this is excellent. i've never been a fan of purely instrumental tracks, but this is just too perfect. sets a great mood. almost makes you feel as if you were alone on the beach at night. melancholic, sad, almost cold. the music has a brittle, yet lingering quality which is hard to achieve and yet it is here. so, so good.

excellent mood. simple music that slowly builds up as the lyrics become more intense.
"this is my favorite sad story,
forget me not or i'll forget myself
i've got quite a few things that i'm afraid of
sometimes i just won't face myself"

This is (for me) one of the greatest songs of love ever written. The song describes the appearance of a goddess among women and is pure (if at times naive) poetry. The arrangement is simple lead and rhythm guitars and bass with an organ giving a more filled out feeling from the second verse and violin in the fourth. The tone is melancholy but happy, as if the singer is basking in the light of this most beautiful woman. It must have been written for someone, someone lucky to be thought so beautiful. But there is sadness in that the singer may be singing of his unrequited love. Some of the alliteration is fantastic too.

Raw Stylus effortlessly combined british acid jazz elements with sophisticated, elegant Steely Dan-esque american jazz/soul/funk. In fact, like on this track, the music sounds very much like a Steely Dan backing track with warm Fender Rhodes keyboards, precise horn section, funky rhythm section and jazzy guitars. Which really isn't much of a wonder when looking at the credits of the album. Let's see: The album is impeccably produced by the Dan's producer Gary Katz, features an incredible amount of fine session musicians including Steely Dan regulars (like Bernard Purdie, Randy Brecker or Hugh McCracken), has even Donald Fagen providing synths on "37 Hours (In The U.S.A.) and they even embedded some chords of "Josie" in the song. Unfortunately, despite the talent, Raw Stylus remained a one album band to this very day, kinda sad actually...

It's from their last studio album. It's a stand-out.

Proving once and for all that she could carry herself as a solo artist and sing a dramatic love song, Ms. Ross slowed down the tempo and sank her emotions into this wonderful tale of unending love and devotion. The original full-length version clocks in at 6:16 but was brutally chopped down to around 3:30 for radio airplay and some of the song's most intimate words are removed. Sadly, the shorter version was featured on her box set a few years back. (what were they thinking???!!!) Get your hands on the 6 minute version and enjoy a true classic american song by a great american artist!

Very different sounding song for me. It sounds like a mix of late 60ies pop with arabic/turkish influences. A bit sad sounding, but still there is hope :)
I love it cause its got great harmonies, and a mix of guitars, violins, and spanish guitars.

The lyrics to this song, even though they were written years ago still hold up today. Nothing has changed, which is kind of sad. This song hits you hard with it's political message with very little subtlety, but it doesn't need it because the message is so strong and so frustrated. Bad Religion's best work.

lamenting passionate and heartwrenching. a ballad of love lost and found. big production , much depth and emotion. Scott lends a special something to this and most every song he sings. I never want to leave.

Acoustic cover of the hit song in the 1970's by original artist, B.J. Thomas.

A beautiful, soft, sad, fragile piece about a couple breaking up and bursting into tears as they do. Incredible for its intimate feel and sparse instrumentation (voice, organ, harmonica, egg shaker) chilling lyrics 'you close your eyes but there's no paradise, you count the cost of all we've lost and all we've wasted'. It hits the nail bang on the head! Love it to bits.

Apart from their hit songs, I have only recently got into The Smashing Pumpkins and this track stands out for me as brilliant. Great lyrics and a steady pumping beat make this difficult to not listen to over and over again. I think you need to invest time in their songs before you start to like them. That was definately the case with this song, on first listening it didn't really stand out, but now I would put it alongside 'Ava Adore' as one of the best tracks on the album 'Adore'. Also listening to 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' at the moment, another album that grows on you once you put the time in.

The beginning of "As We Fall" starts with piano and later some synths and drums. I love the lyrics and how well Groundbreaking creates the atmosphere for the song.

Beautiful acoustic instrumentation
Two part vocals are well done
very moving
great composition, emotive climax

Peers and close friends of Stereolab, Birmingham's Broadcast are one of the most interesting alternative pop acts in the world. This song is an example of their extraordinary skills in crafting a haunting, beautiful melody to go with a sound that's like a son of the band The United States Of America and Ennio Morricone. These folks took four years building their own studio. Can't blame them a bit as the results are simply stunning.

Surprised to see nothing by the Pet Shop Boys on Musical Taste. Now the only remaining intelligent British pop act, the Pet Shop Boys have consistently mixed dramtic chord changes with pathos-loaded lyrics. Being Boring is possibly their finest moment - reflective, sad and beautiful.

First of all, the tap dancing? genius. Tilly and the Wall are a great band and this song even though it's supposed to be sad, it sounds so lighthearted at the same time. Simple and clean: a great tune.

When I heard this album by the Brazilian organist Ed Lincoln, I really wasn't expecting a tune like this. It's a beautiful, tender vocal, sounding like something from a Francis Lai soundtrack, with lovely male-female alternating vocals and an exquisite Morricone style trumpet blending well with the guitar/organ/percussion instrumentation. An absolutely stunning track - playful but slightly sad at the same time, with some spooky laughter/sighing from the female singer towards the end.

Hey - don't knock Sade. This is from the Love Deluxe album, which is a great record by any measure. All the songs are original and heartfelt, not formulaic, and with an awareness of third-world misery that's striking coming from a pop princess like her. But she is from Nigeria and knows what she's singing about. Bulletproof Soul is my favorite on the album, a song very dry and quiet and sparse. The backing vocal works in a very sad, soulful harmony line in the chorus that really makes the song.

This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Opeth's music is powerfully passionate and it shows strongly in this song. Sounds like the kind of song that would be at the ending credits of a sad movie.

Melancholy but hopeful. This is a gentle song, with acoustic and electric guitars, electric piano, bass, drums, and voice. Excellent lyrics, terrific mood.

There's a little story here, punctuated by flashes of images and moments.

The song is written by Henning Ohlenbusch who has worked with Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne), Mark Mulcahy, and Lloyd Cole. If those names mean anything to you, then chances are you will enjoy this warm track.

One of the far too few originals on this great underrated LP.The duo has a familiar west coast pop-jazz sound,much like their labelmates Bud Shank & Joe Pass.Except where as those two have way too much generally lackluster output,this duo has tons of talent packed into one exciting session! Ken plays an icy alto & soprano not unlike Paul Desmond and Beverly sings with all the grace and soul of ladies like Lena Horne and Dinah Shore. In this track, one of the most energetic on the LP,the group swings in a brisk 5/4,with Ken blowing a soulful line and alternating into creshendos with Beverly paralelling in a sassy vocalese. Wonderfully breezy,and just the kind of peppy bossa-like lounge tune you'll listen to over & over & over...They also do great versions of"A Man & A Woman"(with Ken adding some tasteful vocals himself)and "Eleanor Rigby"! A tough record to find, and no compiled tracks are anywhere to be found.... sad.

FROM THE 1966 'LP-FOR CERTAIN BECAUSE'-A HYBRID OF RUBBER SOUL AND THE BYRDS-COMPLETE BLURRED POP PERFECTION IN THE TIME IT TAKES TO MAKE A CUP OF TEA-SAD AND BEAUTIFUL AND A MILLION MILES AWAY FROM THE USUAL BEAT OF THE HOLLIES,IT SHIMMERS IN A SLOW MOTION 12 STRING DAYDREAM AND MAKES ME REALISE WHY I LOVE MUSIC AND WHY I AM STILL AWAKE WHEN I AM AT WORK IN 4 HOURS TIME-SEARCH FOR THIS AND WALLOW IN IT'S SPLENDOUR...........

This is a really catchy and kind of sad song.

At the time a unique fusion of cold synthetic and a warmer organic fragility,following two consecitive number ones "Are Friends Electric"and "Cars" this track revealed the enormous potential of Numan,s futuristic vision.A slow piano led "ballad" with aching cello and violin parts ,sad and beautiful and if i must say utterly pleasant.

Sadly, this song is always over looked.It's one of those heart breakingly simple songs only the clash could do.

So beautiful and quietly emotional as a lot of shoegazing is. One of their longest songs... it starts out with the wailing guitar melody that's repeated throughout and accented by Miki Berenyi's calm and melancholy vocals, but the instrumental parts are really the most prominent parts of the song. The best part is at around 3:53 when the guitars go crazy. the whole thing seems very representative of sadness and getting to that point where you just can't hold it in anymore and you start weeping hardcore. it's a good song... the only one that can make me cry over and over again.

If romantic, dramatic, emotionally fragile and beautifully orchestrated baroque pop with woodwinds moves you then you're blessed... by me.

Not since the mid-eighties have Heaven 17 nailed a song so beautifully. "Let Me Go" eschews icy synthetic, new wave romance gone wrong. "Dive" updates it for a newer generation. Beautiful music and a sound which makes you wonder where the hell they've been hiding for umpteen years. Sadly, heaven 17 disappeared again after 1996 and have yet to resurface... The album "Bigger Than America" I consider to be their best.

By late 1983, when Altered Images' third and final album, Bite, was released, Altered Images were already dead in the water. The group had never made any particular headway in the US, where their blend of Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Monkees (not to mention Claire Grogan's bizarre, baby-talk hiccup of a singing voice) was just a little too weird for mainstream tastes, and in their native UK, their colorful look and bubblegummy 1982 singles "I Could Be Happy" and "See Those Eyes" had forever typecast them as a kiddie-pop band. Grogan was already branching off in her second career as an actress (she played the title role in Bill Forsyth's 1982 cult classic Gregory's Girl), and Bite seemed like a mere contractual obligation. For the most part, it sounds like it, too, but the brilliant single "Don't Talk To Me About Love," which led off side two, was a welcome surprise, and possibly the best song they ever did. Mike Chapman's production recalls his work with Blondie, while the disco-tinged electronic beat, chicken-scratch electric guitar part and rubbery, melodic bass part all sound closer to New Order's "Blue Monday" than Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." Grogan herself is in an entirely different mood than usual, with her newly-lowered singing voice (and slightly improved enunciation) displaying a rueful, almost petulant edge that suits the cranky lyrics. Only at the very end does she shoot into her usual helium-pitched unintelligibility, with an air of "See, I can still do this, I just choose not to anymore." Coupled with the most indelible chorus of the band's entire career, it all adds up to a minor masterpiece. Sadly, however, nobody wanted to know.
(AMG)

"Dressed in black, he walks alone, a shadow in the night." The Shangri-Las death trip reached a powerful climax in this eerie song of loss and lingering. Funereal piano chords balanced by surging choruses and a closing spoken section that leaves you as weak as the sadly wounded narrator. If this one doesn't get to you, you ain't got a heart.

Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn in the early eighties were recording the same Bossa oriented songs that made "Sade" famous, but with more talent. Eden was their first album, both had recorded songs before for Cherry Red (a UK label) but to be on a major label Gave them the opportunity to really arranged their songs. Each and everyone opens the album with magnificence.
As soon as the second album the magic was lost, EBTG was just another name on the Warner catalogue.

The lyrics and the instrumental composition truly envelop the listener immediately. It's a soft song, so it can be easily tuned out, but really pay attention to the lyrics and the background music and the story truly enfolds before your eyes.

Ely Arcoverde is a Brazilian organist. His sound is similar to Ze Maria but not as chime-like and almost even a church-organ sound at times. I love this LP because it has a real low meditative sound. It is a quality I find in much of the music from Bahia as opposed to that from the south. The quarteto inludes organ, drums, bass and - a quality that I love alongside the organ - an accoustic guitar. It is mostly instrumental with some vocals similar to the way Jorge Ben would just make repetetive humming and moaning noises in his early LPs. The whole record has a very dark and mysterious feel - sad and lonely the perfect LP for the dark just the light from the stereo tubes flickering. It is available on ebay a lot, it is Ely's most popular LP and it should run you about $50 - 75.

A superb tale of wronged love and wounded pride performed with a mighty swagger, drenched in latin rhythms and horns, but with that bittersweet humour and English setting that have been hallmark's of Kirsty's whole career.

There are so many songs from Kirsty that I love in so many musical styles, but the "Tropical Brainstorm" album is really the best thing she ever did. She has absorbed the influences from her travels in Latin America, but the album is no pastiche, it is pure MacColl. Whilst occasionally missing its mark, it has so many fine, joyful and wryly funny moments, and, to me, all the signs of an artist entering a new, fiercely creative and joyful stage of her career.

Sadly we will never know where Kirsty's musical journey would have taken her.

While I am quite fond of the original version written and recorded by Morrissey, I have to admit that I prefer the cover version that the Pretenders recorded. Chrissie Hynde's voice and style are perfectly suited to the task of singing this movingly sad song about life "in a seaside town that they forgot to close down" and the use of slide-guitar is absolutely perfect on this track.

The soundtrack to november. This or any other year. Brazilian Jose Mauro only made one album before the brazilian military or drugs (info anyone ?)pulled him in but me oh my how beautful that record is.
If there could be such a thing as bossanova-blues than Jose Mauros "obnoxius" is the blueprint. Joses songs which comes along like a blend of early milton nascimento with doses of Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo. The album was arranged by gaya and is filled with wonderful string arrangements. One modern reference would be another Jose,namely,the swedish indietroubadour Jose Gonzales. The highlight of the album comes at the end, Excaltacao e lamento..,which sends shivers down my spine everytime i hear it.

This is the title track from Fiona Apple's unreleased album, "Extraordinary Machine." This song does not sound like anything I have heard from her before. To best describe the music, I would say that it sounds like a soundtrack to a children's bed time story. The lyrics are creative and the melody is very catchy. Sadly, since Sony won't release this album, pick up this track (and the rest of the album) from the net. Sorry that I could not describe this song better (I don't know the names of the exact instruments used in the song), but trust me, this is a very interesting listen and a really good song.

This is a slow, sultry, intimate piano-led song that makes a remarkable contrast to the frosty "Isadora" (q.v.) off the same LP, despite both songs having basically the same acoustic guitar / bass / drums / piano / vocals lineup. The difference between this kind of soft-rock and, say, the Carpenters, is that the latter were schmaltzy beyond endurance while Illusion provided the genuine article ...

"Face Of Yesterday" was recorded earlier by Renaissance on their "Illusion" LP, which gave its name to this group, which was actually mostly the same Renaissance lineup (with Jane Relf and Jim McCarty) before the Camp / Dunford / Thatcher group took over Renaissance. I know, I know, you can't follow the players without a scorecard in this case ...

I can just imagine people sitting in a seedy New York movie theatre on 42nd Street back in 1961 watching a b-movie called "Satan in High Heels". The film is in its last reel and suddenly the main female character comes out on the nightclub stage wearing a leather outfit complete with 6-inch dominitrix boots and a riding crop! The music swells and she starts to sing:
---
i'm the kind of woman, not hard to understand,
i'm the one who cracks the whip and holds the upper hand
I'll beat you, mistreat you, til you quiver and quail,
the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
---
This little film isn't likely to have ever had a soundtrack album which in a way is sad because in addition to this camply little gem there are a couple of other cute vocals by Meg Myles and the other actresses in the film and some great jazz instrumentals sprinkled throughout as well. The fine folks at Something Weird Video have kindly put this little film out on DVD. You can also catch the scene containing this song on their compilation of movie trailers (where I first discovered this film) released to inform people of their DVD catalog.

The song has a soft piano/banjo/orchestra backround. The music flows through the heart with a soft melancholic note. Her voice reminds me of a sad cashier and a movie star combined. She isn't like any other singer i've ever heard. The lyrics related to me extremely well and made me truly smile. It truly is a beautiful song

'We won't do anything that shouldn't be done, only the groovy things like having fun'...& there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, in my book.

This is the title track to Chris Montez's third album with A&M, produced by Herb Alpert & it's very, very sweet, but, for some reason not sickly so. That's the magic of mid-'sixties Chris Montez.

This song was almost a hit in Britain. It was released just as the pirate radio stations were about to be banned. It was 'Record Of The Week' on Radio London the week it was shut down and sadly never grabbed it's deserved foothold after that.

A lot of people are taken aback by how high Chris's voice was when he sang, but once you get over that, his music from the A&M era (1966-8) is strangely addictive. Very warm and melodic.

He did mostly cover songs, mostly 'hits of the day', but also generous helpings of classics from the 1940's & '50's. Always giving them a brand new very mid-'sixties treatment.

A brutally honest portrait of the artist Conor Oberst as a young man

Best known for "Where Do You Go To My Lovely", which is a sad French or Italian-sounding song, the followup "Frozen Orange Juice" is a delightfully happy Spanish-sounding song, i.e. the exact opposite (lyrics of both songs reference the European nations listed above). It lopes along in 6/8 time with orchestral flourishes galore, particularly on strings, although horns, woodwinds and harp are also evident. Brilliant!

If Burt Bacharach would produce a hawain cabaret/ukulele band under the supervision of David Lynch with songs written by aliens and Paul Mcartney they could come close to the music of John Southworth. Confused ? well, but canadian popster Southworth defies description. And it´s not just orginality for orginalitys sake. Southworth is just as interested in crafting a fine melody. Maybe his whiny voice is offputting for some but i find it all the more charming. Girl on the moon is taken from his marvelous debut album (which he sadly hasn´t topped yet although the new Yosemite comes close) Mars, pennsylvania and i believe you can find it for just 1 dollar on amazon. So, what are you waiting for ?

This song is lonely. It reminds me of an ex-boyfriend that I had. It makes me so sad.

Even if it's the happiest song in the world, Ray Lamontagne's voice can make any song sad.

Definitely not a bad thing. His raspy, mournful voice is always one I can listen to, no matter the mood I'm in.

Despite the vocal style of James (not appreciated by myself) this track is a true masterpiece - listful, solemn and mysterious. Numerous good covers inc. Kelly Joe Phelps, & Chris Thomas King (O Brother Where art thou). The original's guitarwork is superior to other versions - sparse and perfectly timed. However Phelps has, in my oppinion, a more appripraite voice for the track.

Just compleatly filled with strong emotion and absolute dominating power...

Ridiculously sentimental and melodramatic like a number of songs on this album, but as often rescued by the singing and in particular by Sally Dastey's voice - really, this woman is genuinely the best singer I have ever heard - a beautiful, plaintive Australian accent that deserves to be ranked with asrtud gilberto as one of the most distinctive voices in pop.

The music here on this song very simple - just a banjo, guitar, and mouth organ for backing, with Dastey singing 'he was here, but not for long/ I'll let you in on a little secret now/' before suddenly just speaking, with immense sadness - 'he wasn't the best worker we ever had'. Really fantastic folk music.

Sally Dastey was one of the Tiddas, who I have gone on about elsewhere on this site.

It's from their last album, Closer. It's very dark and moody. It sounds like Ian (singer) is singing from his grave (It was released post-humuosly)

The most eeire, scary and downright supernatural blues track ever recorded. Robert Johnson's vocal style sends shivers down anyone's back on the first, and repeat, hearings of this masterpiece.

Take time and notice the evidence of Hoodoo pratice in lyrics (hot foot powder) and a brief history of a failed relationship once believed to have been Robert Johnsons...

Whenever anyone asks for sad song recommendations, this is the first that comes to mind. It's a heartbreaking song. It's not really *depressing*, it just � heartbreaking.

I don't know what it is about this song. "Strangers Almanac" is a brilliant - probably my all time favourite 'alt.country' record - but this song transcends even that superlative, to be one of my favourite songs of all time. It has mved me to tears twice now, and no doubt will again. Ryan Adam's bruise of a voice, the beautiful lyrics, the sad subject matter. Just perfect.

Johnny Cash makes Nine Inch Nails' song Hurt his own. This song is one of my all time greatest. It's just so powerful, beautiful and sad.

"if i could start again
a million miles away
i would keep myself
i would find a way"

Simple structure, great vocals, very sad yet makes you want to listen even more.

It's a sad fact that the Bee Gees are a group primarily remembered for only one thing. If this were a perfect world, people would realize what an jaw-droppingly amazing group they once were. To me, their first LP is an orchestral psychedelic pop masterpiece easily the equal of the Kinks' "Village Green" or Billy Nicholls' "Would You Believe", and also just about as close at Britain ever got to replicating "Pet Sounds". On this track, listen for the insane rubber-band bassline, the staccato organ fills, the odd timbre of the voices or the occassional flute bit. It's a song bursting with an enthusiam the likes of which people only had during the middle 60s.

My absolute favorite song from her, it deffinately didn't get the publicty it desurved.

The lady may have left the stage, but her spirit lives on in her recordings, and this is among her finest!! Sadly unreleased in the US for 28 years, this gloriously somber song was included in the 1995 anthology box set. Dusty sings with a sadness in her voice as she vocally paints a picture of a dreary day. While the overcast sky fails to crush her spirit, it does provide an opportunity for introspection and reflection. She is accompanied only by piano and orchestral strings which give this song a beautifully sad sound that make it perfect for playing on a rainy day.

Sad song a slow rythm

Keith Carradine composed 'I'm Easy' and performed it in Robert Altman's 'Nashville'. His rendition won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Song in a Motion Picture in 1975.

Tolan McNeil of Carolyn Mark and the Room-mates covers it to great effect on the album 'Nashville', a tribute to Robert Altman's film.

Also appearing on this tribute album are Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Carolyn Mark and Dallas Good (of Toronto's 'the Sadies').

This track is for the heart-broken and the lonely. It's mournful and the lyrics are sad - yet it's still a pleasure to listen to. Originally released in 1968, I was introduced to it through a Gilles Peterson compilation on Luv N Haight titled "Gilles Peterson Digs America 2".

this band broke up (I believe) but their singer/songstress Aimee Proal is busy writing tracks for those LESS TALENTED than her! (*it makes me sad because she has a beautiful voice) Anyway, she also did a song called "Save You" which was ruined by Kelly Clarkson the O.G. song is here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL75QGxPN-I&feature=related)

Though this song may be described as a tear-jerker, it is perfect in its genre. The lyrics are heartbreaking, and the setup of the song is simple and effective. Three sad verses, about what would happen 'if you would go away', are followed by what wonderful things would happen if you wouldn't, accompanied by a melody of heavenly beauty...

It's a somewhat sad sounding song, and just great to listen to. The sound of the instruments really got me into the song and band.

One of the most appealing of the songs by Woolly Wolstenholme, the band's keyboard player until he left in 1979, and who sadly committed suicide on 13 December 2010.

Woolly's songs, the best-known of which are examples of the often grandiose style which has since become known as "symphonic prog", always stood out from those of his band-mates for their harmonic interest and textural subtlety.

I love the song because the orchestra background is simply marvelous. The lyrics fit so well and knowing that this was a product of John Rzeznik's awakening from his writer's block, I'm a proud bearer of the name same as the title of this song.

A must-hear for those who are cynically in-love.

This track kicks off the first album by the Jane Relf - Jim McCarty - John Hawken group which arose from the ashes of Renaissance when the latter was taken over by the Camp / Dunford / Thatcher cabal after a couple of LPs (that's not a knock at Renaissance by the way!). "Isadora" is interesting because although it's almost seven minutes long and doesn't have a great deal of lyrical content, it does have a wonderfully frosty mood to it (all those minor chords will do that) and I love some of the piano riffs that fall in behind the lines of singing. And its frostiness makes a remarkable contrast to the sultry "Face Of Yesterday" (q.v.) from the same album!

Taken from her rare full length LP (many 45's and 78's are floating around out there) this wonderful track is perfect for Trudy's full, slightly husky voice. She is accompanied by the Billy May orchestra and he knows how to frame her voice with just the right arrangement! This fabulous composition by the great team of Comden and Green swings with all of the joy and enthusiasm you feel when you find your soulmate. Sadly, this album is out of print and somewhat rare. If you can get your hands on it, God has smiled on you and you should rush to the checkout counter without delay!

For Hideaki Sekiguchi, aka Bass Wolf, who sadly died of a heart attack on the 31st of March. He was only 38.
Guitar Wolf is one of those bands you either love or hate, i myself love them and their insane, primal rock n' roll antics. Sure hope they carry on, even though they are now missing a member.
This may well be the loudest song ever recorded. It's insanely great and makes me want to learn how to destroy a guitar.

The innocent punky charm of Teenage Kicks was a distant memory by the time this yearning gentle beatbox ballad was recorded ,a sad summer song to lost love and playground nostalgia with a beguiling maturity not often assciated with The Undertones .

A beautiful, melodic ode to sadness, from reclusive New Zealand guitar genius Roy Montgomery. (His first band, The Pin Group, released the first ever single on the now-legendary Flying Nun Records.) Lyrically and melodicly, this song would fit neatly into the canon of either Joy Division or The Smiths, although Monthgomery's beautiful guitar playing owes more to Tom Verlaine than Johnny Marr. Probably the best sad song ever written by a New Zealander .... maybe anyone.

Summertime, I'm the silence as the wind blows.

Simply beautiful music. Fontaine and Higelin take turns singing verses, accompanied by a jazz band that delivers spare, but beautifully affecting melodic touches. The chemistry of the two voices is great, and everytime I hear this song, I can't wait to hear the next reply in the flow of their odd, sad conversation about influenza, love, and death. "Ma grippe vous va tr�s bien... La mort vous ira tr�s bien." (My flu suits you very well... death will suit you very well.)

Another of my favorite Morricone tracks. It's a long one at over 8 minutes. As is often the case (with Morricone especially), it's so hard for me to describe the mood of this song -- warm, sexy, yet heartbreakingly sad.

A beathiful and sad ethnic ballad from Serbia. 2nd place on the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.

This great song made its first appearance in the hit game "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne" (released October 2003) and instantly became a hit - people were asking for this song everywhere they could, they were sending emails, trying to buy it. It has an indescribable atmosphere. The song was released in June 2004 as a single and then on the first Poets of the Fall's debut album that hit the road 19th January 2005.

perfect hangover listening. just as the piercing headache eases off and the sadness and self-loathing set in, " I'm gonna leave out Babylon, gonna make the change"...

Beautiful composition and production with a darkly uplifting, somber mood and feel. Definitely will make you stop and focus on it as you are filled with melancholy feelings, though once the song ends, you feel better than when it began. Hard to find album, but you can listen to the song on myspace.com/acautionarytale.

The vocalization of a persistent daydream delivered with a truly ethereal sound. I find this song hauntingly beautiful. I was also lucky enough to come across a promotional-only CD single that features two great house mixes by Jonathan Peters although sadly, they are both edits that clock in around 4 minutes each.

Beautiful sad country from the late great Townes. You can hear his depression filtering through his golden voice.

weary and so, so sad.

A sad situation but a fine, positive song. Joe Strummer recorded this as a demo for Johnny Cash, I guess with a view to it being recorded for one of the 'American' records.

Within a couple of years both had passed on.

The song is classic Strummer though - upbeat, with vivid words (as usually laying it on with a trowel), the chorus being 'You cast a long shadow' - I hear it as a tribute to Johnny Cash. It finishes off with the words 'there's always rock and ROLL!', which is kind of fitting.

I've only got this on a freebie with Uncut magazine - I dunno if its commercially available or not.

This is such a great recording! Ms. Ross starts out as if she is going to whimper her way thru this sad little tale of a prostitute's life, then wham-bam (pardon the expression) she takes on the persona of Natalie Wood in 'Gypsy' and swings the song as if she is playfully strutting across the stage and smacking you gingerly with her long silky glove. She soon has you believing that she is going to drag you by the scruff of the neck back to her abode to give you a Russ Meyer-ish smackdown! Johnny Spence's orchestra provides her with just the right weaponry to bring you to your submissive knees all at no additional charge.

The pinnacle of soft pop! And I can't imagine it not being followed up by "kinda wasted without you"! Twin peaks! Vinyl buffs are at a disadvantage there, you have to get up quickly for the side change to experience the epiphany, and deal with the "pops-and-crackles" chiaschuro instead of "sterile" atomic clock mastering. Also included, my favorite version of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Cocoanut Grove", even better than the one by David Lee Roth! Well, I probably lost a few of you on that one. Roger Nichols went on to later fame and fortune as Paul Williams' songwriting partner on several smash singles, mostly by the wrongly-maligned Carpenters. After that, engineering on all of the Steely Dan albums. Not too many superstar engineers, but on those albums, it was notable. Fagen'n'Becker dubbed him Roger "the Immortal" Nichols on some liner notes. Now he has a byline in some stereo mag, or so I am told.

spacy female vocal-based sadpop, perfect for cold weather and sunday afternoons. these guys pioneered this kind of music, if you're familiar with white noise,
os mutantes or even broadcast this album is your jackpot.
it's one of the more calm and mellow tracks on the albums, and one of my favourites.
absolutely gorgeus chorus, totally wide, deep string based arrangement.

..And dig the gentle, almost non-audible rhythm track.

Good spoken word just DOES it for me.

This song explains why Slim loves to drink. "I love the great ascension of an evening spent drinking. Every other drug you go up and down like an arc, but with booze you just get drunker and drunker..." When people say he's a drunk, he says "why should I worry about something that makes me feel better?", which is one of the most touching lines I've ever heard.

The instrumental behind him is "People Are Strange". I'd like to think Slim picked it because it was in The Lost Boys.

This song is the perfect song for anybody who is angry with love, or coming off a bad relationship. Connor Oberst is a great lyricist and this song captures that feeling of just wanting somebody, anybody so bad, and not caring who it is.

it's not the most beautifully written song -or the most appropriate, for that matter- but i love it for the way it was performed, the way Brendon's sometimes high-pitched vocals harmonize so well with the instruments, and its memorability. this song stuck with me for a very long time, however i am also very attached to it on account of more personal reasons.
the intellectual aspects are also what struck me as being meaningful- how often do you hear the word 'harlequin' or 'testosterone' in a song? i enjoy listening to tunes with at least some signs of intellect, rather than hearing a string of curses or slang in an entire three minutes. although there are some profanities in Lying, it's not as bad as many other songs out there, that's for sure.

however, there is a sad aspect to the song as well. apparently, it was inspired by guitarist Ryan Ross' recent breakup with his girlfriend on account of her cheating. he stated:
"At the time it felt like the world had ended. I hated everything. It affected that whole album. I guess it's good that I wrote it down. I might have stabbed somebody."

overall, i think it's a great composition, with an enjoyable melody and a catchy chorus, despite its melancholy roots.

"Mad World" was written and originally performed by the popular 80's band Tears for Fears. A more mellow, piano-based cover of the song was featured in the cult movie "Donnie Darko" (Jake Gylenhaal, Patrick Swayze) as performed by folk artist Gary Jules. His version of "Mad World" reached the coveted Christmas #1 spot in the UK in 2003, despite that it was 3 years old and performed by an unknown artist.
This song is quite possibly my favorite song of all time, at least in my Top Ten, because I feel that it describes life very accurately. The chorus of the song is:
"I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had."
To me, this song is saying "Hang in there...I know life sucks on this earth, but you will go to a far better place after your death."
Depressing? No. This song helps me to carry on.

Such a very sad song, with simply wonderful melody and harmony. This arrangement, originally issued on an album of the same name, makes the very most of its poignancy and drama. Bacharach himself sings beautifully,while carrying all the intelligence and emotion of his song. I don't think I've conveyed what it is that's so superb about this record, so will return to this review at a later date.

Masterpiece! This record, a legend amongst those who know it, with its fine writing, arranging and singing clearly deserves its place in the Pantheon of great pop. It may have failed commercially in its time but the beauty of their pop puts it amongst the best of our times and explains why 37 years after its creation it remains exquisitely artful to our ears. I could write 100,000 words scratching at what I love about this group and their first 4 records, and this song alone.But, the Free Design deserve, rather than my dull hyperbole, a good listen. Rousing and sublime, almost TOO GOOD to have been a big hit. If you read a bit about them you realize that these singing siblings made some naive career choices that favored music over money. Our gain.
Some bonehead on this site claimed The Free Design sound like Stereolab. That writer got it butt backwards. Sadly, Stereolab doesn't have the skill to really reach the musical and spiritual depth of the Free Design. Stereolab's OK, don't get me wrong, but they are often a pale imitation of a much richer source. Letitia from Stereolab cites The Free Design as one of her all-time favorite bands, so at least they have sublime taste and honesty when it comes to revealing their sources.

Guaranteed to lift you up way high.
Buy or download NOW!!!

Fave part: "Wish that I were corny....:

A typically folky,eclectic mix of styles that sounds as great today as it did 25 years ago! I'm on a personal crusade to expose more people to the Roches wonderful music. They're three of the most talented people that most people have never heard of.

Maybe it's just me getting older, but I lap this kinda stuff up these days. I can't get enough of ol' style R&B, jump blues or a song like this: swingin', heartbreaking and outstandingly sung by a woman who is undeservedly just a footnote in musical history.

Ernestine (who sometimes recorded under the name Annisteen) works her smooth chords to a blues vocal with light jazzy backing. Almost Peggy Lee like in places, but with the benefit of King Curtis' sax and an amazing rhythm section that Ernestine obviously connects with.

The lyrics are beautiful, too: "You cry so hard, you cry like you never cried before; you moan and you groan so sad, you give the blues to your neighbour next door."

An incredible emaotional hard rocking song that is totally relatable.

anyone who loves emotional songwriting with inspired lyrics will be blown away by this song, one of the best i've ever heard.

The Critters really came up with a gem in this 1966 top 40 hit, which seems to have a sort of Brazilian influence. I had the lyrics to this for years in a magazine before I heard the actual song. The greatest hits CD I cited is out of print, but this song may be found on various compilations as well.

Another hit the Critters had was their version of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Younger Girl", which was also
done by the Hondells...I like the Critter's version better.

It's sort of your typical folk,barbershop quartet,with a couple of jazz and rock touches. The lyrics are funny and sad and just about anyone can relate to them. The Roches voices are gorgeous and the melody will stick with you for decades(believe me !).

A fabulous acid-pop masterpiece featuring one of the most intriguing intros in pop history. Everything I love about psychedelic pop made in the US in the late 6t's comes together in Mrs. Bluebird: the softly mythical, escapist feeling that the harmony and orchestration bring into this music. I frequently use it as a getaway. I think indulging in this music is not sad but it shows you've got the means to make you happy. This song is a Curt Boettcher (The Millennium, Sagittarius) production that cannot have been made while under the influence of drugs!!

Wow. This is just...wow. I've just gotta say that I have an absolutely unnatural attraction to this group. Imagine if you will, a chorus of super-square middle-aged white folks, swinging it's way through the rockin' hits of the day, only performing them all with absolutely perfect diction & grammar. The mastermind behind this way one Mr. Ray Bloch, who, according to the back cover to every one of the LPs that I own, was the musical director for the Ed Sullivan Show. All I know is that anything the man touched was gold! Check out his versions of "Penny Lane" and "Light My Fire" on the "Hits of '67" LP, or his absolutely quizzical take on the ENTIRE soundtrack from "Hair".

Instruments are piano and strings (I think). The music is hypnotic; it overwhelms me with a profound sadness yet simultaneously instills a sense of complete joy and satisfaction. The track is entirely too short, which justifies the execution of Moby for such an act of cruelty.

And now we're grown up orphans,
That never knew their names,
We don't belong to no one,
That's a shame

Said to be about the singer's past. His parents died when he was young.

This is probably my favourite Goo Goo Dolls song, and one of my fave songs ever. I loved it up the instant I heard it. The song has quite a simple musical structure to it - just a steady bass line, drum and a recurring guitar melody, but I love the melody and how it sounds really sad. I don't know what the lyrics are about, but most of the meaning you'll get and it's somewhat relaxing to listen to. If you're reading this, please please please check out this song because it's really sweet and deserves to be heard! =)

Very possibly the 'Lab's most beautiful song. Sounds vaguely barouque beneath all those layers of floating voices & technological acumen. The whole thing races by at a dirge's pace, constantly hinting that it's about to be set loose into a frenzy, but always kept reined in. Appeared as a b-side on the "Wow & Flutter" single.

God-bothereing at its finest. Judy Mackenzie was a late 60s folkie with a Christian perspective who was ushered into the studio in 1969 courtesy of tiny label Key. The album isn't that great, but this uplifting brass-heavy pop tune and the the iredeemably sad strum-along Sally Brown are simply divine. Both can be found on the excellent Resurrcetion CD.

It's a really simple song, musically. just some synth a guitar and two voices. both tinged with sweetness and a bit of innocence and sadness. the best line is probably "i can picture your heart falling to the ground from 13 stories up, i'll drop a penny from where i stand and see which one hits first".

Time to get our your hankies. There aren't too many singers who can make you believe every word they sing but Iris is one of those few. And when she's sings a song this sad, you'll be wiping away the tears long before the 6:49 passes by.

This songs stands in for "Sister Cry", "Settled Down Like Rain", "Clouds". "Two Angels", "Blue", and all the others from The Jayhawks' last two records with Mark Olsen, as well as on it's own. The harmonies are just the most raggedy and pure I've ever heard(sorry, King's X). I used to listen to this one over and over.

No diss on the Pixies, especially being a big fan myself, but there are times that I think Mr. Black Black has displayed a far more interesting range since breaking up the band. Teenager of the Year will always be up for consideration on my all-time top ten. I think that it's sadly and unfairly dismissed by too many people. But maybe I can assuage and tempt some of those doubters with this gem.

Inspired by real history and/or the movie "Chinatown," the subject matter is about bringing the Colorado river to the thirsty City of Angels, by hook or by crook, and all the fortune and fame to be had by the one to do it, thus the title. That's what makes the lyrics so fun.

But the real thrill is the "fukk yeah!" abandon of this melodically-twisting tune. It plain rocks...and is brain food to boot. I swear Eric Drew Feldman, of Pere Ubu fame, who produced and played on this album, takes Black's songs to magnificent heights. I've yet to hear a better album of his work.

This sample is an outro-guitar slide into homebase supplied by Lyle Workman. Standing as one of my all-time fave guitar parts, it is at once fret-adept, rhythmically punchy, and pure electrical flow exhiliration. Ol�!

I love the Clash. I love the way they were four disparate individuals each bringing their own stuff to the mix. Topper's excellent drumming, Simonon's cool, Mick Jones musicality and street smarts, and Joe Strummer's....umm...Strummer-ness.

I love the fact they didn't play Top of the Pops. I love the fact that Strummer admitted that this was mainly 'cos he was crap at miming rather than out of any significant political stance or anything.

I love how gooood they were live. And I love the fact that I was lucky enough to see them.

I love the fact that Strummer picked 'Crawfish' as his favourite Elvis song. I also love the fact that sometimes, to my mind, they got things badly wrong, sounded a bit gauche or wrongheaded or worse. I'm thinking of Red Brigade t-shirts, using Belfast as a photo opportunity, and maybe singing about ghettos and Brixton, for the 'romance' of it when they weren't necessarily the closest to either. I dunno. That side makes me feel uneasy at times, but that's fine - makes me think.

This song is great. Reggae influenced rock, Strummer belting out 'one more time in the ghetto...'.

Its been so sad losing Joe, Johnny (Cash) and John (Peel) over the last couple of years. Good men, you feel.

An attempt to bring a former soul legend up to date at least in 1968,a beautiful soulful ballad composed by Apple man Jackie Lomax and put out by brit psych label Deram .as it happened it sank without trace audible only to collectors of rare soul and sixties pop compilations which is a shame because this is a fine song tinged with a sense of audible regret and sadness that proliferated many a late sixties chart hit of inferior quality

Yeah, yeah, just about everyone has heard the classic first album by the Milwaukee trio... however, some of their truly best efforts are to be found on later releases. "Out the Window" is one of those femme-gems that many people are sadly unaware of. Gordon Gano is in top form in this ode to unfortunate clumsiness ("life was short and life was sweet", I was thinking as I hit the street, I could hardly believe, I could scarcely conceive, that I had gone out the window).
The femme-enized remake of 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me' on this album is also not to be missed!

Morrissey, ever the angry young vegan, sings a beautiful tribute to a music idol who has recently died and then proceeds to lash out at the big record companies that repackage and reissue the work of the artist all in the name of the almighty dollar. Sadly the very same thing would happen to the Smiths' catalogue just a few years later. Define 'irony'. Of course I sit here at this computer just 14 feet away from a record shelf that is stuffed with the reissues and repackages of the above named catalogue but I just couldn't resist those cute little 10-inch limited edition vinyl LPs that Warner UK put out in the early 1990s including the very album this song appears on...

'Passenger Seat' is slow, beautiful and envokes many emotions. It's definitely my favourite song by Death Cab For Cutie, it is the kind of track that you can listen to whether you're sad and need to cry, or hyper and need to calm down :)

Haunting melody inspired by the Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Lyrics are truly depressing for a so called "girls band" and this song so unique has been qualified as one of the saddest ever made in the sixties. The Shangri-Las is a fascinating and under-rated band that deserves to be re-discovered. Quick list of recommended songs : Remember (Walkin' in the Sand) -yes they did this too!-, I Can Never Go Home Anymore, Give Us Your Blessing, Leader of the Pack, etc...

After years of thinking (quite selfishly) how tragic it was that Jeff Buckley only gave us two beautiful albums plus a few bits and pieces, I started to think that even though his old man died young as well, he released 9 albums and that there was almost certainly an untapped resource just asking for the tapping. I've only got a couple so far (Goodbye and Hello, and Greetings from LA) but the similarities with Jeff are amazing. They both have this sort of (and I'm sure I'm not the first to use this term in reference to the Buckleys) 'sad beauty' about the melody and changes which just never fails to give me a lift. This song is a prime example of that.

Poppy Rocky Indie. This song is kind of funny but also kind of sad. Power-pop instrumentation with lots of harmonies. Great lyrics and melody, very cool arrangement.

a superb acoustic song with great lyrics. It's so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.

It's quiet and sad, there is a smoky ride cymbal and some shakers that repeat a syncopated rhythm throughout the song, with clean electric guitars, interesting synthesized sounds, and Thom Yorke's voice carrying the melody.

Sad, beautiful, tender song. If you like it, check out more Okkervil River.

"Red is my favorite color...red like your mother's eyes after a while of crying about how you don't love her..."

An amazing trippy piece of social commentary, from their genius concept LP. The opening track, and it goes all over the place with this completely mad arrangement by Chad Stuart, and produced by Gary Usher (of "Pet Sounds" fame). The track seems to pertain to mortality, and the sad truth of time and the forgotten... It sets the tone for the whole album, which seems inspired by atmosphere of the time, when singles were exchanged for huge concept pieces, more likely due to the success of "Sgt. Peppers" and the like, but taking a much more delightfully cynical view! A sometimes overlooked part of the britpop puzzle, Chad and Jeremy are full of surprises.

A melancholic slice of tranquility,little in the way of instrumentation save for an accordion,and some percussion and acoustic guitar,so sad and lonely it makes you feel better about yourself and the drone like melody will stay in your head long after your gone .

Driving and discordant, bittersweet, sad. This song is the most beautiful thing I've heard this week. In the mixtape of my head this comes right before Johnny Cash's "Don't bring your guns to town." A song you should listen to after you watch the evening news tonight... (released free as part of the protest records project: http://www.protest-records.com/ which is somehow associated with sonic youth.)

A great track from the excellent "solo" LP by the Portishead vocalist (actually it’s a collaboration with Paul Webb - one time member of sublime 1980's pop group Talk Talk - calling himself Rustin Man for some reason.) The arrangement suggests a low-key take on one of Bacharach/David's statelier ballads, (like say "Aprils Fools" or "Trains and Boats and Planes"), which develops a wonderfully sad groove on the chorus. There are lovely strings, a great, woozy horn solo, and some inspired use of subtle, dissonant electronic textures and spooky female background vocals (both very Ennio Morricone.) Meanwhile, Gibbons does her most stylized take on Billie Holiday at her most stylized - which really shouldn't work, but somehow ends up being just right. Strong song from a very strong album.

"I should have known it from the very start
This girl would leave me with a broken heart
Now listen people, what I'm telling you
keep away from Runaround Sue


I miss her lips and the smile on her face
touch of her hands and this girls warm embrace
so if you don't wanna cry like I do
keep away from Runaround Sue"


Half sad, half funky. A very groovy Doo Wop - track with a funny melody that makes it hard to believe that the guy is really blue...

Chill and cozy. Kind of epic. I love it

Al Cooper is a great overlooked songwriter.His album,Easy Does It,is a double length tour de force.He wrote more than half the tunes for this double LP,and played a myriad of instruments as well!This one is my favorite right now, mainly because it mixes well with my miserable winter. Instumentally, it has a sort of"Indo-blues"quality, with sitar(played by Mr. Cooper himself) and tablas against a lilting string ensemble.It's a song of lost love and it's dreaded illumination:"...As the sun it slowly rises, there is judgement in it's glare/And it seems too much to ask, to light a face that isn't there..." A real treat of a tune, and a must for any fans of american songwriter stuff with a touch of sad humor.Also check out his sprawling version of the Big Joe Williams tune "Baby Please Don't Go" and another original,"She Gets Me Where I Live".

Interpol are a great band... This track stands out for me because it's fairly uptempo. It's angry and sad and menacing all at once. That's kinda cool.

Due to the constant everyday trippings, one learns to walk looking down, watching the cracks, watching the steps, watching the pebbles. That's how I found this track. I took a dive recently and came back to the surface with this song.
One little tune, one refrence and one image, these three combined make a lonely humming of this indie tune almost orchestral, de description of the saddest episodes or maybe just the most difficult ones, the unexplainable feeling, translated into a postcard of the big ocean, the clouds, the sun, the isolation, the danger, the sharks down by the surface surrounding your tiny boat, a breeze, a guitar, however you dive, always assured that seasons come and go.

A very melancholia song. Tricky, with the help of a female singer (though I don't know who) set you adrift the feeling of sadness and depression. If you ever felt like you were nothing from a friend, this is your song.

Weird song. Great Song. Taylor Hollingsworth sings this one and its the perfect closure to the great album that is Outer South. It's sad and slow and yet it is able to make you smile and sing along.

This is my most favorite song in the world. I love it because it is a classic, latin, late 1970's, sultry, soft, dinner party or alone-with-someone-special type of track. The instrumentation is not totally typical of latin music (fast rhythm, very ornate), it is soft and easy. The vocals are absolutely velvety and very sensual. Although it is a "sad" song, it is one of those songs that makes you want think about that special certain someone.

Just about everyone has a favorite version of this song and Blossom Dearie's recording is mine. Sitting quietly at the piano with bass and percussion joining in Blossom maps out the man of her dreams and what she plans to do when she finds him. Another gem from the sadly out-of-print album 'My Gentleman Friend'.

And while she looks so sad in photographs,
I absolutely love her, when she smiles

Amazing lyrics.

I was recently scouring the web for information on Morrissey and The Smiths - as i sometimes do from time to time. There was a poll on morrissey-solo.com that had already been archived, so I couldn't add my 2 cents to the discussion. The poll was something like "what is the saddest Smiths/Morrissey song"? You could only pick from a select few. Much to my surprise "Suffer Little Children" was NOT on the list of songs to chose. The song is about the Moors Murders - which happened in the sixties, not too far from Manchester. Several children were murdered and buried out on the moors. The line that gets me is "You might sleep BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM!"

Johnny Marr once said that he wanted to write a song with an unforgettable guitar intro, like Eric Clapton's "Layla". He was, at the time, talking about the penning of the Smiths' "How Soon is Now?" The Chameleons' "Swamp Thing" does everything still that "How Soon is Now?" did for me when I was 16. Difference is, I haven't popped in a Smiths mixtape since I was 20.

There's somthing very romantic about this song. I've never really paid too much attention to the lyrics of this particular Chameleons track, although Mark Burgess' oddly peotic songwriting skills on other tracks have haunted my mind years after I had heard them. This tune is led and driven by the chord structure more than just the delayed, jangly guitar, or the powerfully precise drumming. Midway into the tune, the song goes from minor chord structure to major chord structure, even though the lyrics remain as bleak as a Manchester weather report.

Whenever I hear this song, one word always pops into my head, "pretty". That's what this song is. Pretty.

Super-dark-sexy...This song is an honest portrayal of the paradoxes involved with desire; happy/sad, pleasure/pain, love/hate...etc. I find it terribly gloomy yet wonderfully uplifting at the same time. Just beautiful.

This is an "excelente" version of Billy Joel's version of "Just The Way You Are". This album was recorded in 1977, beginning his era with BMG/ Ariola records. The executives, happy to have a performer like JOSE JOSE, provided him with the best musicians, numbers and producers of the time. Included in this album are 2 numbers by Mexico's greatest: Juan Gabriel ("Ya lo pasado, pasado" & "Ahora No !"). Among others credited are Napoleon ("Lo que no fue, no sera"), Adan Torres("Almohada"). Of the 10 numbers included, 7 were top ten hits in Mexico, Colombia and the U.S. Leaving disco to other performers that needed to launch their productions to the international market, Jose Jose's album is just pure old-fashioned latin love songs, songs still heared today.

'Bright Eyes' O'Connor Oberst is a gifted lyricist and probably the best for his age (19 at record release). With his literary references and unconventional recording, listening to Bright Eyes is quite an experience. In this instance we meet the protagonists of the novel, 'The Unberable Lightness of Being,' and find in their weightlessness the desire to escape. Slow acoustic struming by O'Conner steady his intense vocals and between the chimes and reverberating forte piano we experience a disjointing storm used to great effect. The song has us drifting at sea with a delicate melody until we are at last erased like a skeleton in chalk. Bright Eyes sings - 'Let's sail away disappearing in a mist. Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss. Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas, suspended in this bliss.' We feel his expressive words and sound pass through us, and late in the day we find it echoing softly in our heads. Quite an accomplishment for someone who couldn't drink yet, I look forward to following his career.

slide guitar David Byrne's sad voice goo goo gaa gaa gaa

long name for a very, very good song about someone wishing to better than what he really is

arguably one of my favorite faint songs. but they're all good. the faint is all about the eighties synth-pop aesthetic, but they reach out of that style enough to keep it interesting. a lot of their stuff, this song in particular, shows this keen sense of being able to combine the dark("macabre" even, if you will.) synth/drum machine sound and equally dark lyrics with catchy riffs in a way that keeps the pessimistic, shadowy side bubbling at the surface. kinda reminds me of joy division, not so much in the style (even though there are some points where the two sound similar) but in the general tone. 'the conductor' is all about the atmospheric key board drones and 'plunk' sounds, plus the vocoder thing they use on the vocals.

Soft-rock magic. This song is breathy, light, and perversely sad-sounding. Maybe wistful is the word. The album is in the finest Free Design-sounding tradition, including covers of Beatles, Bacharach, Paul Simon, "Sally Go Round The Roses," and such top-shelf originals as this. Truly splendid.

This is a powerful and deep song. I love it. It moves me. Every time I listen to it, it moves me.

Sarmila Roy the end song from the play not really indian a western take...

This song breaks my heart every time I hear it. Musically, it's like "Leader of the Pack", but at a snails pace. the thing is that the lyrics and Julee Cruise's delivery are so full of sadness and desire. The feeling grows as the song progresses, especially when the background wail kicks in. It illuminates dark places in the heart. This song is also included on the Twin Peaks sound track.

Ok, Ok, cut it out, we all know Bruce went ultra commercial and slightly "rock n roll artificial" there in the eighties but what the mainstream listener doesn't know, is that Springsteen has some very powerful songs tucked under his belt. Similar to the Beach Boys, Bruce is widely known on the weight of his biggest commercial succeses, ie. "Born in The USA", however he has written some incredibly moving songs, most of them acoustic on such albums as "Nebraska" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Here is Bruce in the vein of our great American folk singers like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash(who has covered a Springsteen Song)in one of the most tender and haunting songs, sung live, Harmonica by bruce as well, and it is called "The River" This concert was also televised, and the tear I noticed in his eyes as he performed this lovely and sad song further shows how much he brings and to what depth he is able to express.

Recorded early in Stephen Duffys long and mostly un recognised consistantly brilliant career ,this from the first Lilac time L.p ,itself,an eclectic jewel amidst late 80,s polished mediocrity .A mournful folky number played out on a harmonium,accordion and light percussion ,sadness never sounded so uplifting and hopeful.Everytime i hear Duffy now i cam imagine Robbie williams covering .

I love the meaning and melody of this song. It's not about love or death or anything, but about how the singer feels sorry because he doesn't spend enough time with his daughter. It always makes me feel sad listening to this because I can relate to it on a personal level. There are two versions of this song, a guitar/drum version (which I prefer), but the acoustic version is just as good and the same piano theme occurs in both.

A song about mass Irish emmigration to the United States which happend during the The Irish Famine of 1846-50 (the population droped from 8 million to 5)and also refers to the second wave that left during the 1970s/80's due to unemployment.

A sad and bitter song with strong Irish pipe/fiddle playing.

The song is somewhat reminiscent of their earlier output, featuring grand piano and more strings than their past few singles. Beautiful song by a brilliant band.

"I've got a ticket to the moon, but i'd rather see the sunshine in your eyes"

A song that Taylor Swift wrote as a freshman in high school about her senior boyfriend. She knew that when he left for college, they would have to break up, so the song talks about all the memories she wants him to keep.

This brilliant song was a number 1 hit in the United States in 1958. It was sold over 1 million times between the release date in oktober and Christmas. It was written by Phil Spector, who was the songwriter, guitarist and composer of The Teddy Bears. (The band`s name is based on the number 1 hit "Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley)The inspiration for the songtext was the inscription of the grave of Phil Spector`s father, who commited suicide.

The arrangement of "To know him is to love him" is very light an pure, so that the sad and loving words come to the fore. The angle-like vocals sung by Annette Kleinbard create a heavenly ambience. To me "To know him is to love him" is one of the most affectionate and beautiful songs I`ve ever heard. Although the song is performed by many bands and singers(for example "The Chordettes") the version of The Teddy Bears is according to my taste the best of them all.

Guess u can call this a love-song , it manages to be pretty sad and still come through as pretty light-hearted. It doesnt take many hearings before its a classic in your ears. The instrumentalisation (is that even a word lol) is pretty simple ,and yet so very effective.

Nancy Sinatra joined the Attack Records family with the 2004 self-titled release, "Nancy Sinatra". She contacted artists that she and her daughters admire such as Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker, and Thurston Moore among others and found that these artists were also fans of hers and were eager to collaborate with her on the new album.

This song is U2's contribution to the album. Bono and The Edge wrote the song and Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen provided bass and drums on the recording.

The song is a beautiful slow jazzy ballad in which the lyrics compare the good things in life as shots of "happy" and the harsh moments as shots of "sad".

I didn't notice this great song the first time I heard it, but now that I have, I can't get out of my mind. This is one of Lee's sadder songs, but don't let that turn you away. The piano on here (played by Don Randi) reminds me SO MUCH of a specific Nick Cave song, but I haven't been able to place it. Didn't Lee and Nick perform together recently?

Disco thumper ala Pet Shop Boys.
This is actually a remix of the song and as far as I know only came out on this CD. Recorded as part of the massive Motorcity project, Mary was unwell at the time of recording and sadly died a few years later. It was the last thing she ever recorded.

Tom Waits is so cool. All of his songs do a really good job of making you feel like you remember a time and place you've never seen... his world is one of boxcars, whiskey, and five o'clock shadow. This song is much less bizarre than some of his others; it's more mournful. But it's just... nice to hear. He is a sad old man.

romantic mood with a sad edge
including one of the best guitar solos ever, by robert fripp

Two Gallants are a Saddle Creek Records band, and unfortunately they don't get half the attention they should. They are very impressive and soulful. Great lyrics and the instrumental is brilliant as well.

This is a seven minute song that can blow your mind.

San Diego's Ryland Bouchard could be one of the most gifted musical persons to have ever lived. Bouchard's creativity is astonishing. With only three albums, Bouchard (The Robot Ate Me) has created a universe that tells stories of various images.
His first release, They Ate Themselves, was released in 2002. It is a story strange sounds ranging from different musicians. Ranging from Radiohead to Neutral Milk Hotel and maybe even The Microphones. Among the 17 tracks there is great variety and creativity; this makes it hard for one to pick a favorite track. After owning the album for a while now I think I've come to a conclusion. Entitled "We Ate Eachother," this song displays peaceful picking while Bouchard sings quietly and very saddened. It describes the basic concept of the whole album. The lyrics are also both descriptive and secretive.

Anyone who likes Radiohead, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Microphones and anything on K Records, I strongly suggest listening to The Robot Ate Me.

An American tale with references to Brando, Dean and Natalie Wood, and characters like "Johnny the King". A series of melancholy snapshots of hope set to a jazz inflected soundtrack. Top-notch, both musically and lyrically.

With the companion piece (in my eyes, anyway) "Living It Up" (introducing us to "Eddie", "C***-finger Louie" & "Zero") which directly follows it on the album, it represents the pinnacle of Rickie Lee Jones career.

The rest of the "Pirates" album has its moments, such as the title track, as well as some less successful songs, and is well worth a listen if you get a chance.

I�ve listened to quite a lot of other stuff by Rickie Lee Jones and sadly it seems she has never come close to reaching the heights achieved by these two fine tracks, IMO.

The best political song ever written, "We're Still Free" concerns the famous tragedy of a Korean passenger jet shot down by fighter planes when it strayed into Soviet airspace. Yet in recounting this act of barbarism on the part of the Soviets, it also implicates the righteousness of the American side of the Cold War ("We're still free here in America"). The song sets up a chilling contrast in the singing of the two performers, with Frith crying out almost desperately against believing what the media tell us, while Tom Cora gently croons the part of the Soviet air controllers as they decide to destroy the plane. Skeleton Crew was a two-man band with both performers playing drums with their feet along with electronics and strings. Here they set a contrast between the grand, arcing lines of the cello and a homey picking of the violin that's almost shockingly sweet and funny. Critical of anti-democratic trends in the West, Skeleton Crew was criticized by fans in Eastern Europe for taking freedom for granted.

sad

This song is a very sad revelation of what it means to truly love someone. Gibbard is telling a story of what it's like to be awaiting bad news in a hospital. The piano reflects the sad realization that at some point, the person you love will die, and if you're really going to be there for them, you have to watch them. The best lyric is "but I'm thinking of what Sarah said: 'love is watching someone die.'" It's a very well written, thought-provoking song.

The former Leslie Phillips once recorded songs sold in Christian supply stores, disguising (presumably) the moist, carnal, and otherwise unholy drives behind The Indescribable Wow, her first release on the in-retrospect-mildly-ironic Virgin label. At a time when those of us with unslaked appetites for well-crafted Beatlesque pop were having to suck it up and try to get into rap or grunge, The Indescribable Wow appeared like a shimmering beacon of joy. This track's music is as perky and sunny as the beginning of a summertime fling, while Phillips's yearning voice and cutting lyrics have the sad truthfulness of the ending of a summertime fling.

I know this is incredibly cliched, but words cannot describe how beautiful this song is. So sad and sweet. Especially the lyrics. It's love the way the guy doesn't lay any blame, even though he's heartbroken.

This song didn't really stick out to me at first, but I read the lyrics and listened to it a bit more. Now, I totally love it!

If you've listened to this song but don't particularly like it, you should definitely give it another shot!

A lush orchestrated pop song that carries the sadness of autumn and the hope of spring in its stunning almost visual arrangement ,piano ,acoustic guitar and strings weave in and around a deceptively simple song whose chorus will stay with you long after music ends.Very close to perfect pop ,if such a thing exists,thoughtful ,intelligent ,sensitive and humourous .

A selldom heard song from Peggy Lee's most famous album, but probably one of the best. It is a sad song although she sings "whistle for happiness and it will come..." sad, emotional and great

This exceptionally haunting and lyrical song by Quincy Jones has received its definitive interpretion by Astrud Gilberto with arrangement and accompaniment by the Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley. The melancholy urgency of the piece resonates well with the dark/sad tonality that pervades so much of Bossa Nova music, though its character is also reminiscent of certain otherwise very different pieces from the bebop era, which had a formative influence on Quincy Jones' music. There is definitely the remote influence of Charlie Parker and especially Dizzy Gillespie. It's truly a completely unique piece. The drifting melody which seems to skirt over the chord changes has a beautiful inevitability. Only a very gifted and skilled musician could have contrived such a beautiful work. So Quincy Jones deserves especial credit for crafting this song from the film "The Deadly Affair."

Astrud's delivery, so typically limpid and restrained, only serves to heighten the intensity of this darkly passionate song. The subtle but somehow fierce organ playing of Walter Wanderley acheives a sizzling romanticism that perfectly complements the reading of Astrud's apparently detached fatalism.

In my opinion, this track is a true musical masterpiece. Its remarkable economy of means is a testament to the skill of the composer as well as the artistry of the performers. In fact, it's a nearly perfect combination of expressive means and poetic intent. The beautiful resolution, with Astrud's perfect striking of the high B-flat over the half-diminished F-minor seventh, is a moment of sublime dramatic intensity, though profoundly understated, as is typical of her finest artistic moments. One is reminded of Miles Davis. Her poetic skill is rooted in subtlety.

I have listened to this extraordinary track hundreds of times, and always experienced chills rising up on the back of my neck. How amazing that this incredible musical gem was omitted from the original album A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. Perhaps it was too intense, too heavy; whatever the case, it's a truly remarkable piece of music.

I'm truly grateful to have discovered this great albeit minor musical masterpiece. There's really nothing else quite like it! The sizzling but subtle sensitivity of the rhythm section (Claudio Slon on drums, possibly Joao Gilberto on guitar and Jose Marino on bass) adds an intensity to the piece which helps project the almost existential tone of the song.

I'm really swept away by this obscure and neglected work, which attains -- for me at least -- to a peak of poetic intensity really rare in music. As is usual with Astrud at her best, it accomplishes its artistic ends with what seems like the most minimal of means. But subtlety is always the avenue to the most profound of artistic experiences. I think this is a remarkable example -- one of the greatest -- of the wedding of popular music and high art. It is a truly perfect performance. In my opinion, its greatness increases rather than diminshes with repeated listenings. There is only one word for that -- it's magic!

Another fast and furious assault with incendiary guitars! There's really not much more to say than that. They have a number of other great songs, like "The Well-Fed Point of View" (also on this LP, their third and best) the single "This Nelson Rockefeller" (which is on the compilation "That's All Very Well But"), and a handful on their first LP "I Am A Wallet". Their second LP had the best title, "The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth", but the weakest material.

The "MP" in the title means Member of Parliament, from which you can guess that McCarthy wrote mostly political songs. They were together from about 1985 to 1990, at which time they split up (Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier went on to form Stereolab, of which I have a couple of CDs that so far do little for me).

Under the right conditions this song almost makes me cry.

This song is just one of the great songs from the Fontana album "Thats just the way I want to be". The song is written by Charles Aznavoir and this is the definitive version of it. Blossom is singing i front of a huge orchestra and her voice is clearer than ever as she sings this sad song to the happy bossa nova arrangements. Very nice!
See my website for more info: http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/blossomdearie/blossomdeariediscography.html

A beautiful performance featuring Willie's voice and guitar alone.