Poll: Saddest song of all time

Bob-Dubery

According to the Telegraph it's REM's "Everybody Hurts"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9051673/REMs-Everybody-Hurts-voted-most-depressing-song-of-all-time.html

I find it a bit of an unsatisfying thing actually. They say that "84 per cent of men men aged between 18 and 24 have become tearful to music", but that's not really the same as finding the piece of music in question to be sad or depressing.

The headline talks about the most depressing song of all time, but the survey asks us to consider the saddest song. "Sad" and "depressing" are not the same thing.

Finally the actual poll only presents us with a list of well known (in the western world) pop songs. Maybe it has to be that way. You can't list every obscure sad song of all time.

Squonk

Maybe they are basing these on the melody rather than the lyrics.

I mean "Annies Song" - John Denver wrote this as love song for his then wife.

The song I find that comes from the heart and is pretty emotional is John Lennon's "Mother", But only John's version, Barbara Streisand sang it well but didn't quite have the same emotion.

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: Maybe they are basing these on the melody rather than the lyrics.

I mean "Annies Song" - John Denver wrote this as love song for his then wife.

Ja, but people misread things a lot. Classic example is the perception that "Every Breath You Take" is a love song.

Lord-Fraquart

Nothing compares to you by Sinead O'Conner takes my vote. On its own maybe not such a sad song. The video portrays the emotion in the song so well. Think it is my all time favorite video.

aja

Do they mean most "emotion inducing" or "saddest" song? Being tearful doesn't mean sad. Melancholy is not always an uncomfortable state to be in either... Definitely not depressing or sad...

Nights in white satin makes me sad...

PeteM

Tears in Heaven?

Lord-Fraquart

aja wrote:
Nights in white satin makes me sad...

Only when Annie Lennox sings it. :'(

Jack-Flash-Jr

Pump Up The Jam....

Because it heralded the rise of techno as primary subculture of that era.

IceCreamMan

Love , love will tear us apart again.....

Bob-Dubery

There's several Sandy Denny songs that get me going, but I think that's my own personal associations that I draw with her life and her early death and the circumstances surrounding it. They weren't necessarily meant to be sad songs when they were written. Oddly I don't have similar feelings or associations about Nick Drake's work.

Talking of Sandy, her version of Buddy Holly's "Learning The Game" is a heartbreaker.

Or, if we're talking about better known recordings, Abba's "One Of Us".

That second example has, I think, one of Agnetha Faltskog's best vocal performances (which is saying something, she's a fabulous singer) and that's the problem with this whole "sad song" business; the best sad songs are also so superbly conceived and executed that a part of me can't help but exult when I hear them.

deefstes

Some more come to mind:
Danny Boy (traditional Irish)
The Winner Takes It All (ABBA)
I've Gotta Get a Message to You (Bee Gees)
You Don't Bring Me Flowers (Neil Diamon & Barbara Streisand)

Jack Flash Jr wrote: Pump Up The Jam....

Because it heralded the rise of techno as primary subculture of that era.

Come to think of it, you've just convinced me that the saddest song of all time must surely be some or other song by Die Antwoord.

vic

For me it's "Danny Boy" :'( ?

OK .....you can cry if you want.....

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dee

To me, Johnny Cash's version of Hurt, especially when you consider how the song fits into his life, and once you see the video.

Reinhard

Spinal Tap-Lick my lovepump. It's in Dm, the saddest of all keys.

DonovanB

Reinhard wrote: Spinal Tap-Lick my lovepump. It's in Dm, the saddest of all keys.

ha ha ha, WIN!!

I reckon "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carol" by Bob Dylan is pretty depressing. Not sad or emotional but really depressing.

singemonkey

Lord Farquart wrote: Nothing compares to you by Sinead O'Conner takes my vote. On its own maybe not such a sad song. The video portrays the emotion in the song so well. Think it is my all time favorite video.

Seventhson

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Metallica's unforgiven 2
It gets me :'(

ActionArnie

+1 for Tears I guess

Vincent - Don McLean too

[deleted]

Bonnie Rait - I can't make you love me....

Jack-Flash-Jr

There's really only one for me... Robert Johnson's Love In Vain (and attendant covers).

Well, I followed her to the station with her suitcase in my hand
Well, it's hard to tell, it's hard to tell, but all true love's in vain
When the train come in the station I looked her in the eye
Well, the train come in the station I looked her in the eye
Well, I felt so sad and lonesome that I could not help but cry
When the train left the station, it had two lights on behind
Well, the blue light was my baby and the red light was my mind

Like Renesongs says, it's made even more intense with the lyric: "her suitcase in my hand"

Long distance relationship flashback trauma.

"I Got The Blues" off Sticky Fingers is a close second.

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Hmmm... there's a bunch of hardcore Peter Green numbers too :-\