Sad songs
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- Shro
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Sad songs
Because occasionally you just need a good cry.
Iron and Wine/Calexico - Dead Man's Will. Their entire EP together was heartwrenchingly good. (He Lays in the Reins and 16, Maybe Less are two also sob-inducing. Also the song Naked as we Came by just Iron & Wine.)
Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars - Safe and Sound Even if you don't like Taylor Swift, you should definitely give this song on the Hunger Games Soundtrack a chance.
Iron and Wine/Calexico - Dead Man's Will. Their entire EP together was heartwrenchingly good. (He Lays in the Reins and 16, Maybe Less are two also sob-inducing. Also the song Naked as we Came by just Iron & Wine.)
Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars - Safe and Sound Even if you don't like Taylor Swift, you should definitely give this song on the Hunger Games Soundtrack a chance.
argyl3: My idea of being a rebel is splitting infinitives.
Alisto: Rebel without a clause?
I made this thing:
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Alisto: Rebel without a clause?
I made this thing:
www.justthetipcalculator.com
Re: Sad songs
This acoustic version of Of Montreal's The Past is a Grotesque Animal burrowed into my head and remained there. I love its bitterness and wistfulness.
Edit: I couldn't get into the Iron and Wine stuff (Boy with a Coin is the only song of his?theirs? that I've really got behind) but Taylor Swift is a motherloving revelation!
Reedit (sorry, I am somewhat low on bloodsugar): This doesn't sound too depressing, though. Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens is the best song in the world about childhood bone cancer.
Edit: I couldn't get into the Iron and Wine stuff (Boy with a Coin is the only song of his?theirs? that I've really got behind) but Taylor Swift is a motherloving revelation!
Reedit (sorry, I am somewhat low on bloodsugar): This doesn't sound too depressing, though. Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens is the best song in the world about childhood bone cancer.
- SirMustapha
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Re: Sad songs
The Wedding, by the Legendary Pink Dots.
And even though this one is very subjective, Message, by Vangelis.
And even though this one is very subjective, Message, by Vangelis.
- UniqueScreenname
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Re: Sad songs
Nutshell - Alice in Chains
Bother - Stone Sour
How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead
Never Let Me Go - Florence + the Machine
Bother - Stone Sour
How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead
Never Let Me Go - Florence + the Machine
I heard this song on MTV and was extremely surprised it was Taylor Swift, since she sounded good. Now I've listened to it about 15 times in a row and am quite despondent, just like the thread was designed for.Shro wrote:Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars - Safe and Sound Even if you don't like Taylor Swift, you should definitely give this song on the Hunger Games Soundtrack a chance.
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Re: Sad songs
Something I can never have - NIN
Re: Sad songs
Wait for sleep - Dream Theater Doesn't matter if you like metal or not because this song isn't.
Her morning elegance - Oren Lavie Doesn't have a sad tune or anything but it's a beautiful song with a beautiful video.
Her morning elegance - Oren Lavie Doesn't have a sad tune or anything but it's a beautiful song with a beautiful video.
Summer is miles and miles away, and no one would ask me to stay.
And I, should contemplate this change... to ease the pain.
And I, should step out of the rain... turn away.
And I, should contemplate this change... to ease the pain.
And I, should step out of the rain... turn away.
Re: Sad songs
aldonius wrote:And of course Brick
Brick! I was going to post this. Your link is a repeat of the Smoke link, so I guess I will.
Edit to add:
Shro wrote:Also the song Naked as we Came by just Iron & Wine.
Ouch. That is good.
Re: Sad songs
Streetlight Manifesto - As the Footsteps Die Out Forever
Yes, depressing ska can actually exist. Muuuuch higher quality than the Catch 22 original.
Yes, depressing ska can actually exist. Muuuuch higher quality than the Catch 22 original.
The time and seasons go on, but all the rhymes and reasons are wrong
I know I'll discover after its all said and done I should've been a nun.
I know I'll discover after its all said and done I should've been a nun.
- Izawwlgood
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Re: Sad songs
Johnny Cash Hurt
Awesome cover.
Awesome cover.
... with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.
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Re: Sad songs
I hate to be an elitist (not really) but the original is a lot better.Izawwlgood wrote:Johnny Cash Hurt
Awesome cover.
While we're talking Nine Inch Nails, (I am at least) there are a few other songs that fit this:
The Day The Whole World Went Away
Something I Can Never Have
The Great Below
Ripe [With Decay] (Instrumental but it sounds sad)
- Izawwlgood
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Re: Sad songs
Annihilist wrote:I hate to be an elitist (not really) but the original is a lot better.
I couldn't disagree with you more. Reznors version sounds whiny and angsty; Cash's version sounds nostalgic, insightful, and sorrowful.
... with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.
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Re: Sad songs
Dirty Three - Everything's Fucked
Saw them for the fourth wonderful time last night and they played this. Sad times.
Also:
Red House Painters - Summer Dress
Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron - Who
Saw them for the fourth wonderful time last night and they played this. Sad times.
Also:
Red House Painters - Summer Dress
Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron - Who
- charliepanayi
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Re: Sad songs
Izawwlgood wrote:Annihilist wrote:I hate to be an elitist (not really) but the original is a lot better.
I couldn't disagree with you more. Reznors version sounds whiny and angsty; Cash's version sounds nostalgic, insightful, and sorrowful.
They're both great versions in different ways (whiny and angsty? Maybe, but NIN are bloody good at whiny and angsty).
Anyway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luirzce0UF8
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Re: Sad songs
I guess i prefer the raw emotion and passion of the originalIzawwlgood wrote:Annihilist wrote:I hate to be an elitist (not really) but the original is a lot better.
I couldn't disagree with you more. Reznors version sounds whiny and angsty; Cash's version sounds nostalgic, insightful, and sorrowful.
- SurgicalSteel
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Re: Sad songs
In the context of the entirety of The Downward Spiral, I think Trent Reznor's version is better. As a song to listen to on its own, singularly, out of context of any album, I prefer Johnny Cash's. However, the same way my opinion of Reznor's version is colored by my opinion of The Downward Spiral as an album, my opinion of Cash's version is likely colored by the amazing video for it.
"There's spray paint on the teleprompter
Anchorman screams that he's seen a monster (mayday)
There's blood stains on his shirt (mayday)
They say that he's gone berserk."
--Flobots "Mayday"
Anchorman screams that he's seen a monster (mayday)
There's blood stains on his shirt (mayday)
They say that he's gone berserk."
--Flobots "Mayday"
- UniqueScreenname
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Re: Sad songs
I have to agree. I don't think the Johnny Cash version would have been such a big deal if the video wasn't so heartbreaking. I always sort of lean towards the original because those words had to have come from somewhere, and so the song, to me, will always seem more genuine with NIN because Trent Reznor was realizing actual emotions (in theory; I have no proof he didn't just make it up). Johnny Cash could only relate to it, which is not bad in any way, but I just give it less weight. Going purely from a musical aspect, however, I like Cash's voice better, so would pick his version for only that reason.
For the heartbroken dubsteppers: Raise Your Weapon - Deadmau5
For the heartbroken dubsteppers: Raise Your Weapon - Deadmau5
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poxic wrote:When we're stuck, flailing, and afraid, that's usually when we're running into the limitations of our old ways of doing things. Something new is being born. Stick around and find out what it is.
Re: Sad songs
UniqueScreenname wrote:How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead
Most Radiohead songs, really..."True love waits", "Fake plastic trees", "Street spirit (fade out)", "No surprises" (at first it sounds like a mellow, happy song, but then it hits you like a ton of bricks), "Optimistic", "There there", "The bends", "Killer cars"...And that's not even most of it
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Re: Sad songs
Feel compelled to stem the tide of NIN talk. I mean come on. Let's start with a live performance
Nina Simone - Feelings
and some recordings, probably too many but oh well
Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
Sibylle Baier - Tonight
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Elliott Smith - New Disaster or, well, anything really
Marissa Nadler - Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen)
Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears
Paul Kelly - How To Make Gravy
Archers of Loaf - Perfect Time
and for the sheer awkwardness
The Gothic Archies - Smile! No-one Cares How You Feel on Good Day Atlanta
Party!
Nina Simone - Feelings
and some recordings, probably too many but oh well
Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
Sibylle Baier - Tonight
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Elliott Smith - New Disaster or, well, anything really
Marissa Nadler - Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen)
Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears
Paul Kelly - How To Make Gravy
Archers of Loaf - Perfect Time
and for the sheer awkwardness
The Gothic Archies - Smile! No-one Cares How You Feel on Good Day Atlanta
Party!
- cjmcjmcjmcjm
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Re: Sad songs
Eleanor Rigby
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Re: Sad songs
Winter Winds - Mumford And Sons
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Re: Sad songs
So many off of the Alchemy Index (except fire, though I guess that makes thematic sense)
Thrice - Digging My Own Grave
And so many Placebo songs, but this one always got me
Placebo - A Song to Say Goodbye
And if we're talking songs that tell a story:
He Is Legend - The Widow of Magnolia
Kaizers Orchestra - Bris
Kaizers Orchestra - Hjerteknuser
Thrice - Digging My Own Grave
And so many Placebo songs, but this one always got me
Placebo - A Song to Say Goodbye
And if we're talking songs that tell a story:
He Is Legend - The Widow of Magnolia
Kaizers Orchestra - Bris
Kaizers Orchestra - Hjerteknuser
Everything's dead until it's alive. Man will exist, and then he will die. Just take the ride!
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- freezeblade
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Re: Sad songs
Links are blocked at work, but I'm sure some of these are on youtube
GSY!BE - Dead Flag Blues
The Mars Volta - Televators
Zero 7 - the Road
Agalloch - The Hawthorne Passage
Kings of Convenience - Summer on the West Hill
Sol Invictus - The Edge Beckons
Venetian Snares - Colorless
SoulSavers - Revival
Ulver - Porn Pieces or the Scars of Cold Kisses
Off the top of my head. Of paticular note is the Sol Invictus track, gives me chills every time.
GSY!BE - Dead Flag Blues
The Mars Volta - Televators
Zero 7 - the Road
Agalloch - The Hawthorne Passage
Kings of Convenience - Summer on the West Hill
Sol Invictus - The Edge Beckons
Venetian Snares - Colorless
SoulSavers - Revival
Ulver - Porn Pieces or the Scars of Cold Kisses
Off the top of my head. Of paticular note is the Sol Invictus track, gives me chills every time.
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Re: Sad songs
The also-rans:
Tirill - Vendela
VAST- The Nile's Edge
Porcupine Tree - Heart Attack in a Layby
The runners-up:
Pain of Salvation - Undertow
Tori Amos - Winter
And the songs in my collection guaranteed to produce a single, manly tear*:
Loreena McKennitt - The Highwayman (live version from the Paris & Toronto disc)
Marillion - Brave (yeah, it's a concept album. If I need to pick out particular parts, Standing in the Swing, The Last of You, Falling from the Moon. For extra sad, listen to the "sad ending" on the bonus disc, rather than the normal album's "upbeat" final song. And skip over Paper Lies either way.)
Ritsuko Okazaki - Sweet Dreams (not the Eurythmics' song. Knowing that she ended an album called Life is Lovely with a lullaby singing "...and sweet dreams.", and then she died of cancer...)
* - additional tears optional.
Tirill - Vendela
VAST- The Nile's Edge
Porcupine Tree - Heart Attack in a Layby
The runners-up:
Pain of Salvation - Undertow
Tori Amos - Winter
And the songs in my collection guaranteed to produce a single, manly tear*:
Loreena McKennitt - The Highwayman (live version from the Paris & Toronto disc)
Marillion - Brave (yeah, it's a concept album. If I need to pick out particular parts, Standing in the Swing, The Last of You, Falling from the Moon. For extra sad, listen to the "sad ending" on the bonus disc, rather than the normal album's "upbeat" final song. And skip over Paper Lies either way.)
Ritsuko Okazaki - Sweet Dreams (not the Eurythmics' song. Knowing that she ended an album called Life is Lovely with a lullaby singing "...and sweet dreams.", and then she died of cancer...)
* - additional tears optional.
- UniqueScreenname
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Re: Sad songs
PolakoVoador wrote:Pizza is never a question, pizza is always the answer.
poxic wrote:When we're stuck, flailing, and afraid, that's usually when we're running into the limitations of our old ways of doing things. Something new is being born. Stick around and find out what it is.
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Re: Sad songs
Henryk Górecki - Symphony Nº3. Truly wonderful music.
I can't link directly as it's flagged as spam, but add this to youtube and you'll get the music - /watch?v=ZVITZUQ_uIU
I can't link directly as it's flagged as spam, but add this to youtube and you'll get the music - /watch?v=ZVITZUQ_uIU
- pkcommando
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Re: Sad songs
Can't do a link to it while at work, but:
Amanda Palmer - The Bed Song
Amanda Palmer - The Bed Song
Re: Sad songs
YMMV
Jackie Oates - IOU
Wendy Matthews - The Day You Went Away
Alan Jackson - Sissy's Song
Rufus Wainwright - Hallelujah
Onitsuka Chihiro (鬼束ちひろ) - Arrow of Pain
Eric Bogle - The Green Fields of France
Luke Kelly - The Unquiet Grave
Jackie Oates - IOU
Wendy Matthews - The Day You Went Away
Alan Jackson - Sissy's Song
Rufus Wainwright - Hallelujah
Onitsuka Chihiro (鬼束ちひろ) - Arrow of Pain
Eric Bogle - The Green Fields of France
Luke Kelly - The Unquiet Grave
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Re: Sad songs
I'm honestly pretty surprised no one has mentioned any Portishead song ever. 
Western eyes, Sour Times, Roads, and Strangers directly come to mind.
Massive Attack has some great ones; Unfinished Sympathy, Protection, Black Milk/Black Melt, and Live With Me directly come to mind as distinctively sad for their own reasons. (Live with me's video, which I can't link to, but you should motivate your self to go watch it, is especially depressing.)
Trent's or Cash's rendition of Hurt is a newer classic.
Tricky's Ghetto Stars is polarizing, and socially dogmatic.
2econd Class Citizen - A World Without deals with some sad political topics.

Western eyes, Sour Times, Roads, and Strangers directly come to mind.
Massive Attack has some great ones; Unfinished Sympathy, Protection, Black Milk/Black Melt, and Live With Me directly come to mind as distinctively sad for their own reasons. (Live with me's video, which I can't link to, but you should motivate your self to go watch it, is especially depressing.)
Trent's or Cash's rendition of Hurt is a newer classic.
Tricky's Ghetto Stars is polarizing, and socially dogmatic.
2econd Class Citizen - A World Without deals with some sad political topics.
- existential_elevator
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Re: Sad songs
This probably says more about me than about the song, but goddamnit, every time Jonathan :'(
My little girl's got a full time daddy now - Jonathan Richman
And continuing with my 'Well, this one clearly has some daddy issues' theme, try:
Daddy's Girl - Euros Childs
I generally can't make it to the end of either of those songs without tears in my eyes, but hey. I think in tone they're not sad, but if they strike a chord with you, you'll feel it.
I see no mention of
Ne me quitte pas - Nina Simone
Which is my go-to choice of staring out the window wondering what could be music. I anticipate people questioning my version choice, but I go for this one because it was the song played at the big emotional revelation in the film Mukhsin, which is a favourite of mine, so a bit of a twofer in terms of tear-jerk-ability.
And another one that definitely gets me
I'm Waking Up to Us - Belle and Sebastian
Y'know, if you're into songs about slow revelations that, even though you love someone, they're pretty terrible for you.
On a similar theme:
The Album of the Year - The Good Life
Or:
Strike Me Down - The Reindeer Section
Or:
Ex-Factor - Lauryn Hill
My little girl's got a full time daddy now - Jonathan Richman
And continuing with my 'Well, this one clearly has some daddy issues' theme, try:
Daddy's Girl - Euros Childs
I generally can't make it to the end of either of those songs without tears in my eyes, but hey. I think in tone they're not sad, but if they strike a chord with you, you'll feel it.
I see no mention of
Ne me quitte pas - Nina Simone
Which is my go-to choice of staring out the window wondering what could be music. I anticipate people questioning my version choice, but I go for this one because it was the song played at the big emotional revelation in the film Mukhsin, which is a favourite of mine, so a bit of a twofer in terms of tear-jerk-ability.
And another one that definitely gets me
I'm Waking Up to Us - Belle and Sebastian
Y'know, if you're into songs about slow revelations that, even though you love someone, they're pretty terrible for you.
On a similar theme:
The Album of the Year - The Good Life
Or:
Strike Me Down - The Reindeer Section
Or:
Ex-Factor - Lauryn Hill
Re: Sad songs
For a sentient herbivore, discretion is the only part of valor. - Larry Niven
Re: Sad songs
There's a song by a Christian group I heard about a girl that knows all the words to say to being a good ladylike Daughter of the Christian God but it still leaves her unsatisfied. She's in the corner crying to herself. Even though she did everything right. Then the singer says JAYSUS sacrificed himself so even you too could have a fulfilling life doin' whateva you wanna. I assume all activities must be God-approved first though. What a bummer for poor little Christian good girls.
And when I was in a dark and self-indulgent pity party phase I listened to a song by Evanescence where she describes how everyone shall miss her when she commits suicide. I doubt it lady. They be happy your whining ass is dead. Sad song regardless.
And when I was in a dark and self-indulgent pity party phase I listened to a song by Evanescence where she describes how everyone shall miss her when she commits suicide. I doubt it lady. They be happy your whining ass is dead. Sad song regardless.
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- Sableagle
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Re: Sad songs
The Cure: Treasure and Numb
Also, due to context, Ende and The Real Folk Blues and, of course, It Can't Rain All The Time.
Also, due to context, Ende and The Real Folk Blues and, of course, It Can't Rain All The Time.
Oh, Willie McBride, it was all done in vain.
Re: Sad songs
"One Last Time" by Ariana Grande. So one last time I need to be the one who takes you home. One more time I promise after that I'll let you go. Can't you forgive me at least just temporarily? I know this was my fault I should have been more careful.
Amy Lee wrote:Just what we all need... more lies about a world that never was and never will be.
Azula to Long Feng wrote:Don't flatter yourself, you were never even a player.
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