Sad songs say so much

 

I’m causing a mild sensation
With this new occupation
I’m permanently glued
To this extraordinary mood so now move over
Let me take over
With my melancholy blues
–Queen/Melancholy Blues

 

I was singing along with the iPod on my way home from work (as usual) and decided something: I really like singing along to sad songs. I really like sad songs in general. When I’m happy, they make me even happier. Being happier is always gooder, right? When I’m sad they make me sadder. Nothing cheers me up like a good sing-a-long mope during my commute home from work. It’s very cathartic. Yes, people do look at me funny. No, I don’t give a shit.

On the commute to work, I also sing  but I tend to focus on the more upbeat tunes. No one wants to mope at work. That is clearly untrue–let’s just say that I don’t want to mope at work. I prefer veiled hostility to moping.

A really clever girl would put a list of people here and let you all  play pin the sad song to the person. A really mean clever girl. I prefer to be more passive-aggressively mean, but by all means do feel free to out yourself as the reason I love any particular song in the comments.

 

Everybody Hurts — sad REM. Obviously, I sing this one on my commute home when I am stuck in traffic. So hold on. Also a great video.

Almost Bluesad Elvis. Being sad in love is the saddest sort of sad. Elvis is the master of the super-literate sad song. Also the creepy sad song. Just listen to  I Want You for some proof.

No Birds Todaysad Cowboy Junkies. Desolation and isolation are a great musical combination.

Am I Bluesad Bette. Old school melancholy.

Melancholy Blues and Love Of My Life–sad Queen. No one does sad like Freddie. I miss him.

Atlantic Citysad Bruce sings about sad America and the losers therein. Everything dies, babe, and that’s a fact.

Ne Me Quitte Pas sad,  pitiful, forlorn Jacques Brel. This would probably win the contest for Saddest Lyric Ever. At one point he offers to be the shadow of her shadow, the shadow of her hand, the shadow of her dog if she will just not leave him. If you’ve ever had someone not love you back, this is your song. The linked video has a handy translation for the non-francophones.

Creepsad Radiohead. I was far too old to be a Loser Teen when this came out, but if I had been this would totally have been my anthem. I have been known to play this several times in a row. Huh. Maybe I am a loser teen…

Too Drunk To FuckOK. This isn’t sad. It’s funny. Well, not if it happens to YOU. If it happens to you, it’s sad. I could out some guys here, but I won’t.

The Crane Wife 1, 2 and 3 –sad Decemberists. This grouping of songs is one of my favorite sad song cycles of the last 10 years. It’s about 15 minutes of music based on a Japanese folk tale, and it’s about the sadness of loving someone to death because you don’t understand them.

Boys of Summer –sad Don Henley singing “I see you walking real slow and smiling at everyone” Kills me. KILLS me. And I don’t even like Don Henley. Definitely reminds me of someone in particular.

Breakevensad the Script. They’re right–when a heart breaks, it doesn’t break even at all.

Stubborn Lovesad Lumineers. The sadness of being in love with someone who is just going to hurt you, lie to you, and probably ruin your life. And you love them anyway.

 

OK–pick a song and tell us all why you are the reason it makes me sad!!!

I’m not going to get any takers on that, am I?

It doesn’t have to be true, you know.

Just make some shit up. That’s what I do.

 

 

%d bloggers like this: