Friday, March 30, 2012

SAD SONGS TO MAKE YOU CRY

I 've been pretty busy with the day job, so I've not had much time to read people's posts, let alone compose any of my own.

Thanks to Lee from Tossing It Out for pointing out this blogfest to me. A nice diversion from my daily descent into the seven levels of hell.

Oh all right, it's not that bad, but, counting Sundays, I have had exactly four days off of work since January 1. And the days I do work are long ones.

So thanks Lee-it turns out that I have a bunch of CD's. They're on the second floor of my house, which explains why I forgot they're there-I never make it up there these days.

And over the years, there have been some songs that get me all misty-eyed and sniffly. And I'm going to burden you with them!

But, lest I forget, thanks also go out to Diane Wolfe of Spunk On A Stick for hosting this blogfest extravaganza.

Sad songs are essential to music.

We all have our lists of tear-jerkers, even the most stoic among us.

Here are a few of mine.


Parallel Lines-Todd Rundgren

Why this is my numero uno sad song has been documented on this blog a few times before (see my list of love songs and the soundtrack to my life posts to name two).

“Like an animal running wild you can’t call it back
And it’s just gonna make it harder
When it’s finally time to face the fact”




More Than A Feeling-Boston

I was very close to my younger sister who died of cancer in August 1998 at the too-frigging-young age of thirty-four.

Back when we were kids, Mare and I chipped in on Boston's debut album.  A record-pool, if you will.

When Brad sings “I see my Mary Anne walkin’ away,” I still get wet in the eyes almost fourteen years later.

I wonder if you ever stop missing the loved ones you lose.



All By Myself-Eric Carmen

Lifting a melody from Rachmaninoff, Carmen perfects melancholoy on this single from the seventies.



 Little Village-Don’t Think About Her When You’re Trying To Drive

The title alone is enough to make the list-and John Hiatt’s voice suits the mood. Do not listen to this alone in the car at night on a mountain road!

“A heart in your condition
Shouldn’t be out on that road tonight”


(all I could find was a live version-if you see the CD buy it!)

Styx-Don’t Let It End

After their “power-prog” phase, Styx were a ballad factory. This was the last one before their hiatus, and always makes me think of Joanne R.



Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here

From the follow-up to Dark Side Of The Moon, my favorite Floyd tune.



Hurt-Johnny Cash

Although I would normally opt for the original (by Nine Inch Nails), Cash’s version, recorded near the end of his life, is choked with emotion. Powerful stuff.



Keep Me In Your Heart-Warren Zevon

Another one that always makes me weepy-written in the year between his cancer diagnosis and his death, a loving goodbye to his significant other.

“Sometimes when you're doin' simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile
You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for a while”

Very sad.



Cats In The Cradle-Harry Chapin

Somewhere around forty-four, I realized that time was working against me. Before that, I had all the time in the world.
The sadness in this song are the things we put off for when we’ll have more time.
It turns out, we rarely have any more time than we do right now.



Brick-Ben Folds Five

One line says it all…

"Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone
Than I ever have before."



Honorable Mention (too obvious...but still sad)

Tears In Heaven-Eric Clapton
Dust In The Wind-Kansas
Alone Again Naturally-Gilbert O'Sullivan
Whitney Houston-I Will Always Love You
Now if you'll excuse me....I'm gonna go cry myself to sleep...

18 comments:

  1. Great list...roll on the Happy song Blogfest!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful list. I find that Johnny Cash Hurt is a firm favourite,
    Loved listening to all the tracks.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  3. warren zevon's last-ish song was a great choice.

    Please Check out My Sad Song List...
    Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]
    Visit The Madness:
    iZOMBIE

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was sure you come up with great picks and sure enough you scored high marks. "Hurt" is an especially great song. And Harry Chapin had a lot of great ones including "Taxi" and "Everybody's Lonely". And now I'm reminded of Janis Ian. Wow, this was a great line-up that you came up with and it brought back a lot of memories for me.


    Lee
    Sad Songs Blogfests—Places I Remember
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog

    ReplyDelete
  5. HURT is making so many lists today!
    HOORAY for good taste!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for joining my first blogfest.

    And I love Pink Floyd.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for hosting this, Diane-we'd had a lot of music-themed blogfests a couple years back, but there has been a paucity of them recently-I will enjoy making the rounds later today!

    Larry

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yvonne and Vic-

    The only Cash albums in my collections were the last run he'd done with rock producer Rick Rubin, and I purchased them after hearing "Hurt."

    Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Someday I'll get the hang of this-I was posting comments one at a time so my response would be beneath the comments, and it did not turn out that way.

    Retro-Z-I'll be by to check out your list later in the day (still at work). That whole Zevon album was interesting, but that song still gets me.

    Kate-thanks for stopping by-I'll be checking out what makes you sniffle as well!

    LC

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lee-

    I actually considered Taxi, but even as a young teenager, that last verse of "Cats" gave me a sad feeling.

    Didja notice how Stephen T. borrowed that verse in his lead-in to his sad song entry?


    Larry

    ReplyDelete
  11. DiscMan ~
    Of course, of course, of course I knew your #1 was going to be 'Parallel Lines'. Not the least bit surprising to me here.

    I'm not really a Boston fan, and despite not having the personal association you have with 'More Than A Feeling', I have always recognized that as a "sad" song. (And a good one.)

    Interestingly, as much as I like 'Wish You Were Here', I've never really thought of it as "sad". Funny how certain melodies strike people in different ways.

    'Hurt' (by J.C.) seems to have made several lists today.

    Yeah, man, 'CATS IN THE CRADLE'. I swear I didn't steal the idea from you. It just came to me when I was thinking up some sort of 'Introductory' paragraph for my blog bit. And I figured: "Hell, EVERYONE knows those lines because 'Cats In The Cradle' is one of the most famous 'sad songs' to ever hit #1 on Billboard's Top 40."

    [Heck, 'Shannon' by Henry Gross - the story of a dog's death at sea - only made it to #6.]

    So, it just seemed like a natural to work those Harry Chapin lines into the end of that paragraph. BUT...

    ...although I've only visited a small percentage of the lists so far, I've come realize that you and I are like rather "ancient" participants in this blogfest, and most likely no more than a few readers would have the slightest clue that I stole a line from a "famous sad song" to end that paragraph with. (Most of 'em are probably thinking: "What does he mean, 'it's been sure nice talking to you, Dad'?")

    Here I thought I'd dreamed up something semi-clever but you and Arlee Boid are probably the only readers who "got it".

    By the way, I was also seriously thinking of using Gilbert O'Sullivan's 'Alone Again, Naturally' on my list as well. (Kinda glad I didn't because it's probably just one mo' song on my list that these young pups would be utterly unfamiliar with.)

    ~ STMcC

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good choices. Had some of these on my list too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. JL- Thanks for dropping by-I am just starting to make my rounds now!

    Stephen-I think I only learned to think of "Wish You Were Here" as sad after I learned it was written for Syd Barrett. His was a sad story, and it is a nice tribute to a friend.

    I'm just now starting to make rounds, but I was thinking "Alone Again Naturally" was a no-brainer. Man, whe Gilbert gets to telling us how 'he cried and cried all day,' I gotta find a box of Kleenex!

    I'd forgotten about "Shannon." A definite weeper for anyone who has ever owned a dog!

    LC

    ReplyDelete
  14. DISCDUDE ~
    If someone said to me:

    "Write a list of sad songs. Not songs that you personally find sad for some subjective reasons, but songs that are simply overtly sad and EVERY SINGLE PERSON KNOWS they're sad."

    Just off the top of my head, the first three songs I would list would probably be...

    'Alone Again, Naturally'
    'Cats In The Cradle'
    'Shannon'

    And yet only ONE of those songs made only ONE PERSON'S list. ('Cats In The Cradle' - YOUR list!)

    Instead I saw songs by Heavy Metal bands and Pop Poseurs.

    I don't think the 1974-1979 high school graduating classes were well represented in this blogfest!

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

    ReplyDelete
  15. Larry, I don't think that awful feeling of loss ever vanishes. Very sorry about your sister.
    Never been a Floyd fan, although I do think On the Turning Away is a very melancholy song.

    ReplyDelete
  16. McDogg-

    You're probably right (about the average age of the respondents).

    Do I get points for "Alone Again" almost making the cut?

    Alex-

    I'm surprised you're not a Floyd fan with all of your progressive tendencies.

    Do you have the CD where Dream Theater does Dark Side Of The Moon?

    Larry

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm sorry for your loss. Wow, lots of sad stories today. My heart goes at to all of you. Johnny Cash is popular today with this blog fest.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, man! Your days sound like mine; however, yours are worse because at least I haven't had to work any weekends as of yet. I'll be sure to recall that the next time I feel like complaining...
    I'm sorry I missed this blogfest because I love, love, love the sad songs, and would have taken a week digging up all of the ones that touch me.
    Your list was pretty cool, I must say. Thanks for sharing.
    Take care of yourself, my friend, and don't overdo it.

    -Jimmy

    ReplyDelete

HOBBY OR ADDICTION?

HOBBY OR ADDICTION?