So many to choose from! I never liked The Long and Winding Road, from the first time I heard it, in 1970. Some songs stick with ya, long after the needle lifts. I had a list of 25 before I knew it, cut it down to a dozen that capture the pathos and schmaltz, without descending into bathos. There were many such tear-jerkers in the '60s, from Message to Mary to Tell Laura I Love Her, Patches, The Last Kiss, Honey, and a long list of soapy songs meant to capitalize on teen drama, that probably started with Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots, by the Cheers, in 1955. Jody Reynolds had a hit, with Endless Sleep, in '58, then Running bear, Teen Angel, and Moody River plumbed the depths. These are my choices: Best of Sad Songs 01 W H O K N O W S W H E R E T H E T I M E G O E S Sandy Denny 02 F R E N C H I N H A L E R Warren Zevon 03 A L M O S T I N D E P E N D E N C E D A Y Van Morrison 04 N O T I M E T O L I V E Traffic 05 T I M E W A I T S F O R N O O N E the Rolling Stones 06 I T H I N K I T ' S G O I N G T O R A I N T O D A Y Randy Newman 07 B A D N E W S Stoneground 08 T H E W R E C K O F T H E E D M U N D F I T Z G E R A L D Gordon Lightfoot 09 W I T H O U T Y O U Harry Nilsson 10 F L O W E R S O N T H E W A L L Eric Heatherly 11 S M O K E G E T S I N Y O U R E Y E the Platters 12 W A L K A W A Y R E N E E the Left Bank
I love melancholy, sad and depressing music. It never put me in a funk. I especially love "Remember (Christmas)" by Harry Nillsson. It sometimes brings a tear to my eye but it doesn't bum me out in any way.
The first time I heard “Bobby Jean” by Bruce Springsteen I began sobbing. I was 22, getting a tan by the pool in the summertime. Couldn’t understand it. 40 years later it can still have that effect.
Always something to think about. Thanks, Tom. For many "American Pie" by D McClean isn't all that sad. I always end up reflecting on all the folks that died that get mentioned. Interesting (perhaps) aside, my two oldest sisters became flight attendants (stewardesses, in those days) back in the '70s. Jet Plan was the song they played at the commencement ceremony.
“He Ain’t Heavy. He’s my brother.” Look up Boys Town in Omaha. See their history page. Poignant words. … My wife overheard this video and exclaimed, “Father & Son! I always cry when I hear that song.” Appreciate you sharing a broader range of your musical emotions. Cheers.
Another good one Tom!! I used to think Alone Again, Naturally was a good little pop song. Then, someone suggested I read the lyrics. Now I can't listen to it. Saddest song, ever!!
When I was a student at Ohio State I used to live across the street from a frat house, and for Hell Week they locked the new members in a dark room and played The End by the Doors on a continuous loop, over and over for hours! It was loud enough that the whole block was subjected to this endless macabre depression. So needless to say it's a song I never need to hear again. Unfortunately, Apocalypse Now is one of my favorite movies, so there's no escaping it!
Good topic Tom. Mine are 'Galveston' by Glen Campbell (hard to make it through the lyric 'I am so afraid of dying'!). 'Alone Again Naturally' by Gilbert O'Sullivan ('I remember I cried when my father died...' - then his mother dying soon after - it is unbearable for kid of 11 at the time!). A link to your choice Tom, 'The Boxer' on Simon and Garfunkel, the lonely guy is clearly being beaten to a pulp at the end of the song with the crashing drums and climaxing strings - hard to take- at at early age when it was played on AM radio.
Fascinating. Here are some songs that typically induce melancholy in me: Richard Thompson's, "King of Bohemia," Kate & Anna McGarrigle's, "Heart Like a Wheel," Nick Drake's, "Cello Song," Aztec Two-Step's, " Prisoner," Joni Mitchell's, "River," Tom Waits', "Innocent When You Dream." Can I assume a list of songs to lift your spirits?
Interesting topic Tom. I think for many people there are psychological or "past traumas" that can become activated when certain songs "invade their air space". Mine is not a song, but an entire album of songs. And strangely, my favorite band to boot. Shortly after tge release of XTC's Oranges and Lemons I finished a residential treatment program for alcoholism. I moved in with my parents while I attempted to get back on my feet and rebuild some kind of life. Needless to say, a relapse shortly followed. Day in and day out I would attempt to hide my drinking from my parents in a scenario in which nightmares are created. Oranges and Lemons was a frequent listen at that time. Long story short, I am unable to listen to anything from that album without activating that sinking and helpless feeling in my gut. SO unfortunate, because that album is packed with great songs, many as you know are very upbeat. Even my personal XTC album rankings has the album dead last, when it definitely shouldn't be.
great video, i agree with your choices, i will add rainy days and mondays by the carpenters, dont cry daddy and in the ghetto by Elvis, hurt johnny cash cant get through that without tearing up, massive monkees fan but shades of grey is depressing,thats all off the top of my head, cheers tom
The Carpenters Superstar. Love Badfinger but...Day After Day. There's a Joni song from Court And Spark called Same Situation that has actually made me sob before. And yeah you nailed with Sunshine On My Shoulder - cant do it
There are definitely songs I will skip because, well, either the waterworks kick in or my thoughts go dark... all great songs, but if I decide to hear them, I really gotta brace myself. Here it goes... Eno - The Big Ship Eno - Becalmed Robert Wyatt - Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road (mostly when Fred Frith's viola kicks in, there's just something about it, even with Ivor Cutler's humorous yet somehow melancholy words) Lou Barlow - Nightmare Guided By Voices- Fine to See You Funkadelic - The Song Is Familiar Epic Soundtracks - There's Been a Change (it's just the sound of a man trying to to convince his partner and even himself of something that is clearly not true) fIREHOSE - This... Flaming Lips - Feeling Yourself Disintegrate Pete Ham - Dear Father Otis Redding - I've Been Loving You Too Long Roberta Flack as well as the Flaming Lips version with Erykah Badu - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Yeah, sure there are tons more, but as usual, these simply come to mind right now.
I like almost all of these songs. And most of them put me in a better mood. I guess it must be a personality type thing on whether they put you in a funk or not. Many of them are nostalgic to me.
Another great list and commentary! Here are few that have the same effect for me. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. Because it reminds me of the early years of my marriage, to a woman I adored, came out about ten years before it all went south. Last time I heard it I started crying uncontrollably. Give a Life, Take a Life by Spirit also puts me in a weird nostalgic funk. Fall 1980 right after I moved to California. Strange time in my life. Sailing by Chris Cross for the same reason.
I get it....10 songs 1. Lazy Day by Spanky and Our Gang 2. Most Peculiar Man- Simon and Garfunkel 3. Monday, Monday-Mamas and the Papas 4. The Air That I Breathe-The Hollies 5. America- Sister Golden Hair 6. A man Needs a Maid- Neil Young 7. Don't Give Up On Us -the late David Soul 8. I Just Can't Help Believing-;BJ Thomas 9. Easy Lovin'- Freddie Hart 10. If You Could Read My Mind I think the vast majority of these get this reaction from me because of childhood trauma (;will save you the details)....I hope you have a very pleasant day.... Peace and Love, Terry Tutor
For me, the bummer Peter, Paul & Mary song is "Puff the Magic Dragon" which utterly traumatized me as a child because it's such a heartbreaking story about a boy and his dragon and the reality of living over time. I still can't listen to: "A dragon lives forever, but not so, little boys..." and, "His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain..." I feel like someone is opening up my chest with a surgical device right now. (I feel the same about the part of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles" in which the dog dies -- even if it was 20 years ago in the song.) Yes, melancholy is one thing and heart-lacerating (most of "Tonight's the Night" or "Blue," for example) is something else. And then there are those horrible earworm songs that crash your mood because they're such a drag (like Terry Jacks' sing-songy "Seasons in the Sun" single, which is meant to be "sad" but cheapens the emotion to the point that I've always found it unlistenable -- but that's not what you're talking about here). Even some of the melancholy beach ballads by the otherwise upbeat Jimmy Buffett ("A Pirate Looks at 40," or "He Went to Paris") put a lasting damper on my mood. They send me into a reverie, then I ruminate, then I mope.
My list of great songs that hit that sad part of me are; Doris Day - Move Over Darling Doris Day - Send Me No Flowers Mary Wells - What's Easy For Two Is So Hard For One (and a lot of her others) The Temptations - Since I Lost My Baby The Beach Boys - Don't Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder (album track) The Troggs - Love Is All Around The Troggs - Cousin Jane (album track) The Pretty Things - The Sun (album track) The Pretty Things - House Of Ten (album track) Bobby Goldsboro - Honey Bobby Goldsboro - Summer The First Time Jerry Keller - Here Comes Summer, and the B side, Time Has A Way Marvin Gaye - I'll Take Care Of You The Rolling Stones - As Tears Go By The Rolling Stones - Blue Turns To Grey (album track) The Righteous Brothers - For Sentimental Reasons Gary Puckett/Union Gap - Woman Woman Elvis Presley - Something Blue (album track) Elvis Presley - That's Someone You'll Never Forget (album track) I used to think The Beatles' She's Leaving Home. But I now think that sounds a bit phony. But all the ones you mentioned that I am familiar with never got near to giving me that sort of effect (Both Sides Now?). At that rate, you might just as well have mentioned The Archies' Sugar Sugar.
In a Lonely Place by New Order, would come under this banner, released as flip side of Ceremony, their first release as NO, it's a massive Gothic dirge, streets ahead of what a lot of "Goth" bands did later in the '80's, I love it.
Sad, but great songs about the devastation of war: Danny Boy Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson, 1962, nuclear war) And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (World War 1 - probably the best anti war song written) I Was Only Nineteen (Vietnam War) Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel (Vietnam). Best anti war rock song. Send in the Clowns always leaves me feeling blue.
Don't Cry My Lady Love - Quicksilver Messenger Service Sweet Bird - Joni Mitchell The Kiss - Judee Sill and so many options from Jackson Browne: Opening Farewell In the Shape of a Heart Sky Blue and Black ...
Neil Young "Out On The Weekend" from Harvest". I love it though. Also, The Beatles " For No One:" from Revolver. Melancholy but brilliant. Probably the best song about heartbreak from that period.
your "top neil young songs of the 70's" list is making more sense now. there isn't a time of any day that i ever mind hearing "birds". "both sides now" (especially by judy collins) makes me happy. i love "the long and winding road". ""abraham, martin and john" is painful because robert kennedy is murdered before they can even finish the record and put it out...this is unlikeliest video you've made but still good.
Great list! I agree with Father and Son, also several tracks on After the Gold Rush including the title track. I always thought Long and Winding Road was one of the more overrated Beatles songs too, when compared to the rest of their catalogue. A couple albums I was thinking of are Springsteen’s Nebraska and Dylan’s Time Out of Mind (both really sad).
If you really want to bawl your eyes out, listen to Moms Mabley's version of Abraham, Martin and John. If you were alive when Kennedy and King were assassinated, you can't help but cry.
No single song can put me in what you call 'funk'. But sometimes, a given song sounds repulsive temporarily. Later on, the same song would be acceptable and even enjoyable. This is called mood, not melancholy.
Wow, this could also be a list of songs that are among the best-ever by the respective artists, in many cases. But I totally agree on "The Long & Winding Road": I'm not even crazy about the "Naked" version, but the Phil Spector version is among the most cringe-worthy songs I've ever heard. In fact, I think a top 10 cringe songs by Paul McCartney could be a thing, including (with MJ), "Ebony & Ivory," "My Love," and "Wonderful Christmastime".
Let's all have a good cry. Hankies, everyone?! "We'll sob in the sunshine, you know we'll cry every day." 🥺 🤭 Two early ones that come to mind are, Pat Boone -- "Moody River" and Dee Clark -- "Raindrops". Also, B.J. Thomas -- "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and Percy Mayfield (and) the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation -- "Memory Pain". PLUS, a boatload of '40s, '50 and '60s jazz ballads. And from the '70s, Audience -- "It Brings a Tear" ("the sad old clown.....").
I see @mjg263 mentioned Seasons in the Sun - a song which depresses me horribly, which I also think is a terrible song, so it makes me both terribly depressed and angry. I like to listen to it before I have to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get me into the right mood. Opposite of this is The Ballad of Easy Rider by Roger McGuinn - the Easy Rider soundtrack version is more raw and sadder than the polished Byrds version. I sat down to watch Easy Rider thinking it was some hippie biker exploitation film and found myself HORRIBLY MOVED BY THE MOVIE ON A DEEP PERSONAL LEVEL, and this is the song that plays during the end scene. I love this song, and I can't listen to it. There are two films that made me think I need psychotherapy. Easy Rider was one, and the other was The Wicker Man. I Started a Joke. I don't know why, but this just depresses the hell out of me. Can't listen to it. Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. This is not the story of my father and I, but for some reason I find it horribly upsetting. Say it Ain't So by Murray Head, a kind of anthem of disappointment. I'm so used to being let down anymore, what depresses me is the idea that it could be unexpected: that someone could have a real emotional reaction of being let down by someone, as opposed to, "Of course that happened," which is where I'm at. I just expect people who inspire me or my heroes to do something terrible at some point.
I agree with your choices. I Started A Joke is depressing. Another one is Words by The Bee Gees. Always found The Ballad Of Easy Rider sad, but I dig it.
Abraham, John and Martin was always a bit maudlin to me. Long Distance Love by Lowell George can make me a little misty. What do you think of Joanie’s River? That one really gets me.
Mawkish? overly sentimental? A bit like a movie where the dog dies while saving the boy? A friend used to say after a movie like that, "If you want to make me cry it's much easier to just kick me in the ..." Joni Mitchell's original recording "Both Sides Now" is not a favorite but Judy Collins's version is like "ice cream castles in the air" covered in maple syrup and cotton candy. I don't know who produced the track with that feel in mind. Sure to make money though. Contrast that with her version of "Suzanne" which, for me, is the definitive version. A much better song, for starters.
Songs that put me in a funk: pretty much the entirety of Lou Reed's Berlin album fits into this category, especially Side 2. It's a powerful piece of art, but part of its power is its ability to evoke unsettling feelings in the listener. Because of this, I haven't played it in over 30 years. Also, this is more obscure, but Waiting for the Moving Van by singer-songwriter David Ackles, from his cult-favorite album American Gothic. At one point in my life I lived through that song. It was hard enough to listen to then. Now I can't listen to it all becuse the memories are too strong. Enough of this. I need some sunshine pop to brighten my day. 🌞
My choice would be, Epitaph by King Crimson, it puts me in a mood but it doesn't so much make me depressed as it does gravely solemn. I love the Beatles but hate The Long and Winding Road, it is way too sappy. BTW, The title and theme of the Hollies song, He Ain't Heavy... was taken from the Boys Town motto, their tearjerking poster shows a smiling boy carrying his tired younger brother through the snow and he's responding to a priest, "He ain't heavy Father, he's my brother".
your singing voice was quite beautiful when you started to sing the long and winding road. were you the lead singer in your band? and i agree, tlawr is a song that can put anyone in a funk. it’s tedious and cringy, imo. i was a little disheartened when cynthia lennon said it was her favorite beatles song! she chose a Paul song over John, i mean, wtf lol
Ha! Pretty strange that’s Cynthia’s favorite Beatles song. Yes, I’ve been a singer/songwriter for years. Played in a band for years. Still writing and streaming our music. 😉
In general, I like melancholy music it actually puts me in a better mood, but “Time in A Bottle” has always depressed me, can’t listen to that song either, I think it’s because I just find it boring.
"Chemo Limo" by Regina Spektor. Too real, Regi. "Holocaust" by Big Star. As great as Sister Lovers is, it bugs me that l have to skip that one song. And "Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns. That damned song is mind gonorrhea.
Eleanor Rigby may just be the saddest song ever, but unempathetic and cruel? McCartney stated in an interview that the idea for the song was based on the lonely older widows he encountered on his paper route when he was a kid and how sorry he felt for them and would take time to chat with them and maybe brighten their day a bit. The cruelty is the reality of life itself. This song and the Long and Winding Road imo are 2 of the most melodically and lyrically beautiful songs ever written. Sad songs can be tough to hear but they are often the best and most cathartic.
@@paulmartin7332 McCartney failed in his intent. 'Look at all the lonely people' is what a child would say making fun of someone because they are perceived to be different to the norm. 'No one will hear', etc. The lyric is hope less. Loneliness isn't a terminal disease, that can't be remedied.
@@lupcokotevski2907 Being completely alone in life esp.when you are old because you Have always been "Different" from the" Norm", or you have lost everyone who once cared about you due to death and/or abandonment ,or were just unable to connect with anyone in the first place in spite of attempts and desire to do so ,truly can be an un-remediable and tragic condition. Also saying 'Look at "all of these lonely people' does not mean to ridicule them but rather to point out that there Are people-Invisable People who live all around us , but unseen and unheard. The key is How it is being said.It is in the dark, sombe and disturbing TONE of the music itself. And as for lyricism," Look AT "simply flows so much better with the melody than Think About or Consider All THE LONELY PEOPLE, don"t ya think?
@@paulmartin7332 No. He could've written a much more sensitive, unambiguous and hopeful lyric. But at that young age, like most of us, he was immature unwise and probably trying to impress dealing with an important subject. On the face of it, the lyric is nihilistic and would likely make a lonely person feel even worse and more isolated.
So many to choose from! I never liked The Long and Winding Road, from the first time I heard it, in 1970. Some songs stick with ya, long after the needle lifts. I had a list of 25 before I knew it, cut it down to a dozen that capture the pathos and schmaltz, without descending into bathos. There were many such tear-jerkers in the '60s, from Message to Mary to Tell Laura I Love Her, Patches, The Last Kiss, Honey, and a long list of soapy songs meant to capitalize on teen drama, that probably started with Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots, by the Cheers, in 1955. Jody Reynolds had a hit, with Endless Sleep, in '58, then Running bear, Teen Angel, and Moody River plumbed the depths. These are my choices:
Best of Sad Songs
01 W H O K N O W S W H E R E T H E T I M E G O E S
Sandy Denny
02 F R E N C H I N H A L E R
Warren Zevon
03 A L M O S T I N D E P E N D E N C E D A Y
Van Morrison
04 N O T I M E T O L I V E
Traffic
05 T I M E W A I T S F O R N O O N E
the Rolling Stones
06 I T H I N K I T ' S G O I N G T O R A I N T O D A Y
Randy Newman
07 B A D N E W S
Stoneground
08 T H E W R E C K O F T H E E D M U N D F I T Z G E R A L D
Gordon Lightfoot
09 W I T H O U T Y O U
Harry Nilsson
10 F L O W E R S O N T H E W A L L
Eric Heatherly
11 S M O K E G E T S I N Y O U R E Y E
the Platters
12 W A L K A W A Y R E N E E
the Left Bank
I love melancholy, sad and depressing music. It never put me in a funk. I especially love "Remember (Christmas)" by Harry Nillsson. It sometimes brings a tear to my eye but it doesn't bum me out in any way.
Neil Young-Don't Let It Bring You Down-ALWAYS brings me down!
Interesting, that’s one of my faves. 😉
After getting dumped, my trigger song was, "I can't make you love me" by Bonnie Raitt. Years later, I can finally listen to it. Very well written.
Of the ones you mentioned, 'Father and Son' really hits me in the 'feels'.
One you didn't mention was 'Wildfire' by Michael Martin Murphy.
These are like my favorite songs…sad songs say so much 🙂 I dig your channel.
Thank you 😉
The first time I heard “Bobby Jean” by Bruce Springsteen I began sobbing. I was 22, getting a tan by the pool in the summertime. Couldn’t understand it. 40 years later it can still have that effect.
Always something to think about. Thanks, Tom. For many "American Pie" by D McClean isn't all that sad. I always end up reflecting on all the folks that died that get mentioned. Interesting (perhaps) aside, my two oldest sisters became flight attendants (stewardesses, in those days) back in the '70s. Jet Plan was the song they played at the commencement ceremony.
“He Ain’t Heavy. He’s my brother.” Look up Boys Town in Omaha. See their history page. Poignant words. … My wife overheard this video and exclaimed, “Father & Son! I always cry when I hear that song.” Appreciate you sharing a broader range of your musical emotions. Cheers.
Another good one Tom!! I used to think Alone Again, Naturally was a good little pop song. Then, someone suggested I read the lyrics. Now I can't listen to it. Saddest song, ever!!
When I was a student at Ohio State I used to live across the street from a frat house, and for Hell Week they locked the new members in a dark room and played The End by the Doors on a continuous loop, over and over for hours! It was loud enough that the whole block was subjected to this endless macabre depression. So needless to say it's a song I never need to hear again. Unfortunately, Apocalypse Now is one of my favorite movies, so there's no escaping it!
Great story Chris. 😉
I liked your choices and when I thought about each one I can see that quality about them! Nice different kind of show!
Thanks 😉
Joni’s version of BSN on Miles of Isles, is too beautiful!
Good topic Tom. Mine are 'Galveston' by Glen Campbell (hard to make it through the lyric 'I am so afraid of dying'!). 'Alone Again Naturally' by Gilbert O'Sullivan ('I remember I cried when my father died...' - then his mother dying soon after - it is unbearable for kid of 11 at the time!). A link to your choice Tom, 'The Boxer' on Simon and Garfunkel, the lonely guy is clearly being beaten to a pulp at the end of the song with the crashing drums and climaxing strings - hard to take- at at early age when it was played on AM radio.
"galveston" is something i used to play 100 times in a row. i'm not always in the mood for "alone again (naturally)"!
Fascinating. Here are some songs that typically induce melancholy in me: Richard Thompson's, "King of Bohemia," Kate & Anna McGarrigle's, "Heart Like a Wheel," Nick Drake's, "Cello Song," Aztec Two-Step's, " Prisoner," Joni Mitchell's, "River," Tom Waits', "Innocent When You Dream."
Can I assume a list of songs to lift your spirits?
"Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. And "Fading" by Kim Richey.
Interesting topic Tom. I think for many people there are psychological or "past traumas" that can become activated when certain songs "invade their air space". Mine is not a song, but an entire album of songs. And strangely, my favorite band to boot. Shortly after tge release of XTC's Oranges and Lemons I finished a residential treatment program for alcoholism. I moved in with my parents while I attempted to get back on my feet and rebuild some kind of life. Needless to say, a relapse shortly followed. Day in and day out I would attempt to hide my drinking from my parents in a scenario in which nightmares are created. Oranges and Lemons was a frequent listen at that time. Long story short, I am unable to listen to anything from that album without activating that sinking and helpless feeling in my gut. SO unfortunate, because that album is packed with great songs, many as you know are very upbeat. Even my personal XTC album rankings has the album dead last, when it definitely shouldn't be.
I have full albums that I used to like, but can’t listen to anymore because they remind of a dark place or time. Can’t go back there.
great video, i agree with your choices, i will add rainy days and mondays by the carpenters, dont cry daddy and in the ghetto by Elvis, hurt johnny cash cant get through that without tearing up, massive monkees fan but shades of grey is depressing,thats all off the top of my head, cheers tom
Shades Of Grey is totally depressing as well as that Carpenters song. 😉
The Carpenters Superstar. Love Badfinger but...Day After Day. There's a Joni song from Court And Spark called Same Situation that has actually made me sob before. And yeah you nailed with Sunshine On My Shoulder - cant do it
Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” is a total bummer. I remember back in ‘74 it was on the radio ALL THE TIME and there was no escaping it!
Almost made the list. 😉
There are definitely songs I will skip because, well, either the waterworks kick in or my thoughts go dark... all great songs, but if I decide to hear them, I really gotta brace myself. Here it goes...
Eno - The Big Ship
Eno - Becalmed
Robert Wyatt - Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road (mostly when Fred Frith's viola kicks in, there's just something about it, even with Ivor Cutler's humorous yet somehow melancholy words)
Lou Barlow - Nightmare
Guided By Voices- Fine to See You
Funkadelic - The Song Is Familiar
Epic Soundtracks - There's Been a Change (it's just the sound of a man trying to to convince his partner and even himself of something that is clearly not true)
fIREHOSE - This...
Flaming Lips - Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
Pete Ham - Dear Father
Otis Redding - I've Been Loving You Too Long
Roberta Flack as well as the Flaming Lips version with Erykah Badu - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Yeah, sure there are tons more, but as usual, these simply come to mind right now.
I like almost all of these songs. And most of them put me in a better mood. I guess it must be a personality type thing on whether they put you in a funk or not. Many of them are nostalgic to me.
Holocaust from Big Star is probably the saddest song I've heard. Alex Chilton wrote it after his mother's death.
That’s a dark one indeed. Kangaroo is right behind it.
@@tomrobinson5776 I first heard Holocaust and Kangaroo on This Mortal Coil's It'll End In Tears album.
@@barbarakirk3064 There’s a great live version of Kangaroo by Jeff Buckley you should check out…pretty intense..
Another great list and commentary!
Here are few that have the same effect for me.
Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. Because it reminds me of the early years of my marriage, to a woman I adored, came out about ten years before it all went south. Last time I heard it I started crying uncontrollably.
Give a Life, Take a Life by Spirit also puts me in a weird nostalgic funk. Fall 1980 right after I moved to California. Strange time in my life.
Sailing by Chris Cross for the same reason.
I get it....10 songs
1. Lazy Day by Spanky and Our Gang
2. Most Peculiar Man- Simon and Garfunkel
3. Monday, Monday-Mamas and the Papas
4. The Air That I Breathe-The Hollies
5. America- Sister Golden Hair
6. A man Needs a Maid- Neil Young
7. Don't Give Up On Us -the late David Soul
8. I Just Can't Help Believing-;BJ Thomas
9. Easy Lovin'- Freddie Hart
10. If You Could Read My Mind
I think the vast majority of these get this reaction from me because of childhood trauma (;will save you the details)....I hope you have a very pleasant day.... Peace and Love, Terry Tutor
I forgot to put Gordon Lightfoot's name down....
For me, the bummer Peter, Paul & Mary song is "Puff the Magic Dragon" which utterly traumatized me as a child because it's such a heartbreaking story about a boy and his dragon and the reality of living over time. I still can't listen to: "A dragon lives forever, but not so, little boys..." and, "His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain..." I feel like someone is opening up my chest with a surgical device right now. (I feel the same about the part of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles" in which the dog dies -- even if it was 20 years ago in the song.)
Yes, melancholy is one thing and heart-lacerating (most of "Tonight's the Night" or "Blue," for example) is something else. And then there are those horrible earworm songs that crash your mood because they're such a drag (like Terry Jacks' sing-songy "Seasons in the Sun" single, which is meant to be "sad" but cheapens the emotion to the point that I've always found it unlistenable -- but that's not what you're talking about here). Even some of the melancholy beach ballads by the otherwise upbeat Jimmy Buffett ("A Pirate Looks at 40," or "He Went to Paris") put a lasting damper on my mood. They send me into a reverie, then I ruminate, then I mope.
What becomes of the broken hearted jimmy Ruffin gets me every time!
My list of great songs that hit that sad part of me are;
Doris Day - Move Over Darling
Doris Day - Send Me No Flowers
Mary Wells - What's Easy For Two Is So Hard For One (and a lot of her others)
The Temptations - Since I Lost My Baby
The Beach Boys - Don't Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder (album track)
The Troggs - Love Is All Around
The Troggs - Cousin Jane (album track)
The Pretty Things - The Sun (album track)
The Pretty Things - House Of Ten (album track)
Bobby Goldsboro - Honey
Bobby Goldsboro - Summer The First Time
Jerry Keller - Here Comes Summer, and the B side, Time Has A Way
Marvin Gaye - I'll Take Care Of You
The Rolling Stones - As Tears Go By
The Rolling Stones - Blue Turns To Grey (album track)
The Righteous Brothers - For Sentimental Reasons
Gary Puckett/Union Gap - Woman Woman
Elvis Presley - Something Blue (album track)
Elvis Presley - That's Someone You'll Never Forget (album track)
I used to think The Beatles' She's Leaving Home. But I now think that sounds a bit phony. But all the ones you mentioned that I am familiar with never got near to giving me that sort of effect (Both Sides Now?). At that rate, you might just as well have mentioned The Archies' Sugar Sugar.
My list was mainly tunes I heard as a child and always thought were depressing. Still do..
In a Lonely Place by New Order, would come under this banner, released as flip side of Ceremony, their first release as NO, it's a massive Gothic dirge, streets ahead of what a lot of "Goth" bands did later in the '80's, I love it.
Neil Youngs Tonights the Night Reprise
Two off the top of my head: Kinks - Some Mother's Son and Traffic - No Face No Name No Number.
Both sad, but I love those songs.
500 Miles (Peter Paul & Mary) and In the Morning Rain (Gordon Lightfoot)
Melancholy delux (but awesome songs lol)
Sad, but great songs about the devastation of war:
Danny Boy
Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson, 1962, nuclear war)
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (World War 1 - probably the best anti war song written)
I Was Only Nineteen (Vietnam War)
Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel (Vietnam). Best anti war rock song.
Send in the Clowns always leaves me feeling blue.
Speaking of anti war songs, check out Some Mothers Son from The Kinks, off their album Arthur. Incredible song.
@@tomrobinson5776 Forgot that one! Got the CD. Thanks.
Give a listen to the Bob Seager System's 2 + 2 is on my mind
@@mkhnly What a fantastic track. I had his Mongrel album once, but never heard this song before. Thanks.
Don't Cry My Lady Love - Quicksilver Messenger Service
Sweet Bird - Joni Mitchell
The Kiss - Judee Sill
and so many options from Jackson Browne:
Opening Farewell
In the Shape of a Heart
Sky Blue and Black
...
I agree with The Kiss by Judee Sill.
"Man of the World", Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green). "..... I just wish that I had never been born." MANY others!
Both Sides Now is a perfect song. I mean Joni's Clouds version.
Mine are 'Fire and Rain' and almost any Nick Drake song.
Oh wow I've never had this feeling before
Does not put me in a funk but perhaps the ultimate melancoly song is "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro.
Neil Young "Out On The Weekend" from Harvest". I love it though. Also, The Beatles " For No One:" from Revolver. Melancholy but brilliant. Probably the best song about heartbreak from that period.
I agree. One of Paul’s best.
your "top neil young songs of the 70's" list is making more sense now. there isn't a time of any day that i ever mind hearing "birds". "both sides now" (especially by judy collins) makes me happy. i love "the long and winding road". ""abraham, martin and john" is painful because robert kennedy is murdered before they can even finish the record and put it out...this is unlikeliest video you've made but still good.
Father and Son by Cat Stevens is a great song. A song everyone likes and most can relate to in some way.
Great list! I agree with Father and Son, also several tracks on After the Gold Rush including the title track. I always thought Long and Winding Road was one of the more overrated Beatles songs too, when compared to the rest of their catalogue. A couple albums I was thinking of are Springsteen’s Nebraska and Dylan’s Time Out of Mind (both really sad).
You know Cat's in the Cradle kind of bums me out. Its pretty up beat but I find it depressing
That was my pick too, always had to leap to change the station
If you really want to bawl your eyes out, listen to Moms Mabley's version of Abraham, Martin and John. If you were alive when Kennedy and King were assassinated, you can't help but cry.
My break down into a blubbering mass song is Family Life from the Blue Nile album Peace at Last (1996)
I think one of the only songs that really puts me in that state is “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks. Regardless, I still enjoy the song.
No single song can put me in what you call 'funk'. But sometimes, a given song sounds repulsive temporarily. Later on, the same song would be acceptable and even enjoyable. This is called mood, not melancholy.
Wow, this could also be a list of songs that are among the best-ever by the respective artists, in many cases. But I totally agree on "The Long & Winding Road": I'm not even crazy about the "Naked" version, but the Phil Spector version is among the most cringe-worthy songs I've ever heard. In fact, I think a top 10 cringe songs by Paul McCartney could be a thing, including (with MJ), "Ebony & Ivory," "My Love," and "Wonderful Christmastime".
Ha, great idea! 😉
Let's all have a good cry. Hankies, everyone?!
"We'll sob in the sunshine, you know we'll cry every day." 🥺 🤭 Two early ones that come to mind are, Pat Boone -- "Moody River" and Dee Clark -- "Raindrops". Also, B.J. Thomas -- "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and Percy Mayfield (and) the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation -- "Memory Pain". PLUS, a boatload of '40s, '50 and '60s jazz ballads. And from the '70s, Audience -- "It Brings a Tear" ("the sad old clown.....").
Two artist that I like have two songs that I can’t listen to: Rock & Roll Fantasy by The Kinks and Alison by Elvis Costello.
One song that puts me in a funk is 'Disco Duck', how was that ever a #1 hit?
Ha! Truly one of the worst songs ever.
I see @mjg263 mentioned Seasons in the Sun - a song which depresses me horribly, which I also think is a terrible song, so it makes me both terribly depressed and angry. I like to listen to it before I have to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get me into the right mood.
Opposite of this is The Ballad of Easy Rider by Roger McGuinn - the Easy Rider soundtrack version is more raw and sadder than the polished Byrds version. I sat down to watch Easy Rider thinking it was some hippie biker exploitation film and found myself HORRIBLY MOVED BY THE MOVIE ON A DEEP PERSONAL LEVEL, and this is the song that plays during the end scene. I love this song, and I can't listen to it. There are two films that made me think I need psychotherapy. Easy Rider was one, and the other was The Wicker Man.
I Started a Joke. I don't know why, but this just depresses the hell out of me. Can't listen to it.
Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. This is not the story of my father and I, but for some reason I find it horribly upsetting.
Say it Ain't So by Murray Head, a kind of anthem of disappointment. I'm so used to being let down anymore, what depresses me is the idea that it could be unexpected: that someone could have a real emotional reaction of being let down by someone, as opposed to, "Of course that happened," which is where I'm at. I just expect people who inspire me or my heroes to do something terrible at some point.
I agree with your choices. I Started A Joke is depressing. Another one is Words by The Bee Gees. Always found The Ballad Of Easy Rider sad, but I dig it.
A shop I volunteer in sometimes plays the Bee Gees' I Started A Joke off one of their live albums.
I'm guessing the tour Joni was on was to promote Wild Things Run Fast.
You’re correct. 😉
Abraham, John and Martin was always a bit maudlin to me. Long Distance Love by Lowell George can make me a little misty. What do you think of Joanie’s River? That one really gets me.
I’m fine with River, but Little Green is tough to get through. 😉
Mawkish? overly sentimental? A bit like a movie where the dog dies while saving the boy? A friend used to say after a movie like that, "If you want to make me cry it's much easier to just kick me in the ..." Joni Mitchell's original recording "Both Sides Now" is not a favorite but Judy Collins's version is like "ice cream castles in the air" covered in maple syrup and cotton candy. I don't know who produced the track with that feel in mind. Sure to make money though. Contrast that with her version of "Suzanne" which, for me, is the definitive version. A much better song, for starters.
Fire and Rain by James Taylor ruins me every time.
Yeah that, “Longggg and Windingggg Road.” Sorry about that. “All By Myself.” Again, sorry. Great shows, your top singles from ‘67 is next!
Songs that put me in a funk: pretty much the entirety of Lou Reed's Berlin album fits into this category, especially Side 2. It's a powerful piece of art, but part of its power is its ability to evoke unsettling feelings in the listener. Because of this, I haven't played it in over 30 years.
Also, this is more obscure, but Waiting for the Moving Van by singer-songwriter David Ackles, from his cult-favorite album American Gothic. At one point in my life I lived through that song. It was hard enough to listen to then. Now I can't listen to it all becuse the memories are too strong.
Enough of this. I need some sunshine pop to brighten my day. 🌞
Time for some Cowsills. 😉
My choice would be, Epitaph by King Crimson, it puts me in a mood but it doesn't so much make me depressed as it does gravely solemn.
I love the Beatles but hate The Long and Winding Road, it is way too sappy.
BTW, The title and theme of the Hollies song, He Ain't Heavy... was taken from the Boys Town motto, their tearjerking poster shows a smiling boy carrying his tired younger brother through the snow and he's responding to a priest, "He ain't heavy Father, he's my brother".
Thanks, I always wondered what that song was about. 😉
Most songs by Nick Drake
your singing voice was quite beautiful when you started to sing the long and winding road. were you the lead singer in your band? and i agree, tlawr is a song that can put anyone in a funk. it’s tedious and cringy, imo. i was a little disheartened when cynthia lennon said it was her favorite beatles song! she chose a Paul song over John, i mean, wtf lol
Ha! Pretty strange that’s Cynthia’s favorite Beatles song. Yes, I’ve been a singer/songwriter for years. Played in a band for years. Still writing and streaming our music. 😉
In general, I like melancholy music it actually puts me in a better mood, but “Time in A Bottle” has always depressed me, can’t listen to that song either, I think it’s because I just find it boring.
Kinks# Face in the Crowd
"Chemo Limo" by Regina Spektor. Too real, Regi. "Holocaust" by Big Star. As great as Sister Lovers is, it bugs me that l have to skip that one song. And "Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns. That damned song is mind gonorrhea.
The long and boring song
That leads nowhere
That song is awful!
But the worst of all has to be the theme to the TV show 'Good Times'
Absolute torture!
Dog Eat Dog?
The Long and Winding Song! Not terrible but I skip it always.
Eleanor Rigby. A lyric without empathy or hope. Cruel.
Eleanor Rigby may just be the saddest song ever, but unempathetic and cruel? McCartney stated in an interview that the idea for the song was based on the lonely older widows he encountered on his paper route when he was a kid and how sorry he felt for them and would take time to chat with them and maybe brighten their day a bit. The cruelty is the reality of life itself. This song and the Long and Winding Road imo are 2 of the most melodically and lyrically beautiful songs ever written. Sad songs can be tough to hear but they are often the best and most cathartic.
@@paulmartin7332 McCartney failed in his intent. 'Look at all the lonely people' is what a child would say making fun of someone because they are perceived to be different to the norm. 'No one will hear', etc. The lyric is hope less. Loneliness isn't a terminal disease, that can't be remedied.
@@lupcokotevski2907 Being completely alone in life esp.when you are old because you Have always been "Different" from the" Norm", or you have lost everyone who once cared about you due to death and/or abandonment ,or were just unable to connect with anyone in the first place in spite of attempts and desire to do so ,truly can be an un-remediable and tragic condition. Also saying 'Look at "all of these lonely people' does not mean to ridicule them but rather to point out that there Are people-Invisable People who live all around us , but unseen and unheard. The key is How it is being said.It is in the dark, sombe and disturbing TONE of the music itself. And as for lyricism," Look AT "simply flows so much better with the melody than Think About or Consider All THE LONELY PEOPLE, don"t ya think?
@@paulmartin7332 No. He could've written a much more sensitive, unambiguous and hopeful lyric. But at that young age, like most of us, he was immature unwise and probably trying to impress dealing with an important subject. On the face of it, the lyric is nihilistic and would likely make a lonely person feel even worse and more isolated.
@@lupcokotevski2907 Don't agree with your assessment.
None for me
Anything that Garfunkel sings is annoying.