What's Your Saddest Song?

I've been totally addicted to "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs lately, and it's got me wondering: what do you think is the saddest song ever written? Or, at least, what song is currently tugging at the old heart strings? And what is it about that song that gets to you?

I'm of course throwing "Maps" out there as my first candidate.

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The obvious thing that gets me about this song is the lyric in the chorus,"Wait, they don't love you like I love you." So succinct and beautiful, and Karen O fucking kills it with her vocal performance. Astute listeners will also pick up on the impression of distance that the delay on her vocals supplies. The guitar melody provides a perfect counterpoint, especially that high staccato picking part that runs throughout. Gives me chills every time.



I'd also like to suggest the song "2/15" by Bonny Billy and the Marquis De Tren, but I'm not really sure if that song is the most joyful recording ever made, or the bleakest. The music is by Mick Turner from The Dirty Three and Bonnie "Prince" Billy (aka Will Oldham, aka Bonny Billy, aka Palace Music, etc.), while the lyrics are adapted from the poet Rabindranath Tagore. It's doubtful many people here will like it. Most of the people I've played it for can't get through the first minute without complaining about it being too slow or boring, but those people are stupid.

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And yes, this is very much an excuse for me to post music in a thread other than the "Your Song of the Day" thread. I'm also hoping that I'll hear more music that I like in this thread than other one, provided anyone responds, of course. I could post songs in here forever and not run out of material, personally.

Good thread. Gonna have to throw in a sad song from my favorite sad song guy:

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90's!

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even the dude's name is sad. he calls himself Tony Rich Project.

Not the saddest but the one on the top of my head right now.

Old old school.

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Hurt

Ana's Song

I hate you so much.

Nothing but hate fucking for you this week, that's for sure.

Maps? The only thing sad about that song to me is the fucking drum part in Rock Band. I pinched a nerve swinging my left arm back and forth when I first got the game.

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I refuse to listen to that song. I was having a really bad month and whenever something bad happened this fucking song would play on random.

Stay happy fools

Maps?

+1 here.
Nothing sad when I heard it if you ignore the lyrics. If that's the case (lyrics based) then the Beatles 'Help' is sadder if you ignore the recognized melody.

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I refuse to listen to that song. I was having a really bad month and whenever something bad happened this fucking song would play on random.

Stay happy fools

i remember this song. it's more of a "hey we graduated!" sort of sadness but that gets replaced by "sweet we're going off to college"
i dunno, that's what i always got from it

Maps?

Eve 6?

Nothing sad when I heard it if you ignore the lyrics.

Why would you ignore the lyrics?

If that's the case (lyrics based) then the Beatles 'Help' is sadder if you ignore the recognized melody.

Disagree. "Wait, they don't love you like I love you" is a much more pained sentiment than "Help, I need somebody/Help, not just anybody". "Help" is so much more narcissistic than "Maps", I think, and so much more bland.

I can definitely see how people might not agree with me on "Maps", but for me it's an instant tear-jerker, due to the lyrics and vocal performance, which are the elements the ear focuses on most strongly in pop music.



How about this one?

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"Your God hates me/He can't feel my flesh/He leaves me panting like a dog/at the edge of your bed".





And fucking Vevo is blocking The Tony Rich project video for me.

Kudos on the Cash (though "I See a Darkness" off the same album is waaaaaaayyyyyy sadder) and Elliot Smith.

Last edited by TheMC5 on Wed Nov 10, 2010 6:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It's not a terrible song (though I fucking hate Karen O) but didn't seem very sad to me. Catchy chorus.

Why would you ignore the lyrics?

Because outside of the vocals/lyrics, the melody of the song doesn't necessarily raise a sad feeling or emotion, at least for me.
The lyrics and melody form the song as a whole, if the melody isn't as 'sad' as the lyrics then Karen O might as well have ditched the band for that and made the lyrics into a poem instead.

"Help" is so much more narcissistic than "Maps", I think, and so much more bland.

Bland? More like simple imo, same with Maps. Both songs still convey a message despite its simplicity of lyrics.
Disagree about the narcissistic part. The whole lyrics really tell the story (like most songs do), not just the lines you quoted.
If anything, the song's story tells of a person's once 'narcissistic' outlook in life that he didn't need help from anybody until realizing otherwise and pleading for it, which is the emphasis of the lyrics.

Hurt

I hate you so much.

Same here. Heard the original, nothing special. What I would expect from Trent Reznor, but hearing Cash's cover - it's beautiful and depressing at the same time. I can't even get myself to listen to it for a third time, it's just that sad.
Yeah, Cash absolutely fucking killed it with his cover. Amazing.

fucking Vevo is blocking The Tony Rich project video for me.

Same with me including that video for Ana's Song but c'mon son! This is the internet, fucking Vevo is not really a hindrance to hear songs blocked by Vevo.

Last edited by shadowgrin on Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

Weird that Ana's Song would be blocked since it's pretty old and by an Australian band

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dunno this song jsut has a kinda "sad" part in. Specially in the chorus. But overall a bloody damn good song and the live performance is just exellent.

Except that bon jovi song is one of the most upbeat of all time.

Most of mine have been posted in this thread already. Was dating a girl back in early college and she flunked out and we had our one last night together. My computer decided to taunt me and play Eve 6. Havent been able to listen to that song since. Not that i even still speak to this girl, but it was one of the most intense moments of emotion ive ever felt and it just wont seem to go away.

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I think this is the saddest song I know, and I haven't even seen the movie yet..

REM - everybody hurts
and Where'd you go by fort minor

"yesterday'' By The Beatles is pretty sad..

It lost all seriousness for me when Mr. Bean sings it in his movie. Every time it plays Mr. Bean comes to mind.

Last edited by shadowgrin on Mon Dec 13, 2010 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Not really a fan of the film clip, but I love the song