Sad Songs Say So Much!

[Jenica Sabiny]

Or something!

There's a thread like this on Something Awful, and I always get 3-4 new songs for my own collection out of it, so I thought I'd ask of my fellow players: what sad songs do you have/listen to?

I'm curious to hear new songs and see if maybe I can add something to my repertoire, but I'm mostly curious about what affects other people around here. What thoughts/things make you sad, and what songs bring this sadness out of you?

I'm positive of two things:

1. No song will have the same affect on everyone. Just accept that your favorites may not cause the same emotional reflex in others. If SA goons, notorious for being assholes, can respect this, you sure as heck can!

2. I will not know most of your songs. I have a relatively large collection, but I rarely buy albums or hunt down new music. I just let it come to me - such as in threads like this!

Now that's taken care of, I'll start, and maybe include a reason why it makes me sad because I have oodles of time here:

Am I Alone (Mixdown) - Bob Swanson

This is actually by a guy who used to play ages ago on the older board, Terre Haute. To me, it's so full of raw emotion. The lyrics are pretty simple, but the emotion it's conveying is pretty common. He's asking his ex whether he's alone in his grief at their parting. Pretty intense, since it's based on an actual break-up, and to me, you can hear that in his voice.

I heart you Bob!

Black - Pearl Jam

This band is very hit or miss. Either you'll love them or you'll hate them. I happen to love them, and it may show in this list - several of their songs affect me emotionally. It helps that Eddie Vedder is a beautiful man with a manly voice and occasionally a manly beard. His politics can be retarded but his face can be delicious. Mmmm.

Plus my big brother loves them and introduced me to them with much enthusiasm. It doesn't get much better or emotional than a memory like that

Anyway, the final lyric is why this song makes me frown:

"I know someday you'll have a beautiful life,
I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky, but why
Why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine"

Cold Play - Don't Panic

Yes I know, this is another hit or miss band. I happen to find most of their (released) stuff beautiful and poignant. This particular song is a pretty awesome depiction of someone trying to convince himself that the world is a good, beautiful place where everyone has someone to lean on. And, in my opinion, failing. The way he repeats the phrase, like a personal mantra, is what convinces me that he doesn't believe it, but will say it over and over in the hopes that maybe it will become true in his mind.

Jack Johnson - Flake

The character is giving up on a relationship, and coming to terms with this fact. It makes me sad...until he gets to the "breakdown," and then I don't like it anymore. Bad choice Jack! Ah well, the beginning still makes me frown.

"I'm so tired of trying"

Radiohead - How To Disappear Completely

The title is pretty self-evident. Having once been a person who tried nearly everything she could to do just that, this song reminds me of worse days.

Jude - I Know

Sometime I would like to hear someone sing this to me, and mean it. Seriously. I'm a generally cheerful person by nature; I have tons of people tell me they wish they could be like me, in terms of attitude. This song wrecks my shit, so to speak. I always joke with people that it's all about acting like you mean it; if only they knew how true that is!

Pearl Jam - Nothingman

I have two older brothers and a father who I love dearly, so songs about men who have ruined themselves or are generally lost as a person do affect me greatly, because I can't stand the thought of a good man gone to waste.

"Coulda been somethin'...Nothingman..."

In the same vein is the next song:

Hum - The Very Old man

Hum, though, has a habit of making lyrics that only make sense within their music...and then even if you listen to their music, the words just make you go what? I still love'em, though. Another brother-introduced song.

A great song by them is Counting Stars - I recommend that to anyone who's interested in this band as a first listen, because it's got the best opening line ever: "She thinks she missed the train to Mars; she's out back counting stars." It's also a song that's totally out of their normal scope. About 97% of their songs are about a doomed or failing relationship; this song is about a guy who purposefully set out to break his woman, and is rejoicing that he's succeeded. And since I'm a horrible person I find this hilarious.

Ehem.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

What I consider a great account of a jaded person, maybe talking to their jaded lover and wanting to live a jaded life together. Two jaded people make a black hole of despair, people. A BLACK HOLE OF DESPAIR. I can't imagine they'd be much fun at a dinner party.

One final song before I start doing something else non-productive:

Cat Power - Good Woman

Simple lyrics and a simple melody with a simple composition. I can honestly say this song wrecks my shit. I'm certain it won't do the same to other people, but I can easily place myself in the character's head because I've felt just like this before. She is making the plainly hard decision to leave the man she loves with all of her being because they bring out the worst in each other - and although she says she wants to be a good woman, she emphasizes that she wants him to be a good man.

"This is why I am lying when I say
That I don’t love you no more"

Jesus Christ.

That's my list for now. Got any contributions?

[Kamar Deythal]

The only one I can think of hand is another Pearl Jam song...

Pearl Jam - Betterman

Basically about a woman who's stuck with the man she's with cause she can't find someone better. I like it cause it's true of a couple of my relationships, and it makes me sad because no one should feel like they need to be stuck in a relationship cause there's nothing better for them.

"Waitin, watchin the clock, its four oclock, its got to stop
Tell him, take no more, she practices her speech
As he opens the door, she rolls over...
Pretends to sleep as he looks her over
She lies and says shes in love with him, cant find a better man...
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, cant find a better man..."

Now I should stop wasting time at work... since I got called in to work the night shift ... and should get to my job. Although I'm only going to do a half-arsed job anyways.

[Julen]

"From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" by The Cure. I think this song is so powerful because it actually touches on moments of happiness as well as sadness. It's about a man and woman. The woman loves the man, but although the man cares about the woman and experiences joy when he's around her, he ultimately understands that they have no future together. But he keeps getting pulled back into the relationship by her desire and the pleasure he feels around her. I was the "her" in a relationship like this. ("I wish I could just stop/I know another moment will break my heart.")

"I Am A Rock" by Simon And Garfunkel. A song about a person trying to justify why they're better off without anyone they care about in their life. Sadly, this was me for awhile. ("Don't talk of love/Well, I've heard the word before/It's sleeping in my memory/I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died/If I never loved I never would have cried.")

"No Surprises" by Radiohead. No one does understated despair like Radiohead. This song is about someone who's life is pretty horrible ("A heart that's full up like a landfill/a job that slowly kills you/bruises that won't heal"), but they're so beaten down by life that all they can do is cling to what they know and hope that their horrible little world won't be disturbed ("No alarms and no surprises please"). I totally identify with this because I fear change and will often stay in bad situations to avoid it.

"The Lady of Shalott" by Loreena McKennitt. Fairy maiden sees handsome knight, falls hopelessly in love, can't ever have him, dies. I know, liking this sort of thing makes me such a girl.

"The Neon Sisters" by Thomas Dolby. This is a song about two friends who get pulled apart as one achieves their dream, while the other one descends into drug adiction and eventual death. When I was a kid, my best friend was a wonderfully creative girl. But as we grew older, she began to struggle with the madness that ran in her family, causing her to do some pretty messed up stuff. And because I didn't really understand what was happening, we drifted apart. She eventually committed suicide by shooting herself. So this song really speaks to me. ("I should have been there with you/The night you died/I think a part of me died with you/But in my heart/Where could I find it to forgive you?")

I could go on, but I better stop there, or I'll be at this all night...

[Gia Rilan]

Lullaby For a G.I.--Stars of Track and Field I don't really know what it is about this song. It sounds like a lullaby until you actually listen to the lyrics, and the singer is telling the G.I. (or listener) not to close their eyes or they'll fall asleep, or fall to pieces. It also talks about war, and how that could effect someone's entire life. But it always sounds like a song that someone would go to sleep by, even though it's saying not to fall asleep.

Better Run--Army of Me This one is about a guy letting his love go to do whatever she wants, and he only thing that he's asking from her is that she lives without reserve, and that she gets what she needs because she deserves it. I think it's a sweet, melancholy song, and I love it.

Invincible--Muse If you listen to this song it actually talks about rising up through a struggle, and I would not normally think it would be sad, but I saw Muse live and the video they showed was about riots, and realizing what a government (or other organization) was oppressing.
"Stand up for what you believe,
"And tonight we can truly say,
"Together we're invincible.
"During the struggle they will pull us down,
"But please, please let's use this chance to turn things around.
"And tonight we can truly say,
"Together we're invincible."

It's sad and truthful and empowering all at the same time, and it really affects me every time I hear it now, since the concert.

[Drake]

Ok, I'm just going to go through my library and pick some of my favorites.

Down In A Hole-Alice In Chains. A song about the vocalist, Layne Staley's, heroine addiction, but it's written in such a way that you can interpret it in your own way. My own meaning for the lyrics and the pain in Layne's voice just pulls me into the song. Here some lyrics;

Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved
See my heart I've decorated like a grave
You don't understand who they thought I was supposed to be
Look at me now a man who won't let himself be
Down in a hole, feelin' so small
Down in a hole, loosin' my soul
I'd like to fly, but my wings have been so denied

The Speed Of Pain-Marilyn Manson. A song about betrayal, need I say more. My favorite lines from the whole song: I wish I could sleep, but I can't lay on my back, cause there's a knife for every day that I've known you -and- Just remember, when you think you're free, that crack inside your fucking heart is me.

Rain-Breaking Benjamin. A beautiful song. Not really sure if you'd consider it a sad song, but it's one of the ones I listen to when I'm really depressed.

Black Sunday-Cold. Another really pretty song. I'm absolutely sure that this one's a sad song though, because it's about someone you love dying and wishing you could have them back for one day.

With Or Without You-Dope. Not one of the bands you normally jump to when you think of sad songs, but this is one. The lyrics are, for the most part, a little schitzo, but it's good. It's about being confused and depressed because you've been through to much with someone to leave, but they cause you too much pain to stay.

All Around Me-Flyleaf. I doubt that's what it's about, seeing as they're a Christian band and a lot of the words would point to a praise song, but I interpret it a little differently. I take it as being about imagining your with someone that has died and then realizing that it's not real.

My Curse-Killswitche Engage. It's about someone leaving and loving them so much that you'd take them back at the drop of a dime. Has it's heavy moments, but it's the words of a song that makes it beautiful.

The Arms Of Sarrow-Killswitch Engage. Yes, another one by Killswitch, but they rule, so I don't care. This one's about being depressed and having to put on a happy face, and that action leading to further depression.

Change (In The House Of Flies)-Deftones. It's about finding out that someone is something completely different than you've let yourself believe. I don't know, I suck at describing my ideas of a songs meaning. Just listen to it.

[/b]

[Xyon_of_Calhoun]

There would be absolutely no surprises if I had the time to list mine.

Bon Jovi all round.

Rock on.

[Asiona & Lateus]

It's not one song, but the album The Wall by Pink Floyd is classic. A lot of the songs are very sad and tragic, and I think we can all relate because we have our own "walls".

And have you guys ever heard of the "Hungarian Suicide Song"? It was banned in some countries because people kept committing suicide to it, supposedly. It has been translated into English (with a third verse added on by many to make the subject a little "lighter") and is called "Gloomy Sunday." It's very sad; it's about committing suicide because you can't stand to live without your loved one. (I like Carmen McRae's version).

Since I don't have much time, I'm not going to list others. (^_^; ) But I really do love sad songs.

[Jenica Sabiny]

Which songs specifically, Xyon? There's no need to post if you're not gonna list anything in a list thread!!!

[Xyon_of_Calhoun]

There are actually far, far too many to list, but the one I keep hearing at the moment is It's lonely at the top. Try it, go out and buy 100,000,000 Bon Jovi fans can't be wrong. I still don't really have time or effort to list though. So nyer.

[Jenica Sabiny]

Then why did you post at all?

Remember the PM I sent you, hun.

[Xyon_of_Calhoun]

There was a PM?

OK. In no particular order we have:

Nobody's Hero by Bon Jovi. This song was included almost as an afterthought on the 100,000,000 Bon Jovi fans can't be wrong album, at the very end of CD4.

The music seems a little dainty at first, especially compared to other Bon Jovi songs, but the lyrics have a certain pull - "I'm nobody's hero / But for you, I'd lay down my life"... I said very similar things to the now mother of my son when we first started dating.

The song holds special value for me I guess because the first time I heard it. I've been quite depressed of late anyway, but I first heard the song in Railtus' mum's, when I lived there for a little while. What with everything that was going on - and it was whilst I was living there that my girl and I very nearly split up - the song found something inside me, and I guess I really like it because I remember that moment every time I hear it.

The lyrics are beautiful, although the music could perhaps do with a little more strength.

It's lonely at the top, again, Bon Jovi. Get used to that, most of these are going to be.

Again, this song is on the 100,000,000 Bon Jovi fans can't be wrong, hereafter to be referred to as BJF for ease of typing.

This one starts wonderfully, with the lines "Tell Franny I'm sorry / She didn't get to know her dad / I bet he's sorry / He didn't get to know you too". Being a new parent I know how painful something like leaving your child would be, and so the song speaks to me in that respect, I relate to it well because of my current situation.

A nice, slow-ish song, it fits perfectly with a can of lager and a long, slow smoke of a cigarette. Unfortunately I can't smoke indoors anymore, because of the baby, (not that I did before he was born, because of the pregnant woman living with me), so that makes that quite difficult to do. Still, the point stands.

Maybe Someday, again BJF album, and therefore by inherrent nature a Bon Jovi song, is almost a story of a man coming to terms with his loss.

The choruses change during the song to reflect his "journey" through, I imagine, as it is not stated, losing his girl. Moving from "Maybe, Someday / I will hold your hand / And maybe, Someday / We'll trace our footsteps in the sand" to "Maybe, Someday / I will understand / And maybe, Someday / I'll trace these footsteps in the sand / And just walk away", the latter chorus is slower, sadder and in a far less optimistic song.

Lines in the song like "I know you're coming back / You never kissed me goodbye" actually bring twinges of sadness to me as I can imagine someone going through this sort of journey, and it's not nice.

Ugh. Baby's crying. Will post more later.

[Jenica Sabiny]

Thank you!

Now post something about weapons in the weapons thread!

[Xyon_of_Calhoun]

*flings a smile in Jess' direction*

I post because I enjoy it. If you don't want me to post, ban me. I don't care.

[Frug]

And now with more on our list of things not to say we have Xyon of Calhoun.

[Xyon_of_Calhoun]

Thank you. I need no introduction. Usually because I barge my way in and do it anyway.