Saddest songs?

[Shadow of the Sun]

Sup, playground.

This thread is motivated by my recently listening to what I considered to be the saddest song I've ever heard, which you can listen to in the video linked below.

What's the saddest song you've ever heard, or enjoy listening too? Coz there are honestly times when you just need some sad music.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIj8RM4_hhI

The sun above me and a concrete floor below
Scratch at the chain links, maybe bare my teeth for show
Fed twice a day, I don't go hungry anymore
Feel in my bones just what the future has in store

I pace in circles
So the camera will see
Look hard at my stripes
There'll be no more after me

Laze by the shoreline while the sailors disembark
Scratch out a place to sit and rest down in the dark
Smell something burning downwind just a little ways
They set up camp and sing and sweat and work for days

I have no fear of anyone
I'm dumb and wild and free
I am a flightless bird
And there'll be no more after me

In Costa Rica, in a burrow underground
Climb to the surface, blink my eyes and look around
I'm all alone here as I try my tiny song
Claim my place beneath the sky, but I won't be here for long

I sang all night
The moon shone on me through the trees
No brothers left
And there'll be no more after me

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Mountain Goats is a great example. Here's are some choices of mine.

Last Year's Man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKEdWBXcgAE)
Thunder Road (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FaPrhFR2Ak)
Strange Fruit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI)
Broken English (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-H55V_oma0)

[Fri]

Maybe not sad, but the song that bothers me the most is Five For Fighting's 100 Years for obvious reason.

I don't listen to music that much though.

[Dienekes]

Always had a soft spot for "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

[Admiral Squish]

Seasons in the Sun.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Always had a soft spot for "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

As an Australian, I know what you mean.

I Was Only 19 is also a good one that's very sad. I prefer the original (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urtiyp-G6jY) over the hip hop cover, though.

[KillingAScarab]

Wailing, weeping, pleading, quiet. Here are my picks.

"Gloomy Sunday" as covered by Diamanda Galás (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auN89-cGPy0)

"The Weeping Song" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

"Illusion" by VNV Nation / "Feathery Wings (https://www.reverbnation.com/voltairenyc/song/7520307-feathery-wings)" by (Aurelio) Voltaire

"Hurt" as covered by Johnny Cash (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg8xYSWOFR8)


Special mention for "Beneath the Sand (http://www.systemsyn.com/06_site/disco.php)" by System Syn
oh let it fall
let it melt me into glass
and shatter me to sand

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Wailing, weeping, pleading, quiet. Here are my picks.

"Gloomy Sunday" as covered by Diamanda Galás (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auN89-cGPy0)

"The Weeping Song" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

"Illusion" by VNV Nation

"Feathery Wings (https://www.reverbnation.com/voltairenyc/song/7520307-feathery-wings)" by (Aurelio) Voltaire

"Hurt" as covered by Johnny Cash (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg8xYSWOFR8)

Oh, bugger, you were doing so well up until the end.

[Dienekes]

Oh, bugger, you were doing so well up until the end.

Heh, that's the only one on the list I like.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Heh, that's the only one on the list I like.

Fair enough. Me personally I always found it a bit heavy handed and unsubtle to be truly effective.

[Shadow of the Sun]

A Song For (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grklxwt-xss) by Townes Van Zandt is also very much up there.

Considering it was originally a suicide note that he put to music after not going through with it.

[Donnadogsoth]

Fair enough. Me personally I always found it a bit heavy handed and unsubtle to be truly effective.

"A bit heavy handed and unsubtle"--kinda like a junkie?

[Donnadogsoth]

How about,

Nothing Compares 2 U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auUPqxI1vqg)

as performed by Sinead O'Connor,
courtesy of the erstwhile Prince?

[DJ Yung Crunk]

"A bit heavy handed and unsubtle"--kinda like a junkie?

...no?

I'm not sure junkies are anywhere on the subtle/unsubtle scale.

[Traab]

While unsubtle, what I liked about his cover was, not just the emotion on his face in the video, but the ruin of what used to be his voice still trying to sing. It just seems to fit the song so perfectly. The man was dying while he recorded that cover and you could see it. I put it on par with freddie mercury and his last album, though in a different way. For Freddie it was more of a, "yeah im dying but I dont care, im going to keep singing till I fall over" For cash it was "Im dying, and this is me sharing how I feel about that." There is just an emotional weight to it that hits me every time.

[Dienekes]

Eh I guess I don't see songs in terms of subtlty only whether or not they illicit an emotional response in me or not.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Eh I guess I don't see songs in terms of subtlty only whether or not they illicit an emotional response in me or not.

Well good for you. I respond negatively to things that try too hard. It's kind of difficult for me not to see things in those terms.

[Kislath]

Hmmm... Roses for Mother, by CW McCall, should choke you up quite nicely.

[Cen]

And what about those 2 classics:
The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel
Mad World by Gary Jules

[Tvtyrant]

I am the Last of the Giants. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4cqcinpbvw)

[BWR]

Always had a soft spot for "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

Me too. That and "No man's land" as sung by Liam Clancy rarely fail to get my eyes wet.

[Lethologica]

I always come back to Hallelujah. On the other hand, I hate most covers of Hallelujah, so I just sing it to myself instead. KD Lang's cover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE) really does it for me, though.

[Kyberwulf]

Somewhere out there. Fivil and his sister. lol. The moon shot is still sad. :(

[JoshL]

Most of my cd collection! Some great suggestions here, nice Van Zandt and Marianne Faithful picks. Some of my favorites:

Swans - God Damn The Sun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jpVtYQIols) (see also Blind, or Failure)
tindersticks - A Night In (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5uTYe2DP0) (LOTS of great tindersticks choices, and actually it was a cover of Kathleen that led me to discover Townes Van Zandt)
Current 93 - The Bloodbells Chime (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e6D4mqpx9s) (most of their stuff is either sad or scary, and as such, are one of my favorite bands, but this one just breaks my heart every single time)
New Order - In A Lonely Place (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxCNOk01-eI) (actually Joy Division...it's the last song Ian recorded. And the lyrics. Just, yeah.)
black tape for a blue girl - tear love from my mind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC4ooR5JAU4) (another band hard to pick one from. Overwrought and heavy handed, I love it)
Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ6Mzvh3XCc) (some minimal classical for you; hits me just right. Fur Alina is a good follow-up)
Kate Bush - And So Is Love (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9z4WRs44x8) (or Deeper Understanding, or Breathing or shesh just about anything. Even her bubbly pop songs are wonderfully depressing)
Frank Zappa - Watermelon In Easter Hay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUja5B8ei2U) (an odd pick, but give it a minute. Once you get past the narration you get to one of the most heartbreaking guitar instrumentals I know. This is the song that made me want to learn to play guitar)
And can't go without The Cure, so let's say Homesick (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7fLwy4MP8) because everyone likes Disintegration. But Faith and Wish have some great choices too, and Pornography is my favorite, but that leans more creepy than sad.

I'm also really fond of the "upbeat music with depressing/sad lyrics" thing, so lots of New Order, Erasure, quite a bit of Frente!, and lots of power pop, but particularly Material Issue. Very awful and sad when the lead singer killed himself, but not exactly surprising. I'll leave you with Valerie Loves Me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcRtlj8KXT4)

[AtlanteanTroll]

This is going to sound whack, but the Mamma Mia! Soundtrack version of Dancing Queen depresses the Hell out of me.

[Pex]

"Cat's In The Cradle"

Honorable Mention

"Taps" and "Amazing Grace" when played at a funeral, real or fictional.

[Seerow]

Whiskey Lullaby (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gV3g9LCvPc) tops the list for me.

[Dienekes]

This is going to sound whack, but the Mamma Mia! Soundtrack version of Dancing Queen depresses the Hell out of me.

No, I get you man. Having to sit through Mamma Mia! made me feel depressed, too.

I kid, but man, I was not a fan of Abba and getting dragged to that play didn't change my opinion any.

[Cheesegear]

Josh Radin's rendition of Sesame Street (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLj5OUsE2h8) changes the tone of the song entirely.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Maggot Brain by Funkadelic. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOKn33-q4Ao) It's amazing how much emotion Eddie Hazel managed express in this song.

Also, pretty much ever Joy Division song. Ian Curtis was not a mentally healthy man. :C

EDIT: Just remembered another one. The Dead Flag Blues by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9thvHDskYvA)

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Most of my cd collection! Some great suggestions here, nice Van Zandt and Marianne Faithful picks. Some of my favorites:

Swans - God Damn The Sun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jpVtYQIols) (see also Blind, or Failure)
tindersticks - A Night In (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5uTYe2DP0) (LOTS of great tindersticks choices, and actually it was a cover of Kathleen that led me to discover Townes Van Zandt)
Current 93 - The Bloodbells Chime (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e6D4mqpx9s) (most of their stuff is either sad or scary, and as such, are one of my favorite bands, but this one just breaks my heart every single time)
New Order - In A Lonely Place (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxCNOk01-eI) (actually Joy Division...it's the last song Ian recorded. And the lyrics. Just, yeah.)
black tape for a blue girl - tear love from my mind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC4ooR5JAU4) (another band hard to pick one from. Overwrought and heavy handed, I love it)
Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ6Mzvh3XCc) (some minimal classical for you; hits me just right. Fur Alina is a good follow-up)
Kate Bush - And So Is Love (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9z4WRs44x8) (or Deeper Understanding, or Breathing or shesh just about anything. Even her bubbly pop songs are wonderfully depressing)
Frank Zappa - Watermelon In Easter Hay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUja5B8ei2U) (an odd pick, but give it a minute. Once you get past the narration you get to one of the most heartbreaking guitar instrumentals I know. This is the song that made me want to learn to play guitar)
And can't go without The Cure, so let's say Homesick (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7fLwy4MP8) because everyone likes Disintegration. But Faith and Wish have some great choices too, and Pornography is my favorite, but that leans more creepy than sad.

I'm also really fond of the "upbeat music with depressing/sad lyrics" thing, so lots of New Order, Erasure, quite a bit of Frente!, and lots of power pop, but particularly Material Issue. Very awful and sad when the lead singer killed himself, but not exactly surprising. I'll leave you with Valerie Loves Me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcRtlj8KXT4)

You win best in thread.

[Aedilred]

I could fill a list with Leonard Cohen songs alone, but in the interests of brevity I think I'll go with Bird on a Wire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8fT7rnRotY), for the melody as much as anything.
Eels are another group whose entire oeuvre seems to be sad songs. Let's go with I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJVhpsKdNS0)
And rounding out the holy trinity of "depressing as all hell", I'll just pick something from Bright Eyes at random. Or maybe not, but Lime Tree (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9591zoSkqyc), as the last song on the last album of theirs I've heard, is freshest in my mind.
The National - Sorrow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6p_qe45miY). It's not exactly subtle, but I found it a pretty perfect depiction of depression in song form.
Similarly, The Burns Unit's Since We've Fallen Out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i81oLnlaovc).
Likewise, Elton John's The Last Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjeYkrSVe8E) is perhaps a little syrupy, but I still find it quite moving.
In context, Pink Floyd's The Thin Ice always makes me sad. But stripped of its surrounding album it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense. I think everyone can appreciate The Gunner's Dream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0T2GaesWzg), though.
I want to deploy some Pulp here, but most of that is revelling in the misery and ends up sounding somehow triumphant. So, while it's by no means my favourite song of theirs, I'll throw out Help the Aged (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bZjKC0EaY0) as a relatively straight, melancholy song.
And let's throw in some Scott Walker for good measure. Two Weeks Since You've Been Gone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I8JFc2Q_-Q).

Of course, any song made when the singer knows they're dying and the song is sung in that shadow is always going to have a bit of an impact. Lazarus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-JqH1M4Ya8) is the obvious contemporary example. Queen's The Show Must Go On is another.

That's probably enough for one day.

[Bohandas]

Suicide Hotline (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTFvDqBVNBI) (explicit) and Truly Alone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOR_Xyut3Gc) (explicit) by ICP

[Kymme]

Dream a Little Dream of Me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6TmogXhOZ8) never fails to make me weep. There's just something about it that makes me incredibly sad.

[HandofShadows]

Some great songs so for.

Call Me Call Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_KyJpRuKU) by The Seatbelts.

[The Extinguisher]

Song for Josh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LQVMRoglIo) by Frank Turner is the saddest song I've ever heard.

[Velaryon]

Type O Negative definitely belongs in this conversation. A lot of their songs fit, but the one that comes to mind for me is The Dream is Dead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS3v_2ap-bM).

[McStabbington]

If a friend starts linking Bonnie Prince Billy's I See a Darkness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAriDxTeed8), get them help immediately.

[Eldan]

Some great songs so for.

Call Me Call Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_KyJpRuKU) by The Seatbelts.

Oh, come on. If you link Call me, you really also have to link In the Rain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oov99WwFPKo).


Oh, and Follow me (https://soundcloud.com/nick_1-1/ghost-in-the-shell-2-innocence), for which sound cloud at least gives the artist as Kimiko Itoh. NOt sure why, but this song makes me cry. It's not even that sad.

[Eldan]

I am the Last of the Giants. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4cqcinpbvw)

I rather like this shorter and simpler version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXMYrjMc6qs

[Hida Reju]

Veteran of the Psychic Wars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGgMdGXjdeE) - Blue Oyster Cult

[sktarq]

Tears in Heaven (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxPj3GAYYZ0) by Eric Clapton

Code of Silence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niIWtw-70Lo) by Billy Joel (with an honorable mention for Downeaster Alexa)

Latitude (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5PMW8xZRWQ) by Elton John

I'm on Fire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrpXArn3hII) by Bruce Springstein

Not much for the videos but I love the songs

[KillingAScarab]

I am certain I should add "Roads" by Portishead to the list.

I would also like to include an acoustic version of the Final Fantasy VI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Final_Fantasy_VI) soundtrack's "Forever Rachel (http://www.last.fm/music/Eiko+Ishiwata/_/Final+Fantasy+VI-+Forever+Rachel+%28Acoustic+Orchestration,+Not+MID I%29+Eiko+Ishiwata)" arranged and performed by Eiko Ishiwata Nichols.


Oh, bugger, you were doing so well up until the end.

Heh, that's the only one on the list I like.I'm surprised "Hurt" was the one to get called out, specifically. Everyone's got different tastes, but I had a feeling "Illusion" would be disputed. Videos I have found of the band performing it live seem to show they have a more positive attitude. On the subject of videos...


While unsubtle, what I liked about his cover was, not just the emotion on his face in the video, but the ruin of what used to be his voice still trying to sing. It just seems to fit the song so perfectly. The man was dying while he recorded that cover and you could see it. I put it on par with freddie mercury and his last album, though in a different way. For Freddie it was more of a, "yeah im dying but I dont care, im going to keep singing till I fall over" For cash it was "Im dying, and this is me sharing how I feel about that." There is just an emotional weight to it that hits me every time.My exposure to the Johnny Cash cover had been through the music video. I suspect that colors at least my view of it, but it is similar to Traab's. Music videos and other associated media are a different curve, though. For instance, the music video for "The Weeping Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqhOVY58zIo)" breaks the mood entirely for me.


Oh, come on. If you link Call me, you really also have to link In the Rain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oov99WwFPKo).The scene in Cowboy Bebop for which "Call Me Call Me" was used was sort of a sad one, but I also find "Rain" to be a sadder song. Particularly, the demo sung by Mai Yamane.

[DomaDoma]

Leaves That Are Green (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwOgXWOX-iE) used to really mess me up, but I hadn't listened to it since I was an atheist, which apparently makes a difference.

At that point in my life (college), Puff the Magic Dragon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7lmAc3LKWM) was also making me cry. This song is probably the finest litmus test for whether you're actually mature yet (if you don't buy the marijuana interpretation, and it's pretty spurious so you shouldn't.)

At the moment, the never-fail song for making me cry is It's Quiet Uptown (which I won't link as it only works in the overall context of Hamilton.) I can't believe no one else has mentioned that, because I have never known a single person who has heard that soundtrack to argue the point.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Veteran of the Psychic Wars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGgMdGXjdeE) - Blue Oyster Cult

To each her own I suppose but... really?

I always thought that song was going for knowing camp.

[Alabenson]

War on Drugs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFMRVa5Kuy4) by the Barenaked Ladies

[The Extinguisher]

Leaves That Are Green (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwOgXWOX-iE) used to really mess me up, but I hadn't listened to it since I was an atheist, which apparently makes a difference.

At that point in my life (college), Puff the Magic Dragon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7lmAc3LKWM) was also making me cry. This song is probably the finest litmus test for whether you're actually mature yet (if you don't buy the marijuana interpretation, and it's pretty spurious so you shouldn't.)

At the moment, the never-fail song for making me cry is It's Quiet Uptown (which I won't link as it only works in the overall context of Hamilton.) I can't believe no one else has mentioned that, because I have never known a single person who has heard that soundtrack to argue the point.

Honestly? It's Quiet Uptown is sad, but I find Stay Alive (Reprise) to be much more tear-inducing. It's just a much more visceral sadness.

[thompur]

Mama, Look Sharp (https://youtu.be/VgEenf-TIMI) from 1776.
This always gives me chills.

[Concrete]

I rather like this shorter and simpler version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXMYrjMc6qs

It has its charm, but I think Karliene better captures the sorrow in it. That guy sounds downright cheerful. The acoustic guitar also feels like a poor choice of instrument.

[Admiral Squish]

If we're talking about sad concepts more than sad music, I'd put forth The Ballad of Barry Allen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odU1bHaYNDQ).

Also, there's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vST6hVRj2A).

[Ninja_Grand]

A newgrounds tune called When a Good Man Goes to War ~P (http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/547561). All I hear is a story of a man who has a good life, the evil empire takes it away in a raid, he lays to rest his wife and kids, trains himself to be a warrior, fights in the war, dies a hero, and then goes to "the good place" where is wife and kids are waiting. You can even here the moment when the blade runs him through. I cant listen to that song without crying and giving some sort of salute to the sky.

[DoctorFaust]

I'm quite fond of Exile Vilify by The National (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-Vg2YS-sFE), When The Circus Came To Town by Voltaire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoLe6EB8ZmY), and Komm, Süsser Tod by Arriane Schreiber (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYYVrBX4v0).

[Corlindale]

At the moment, the never-fail song for making me cry is It's Quiet Uptown (which I won't link as it only works in the overall context of Hamilton.) I can't believe no one else has mentioned that, because I have never known a single person who has heard that soundtrack to argue the point.

I have to agree with this. I was doing the dishes while listening to the soundtrack and literally had to stop what I was doing for a while just to cry for a bit when I heard this song for the first time.

Here's some others that always make me emotional:

Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH3N_PHu6Aw)

Stan Rogers - White Squall
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ4ddAgykfk)

This last one is technically more of a melancholy song than a truly sad one, but in my current life situation it has a special effect on me (living abroad, missing all my old friends from uni):


Frank Turner - St. Christopher is Coming Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDbjkaokPP8)

[JabberwockySupafly]

Couldn't see it mentioned, but Raining In Baltimore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEnCxGh8kBg) by Counting Crows is probably my favourite sad song.

[Bohandas]

Falling Away From Me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2vQUiS62JI) (contains swearing) by Korn

[Red Fel]

This is going to sound whack, but the Mamma Mia! Soundtrack version of Dancing Queen depresses the Hell out of me.

Ha! Truth. I assume you're speaking in particular about the movie version. I cried when I listened to what passes for Pierce Brosnan's singing voice, but not for the reasons you'd like.


I would also like to include an acoustic version of the Final Fantasy VI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Final_Fantasy_VI) soundtrack's "Forever Rachel (http://www.last.fm/music/Eiko+Ishiwata/_/Final+Fantasy+VI-+Forever+Rachel+%28Acoustic+Orchestration,+Not+MID I%29+Eiko+Ishiwata)" arranged and performed by Eiko Ishiwata Nichols.

Wow, this. I mean, there are several FF tunes that get me, but "Forever Rachel" is just... Admittedly, it helps to know the story behind it.


The scene in Cowboy Bebop for which "Call Me Call Me" was used was sort of a sad one, but I also find "Rain" to be a sadder song. Particularly, the demo sung by Mai Yamane.

If we're going with sad anime music, I can offer two. First, "Tsuioku Mezameru Tamashii (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOh7BbCHtog)" from Fairy Tail (the swells hit around 2:30). Second, "Diva's Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jq1GKmF6aw)" from Blood+. For whatever reason, it just gets me.


Mama, Look Sharp (https://youtu.be/VgEenf-TIMI) from 1776.
This always gives me chills.

So much this. I'll add "Javert's Suicide (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFQvGJGpM1s&feature=youtu.be&t=1m10s)" from Les Miserables, particularly as performed by Philip Quast. (His performance in the link.) His cry of despair at the end is incredible, and it's such a dark bookend to the opening of the show, where Valjean performs the same song with a much more optimistic bent.

I'll also add "Til We Reach That Day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjKX-4WOm_I)" from Ragtime, in which Brian Stokes Mitchell does an incredible job of showing the emotional reaction to his character's beloved dying. The opening scream of pain manages to define the tone, and the darkness underlines what should otherwise be an uplifting song. And "Being Alive (https://youtu.be/vC-6TYlMnlo?t=55s)" from Company, where the lead basically confronts the emotional vulnerability necessary to open up to romance. Been performed by a lot of people, shows a lot of pain, fear, and emotional range.

Hard not to tear up when you're listening to actors singing about that level of pain.

Moving out of the showtunes genre, I'd have to nominate Don McLean's "Vincent (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk)." Soothing, gentle, but mournful.

[KillingAScarab]

Moving out of the showtunes genre, I'd have to nominate Don McLean's "Vincent (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk)." Soothing, gentle, but mournful.I will second, "Vincent." Wow, it has been a long time since I thought about that song, but it is such an obvious pick for its genre.

[Shrimpboy107]

You want sad songs? I introduce you to Iggy: cause all of her attempts at music are sad.
Lmao but real talk if you're looking for your daily dose of emo I got quite the line up for you:
Mad World- Gary Jules
Cats in the Cradle- Harry Chapin
If you want the ~**real**~ emo experience I suggest
My Chemical Romance- I don't love you like I love you yesterday

Saddest song I ever heard though has to be:
Flamthrower- Attica! Attica!

[Marillion]

Kentucky Avenue (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvZK8Wl7RQ8) by Tom Waits. His trademark whisky-cigarettes-gravel voice, wistful reminiscing about the street he grew up on, and a tragic turn at the end.

Hold On (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P5jV4lHHR0) by Tom Waits. Young and dumb romance, dreams unfulfilled, beauty that makes you ache...

Where The Wild Roses Grow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF00g0KtPXc) as sung by Roy Khan and Chanty Wunder. Maybe doesn't fit entirely, but it has a wonderful melancholy feel throughout the song.

At Seventeen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMUz2TNMvL0) by Janis Ian. A song for all the lonely ugly ducklings.

Crusade (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQLEjBUU9kI) by Voltaire. A man who was lied to so that he'd go to war sees the same happen to his son.

Ne Me Quitte Pas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk7_HY9svA) by Jacques Brel. A man has an emotional breakdown as he begs his lover not to leave him.

Space Doggity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsV-qozMz9A) by Jonathan Coulton. A stirring tribute to Laika, a stray dog from Moscow who became the first animal to orbit the Earth.

When You Go (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCH87-cbDpA) by Jonathan Coulton. A man processes someone's departure, a-capella style.

Kilkelly, Ireland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4uRgpYXgKI) as sung by The Irish Roses. An Irish man writes to his son who emigrated to the U.S over the course of 30 years. Possibly the most heart-breaking song I've ever heard.

[Knaight]

La Historia de Juan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg8WDHFVHX4), by Juanes. Even without knowing the words you can tell that it's sad. With the words, it gets really depressing really fast.

[Tvtyrant]

The Wearing of the Green (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZku2REI-Xs)is one I grew up with. My mother and uncle are very into Irish patriotism.

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

Lindsey's My Immortal (https://youtu.be/-onQcF95pfs) cover

Dream Theater's Through Her Eyes (https://youtu.be/SjINXbJ3vdo) (especially in the context of the rest of the album)

Mike and the Mechanics The Living Years (https://youtu.be/uGDA0Hecw1k)

[KillingAScarab]

Where The Wild Roses Grow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF00g0KtPXc) as sung by Roy Khan and Chanty Wunder. Maybe doesn't fit entirely, but it has a wonderful melancholy feel throughout the song.I would agree that it doesn't fit. This song is originally from Murder Ballads (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Ballads) by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave respectively sing the parts of a murder victim and a murderer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Wild_Roses_Grow#Background).


Crusade (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQLEjBUU9kI) by Voltaire. A man who was lied to so that he'd go to war sees the same happen to his son.I have a different interpretation. The chorus includes "Son, know your enemy as I know my son" and "...as I would have them know my son." The subject of the song is not necessarily lied to directly, but he is swayed by rumor in his headstrong youth, and later regrets his actions. It is likely the reason his father tried to warn him was because he fell to the same trap. He later gives the same warning against ignorance and demonizing to his son. There is a cyclical need for this warning.


Kilkelly, Ireland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4uRgpYXgKI) as sung by The Irish Roses. An Irish man writes to his son who emigrated to the U.S over the course of 30 years. Possibly the most heart-breaking song I've ever heard.

The Wearing of the Green (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZku2REI-Xs)is one I grew up with. My mother and uncle are very into Irish patriotism.I'll chime in on the Irish jag with "Far Away Boys (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/floggingmolly/farawayboys.html)" by Flogging Molly.

[Roland St. Jude]

"Hurt" as covered by Johnny Cash (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg8xYSWOFR8)That was my first thought.

Also, Lilac Wine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PC68rEfF-o), especially the Jeff Buckley version. While we're at it, since I'm a Buckley fan, "Hallelujah" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIw0ewEsNHs) and Last Goodbye (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtS0rwQK_pI) have sad potential.

Mike and the Mechanics' "Living Years"
Chapin's "Cats In the Cradle,"
Tears for Fears' "Mad World"
Jim Croce's "Operator"

The Beatles, "Yesterday" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uneYz201p0&list=RD2uneYz201p0#t=26) and "She's Leaving Home" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGlpy5pgQW8) are classics.

Billy Joel's "Why Judy Why" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdKhE8kjBpo) is one that's less well known. And his "And So It Goes" is melancholy, if ultimately more sweet than sad.

[sktarq]

The Wearing of the Green (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZku2REI-Xs)is one I grew up with. My mother and uncle are very into Irish patriotism.

There Were Roses (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jorfQa3VyZc) . . . The song of the troubles for me and a desperately sad tune...in spite of the opening line

[Shadow of the Sun]

This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dscsGRjpxk) is the last song Warren Zevon recorded after he was diagnosed with untreatable mesothelioma.

Rest in peace, Warren. I always try to enjoy every sandwich.

[Admiral Squish]

Just gonna say, I'm now writing a short story between commissions based on the 'The Last of the Giants' song. Very stirring.

[Eldan]

Do be aware that Last of the Giants is a quote from A Song of Ice and Fire, so you may not want to use it verbatim.

[Admiral Squish]

The actual song won't be in it, it's just the idea.

[Catalysis]

1. An overall well balanced violin concerto by Phillip Glass is my ''top'' sad song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsioM3GaAAY

2. Ever heard of Adagio for strings? It is said to be the saddest song in the world. It purposely fails to reach the natural peak created by rising music, always lowering before it completely ascends, effectively creating a sense of emptiness in the listener's mind because it will not match our understanding of harmony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQsgE0L450&list=FLgQfkrWU3Eb0U_Ab1Y_Fj_w&index=50

3. Just listen to the beginning of Davy Jone's theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fe9W1gZPUs&list=FLgQfkrWU3Eb0U_Ab1Y_Fj_w&index=48

[KillingAScarab]

2. Ever heard of Adagio for strings? It is said to be the saddest song in the world. It purposely fails to reach the natural peak created by rising music, always lowering before it completely ascends, effectively creating a sense of emptiness in the listener's mind because it will not match our understanding of harmony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQsgE0L450&list=FLgQfkrWU3Eb0U_Ab1Y_Fj_w&index=50While finding objectively sad things is an interesting challenge, I can't say that one works for me all the time. I can think of something (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjF4nVWkiL4) subjectively sadder in the classical genre, even without a symphony (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_1waKBGi0o).

[Lateral]

I listen to a lot of sad music.


Birdland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OReJIwNVOz4), by Patti Smith. Poetry and music.
The Frozen Girl (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrFbyWigyGU), by Cordelia's Dad. I have not cried in many years. The first time I listened to this song, I came pretty close.
Several Tom Waits songs— A Little Rain (for Clyde) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CooufUoi2qs), Warm Beer and Cold Women (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXyuH1yx5g8), and of course Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxVo5mjK4eg) come to mind immediately.
Margaret vs. Pauline (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU3xh55g5yY), by Neko Case. Not necessarily my favorite song on the album (that'd probably be the title track), but it's sad and sweet.
Still Crazy After All These Years (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3LFML_pxlY), by Paul Simon. More melancholy than sad, but still.
Wish You Were Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic), by Pink Floyd. I love "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," but in terms of emotional impact you just can't beat the title track.
The Seikilos epitaph (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seikilos_epitaph). Brief, but beautiful.
Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpgYt02g0Ug), by Bobby Bare. Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies is the greatest folk album in the history of ever. I will fight you.
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ImGP33hcc4), by Frank Sinatra. Yeah, I know, but I'm a sucker for that voice. Besides, it's one of the only songs on here I can actually sing.
Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos (Poor Old Shine cover, Live at Infinity Hall). No linkee, this one's only on disc. This one's more personal than it is objectively sad, but this album got me through a particularly rough time in my life.

[Moak]

Dream Theater's Through Her Eyes (https://youtu.be/SjINXbJ3vdo) (especially in the context of the rest of the album)


I concur. That's very sad...

Fadin' Away (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVuAowVq1l4) by Pride&Glory (a short lived project by Zakk Wylde) is... very touching to me. It's the song I listen to when I'm sad and.... always allows me to let all the sadness out.

And Mary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDOGY3-o0CI) by Gemelli Diversi. The ending lift up a bit, but is a song that make me always sad by fury, due to the argument of it.

[dragonsamurai77]

- Aerith's Theme from Final Fantasy VII

- Xion's Theme from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

- Who is This Child from the Trans-siberian Orchestra's Beethoven's Last Night

- Will of the Heart from Bleach

[Moak]

- Aerith's Theme from Final Fantasy VII

- Xion's Theme from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

- Who is This Child from the Trans-siberian Orchestra's Beethoven's Last Night

- Will of the Heart from Bleach


You made me remember another one: One Child (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KcdYdDCV44) by Savatage.

[Prince Zahn]

That was my first thought.

"Hallelujah" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIw0ewEsNHs)

Jim Croce's "Operator"

The Beatles, "Yesterday" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uneYz201p0&list=RD2uneYz201p0#t=26)

Billy Joel's "Why Judy Why" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdKhE8kjBpo) is one that's less well known. And his "And So It Goes" is melancholy, if ultimately more sweet than sad. Goodness gracious, Roland you know exactly what I like :O


This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dscsGRjpxk) is the last song Warren Zevon recorded after he was diagnosed with untreatable mesothelioma.

Rest in peace, Warren. I always try to enjoy every sandwich.
This too </3

I want to mention Bruce Springsteen's song "Independence Day" and "My Father's House" and which have lyrics stuffed with heartwrenching feels.

Billy Joel's songs "Summer, Highland Falls" and "I've Loved These Days" are also faves when I'm melancholic.

There was also this really old song "Somebody's Darling" from the album Songs of the Civil War which is also pretty sad.

[TheDreadPaladin]

Well for me, being a fan of the early Naruto series, really love "Sadness and Sorrow". It seems to always make me cry even when I try soooo hard not to!!

[Bohandas]

If you ignore the peppy tune and comical name Nitro Burning Funny Bong by GWAR is pretty sad

[Mono Vertigo]

No mention to the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby?

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

Need to add one more: Chelsea Wolfe - The Waves Have Come (https://youtu.be/sjpc9KE-kW0)

[jseah]

Symphonic Rain

Secret
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL7b2ERCi-Y


Kaai Yuki!

Our Let-It-Be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gajYalHn5eM

I am living
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UzN_-ZqHRA

Balsam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n-1jqukpIY


Kaai Yuki in particular has a number of depressing songs.

[veti]

Elvis Costello, 'A Good Year for the Roses (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hBWBVVFA4c)'.

Bic Runga, 'The Be All and End All (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhSUKH9GlDM&list=RDXhSUKH9GlDM)'. Also, depending on mood, 'Listening for the Weather (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEM7v-dh1gE)'.

And one I'm surprised not to have seen yet: The Rolling Stones, 'Paint it Black (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4irXQhgMqg)'.

Edit: plus, of course, Sondheim's 'Send In the Clowns (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6KGuTr9TI)'

[Themrys]

Valkyrie Daughter by SJ Tucker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6g2bq95NsA

Only song that ever made me cry.

[Scarlet Knight]

And one I'm surprised not to have seen yet: The Rolling Stones, Paint it Black….
Too upbeat

Always had a soft spot for "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"
You would like Green Fields of France

I listen to a lot of sad music.
Still Crazy After All These Years, by Paul Simon. More melancholy than sad, but still.
You want Crazy by Patsy Cline who sings it sadder than Willie Nelson

Kilkelly, Ireland as sung by The Irish Roses. An Irish man writes to his son who emigrated to the U.S over the course of 30 years. Possibly the most heart-breaking song I've ever heard.
Yes! The saddest song in a nation of sad songs !

As for me, I always cry at Blake Shelton’s The Baby

[Bohandas]

The Road Behind has a pretty sad gloomy tune

[Benthesquid]

As mentioned, The Green Fields of France. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UvQ52A7ksM)

Also, despite the catchy tune, well, the title of People Who Died (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt5OZJ1LrbQ) really says it all.

[Bohandas]

*The Sound of Silence
*The Funeral March
*Dies Irae

[thompur]

Strange Fruit (https://youtu.be/h4ZyuULy9zs) - Billie Holiday

[Dilvish]

Meat Loaf's Two out of Three Ain't Bad - Brings back painful memories.

Garth Brooks' The Last Dance. - for personal reasons.

I agree with Cats in the Cradle. Ouch.

[Bohandas]

In the Year 2525 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1mWvRjzgiY) by Zager and Evans. Dystopian and fatalistic.

No Place Like Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz1E_0K_DQ0) by DEVO

[Aedilred]

In the Year 2525 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1mWvRjzgiY) by Zager and Evans. Dystopian and fatalistic.


As opposed to In the Year 252525 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3_SWYFkd7s) :smallwink:

[dps]

"Taxi", to name another Harry Chapin song.
"Fire and Rain" by James Taylor. Can't believe someone didn't already mention it.
"More Than a Feeling" by Boston. Slick, but it always got to me.
"Point Blank" by Bruce Springsteen. Maybe more depressing than sad per se, but dang, it's depressing.

[Scarlet Knight]

My daughter reminded me about "You Can Let Go" by Crystal Shawanda.

And of course : "Vesti La Giubba" from I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo

Yeah, something is good if it makes you cry in another language. :smallfrown:

[Aedilred]

My daughter reminded me about "You Can Let Go" by Crystal Shawanda.

And of course : "Vesti La Giubba" from I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo

Yeah, something is good if it makes you cry in another language. :smallfrown:

Oh yeah, if we're bringing opera into it... Non Piangere, Liù! from Turandot; Con onor muore from Madame Butterfly; O dolci mani from Tosca. (Yes, I like Puccini). Plenty more there to be found, too.

[Bohandas]

Dust in the Wind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ) by Kansas


And of course : "Vesti La Giubba" from I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo

"Truly Alone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXjyW2TSgnc)" and "Suicide Hotline (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggn_p8Vu5nk)" (explicit) from Hell's Pit by ICP :smallbiggrin:

[Airea]

Christmas Shoes.

Bring tissues.

[BannedInSchool]

Dust in the Wind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ) by Kansas
Especially at the end of the first season of the Highlander TV series.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Space Doggity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsV-qozMz9A) by Jonathan Coulton. A stirring tribute to Laika, a stray dog from Moscow who became the first animal to orbit the Earth.

I prefer this... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66seXrzECmA)

[Bohandas]

And of course : "Vesti La Giubba" from I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo

Yeah, something is good if it makes you cry in another language. :smallfrown:



"Truly Alone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXjyW2TSgnc)" and "Suicide Hotline (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggn_p8Vu5nk)" (explicit) from Hell's Pit by ICP :smallbiggrin:

Send in the Clowns (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6KGuTr9TI)

[2D8HP]

The saddest song I heard on the radio today, was by the Cowboy Junkies covering a Blind Willie Johnson song.
I was surprised by how it made me cry so much, especially as I already know the history of the 20th century quite well, so the events referenced were already known to me (but I'm easy to effect emotionally, a classmate commenting on how easy it is to make me laugh, told me, "your like a cheap date").

Some of the lyrics, I've copied below:

In the year of 19 and
In the year of 19 and 18, ** sent a mighty disease.
It killed many a-thousand, on land and on the seas.

[Chorus]

Great disease was mighty and the people were sick everywhere.
It was an epidemic, it floated through the air.

[Chorus]

The doctors they got troubled and they didn't know what to do.
They gathered themselves together, they called it the Spanish flu.

[Chorus]

Soldiers died on the battlefield, died in the counts too.
Captain said to the lieutenant, "I don't know what to do."

[Chorus]

Well, ** is warning the nation, He's a-warning them every way.
To turn away from evil and seek the ** and **

[Chorus]

Well, the nobles said to the people, "You better close your public schools."
"Until the events of death has ending, you better close your ** too."

We done told you,
*******
coming soon.

:frown:

[Bohandas]

The Funeral March (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg3DsKtZVHM)

[HandofShadows]

Send in the Clowns (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6KGuTr9TI)

A very good choice sir.

[Pex]

"See Ya"

The goodbye song Carol and Paula sang at the end of every episode of The Magic Garden. The song meant the show was over.

[SiSoo]

Meat Loaf great singer, I adore this huge man. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad the lyrics are fantastic (http://lyricsmusic.name/meat-loaf-lyrics/bat-out-of-hell/two-out-of-three-aint-bad.html).

[2D8HP]

Unmatched for deep serious pathos!

The Rezillos song

FLYING SAUCER ATTACK

There's a threat approaching from the stars
All the horrors from Venus and Mars
Everybody'd better be on guard
When the flying saucers land

Watch the skies above the horizon
For the spies who have no flies on
When they appear through the stratosphere
Better lock yourself inside

Flying saucer attack
I'm never coming back
Oh, oh, oh
Until it's over

Laser beams and gamma projectors
There'll be nothing on Earth to protect us
When they arrive out of the sky
They'll be frying us alive

Call out the army and United Nations
Alert the police and airforce stations
Tell everybody to run and hide
Because the end is near at hand

Flying saucer attack
I'm never coming back
Oh, oh, oh
Until it's over

There's a threat approaching from the stars
All the horrors from Venus and Mars
Everybody'd better be on guard
When the flying saucers land

Watch the skies above the horizon
For the spies who have no flies on
When they appear through the statusphere
Better lock yourself inside

Flying saucer attack
I'm never coming back
Oh, oh, oh
Until it's over

Oh, oh, oh
Until it's over
Oh, oh, oh
Until it's over

:wink:

:biggrin:

[DeadpanSal]

Here's two:

Sleepwalker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ho5xFantzQ)
Everything Stays (https://youtu.be/wyKMQNndvjc)

[the_david]

Old Shep by Red Foley.

[2D8HP]

Johnny Was by
Stiff Little Fingers (Northern Ireland)/Bob Marley (Jamaica)

Woman hold her head and cry
'Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died
From a stray bullet


Woman hold her head and cry
Accompanying her was a passerby, who
Saw the woman cry


Wondering, can she work it out?
Now she knows that the wages of sin is death
The gift of God is life


Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Johnny was a good man
Oh, yeah


Woman hold her head and cry
'Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died
Just because of the system


Woman hold her head and cry
Comforting her, I was passing by and I
I saw the woman cry


She cried, oh, oh
Oh, oh, Johnny was a good man
He never did a thing wrong, no


Take it down


Johnny went out on a Saturday night
He never hurt anybody, never started no bar room fight
Johnny never did nobody no wrong
He never hurt anybody never-ever-ever-ever, johnny was a good man
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, yeah-yeah


Johnny was a good
Johnny was a good man, I tell ya
Johnny was a good man
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny was a good man, yeah


Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny was a good man, hey


On a top-floor flat in the middle of the night
There's a man with rifle and Johnny in his sight
I said oh no-no-no-no-no-no
We can't let that kind of thing happen here no more
Oh, no


Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, yeah


A single shot rings out in a Belfast night and I said oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh


Johnny was a good man
Johnny was a good man
Johnny was a good man
Johnny was a good man, said


Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, hey, hey


Can a woman's tender care
Cease towards the child she bears, oh-oh?


Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, hey, hey, yeah!


Too many Johnnies, too many Johnnies
Too many Johnnies, somebody care
I care!

[Thrudd]

"Pain" and "Trauma" on Ayreon's "Human Equation" -though maybe more depressing than strictly sad.

"Of Dust" "Healing Now", "To the Shoreline", "Of Salt", "The Deeper Cut", "Through the Distance" and "The Physics of Gridlock" on Pain of Salvation's "Road Salt " parts one and two.

"Muzzle" by Smashing Pumpkins

"Hey You", Pink Floyd

"When I Leave This Land" Damian Wilson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSLiq-5fzMA

[Marillion]

"Pain" and "Trauma" on Ayreon's "Human Equation" -though maybe more depressing than strictly sad.

"Of Dust" "Healing Now", "To the Shoreline", "Of Salt", "The Deeper Cut", "Through the Distance" and "The Physics of Gridlock" on Pain of Salvation's "Road Salt " parts one and two.

This guy :smallbiggrin: but you forgot "Sisters". Amazing that the song is so touching when the story basically boils down to "This one time I got drunk at a party and almost had sex with my sister-in-law".

Anathema - A Natural Disaster (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNwdSplokjM)
Anathema - Flying (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWJudZnENT0)
Anathema - One Last Goodbye (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li_xjPIDBSo)
I mean, really, almost every Anathema song before 2010 is a candidate for saddest/most hopeless song ever. After 2010, their songs are still tearjerkers, but in an uplifting sort of way.

Anais Mitchell - If It's True (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzlTRd9Ft3Y), featuring Justin Vernon or sung by the lady herself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkkoh8xdRDE).

[Hida Reju]

What You Weren't (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwC7JyuybwM) · Stochastic Theory

"Demons (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fZwgHYtgyk)" by Brian McFadden

"Alien (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-cg50W2_ic)" Your Favorite Martian

[steen_dl]

This always makes me sad, even thought it has become a parody for the most part. ahahah, it just sticks..

youtube. . c o m /watch?v=QuNhTLVgV2Y

[KillingAScarab]

"Muzzle" by Smashing Pumpkins


My life has been extraordinary
Blessed and cursed and won
Time heals but I'm forever broken
By and by the way...
Have you ever heard the words
I'm singing in these songs?
It's for the girl I've loved all along
Can a taste of love be so wrong?
As all things must surely have to end
And great loves will one day have to part
I know that I am meant for this world

Hm. I suppose "Muzzle" does take on a slightly sadder bent if you know that about Corgan's divorce a few years later.

[Bohandas]

My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue and Into the Black) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cawk2cMTnGo)

[Thrudd]

Hm. I suppose "Muzzle" does take on a slightly sadder bent if you know that about Corgan's divorce a few years later.

Yeah. It is a slightly hopeful sad. He's resigned to the inherent sadness of the world, and that makes it slightly hopeful, knowing that the world consists of ebbs and flows, and the world doesn't care. So fly high while you can, and experience all the things life has to offer, because the end is the same for us all.

"I fear that I am ordinary
just like everyone.
To lie here and die, among the sorrows.
Adrift among the days.
And everything I've ever said
and everything I've ever done is gone
and dead.
As all things must surely have to end
Great loves one day have to part
I know that I am meant for this world...

...and I knew the silence of the world..."

[Eldan]

We were talking about folk songs today, so I had to find a good recording (without rock accompaniment or a full orchester, which is all terribly unfitting) of the only genuine Swiss Folk song I know. (Most so called traditional Swiss culture was invented whole cloth by urban Bourgeoisie of the mid-19th century.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr19ZWXC6Ik

It's a proper folk song too. By the fifth of ten verses, everyone is already dead, the rest is poetic description.

Though this one isn't bad either.
https://youtu.be/oTyXQ7odA24

[Telonius]

Sister Golden Hair (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIycEe59Auc), by America. More so for me, because it reminds me of Elsabeth and the books I should really be writing.

[Bohandas]

It's a proper folk song too. By the fifth of ten verses, everyone is already dead, the rest is poetic description.

That's nothing compared to Fifteen Men On A Dead Man's Chest, which *starts out* wih everybody dead


My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue and Into the Black) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cawk2cMTnGo)
...and the DEVO version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6hqrK_u9Ek)

[Shadow of the Sun]

Not really a song so much as a musical piece, but no piece of music has ever made me feel as sad as Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82-xbhfNR2g).

[Lentrax]

Its obvious, but Last Kiss (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvjTo-hRD5c) always gets me since I lost the first true love of my life in a car accident.

[KillingAScarab]

I have been listening to a bit of Leonard Cohen. Come Healing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUB1O2cT2gM) has been... notably hard to take.

[RossN]

Where Do You Go To My Lovely (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8XQZYIiNgo) by Peter Sarstedt.

Maybe not conventially sad but pretty heartbreaking in it's own way.

[Mith]

A favourite song of mine is Land O' the Leal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aleyPzq_I8c) as sung by Andy Stewart.

With this link, it's a live song with some awesome dialogue at the beginning that greatly amuses me. The actual description of the song starts at 3:10 for those that want to skip the dialogue. For those who do not understand the Scottish dialect by ear, the lyrics are in the description of the video.

[HandofShadows]

Elizabeth (https://youtu.be/hwDzbZcUTok) :smallfrown:

[anotherthumb]

A Sorta Fairytale - Tori Amos
Everybody Hurts - R.E.M

This songs makes me feel sad but good in the sametime, always.

[Bohandas]

I think Do They Know It's Christmas would fit if it weren't for the fact that it borders on the comically hyperbolic in places