What is the saddest song or tune you've ever heard?

[clop]

It can be the melody, the lyrics or an association to an event.

For me, I always feel sad when I listen to

Zager & Evans - In the year 2525 (the lyrics)
Michael Andrews & Gary Jules - Mad world (the lyrics and the tune)
Roger Whittaker - The last farewell (the lyrics and the tune)

Anyone got any others?

clop

[darkhunter]

"Tears" by Rush

[kleindoofy]

For me it's a close call between

- the opening march from the Funeral Sentences for Queen Mary by Henry Purcell and

- Weep you no more sad fountains from "The Third and Last Booke of Songs or Aires" by John Dowland.

[captain swoop]

Eric Bogle The Green Fields of France or The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Both about the First World War.

Both the Fureys and the Dropkick Murphys do good versions of the Green Fields of france.

[chrlzs]

Eric Bogle The Green Fields of France or The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Yes, esp. the Waltzing Matilda one - beautifully written and very moving, and as an Oz denizen, particularly poignant...

Maybe this doesn't quite fit the bill, but I find Sara MacLachlan's "Answer" the most moving piece of music EVER. She has a truly remarkable voice..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoOXtzrc20U

Cast me gently into morning
for the night has been unkind

[clop]

Maybe this doesn't quite fit the bill, but I find Sara MacLachlan's "Answer" the most moving piece of music EVER. She has a truly remarkable voice..

That is a very nice song chrlzs. The harmonies are actually very simple but she sings it extremely well. Not many singers could pull it off as well as that, except perhaps Nora Jones and, of course, SuBo.

I think it's harder to convey sadness when a tune has no one singing, since you can't hear the emotion in a voice. Trentemoller does an excellent job with "Miss You". Download it and see!

Anyone else got sad songs with no singing? I'm downloading all suggestions.

clop

[chrlzs]

That is a very nice song chrlzs. The harmonies are actually very simple but she sings it extremely well. Not many singers could pull it off as well as that, except perhaps Nora Jones and, of course, SuBo.

I think it's harder to convey sadness when a tune has no one singing, since you can't hear the emotion in a voice. Trentemoller does an excellent job with "Miss You". Download it and see!

Anyone else got sad songs with no singing? I'm downloading all suggestions.

clop

Thanks for that Clop - you just took me on an unexpected musical journey.. I listened to Miss You (never heard of Trentemoller before) and liked it, then noticed someone had remixed some of it against another favorite of mine - Massive Attack's 'Teardrops'. I guess I love slow/unusual/haunting/weird music. The remix was nothing much, but I continued my journey to another weird one.. but I'm now going a bit offtopic to songs that just stick in your head. You may like to try to find "Little Light Of Love" by Eric Serra. The second half of this song is played at the end of the sci-fi flick Fifth Element, but I like the full version which includes a very Peter-Gabriel-like performance by Serra at the start. Indeed this track is often wrongly attributed to Gabriel and Thomas Dolby, neither of whom had anything to do with it, as far as I can see... It's a conspiracy!


Anyway, how about Crow River Waltz by Leo Kottke (12 string guitar) for a sad sounding instrumental?

And then going off-topic again - if you like 12 string, then get hold of Kottke's "When Shrimps Learn To Whistle". If that song doesn't sound exactly like its title suggests.. you have no imagination.

Sorry, no youtube links for either, afaics. And cover versions just aren't the same..

[clop]

Thanks for that Clop - you just took me on an unexpected musical journey.. I listened to Miss You (never heard of Trentemoller before) and liked it, then noticed someone had remixed some of it against another favorite of mine - Massive Attack's 'Teardrops'. I guess I love slow/unusual/haunting/weird music. The remix was nothing much, but I continued my journey to another weird one.. but I'm now going a bit offtopic to songs that just stick in your head. You may like to try to find "Little Light Of Love" by Eric Serra. The second half of this song is played at the end of the sci-fi flick Fifth Element, but I like the full version which includes a very Peter-Gabriel-like performance by Serra at the start. Indeed this track is often wrongly attributed to Gabriel and Thomas Dolby, neither of whom had anything to do with it, as far as I can see... It's a conspiracy!


Anyway, how about Crow River Waltz by Leo Kottke (12 string guitar) for a sad sounding instrumental?

And then going off-topic again - if you like 12 string, then get hold of Kottke's "When Shrimps Learn To Whistle". If that song doesn't sound exactly like its title suggests.. you have no imagination.

Sorry, no youtube links for either, afaics. And cover versions just aren't the same..

Thanks chrlzs! I'll have a listen to them later. Trentemoller's good. Moan (vocals by Ane Trolle, not the instrumental version) is my favourite track by him. Sad in a very depressing way.

clop

[Neverfly]

Colonne Sonore

[slang]

Dancing with Tears in My Eyes by Ultravox comes to mind. Also, early albums by Dead Can Dance, although that might be more despair than sadness. YMMV. Teardrop by Massive Attack. Some of the songs on Birdy, by Peter Gabriel. To name a few.

[tashirosgt]

Aurelia (tune for the hymn "The Church's One Foundation")

[clop]

Well how about the saddest tune without words? The first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata for piano is very saddening isn't it.

clop

[kleindoofy]

... The first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata for piano is very saddening isn't it. ...

C sharp minor is always saddening.

[Lord Jubjub]

Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.

The strings seem to be literally wailing in grief at the midpoint. It has become the standard funereal piece for national mourning in the U.S. I have no complaints on that subject. It brings tears to my eyes whenever it hits me at the right time.

[Veeger]

A sad song considering the topic

[ABR.]

Many Harry Chapin songs come to mind.

From a more classical perspective, Liszt's Les Préludes.

[SkepticJ]

Rain, by Steve Conte/Yoko Kanno

[megrfl]

The Scientist - Coldplay

[danscope]

Gotta check up on that one. Hi Meh. Nice new Year ??

[megrfl]

So far, so good.

[closetgeek]

I Guess I'm Floating by M83. It doesn't even have any lyrics and there are sounds of kids playing in the background but the music is what isolation sounds like, to me.

[Buttercup]

It's not supposed to, but The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack) always makes me cry, or want to; provokes a profound sense of sadness. And I don't cry easily.

[Doodler]

Lightning Crashes by Live. Song dedicated to a woman who dies in childbirth.

[Fazor]

Lightning Crashes by Live. Song dedicated to a woman who dies in childbirth.

That one gets me when I play it. I have a hard time keeping my voice steady to sing it most times.

It's not just the sadness of the death, but the happiness of the new life. Just an emotional song, and a good one at that.

Runaway Train by Soul Asylum sometimes gets to me, but it's more fun to sing. Also The World I Know by Collective Soul.

ETA. "Gone Away" by The Offspring, though that one is also more fun to play and rock'ish, so only gets to me when I really think about the lyrics.

[Dgennero]

One of the saddest: "Mamy Blue" - here the lyrics: http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/p...cs-903844.html

[jfribrg]

Alyssa Lies

[Taeolas]

Great Big Sea's "How did we get from saying I love you" is the first one that came to mind for me.

[peter eldergill]

Anything by The Smiths (or Morrisey)

Especially How Soon Is Now and Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want but there are many others.

Some others may include "SOS" by Abba, "Every time I see your picture I cry" by Luba.

Doodler, I *love* Lightning Crashes..fantastic song

From How Soon Is Now

There's a club...if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home
And you cry
And you want to die

Pete

[Seeka]

Anything by The Smiths (or Morrisey)

From How Soon Is Now

There's a club...if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home
And you cry
And you want to die

Pete

As contrary as he can be you either love him or hate him and I adore him!

[Paul Beardsley]

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division.

"The Kick Inside" by Kate Bush. Brother and sister commit incest, she gets pregnant, she sings her suicide note.

I second "SOS" by Abba - by far their best song, IMO, and actually quite well done in the Mama Mia movie.

"This Is How It Feels" by Inspiral Carpets.

Best of all, "Room of Angel" from the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack:

Here's a lullaby to close your eyes
It was always you that I despised
I don't feel enough for you to cry
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes