grandfather by his great-great-grandfather across a span of over thirty years. posted by Faint of Butt at 1:30 PM on May 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
One of those (arguably dickish) critical tics I have is with that Jeff Buckley version of Hallelujah. Any time anyone extolls that song, especially over Cale's superior cover, I immediately dismiss them as more concerned with histrionics than depth and unable to tell bathos from sentiment.
Yes, yes, you can like it; you're just wrong and have terrible taste. posted by klangklangston at 1:32 PM on May 9, 2007 [3 favorites]
"No Surprises" isn't even Radiohead's saddest song. That distinction clearly belongs to "Pyramid Song," which, as far as I can tell, was written about my cousin's suicide, and as such causes my throat to get knotty every time I hear it. posted by saladin at 1:33 PM on May 9, 2007
"Hope" by Dirty Three? posted by rush at 1:33 PM on May 9, 2007
aka 25 pages of ads & a list made in 20 minutes in order to get posted to digg. posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:34 PM on May 9, 2007
To add to what saladin said, "No Surprises" isn't even the saddest song on OK Computer. posted by chimaera at 1:35 PM on May 9, 2007
I'm writing a song all about you
A true song, as real as my tears
But you've no need to fear it
'Cause no one will hear it
Sad songs and waltzes aren't selling this year posted by ND¢ at 1:36 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
"Waterloo Sunset", the Kinks
And maybe it's my Irish heritage getting the best of me, but no "Danny Boy"? posted by maryh at 1:36 PM on May 9, 2007
Cat Power's "Love and Communication"? posted by Dizzy at 1:36 PM on May 9, 2007
The saddest song ever written is "I Know" by Fiona Apple. posted by facetious at 1:37 PM on May 9, 2007
No "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"? Seriously? (Preferably the Al Green cover, but the Johnny Cash/Nick Cave version isn't bad either.) posted by Vervain at 1:39 PM on May 9, 2007
Lame, lame list - No Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Joni Mitchell?
What is kitsch like Space Oddity, the Bee Gees, and (even though I love the beatles) Eleanor Rigby doing there?
Also, for future reference, the saddest song ever is These Cold Fingers, by Bill Morrissey posted by JeffL at 1:40 PM on May 9, 2007
"Tuesday's Gone"
Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973)
The Breakdown: Saddest guitar part ever. Saddest piano part ever. A train song.
The Waterworks:
And I don't know where I'm going.
I just want to be left alone.
Well, when this train ends I'll try again,
But I'm leaving my woman at home.
Casualty Count: My baby. posted by kirkaracha at 1:40 PM on May 9, 2007
greymouser hit the nail on the head. posted by goml at 1:41 PM on May 9, 2007
No Red House Painters?: Medicine Bottle, Uncle Joe to name a couple... posted by elmono at 1:45 PM on May 9, 2007
and, just .... ewww posted by goml at 1:46 PM on May 9, 2007
side 2 (songs 6-10 for you youngsters) of berlin by lou reed , guaranteed to ruin your day. from 'the bed':
This is the place where we used to live
I paid for it with love and blood
And these are the boxes that she kept on the shelf
Filled with her poetry and stuff
And this is the room where she took the razor
And cut her wrists that strange and fateful night
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling... posted by aquanaut at 1:46 PM on May 9, 2007
ditto on the Leonard Cohen. When I first saw the fpp headline, my initial reaction was "Leonard Cohen wrote them all"
Seriously, no Richard Thompson? "Al Bowly's In Heaven" and "Whithered and Died" should qualify. posted by hwestiii at 1:47 PM on May 9, 2007
Trouble in Mind - Muddy Waters
Sunday Morning Coming Down - Johnny Cash
You Don't Miss Your Water - William Bell, Otis Redding, The Byrds posted by otio at 1:50 PM on May 9, 2007
My personal #1 saddest is Nico's Frozen Warnings. If I had to pick between her original the solo piano/voice version John Cale delivers during the credits of the movie Nico Icon, I don't know which I'd choose. posted by treepour at 1:50 PM on May 9, 2007
I'm sitting here at my desk. I'm eating Red Beans And Rice with Cornbread and wiping the tears from my eyes. I told my co-worker "it's because of the peppers." Fucking sad songs indeed! posted by winks007 at 1:51 PM on May 9, 2007
X: "The whole world loves a sad song and they don't have to sing."
The entirety of Neil Young's On the Beach is an elegant bummer, particularly "Motion Pictures (For Carrie)," "Ambulance Blues" and the title track.
on preview: dittoing Lou's Berlin, especially "Sad Song" - the venom he delivers in the line "Somebody else would have broken both of her arms" has always floored me. posted by porn in the woods at 1:52 PM on May 9, 2007
Every "top" list is subjective, I know, but considering its title, this list is quite underwhelming. Not sad enough! posted by Lush at 1:52 PM on May 9, 2007
No (any other band but the 25 included)?! Shit and Goddamn! posted by billypilgrim at 1:53 PM on May 9, 2007
Also, who the hell is Amy Winehouse and why exactly does every media outlet all of a sudden think I should care? posted by billypilgrim at 1:54 PM on May 9, 2007
Every time I see one of these best of, worst of, saddest of lists, I get the feeling they were written by some goddamn iTunes marketing intern. And that the whole Internet is just one gigantic content-free advertising link. Plus porn.
Oh, and here's my obligatory "what, no Daniel Johnston? no Townes Van Zandt?"
I just had a great idea for a website. It would be like karaoke, but it wouldn't be individual performances. It would be everyone who was visiting the site singing together. Anyone could request a song title, and the site would cycle through all of the requested songs, putting up the lyrics and playing the music in the background, and if you knew it and felt like singing, you would just sing into your computer microphone from home, and over your speakers you would hear the sound of thousands of people singing along with you. If you had a webcam then you could sing into it, and your computer screen would show like tiled pictures of everyone who was singing. It would be great! Imagine if everyone in this thread could sing all the songs that we were listing together. It would be like that old commercial where they wanted to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. It could bring about world peace. Former enemies would be friends, because how can you hate someone that you just sang 'Band of Gold' with? I think that this is the idea that is really going to catapult me to the top. I will call it like www.singalong.com, but something not that lame. It will be the most popular website of all time. It will change the world. Nobody steal this idea. posted by ND¢ at 1:56 PM on May 9, 2007 [18 favorites]
Agreed with many above. I can think of more sad songs in five minutes, and yes, it is heavy on the cohen, drake, and Elliott Smith -- well every song he ever wrote. Gary Jules' Mad World cover. And Cats in the Cradle, overplayed as it is, totally makes me tear up.
Lame list. But great link, as now we can point out what SHOULD have been there. posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 1:56 PM on May 9, 2007
"Buy My Shirt Now Fanboy" by The Haugheys. posted by Dizzy at 1:57 PM on May 9, 2007 [4 favorites]
I'd put Janis Ian's "At Seventeen" up there. Made me want to hide under a rock for weeks. posted by fish tick at 1:58 PM on May 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
I wish someone out there knew what song is actually the saddest song... it would save up so much debate. posted by ORthey at 1:58 PM on May 9, 2007
What makes a sad song? A song that makes you sadder? A song that makes you smile through your tears? A song that makes you relate to the singer in its desperate blackness but is ultimately redemptive and cathartic?
I never thought Hallelujah was all that sad, really. And No Surprises is really just a wonderful murmuring prayer lamenting alienation and detachment from society. Space Oddity? Too much of a story - a wonderful song, but the suspension of disbelief only extends so far as the protagonist, not the singer, a world of difference to me on the sadness scale.
Now, Hurt and Here Comes a Regular, this is the stuff of legend: songs that hit you like a parched-mouthed, sleepless Sunday dawn that we - young men, the standard-bearers of sad songs, for better or for worse - can all relate to.
Still to me, those are nothing compared to Nothing Compares 2 U, a gut-wrenching masterpiece that for all its mawkish pop overtones - remember, this is not about genres - reminds us that in rock & roll, only one thing is sadder than all death and depression combined: the nameless ache of Big Love, and the desperate void of what comes after, for which the best, and possibly only, medicine is wallowing in that very same pain, aided by a brilliant song that affirms and reinforces your sadness and at the same time provides that sick, ironic catharsis that only a great song can offer. posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 2:01 PM on May 9, 2007
Not perhaps the most sad pieces, but
Adagio in sol minor - Albinoni
Kol Nidrei - Bruch
Solveig's song - Peer Gynt - Grieg
Concerto de Aranjuez - Rodrigo
Suite for violin & orchestra A minor - Sinding
Have been shown by SCIENCE! to consistently evoke sad affective states in listeners by way of brain scanning and self reportage. posted by porpoise at 2:02 PM on May 9, 2007
Gilbert O Sullivan....Alone Again Naturally. posted by doctorschlock at 2:03 PM on May 9, 2007
The song that gets me in the gut every time?
Sleater-Kinney's "The Size of our Love" posted by SBMike at 2:05 PM on May 9, 2007
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry = saddest song I've ever heard.
This list is just like all lists....subjective bullshittery posted by GavinR at 2:06 PM on May 9, 2007
The Beatles.....Julia.
Joni Mitchell..A Case of You
Brian Eno...Put a Straw Under Baby posted by doctorschlock at 2:06 PM on May 9, 2007
Tom Waits, "On The Nickel"
Johnny Cash, "Long Black Veil"
Sufjan Stevens, "Casimir Pulaski Day"
Simon & Garfunkel, "The Dangling Conversation"
Gretchen Wilson, "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today"
Son House, "Death Letter Blues"
Neil Young, "Long May You Run"
Fred Eaglesmith, "Spookin' The Horses" posted by arto at 2:09 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
...and no songs from The The's Dusk either... posted by NationalKato at 2:11 PM on May 9, 2007
Bobby "Blue" Bland's version of St. James Infirmary: "She's gone....she's gone...she's...goooonnnnne." posted by ColdChef at 2:12 PM on May 9, 2007
The Band...The Weight
Brian Eno...Spider and I
Joni Mitchell...Hejira...Amelia
James Taylor.....Don't Let Me be Lonely Tonight
Innocence Mission...Every Hour Here
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes....If You Don't Know me by Now
Don McLean...Vincent
Lordy...they got me started.... posted by doctorschlock at 2:12 PM on May 9, 2007
more sad hits:
Palace Brothers - "Come In" b/w "Trudy Dies" 7" single
American Music Club - "Western Sky," "Cape Canaveral"
Mark Eitzel - "Everything is Beautiful," "Live or Die," "Some Bartenders Have the Gift of Pardon" posted by porn in the woods at 2:14 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
I totally forgot about Joni Mitchell. I can't listen to that song "River" but once a year for exactly this reason. posted by kid ichorous at 2:14 PM on May 9, 2007
Amy Winehouse on the same list as Billie Holiday for any reason whatsoever (even "list of people who are female") makes me want to vomit. posted by zarah at 2:14 PM on May 9, 2007
Moxy Fruvous, "The Drinking Song." Especially from a band that could produce "King of Spain" or "Green Eggs and Ham." posted by darksasami at 2:15 PM on May 9, 2007
Aretha Franklin..You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Women posted by doctorschlock at 2:15 PM on May 9, 2007
When I was a lad
And old Shep was a pup
Over hills and meadows we'd stray
Just a boy and his dog
We were both full of fun
We grew up together that way
I remember the time at the old swimmin' hole
When I would have drowned beyond doubt
But old Shep was right there
To the rescue he came
He jumped in and then pulled me out
As the years fast did roll
Old Shep he grew old
His eyes were fast growing dim
And one day the doctor looked at me and said
I can do no more for him, Jim
With hands that were trembling
I picked up my gun
And aimed it at Shep's faithful head
I just couldn't do it
I wanted to run
I wish they would shoot me instead
He came to my side
And looked up at me
And laid his old head on my knee
I had struck the best friend that a man ever had
I cried so I scarcely could see
Old Shep he has gone
Where the good doggies go
And no more with old Shep will I roam
But if dogs have a heaven
There's one thing I know
Old Shep has a wonderful home
The River is so far from Bruce's saddest song it should instead be at the top of a list entitled "Songs Which Are Not Bruce Springsteen's Saddest, You Nitwit."
Also: We're listing what's left:
A signed Slayer t-shirt,
A car up on blocks in his mother's back yard. posted by wemayfreeze at 2:17 PM on May 9, 2007
(That was not intended to be aimed at you, kittens for b., you just got in the way of the blast!) posted by wemayfreeze at 2:18 PM on May 9, 2007
No Oomingmak? No Pink Orange Red? No This Mortal Coil? Pfff. This is a nice list. for me to poop on posted by everichon at 2:18 PM on May 9, 2007
There was a time when This Woman's Work would drive me to tears, but I think watching the incredibly cloying video just now has cured me of that reaction. posted by lalex at 2:19 PM on May 9, 2007
Terry Jacks...Seasons in the Sun
?......Ode to Billy Joe posted by doctorschlock at 2:20 PM on May 9, 2007
Johnny Darrell's "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" posted by Floydd at 2:20 PM on May 9, 2007
I'm still mourning over Shep, wemayfreeze. But go on -- kick a man while he's down! posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:20 PM on May 9, 2007
Terry Jacks...Seasons in the Sun
posted by doctorschlock
Eponysterical!
"We had joy we had fun
we had seasons in the sun." posted by Floydd at 2:22 PM on May 9, 2007
W.O.L.D.
Taxi......Harry Chapin posted by doctorschlock at 2:22 PM on May 9, 2007
Oh, and some totally subjective and personal nominations:
-Sad because longing and plaintive: Whiskeytown - Avenues (really just Ryan Adams)*
-Sad because frustrated and disappointed, with an oddly cathartic tinge: The Smiths - There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
-Sad because hey, youth is wasted on the young: Elbow - Scattered Black & Whites (thank you, stopgap!)
-Sad because hey, life is wasted on the living: Flaming Lips - Do You Realize?
-And, because as I tried to illustrate above, the saddest form of sadness in music is the angry desperation of heartbreak: Robyn - Be Mine
*: Thanks to O. (who will eventually read this) for turning me onto this, and for ruining my taste in music altogether. I love you, you wonderful snob. posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 2:25 PM on May 9, 2007
Promises...Eric Clapton
The Flying Lizards...The Window posted by doctorschlock at 2:26 PM on May 9, 2007
Snow Patrol, "Run" posted by po at 2:26 PM on May 9, 2007
wemayfreeze, I never actually paid attention to what that song was about before (I'd always figured it was something to do with a garage sale).
And hey, on that website you can get it as a ringtone posted by Flashman at 2:27 PM on May 9, 2007
"Golden Age" by Beck.
And seconding "Tank Park Salute" by Billy Bragg. Jesus, that's a weeper just remembering the lyrics, aside from being brilliant songwriting. posted by docpops at 2:27 PM on May 9, 2007
hi,
sure the question is "why does it state "the whole world" ?".
and if you really want to be sad, try anything by leo : like this.
So sad it just makes me feel like laughing.
And what about the other countries ? posted by nicolin at 2:28 PM on May 9, 2007
I'm not really one to get terribly emotional about songs, but The Grave by Don MacLean is particularly sad. I also find the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata pretty miserable, especially when played by a proper pianist. posted by Aloysius Bear at 2:29 PM on May 9, 2007
Mrs. Winks007, said the song "Don't take the Girl - Tim McGraw will have you sawing on your wrists with the sharp edge of a ruler in no time at all.
Johnny's daddy was taking him fishing
when he was eight years old.
a little girl came through the front gate
holding a fishing pole
his dad looked down and smiled
said we can't leave her behind
son I know you don't want her to go
but someday you'll change your mind
and Johnny said
take Jimmy Johnson
take Tommy Thompson
take my best friend Bo-
take anybody that you want as
long as she don't go
take any boy in the world
daddy please- don't take the girl
Same old boy
same sweet girl
ten years down the road
he held her tight and kissed her lips
in front of the picture show
Stranger came and pulled a gun
grabbed her by the arm
said if you do what I tell you to do
there won't be any harm
and Johnny said
take my money
take my wallet
take my credit cards
here's the watch that my grandpa gave me
here's the keys to my car
mister give it a whirl
but please-don't take the girl
Same old boy
same sweet girl
five years down the road
there's gonna be a little one
and she says it's time to go
docter says the baby's fine
but you'll have to leave
cause his momma's fading fast
and Johnny hit his knees
and there he prayed
take the very breath you gave me
take the heart from my chest
I'll gladly take her place
if you'll let me
make this my last request
take me out of this world
God please-don't take the girl
Johnny's daddy was taking him fishing
when he was eight years old.
I'm not even gonna finish reading those lyrics! posted by winks007 at 2:33 PM on May 9, 2007
Some songs are musically sad, independent of the lyrics. O Mio Babbino Caro chokes me up every time--and I don't, in general, like opera, get emotional about songs, or even understand the words. Go figure. posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:34 PM on May 9, 2007
That W.O.L.D. is a great song. I cant think of the same or the artist, but there was a song about a guy who comes home and see's a brand of cigs (not his) on the table and says " I know who left those smokes behind, something about him, him, him?
I guess Harry Chapman would prolly take 5 of the top 25 songs. Also...Jimmy Buffet can break your heart with such classics as: Son of a Son of a Sailor. posted by winks007 at 2:38 PM on May 9, 2007
not a horrible list, but they left out so many...
To Wish Impossible Things/Cure (and maybe Pictures of You too) needs to be there. posted by amberglow at 2:41 PM on May 9, 2007
what about metallca's fade to black? its about wanting to commit suicide because of lifes changes.thats sader than the beegees posted by fire&wings at 2:42 PM on May 9, 2007
DoctorSchlock you wouldn't by any chance be 40.5 years old, huh? posted by winks007 at 2:44 PM on May 9, 2007
Kansas - Carry on my Wayward Son. posted by winks007 at 2:44 PM on May 9, 2007
Is it just me, or was it quite annoying that this website didn't bother to list the albums on which these track appeared (and why is "Gloomy Sunday," with its happy ending on there?).
Further, I must mention that for some reason the song that first came to mind when I heard this list was Tom Waits's "A Little Rain." Which I'm not even so sure is really a good song. I mean, it's a waltz that begins with a German dwarf dancing with a butcher's son, which sure seems like a facile obscurity included as a weak gesture to hide the song's obvious waltzy/schmaltzy sentimentality.
But yet there the song is in my mind, pressing its claim. I guess it just sticks with me. There are also good sad songs by trendy popular bands like Bright Eyes, and Death Cab for Cutie. A deep and rich vein of sadness can be found (surprisingly?) in They Might be Giants tunes, too. posted by washburn at 2:45 PM on May 9, 2007
Not that anyone would know it, but "Le Monster," by My Favorite. When I first heard this song on the road, it was a complete "I wanna jerk the wheel INTO A GODDAMNED BRIDGE ABUTMENT" moment. posted by adipocere at 2:46 PM on May 9, 2007
W.O.L.D.
Taxi......Harry Chapin
And the aforementioned "Cat's in the Cradle," and "Mr. Tanner" - heck, you could put half of Harry Chapin's entire corpus on this list.
Also, Pink Floyd, "Wish You Were Here"
However, from Miko way up above: I'd have put Paul Simon's American Tune on the list.
Really? One of my favorite songs, but I've never thought of it as all that sad. It's ultimately hopeful, IMO. posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:49 PM on May 9, 2007
washburn, if it's any consolation I find it touch-and-go whether not I can listen to "A Little Rain" at all. Too painful a song sometimes (and there's no personal history getting kicked with it, either, it just ow ow ow). Makes Warren Zevon's version of "Back in the High Life Again" downright cheery, it does. posted by dilettante at 2:49 PM on May 9, 2007
"Heartbreak Hotel," people. posted by escabeche at 2:50 PM on May 9, 2007
Parsley, Sage Rosemary, and Thyme...Simon and Garfunkel
(The whole album while you're at it.) posted by doctorschlock at 2:51 PM on May 9, 2007
"Honey" - Bobby Goldsboro
"Bobby MgGee" - Kris Kristoferson
"Sunday Morning Coming Down" - Kris Kirstoferson
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" or "Angels flying too close to the Ground" - Willy Nelson
"Green Green Grass of Home" (Tom Jones?)
"The Grave" - Don McClean posted by The Light Fantastic at 2:52 PM on May 9, 2007
Maureen McGovern...The Morning After posted by doctorschlock at 2:52 PM on May 9, 2007
The Orbison choice proves they're just being willfully contrarian. While it's a fine song, it's not in the same league as "Crying" or "In Dreams" or even "Only the Lonely."
Also: where's Hank Sr.? posted by Rangeboy at 2:56 PM on May 9, 2007
Without Cohen's Famous Blue Raincoat, this post is all wet. posted by 2sheets at 2:59 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
I second that Gary Jules' Mad World cover should be on this list.
And Radiohead's No Surprises? While I doubt anyone is surprised they're on the list (it's kinda expected) I woulda thought we'd see "Street Spirit" or "How to Disappear Completely". posted by Windigo at 3:01 PM on May 9, 2007
I'd definitely put "Anna Begins" by the Counting Crows on that list... ever since I read about the history of that song, I can't help but start crying every time I hear it. Heck, my eyes water up just thinking about it now. posted by evilangela at 3:03 PM on May 9, 2007
The list never had a chance. 25 songs? It would have been better to divide it up into 25 country, 25 blues, etc.
And for the record, the saddest song I've heard lately is "Kilkelly Ireland". The lyrics were based on a stash of letters the writer found, written to his great-grandfather by his great-great-grandfather across a span of over thirty years.
posted by Faint of Butt
Agreed. I actually first heard that song in Ireland. I've seen singers in the U.S. refuse to do that song because it's too much of a downer.
Sinatra's version of "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" [warning: cheesy video] is sadder than "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning."
posted by kirkaracha
It's really criminal to break up either of those albums as the total effect is much more depressing than any one song. Strangely, I always thought "one for my baby" to be more of an uplifting song compared to the rest. It has more of an 'I'm accepting my fate but here's to her before moving on' vibe going on.
I guess for a Sinatra song I'd go with "It Never Entered My Mind", though I think it's actually a Miles Davis song.
Elvis Costello's - "I Want You" is the saddest song I have ever known. And I have everything Elliott Smith ever did. I think of Elliott as a sad person, but his songs don't make me sad. Except "Bye" - but that only makes me cry because he's dead. posted by pinky at 3:12 PM on May 9, 2007
In the corner see his face
The man just sips his drink
Not one feeling does he show
Far too numb to think
He does not say a single word
No word of love to say
Maybe he will soon believe he's better off this way...
"Brief Candles" - The Zombies posted by mauglir at 3:13 PM on May 9, 2007
Come on, no Queen? None at all? What about Who Wants to Live Forever? Too melo? Okay, fine. The Show Must Go On, that's so bloody sad for inter and metareasons that it makes me sad just thinking about the reasons! posted by headspace at 3:14 PM on May 9, 2007
Second on Strange Fruit, and I probably would've called for "Fairytale of New York, because that one makes me cry like a baby every time, though I guess it's happy at the end.
Also, I guess I'm five years too late and ten years too old to be pushing for Death Cab, but "What Sarah Said is still a gorgeous, devastating song about being helpless as a loved one dies, and hoping that just being ther is enough. posted by Navelgazer at 3:15 PM on May 9, 2007
The last verse of "Puff the Magic Dragon" always brings a tear to my eye....when Jackie Paper grows up and no longer comes to play.
And I agree, "Cat's in the Cradle" should be on that list. And "Alone Again, Naturally." posted by Oriole Adams at 3:19 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
SEASONS IN THE SUN ? posted by Flood at 3:19 PM on May 9, 2007
Piff! No This is the Saddest Song that Ever Was and Ever Will Be by "The Singers of the Saddest Songs in the History of Forever"???
Wha?????????????? posted by The Deej at 3:20 PM on May 9, 2007
And where are the Cowboy Junkies in that list?
Seriously.
I agree also with Seasons in the Sun, which first popped into my mind when I read the FPP. And the next, off the top of my head, would be Condition of the Heart by Prince. And maybe The Lost Soul by the Watson Family.
I'm sure I could come up with more since I have a bunch of utterly depressing songs in my library (at home), though certainly not as eclectic as this thread in sum. posted by effwerd at 3:21 PM on May 9, 2007
Yeah, that was the worst list ever.
More missing songs:
Superman's Song - The Crash Test Dummies
Trust - The Cure posted by jeffamaphone at 3:22 PM on May 9, 2007
"Candle Chant", DJ Krush
"Happy Happy Joy Joy", Stinky Wizzleteats posted by erniepan at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2007
I'd like to add Pearl Jam's Black, Evanesence's (piano-only) version of My Immortal and A Perfect Circle's 3 Libras as 3 really sad songs that made me blub like a little girl following a breakup with an ex-girlfriend. posted by Effigy2000 at 3:32 PM on May 9, 2007
Random Lyric:
Friends, when my time comes,
As surely it will,
Carry my body up to some lonesome hill.
Lay me down easy, where the cool rivers run,
Nothin' behind me, but the shadow of the sun. posted by notsnot at 3:44 PM on May 9, 2007
I'm glad someone seconds "A little rain," dilettante. An interesting thread. If this were a bar instead of web forum, it'd be fun to raise the question of what counts as a "sad" song or saddness, anyhow. But it's a web forum, after-all, so it's back to work for me! posted by washburn at 3:47 PM on May 9, 2007
-Sad because hey, youth is wasted on the young: Elbow - Scattered Black & Whites
Ah, no, that song isn't sad, it's... something else. It's about sheltering in the memories of childhood. It's elegiac, that's what it is.
And: Cowboy Junkies, To Love is to Bury. Oh god.
Also another vote for How To Disappear Completely instead of No Surprises. That song tears me into pieces, in the best possible way.
That horrific chord which signifies Mimi's death in La Boheme... just after that "Corragio!" which breaks my heart every time.
And the ultimate: Vissi d'arte, from Tosca:
I lived for my art, I lived for love,
I never did harm to a living soul!
With a secret hand
I relieved as many misfortunes as I knew of.
Always with true faith
my prayer
rose to the holy shrines.
Always with true faith
I gave flowers to the altar.
In the hour of grief
why, why, o Lord,
why do you reward me thus?
I gave jewels for the Madonna's mantle,
and I gave my song to the stars, to heaven,
which smiled with more beauty.
In the hour of grief
why, why, o Lord,
ah, why do you reward me thus? posted by jokeefe at 3:47 PM on May 9, 2007
No love for Dylan? A lot of the recent stuff is drenched in sorrow, like "Not Dark Yet" off Time Out of Mind or "When the Deal Goes Down" from Modern Times. posted by muckster at 4:01 PM on May 9, 2007
Oh, and I'd like to second "Sometimes It Snows In April" by Prince (who also wrote "Nothing Compares 2U", of course.) posted by muckster at 4:03 PM on May 9, 2007
Wot? No sad, sad love for:
Heart as pure as rust - The Anaemics
Ever so much less - James Caliban
Torching - New Musical Suprise
Shining silver needle - Art Matthews
or (my personal all-time tear-jerkin' fave)
You are a huge bunch of sooks - by "yes, I did just make up all these songs"" posted by Sparx at 4:05 PM on May 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
Agree with "Naked as We Came", "Brick" and "Eleanor Rigby." Second Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again, Naturally." Add "Walk Away Rene" by Left Banke. posted by Turtles all the way down at 4:06 PM on May 9, 2007
Oh, but "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is pretty fucking sad. posted by Justinian at 4:07 PM on May 9, 2007
It's a rare post that can inspire this level of sturm und drang.
There is no Elliot Smith because he is Emo, not Sad. There is a difference. One is whiny the other is melancholy.
Also, I cant believe there wasnt
"Sad Songs" by Elton John
or
"There'll be sad songs" by Billy Ocean. What gives?
Also, I might have to vote for "Mercy Seat" covered brilliantly by Johnny Cash.
And its a good thing they are not including songs from Musicals, because I can think of 25 just from a handful of musicals... posted by subaruwrx at 4:16 PM on May 9, 2007
"Without You" by Harry Nilsson is a monstrously sad song made all the more heartbreaking by the stark relief of "Coconut".
I think "Fox in the Snow" by Belle and Sebastian is really sad too.
You know what else is sad? This fucking list. posted by I Foody at 4:17 PM on May 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Marie -- Townes Van Zandt
A clear victor in the race to the salt sea. So sad it makes me vaguely ill to think about. posted by LucretiusJones at 4:18 PM on May 9, 2007
Oh and "Miss Being Mrs." by Loretta Lynn actually had me weeping but I was on mushrooms so I'm not sure if it counts. posted by I Foody at 4:20 PM on May 9, 2007
Big Mamma Thornton - Ball & Chain
Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind
T-Bone Walker - Stormy Monday
Lightnin Hopkins - Going Down Slow
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood
Otis Redding - I've Been Loving You Too Long
Randy Newman's - Louisiana 1927 -also, Aaron Neville
various - Cry Me a River
Elvis Costello - Almost Blue
Ry Cooder - He'll Have To Go
Ian & Sylvia - Rio Grande
seconding: Strage Fruit, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, At Seventeen, I Can't Make You Love Me posted by madamjujujive at 4:30 PM on May 9, 2007
What an incredibly weak list of sad songs.
Staying within the category of popular music, I'm SHOCKED that Tim Buckley's "Song To The Siren" hasn't been mentioned yet.
Admittedly, a "saddest songs in the world" list is relative only to the audience it is written for, but come on, Amy Winehouse, Iron & Wine? posted by nataaniinez at 4:33 PM on May 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
This list is missing both "The Dock of the Bay" and "Beyond the Sea".
And they picked the wrong Ben Folds Five song. They should've gone with "Evaporated". posted by The Great Big Mulp at 4:35 PM on May 9, 2007
Dude. The saddest Tom Waits song is so totally A Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis, I can't even take it. So sad. And so, so, the greatest song ever written of all time ever. posted by mckenney at 4:50 PM on May 9, 2007
Ian & Sylvia - Rio Grande
Oooh, Four Strongs Winds.
And where's the Neil Young? Where's Helpless, which should be on any list of sad songs? Just thinking of the first line makes me shiver... There is a town in North Ontario.... posted by jokeefe at 4:52 PM on May 9, 2007
^^^
Strong. Whoops. posted by jokeefe at 4:52 PM on May 9, 2007
Pretend I never happened
And erase me from your mind
You will not want to remember
Any love as cold as mine
I'll be leaving in the morning
For a place I hope I find
All the places must be better
Than the ones I leave behind
-Willie Nelson posted by landis at 4:55 PM on May 9, 2007
inconsequentialistwrites"I vote for Willie Nelson's 'Always on My Mind.'"
Or "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground." Or "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." (mentioned previously in the thread, I see ...)
Or Derek and the Dominoes, "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?" Or, really, almost anything on "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs". Probably the saddest album, best to get you through a breakup, but hard to make it through the whole thing because it's so painful.
Or John Lee Hooker's "My Dream." posted by krinklyfig at 4:56 PM on May 9, 2007
I vote for Meatloaf's "Objects in the Rear View Mirror (May Appear Closer Than They Are)" posted by jmd82 at 5:00 PM on May 9, 2007
That Chocolate Genius song is sadder than the entire list. Seriously, check it out. posted by KevinSkomsvold at 5:03 PM on May 9, 2007
Hey! Lets all post our favorite sad song, and make this a monstrously long thread that there's no way we can read through in one sitting!
Mine's "No Regrets" by Ultravox. Yeah, Ultravox. Deal with it.
There's no regrets - no tears goodbye - I don't wan't you back - we'd only cry again Say goodbye again! posted by yhbc at 5:09 PM on May 9, 2007
"Let The Happiness In" by David Sylvian - the soundtrack to my three o'clock in the mornings when everything terrible is even worse:
I'm waiting on the empty docks
Watching the ships come in
I'm waiting for the agony to stop
Oh, let the happiness in
I'm watching as the gulls all settle down
Upon the empty vessels
The faded whites of their wedding gowns
The songs of hopeless selflessness
The cold December Sun
A cold that blisters
The hands of a working man
Wasted
I'm waiting on the empty docks
Watching the ships roll in
I'm longing for the agony to stop
Oh, let the happiness in
Oh, let the happiness in
Listen to the waves against the rocks
I don't know where they've been
I'm waiting for the skies to open up
And let the happiness in
Also, for Radiohead, there is nothing sadder than "Fake Plastic Trees". And I am unanimous in this. posted by biscotti at 5:10 PM on May 9, 2007
It's a good list of sad songs, but there is absolutely no way it is THE list of sad songs. The future compiler of THE list should, however, take a glance at the attempt linked in the FPP just to make sure they aren't missing anything.
Unfortunately for this good list of sad songs, it's done in an unimaginably poor layout seemingly designed solely to increase overall pageviews. Not yay.
Just reading the description of the Chocolate Genius song made me cry, so anyone compiling a new list should keep that one in mind, for certain.
All of that said, it's a good link and a good post - the conversation that has resulted will keep me busy on the sad song front for YEARS. posted by batmonkey at 5:12 PM on May 9, 2007
Clearly Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens is the saddest song in the world. I listened to it over and over and over again when a friend was dying of cancer last Spring and I cried every single time. See also: Funeral by Band of Horses posted by fancypants at 5:13 PM on May 9, 2007
South Tacoma Way - Neko Case and Her Boyfriends (most of that album really)
Special - Justin Rutledge and the Junction Forty
Hearing Aid - They Might Be Giants (unlikely but this song always strikes me as sad, especially that last "because")
Already Dead - Beck
Dirt Floor - Chris Whitley
Am I a Good Man? - Them Two
Country Feedback - REM
House of the Risin' Sun - Bob Dylan (or Boots of Spanish Leather)
Cemetary Gates - Pantera (I don't like anything else by this band, but that guitar riff just gets me)
Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel posted by effwerd at 5:15 PM on May 9, 2007
Elliott Smith is not whiny, sheesh. He is however often sad in that way that junkies often are. I met him a few times in real life, he was always happy albeit drunk but never whiny and never anything akin to emo. posted by yodelingisfun at 5:17 PM on May 9, 2007
Notable missings:
The entire album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. I, to this day, don't listen to this on the bus or train so as to not start crying in public.
The entire album Tallahassee by Mountain Goats. Also can't listen to this one on public transit.
Divorce Song by Liz Phair. posted by misskaz at 5:18 PM on May 9, 2007
It will never show up on anyone's list, but I challenge anyone to play Aeris' theme from FF7 around someone who's played the game without getting at least some effect.
Aside from that, I think 'Blasphemous Rumours' from Depeche Mode is my suggestion least likely to encourage mockery of my unspeakably bad taste in music. posted by Mitrovarr at 5:20 PM on May 9, 2007
There are a lot of clunkers in that list, and they missed three classics not mentioned so far:
"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," Gerry & the Pacemakers
"Fire & Rain," James Taylor
"Rusty Water," Jason Eklund
But they did get "Hallelujah," by Jeff Buckley. All I can say is keep the vodka and the knives under lock and key when you listen to that one. It's #16 on their list and it ought to be #1. Excuse, I have to go cry now. (sniff)(sniff) posted by Charles Wilson at 5:31 PM on May 9, 2007
As fancypants says, Sufjan Stevens: Casimir Pulaski Day is terribly sad (and great), as is Will Oldham: Break of Day. But to me they are sad in a "oh-that's-sad-but-they-lived-a-full-life" kind of way. Certainly another level of sadness has been attained in Cat Power: Names. Jesus that song is Sad. posted by hgbrian at 5:36 PM on May 9, 2007
fancypants, you're right on the Sufjan, though for me, also, it is only reaches the depths it does because of personal experience. posted by wemayfreeze at 5:38 PM on May 9, 2007
Seconding all of madamjujujive's songs (have you been hacking into my iTunes, mjjj?) and, like others, wondering about the dearth of Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell and Richard Thompson.
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posted by quite unimportant at 12:59 PM on May 9, 2007 [2 favorites]