Saddest Songs of All Time

Hard to tell - there are so many sad songs.

I like Johnny Cash's version of Lemur's very first suggestion.

Two songs that I think are extremely depressing are from Lou Reed's "Magic & Loss" album.

Cremation deals with the loss of a friend.

Well the coal black sea waits for me me me
The coal black sea waits forever
The waves hit the shore
Crying more more more
But the coal black sea waits forever

The tornados come up the coast they run
Hurricanes rip the sky forever
Through the weathers change
the sea remains the same
The coal black sea waits forever

There are ashes split through collective guilt
People rest at sea forever
Since they burnt you up
Collect you in a cup
For you the coal black sea has no terror

Will your ashes float like some foreign boat
or will they sink absorbed forever
Will the Atlantic Coast
have its final boast
Nothing else contained you ever

Now the coal black sea waits for me me me
The coal black sea waits forever
When I leave this joint
at some further point
The same coal black sea will it be waiting



Harry's Circumcision - an account of complete unhappiness in a person's life

Looking in the mirror Harry didn't like what he saw
The cheeks of his mother the eyes of his father
As each day crashed around him the future stood revealed
He was turning into his parents
The final disappointment

Stepping out of the shower Harry stared at himself
His hairline receding the slight overbite
He picked up the razor to begin his shaving
and thought oh I wish I was different

I wish I was stronger I wish I was thinner
I wish I didn't have this nose
These ears that stick out remind me of my father
and I don't want to be reminded at all
The final disappointment

Harry looked into the mirror thinking of Vincent Van Gogh
and with a quick swipe lopped off his nose
And happy with that he made a slice where his chin was
He's always wanted a dimple
The end of all illusion
Then peering down straight between his legs
Harry thought of the range of possibilities
A new face a new life no memories of the past
and slit his throat from ear to ear

Harry woke up with a cough the stitches made his wince
A doctor smiled at him from somewhere across the room
Son we saved your life but you'll never look the same
And when he heard that, Harry had to laugh
Although it hurt Harry had to laugh
The final disappointment

I think it is indeed hard to top "Danny Boy", though it's not the only song of it's kind.

I do, however, submit this as one of the most affecting songs I have heard from my own generation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX8gcBVExxk, it has a special meaning for myself, but I defy anyone not to feel at least one heartstring plucked.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TinCow

Last Kiss by anyone who's ever covered it. I have to change the radio station whenever that thing comes on or I'll drive myself off a bridge just to end it.

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Yeah that's true. I took it off my iPod at one point because I just couldn't get through teh song without feeling down.

As the Footsteps Die Out Forever by Catch 22/Streetlight Manifesto.

Why it's the saddest song: A mother is diagnosed with cancer. She feels guilty because she's leaving her children in three weeks and won't be there to help them in life.
Strike against it: The actual music is a little too hard and fast for it to really sink in if you're not listening carefully.

Bonus: Streetlight Manifesto also has a song titled "The Saddest Song" but that's cheating. A lot of their stuff is pretty depressing masked by their ska stylings...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TinCow

Last Kiss by anyone who's ever covered it. I have to change the radio station whenever that thing comes on or I'll drive myself off a bridge just to end it.

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:shame:

Yes indeed. By Pearl Jam.

CR

I'd like to share a song which is called The Angel of the bycicle.

The song is about a person who used to help people who were poor. Once a social crisis came and some people were randomly targeted, and policeman went into a social eating place, place where people was given the only ration of food in all their day, and "Pocho", the Angel, was there and he went into the roof, insulted them and said: "Drop your weapons, here there are kids eating!". He was shot, and killed. This is why in the video they write something like "Pocho lives", "Pocho was like Che, he did not died as a brother but as a comrade(not the exact word)", "Saint Pocho of Ludueña", "There is people that can't wait.", "We must construct spring".

The only problem is that it is in Spanish, yet here are the lyrics translated:

We changed eyes, into sky
His so sweet, so clear words
We change for thunders

We changed his body, we put wings
And now we see a winged bicycle, which travels
For the corners of the quarters, for streets
For the walls of bath and jails
Drop your weapons! Here are only kids eating!

We changed faith into tears
With what book was this beast educated
With fierceness and without soul
We allow to go to an angel
And we have this shit left
That kills us without importing for him, where from we come
That we do, what we think
If we are workers, priests or doctors
Drop your weapons! Here are only kids eating!

We change good for bad
And to the angel of the bicycle we did it of canister
Happiness for crying
Neither the life nor the death give up
With cradles and crossings

I am going to cover your struggle more than with flowers
I am going to take care of your kindness more than with prayers
Drop your weapons! Here are only kids eating!

We change eyes into sky
His so sweet, so clear words
We change for thunders
We extract body, we put wings
And now we see a winged bicycle, which travels
For the corners of the quarter, for streets
For the walls of bath, and jails
Drop your weapons! Here are only kids eating!

For me, I Will Always Love You is way up there (any version). Letting go of someone you love from the root of your Heart for their sake, and to your great loss .... so hard, so painful, so sad. It's difficult to listen to when I'm alone.

Strike Against: it's a simple pop ballad, and some might find it sappy and intellectually shallow.


Edit:

This instrumental by Jack Nietzche, from a not-particularly-well-known movie, never fails to move me to deep sadness, similar experience in the past and all that. I've posted this before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gdi...eature=related

Strike Against: those who prefer lyrics won't be able to relate to its sadness as well. That's not an issue for me though; music is my second language.

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Originally Posted by Whacker

The next one I can think of is the song from the final scene of Gladiator. Perhaps the visuals and backstory have something to do with it, but nevertheless I found it to be very sad and final.

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Well, it is sung by Lisa Gerrard, who I think could make me cry just by singing the phone book. But context does have a lot to do with it. If you had never seen Gladiator, you could see it as quite an upbeat song (and indeed it even has that aspect to it in the film too - "now we are free").

A similar piece, also performed in part by Lisa Gerrard, is the Breton song Gortoz a Ran, used in quite a few contexts - including the end to Blackhawk Down. Like the Gladiator song, my perceptions are very influenced by the setting, but it does have a requiem-like quality to it and IIRC, the words reflect that. (Try to ignore the New World visuals if you want to appreciate the sadness, but I rather like them as they soften song.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFXI...om=PL&index=40

Strike against: so beautiful, it might just convince you that life's sadness and loss are worth enduring.

"Johnny Was" - Bob Marley & the Wailers

"Lessons In My Life" - Peter Tosh

others:
"High Tide Or Low Tide" - The Wailers ( Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer).
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
"I Don't Want To Fight" - Tina Turner
"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" - The Platters
"Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" - Ronnie Dyson
"Alone Again (Naturally)" - Gilbert O'Sullivan
"Disarm" - Smashing Pumpkins
"The Unforgiven" - Metallica
"Superwoman" - Karyn White
"Ocean Deep" - Cliff Richard
"Just When I Needed You Most" - Randy VanWarmer

etc...

I agree with you on Cash's cover of NIN. Cash is full of emotion.

A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke.
Why it's the saddest song: "It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die, Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky "
Strike against it: I can't fault this one.

Live. Studio. Rainy Night In Georgia - Brook Benton
Why it's the saddest song: "A rainy night in Georgia, a rainy night in Georgia, It seems like it's rainin' all over the world"
Strike against it: Reaches a semi-upbeat conclusion.

Cheating a bit as its not a song but hands down, the saddest piece of music is Barber's adagio for strings.

The saddest song I listen to of the classic breakup variety song would be Cheap Wine and Cheaper Women by Airbourne.(let me know if the link wont work)
Bloke gets kicked out on the street by his girlfriend and then turns to goon and cheap hookers. He gets really into it and its believable that he's really worked up about losing his girl.

Strikes against - At one point it seems that he's more emotional that his bottle is almost empty :laugh4:


The sadest song hands down is Rip Rip Woodchip by John Williamson. I cant find anywhere to listen to it appart from 30s clips so I'll just put up the lyrics.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

What am I gonna do - what about the future?
Gotta draw the line without delay
Why shouldn't I get emotional - the bush is sacred
Ancient life will fade away

Over the hill they go, killing another mountain
Gotta fill the quota - can't go slow
Huge machinery wiping out the scenery
One big swipe like a shearer's blow

Rip rip woodchip - turn it into paper
Throw it in the bin, no news today
Nightmare, dreaming - can't you hear the screaming?
Chainsaw, eyesore - more decay

Remember the axemen knew their timber
Cared about the way they brought it down
Crosscut, blackbutt, tallowood and cedar
Build another bungalow - pioneer town

I am the bush and I am koala
We are one - go hand in hand
I am the bush like Banjo and Henry
It's in my blood - gonna make a stand

Rip rip woodchip - turn it into paper
Throw it in the bin, no news today
Nightmare, dreaming - can't you hear the screaming?
Chainsaw, eyesore - more decay

Rip rip woodchip - turn it into paper
Throw it in the bin - don't understand
Nightmare, dreaming - can't you hear the screaming?
Stirs my blood - gonna make a stand

It's not quite the same just reading the lyrics, when he sings it he adds something extra to it.

Strikes against - It's about Australia so I'm guessing a lot of people are going to just shrug and say "who cares?"

EDIT Rip Rip Woodchip was the first that came to mind, but going back through my music collection I realise that there are a whole bunch of Johnny Williamson's songs that bring me to the brink to tears. The only artist that does. His songs actually mean something unlike those silly love songs.