Saddest Songs of All Time

**Louis VI the Fat** · 07-10-2009, 05:53

Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen.

Why it's the saddest song:
Ballads are never sad. Songs need tension, ambiguity. The pumping drums, that keyboard melody, the vocals shouted at the top of his lungs both perfectly capture the theme of the lyrics and contrast with them. The nuance of the lyrics are in great contradiction to the unsubtleness of the music. It is a sad song, introverted. The lone thoughts of a lone man, abandoned. The words ought to be mumbled by an embittered man, alone on his porch. Uttered by that drunk you walked past earlier that day, avoiding eyecontact.

Strike against it: Like a video of Neda, unbearable to sit out. You want to cast your eyes downwards, avoid the shame, the intrusion.
The greatness is the ambiguity with the bombastic stadium rock anthem music.

**Legosoldier** · 07-10-2009, 06:18

Nebel, by Rammstein

Why it's the saddest song:
"The last kiss was so long ago, the last kiss, he does not remember it anymore..." The song is about the death of a loved one, and what is ironic about this is the title; when you flip it backwards, it says leben, which means life.

Strike against it:
Till Lindemann's gruff voice doesn't exactly match the mood of the song, but even then, it still sounds pretty great.

**GeneralHankerchief** · 07-10-2009, 06:21

Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat

Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen.

Why it's the saddest song:
Ballads are never sad. Songs need tension, ambiguity. The pumping drums, that keyboard melody, the vocals shouted at the top of his lungs both perfectly capture the theme of the lyrics and contrast with them. The nuance of the lyrics are in great contradiction to the unsubtleness of the music. It is a sad song, introverted. The lone thoughts of a lone man, abandoned. The words ought to be mumbled by an embittered man, alone on his porch. Uttered by that drunk you walked past earlier that day, avoiding eyecontact.

Strike against it: Like a video of Neda, unbearable to sit out. You want to cast your eyes downwards, avoid the shame, the intrusion.
The greatness is the ambiguity with the bombastic stadium rock anthem music.

Louis, I'll see your "Born in the USA" and raise you another Springsteen song, "Jungleland". Probably my favorite song of all time, and is one of the very few songs that still gives me shivers when I listen to it.

Why it's the saddest song:
Excellent portrayal of life wasted in the 70s, and still a great depection of how street/gang life is
just so stupid even now. Great piano riff and sax solo as well.

Strike against it:
Bit lengthy, really. Also, keep in mind that this was the period of time when Springsteen was at his most bombastic, music-wise, if you're not into that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac

Why it's the saddest song:
Moving guitar work. In addition, the lyrics to a point deal with the ever-present problem of aging and looking back at everything and how it's all piled up on you at once.

Strike against it:
I suppose it's not sad so much as melancholy and reflective.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"American Pie" by Don McLean

Why it's the saddest song:
Yeah, I know, that one. But my interpretation of the song is McLean's viewing of the 60s as an outsider; watching as everything he holds to dear to him crashes and burns (in some cases, literally) in the madness that was the later part of the decade. The final verse is just apocalyptic.

Strike against it:
Despite the overall theme of the song, parts of it are pretty up-tempo. In addition, it loses points in the same way that "Hurt" did - the song is now a staple of classic-rock radio, sharing airtime with the same artists that killed the good ol' days. -edit- Also, for some inexplicable reason, Madonna did a cover version of this that was so abysmal it detracted from the power of the original. Weird Al's version didn't help either, but at least that was funny.

**||Lz3||** · 07-10-2009, 08:09

Well... supposedly more than a hundred people, including the composer himself, committed suicide right after listening "Gloomy Sunday", "The Hungarian suicide song". It was banned during the thirties because of that.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WBZwLkvpFI

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Wouldn't that make it the saddest of all time?

. Personally I find, 'sad', Auf Asche by Franz Ferdinand. I also love Moonlight Sonata, which is melancholinc in it's own way.

PS: Sorry for any messiness with my post. I had to do all the coding manually... Remind me to change my posting window options. Oh and sorry for not using the format hehehe I'm in a hurry right now.

**LeftEyeNine** · 07-10-2009, 08:37

Probably there are dozens I'll be able to recommend however momentarily one pops up.

Goran Bregovic - Aven Ivenda

It has such an embracing atmosphere that I remember my little brother as numb as dead, lying on the carpet as I started to play that song.

**Moros** · 07-10-2009, 11:42

Something in the way - Nirvana?

Or

Leonard Cohen - Chelsea hotel n2

**Fragony** · 07-10-2009, 13:21

My inner emo digs this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrTB...k&feature=fvst

This still gets me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRE0slFf4Zg

**Banquo's Ghost** · 07-10-2009, 13:47

I fear I am about to end this debate right here. Once an Irishman enters the fray of laments, the conversation is over.

Danny Boy, as sung by the wondrous voice of Eva Cassidy.

Why it's the saddest song?
You need to ask? The sorrow of a nation that lost her children. The tragic loss of the songstress. It's an Irish lament.

Strike against.
None at all. If you are not weeping your heart out through this song, you surely lack poetry of the soul.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: