Sad Sad Song

Scott Hardie | April 27, 2015
What's the saddest song that you know?

Steve West | April 27, 2015
Harry Chapin's Cat's in the Cradle comes to mind.

Erik Bates | April 27, 2015
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Samir Mehta | April 27, 2015
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Justin Woods | April 27, 2015
Pearl Jam "Last Kiss"

Chris Lemler | April 27, 2015
https://youtu.be/WIF4_Sm-rgQ

Erik Bates | April 28, 2015
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Scott Hardie | April 29, 2015
One that comes to mind is this ode to failure (NSFW lyrics). This is not something to listen to when you have a bout of low self-esteem.

Scott Hardie | May 2, 2015
A friend of mine suggested "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," especially the Pogues version.

Scott Hardie | May 3, 2015
Leave it to South Park to come up with the world's bleakest Christmas song.

Aaron Shurtleff | May 6, 2015
I don't even remember how to put in links. *cry*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_7M_JeSoc

Scott Hardie | May 13, 2015
I get pretty bummed out whenever I hear "Dust in the Wind." It makes everything I do seem futile and pointless, like what's the point of living? I don't know how astronomers cope psychologically with their understanding of how unimportant we are in the universe.

Denise Sawicki | May 25, 2015
Casimir Pulaski Day which Erik mentioned popped to mind as a pretty sad one. Also these 2 by Red House Painters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85GXmUzq6Gg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mb1ILIQvdM

Scott Hardie | June 7, 2015
"Cat's in the Cradle" has always struck me as trying too hard to be sad, without pulling it off. And I'm normally a sucker for father-son stuff.

Steve West | June 11, 2015
Remember the Child - Dick Wagner's song about child abuse prevention.

Denise Sawicki | June 16, 2015
I have lots of these really.
Idyllwild lost youth and lost friendships
Sunflowers I always viewed it as a sad song from a father's perspective
10 Year Coin self destruction

Scott Hardie | June 18, 2015
Great songs, all. Denise, I imagine you must have numerous more examples.

Frank Ocean has songs that are more celebrated, but for my money, "Pyramids" is his saddest. Telling a story about a pimp in love with one of his prostitutes, who tortures himself with thoughts of her sleeping with other men and dancing for them in a strip club, Ocean portrays quiet heartbreak in his silky baritone, along with a wide range of other emotions.

Scott Hardie | July 21, 2015
The saddest playlist that I have on Spotify is extremely subjective: It consists of songs that strongly remind me of my eighteenth year of life, when I was a college freshman experiencing my first real independence. It was a year of emotional highs and lows, of lessons learned and friendships made that have lasted ever since. When I yearn for my lost youth like anyone does, that year is the year that I most wish I could revisit, when I had utter freedom to be anyone I wanted to be, when the whole world was new and mine to discover. While I'm sure that these songs are specific just to me, the feelings that I describe must be relatable to anyone.

The Verve Pipe, "The Freshmen"
Sarah McLachlan, "Building a Mystery"
The Wallflowers, "One Headlight"
Fiona Apple, "Sleep to Dream"
The Cardigans, "Great Divide"
Jewel, "You Were Meant for Me"
Pearl Jam, "Yellow Ledbetter"

Scott Hardie | July 22, 2015
Crap. I'm sorry, Steve. I heard "Cat's in the Cradle" on the radio and decided to make a semi-snarky put-down about it here in this discussion, without remembering that you had already spoken well of it in this same discussion. I didn't mean that as a criticism or objection to your comment in any sense. Now I feel like a jerk.

Steve West | July 22, 2015
I wasn't recommending the song, per se. You mentioned sad and that popped to mind. I find it a little tiresome and I can't remember the last time it came on the radio that I didn't change stations. It's all good. Speaking of snarky, every time I hear Dust in the Wind, I can hear the unwritten lyric, "Have a nice day, you worthless piece of dirt."