Author Topic: Most Depressing Songs Ever  (Read 29946 times)

Yank

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Most Depressing Songs Ever
« on: May 06, 2005, 01:31:00 am »
From NEWS.scotsman.com
 
 Heaven knows we're miserable now
 
 TIM CORNWELL
 
 
 BRIDGET Jones would love it. An American music writer is to publish a new guide to the most depressing pop songs ever written.
 
 Tom Reynoldsâ?? tongue-in-cheek list of 52 songs ranges from time-honoured weepies like Terry Jackâ??s Seasons In The Sun to Let Her Cry by Hootie And The Blowfish.
 
 It also includes Harry Nillssonâ??s Without You, sung by Mariah Carey, whose lyrics ("I canâ??t live if living is without you") were a favourite of Renee Zellweger in the film Bridget Jonesâ??s Diary.
 
 The list includes not a single known Scottish band, surprising for a country whose art often explores the darker side of life.
 
 Mr Reynoldsâ?? choice of the most depressing song ever is The Christmas Shoes, by a US Christian rock group, Newsong, which has been a big US hit.
 
 Mr Reynoldsâ?? book, titled I Hate Myself and Want to Die, is published in September.
 
 His list ranges from the Celine Dionâ??s All By Myself to Barry Manilowâ??s Mandy. More recent offerings include Bruce Springsteen, the Cure, Smashing Pumpkins and Joy Division.
 
 But rock fans will undoubtedly complain that classic hits have been left out - like Luka, by Suzanne Vega, which topped one internet list of the saddest songs. Don McLeanâ??s Vincent is missing, nor does Led Zeppelin put in an appearance.
 
 Mr Reynolds is a writer and television producer based in Los Angeles. He recently wrote a History of Motorcycle Culture.
 
 Albert Depetrillo, Mr Reynoldsâ?? editor at the Sanctuary Group, said his writing showed the humour of "gonzo" journalist Hunter S Thompson.
 
 Mr Depetrillo said: "This is the first book of its kind. There have been books of songs, but not about this particular topic, and the response has been enormous. Heâ??s just hit a nerve. Everybody seems to have their favourite depressing song and they all want to talk about it.
 
 "He tries to be a bit offbeat with his choices and a bit provocative as well. He divides the book into categories because songs can be depressing for different reasons.
 
 The first section, "I Was A Teenage Car Crash", includes Teenangel by Mark Dinning and Tell Laura I Love Her by Ray Peterson, both tearful teen tales of death on the road from the golden era of rockâ??nâ??roll.
 
 Another category, "Horrifying Remarks of Already Depressing Songs", includes All by Myself and Without You, along with Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins and Send In The Clowns by "everybody".
 
 The section "Iâ??m Trying to be Profound and Touching but Really Suck At It" includes Round Here by Counting Crows and Donâ??t Cry Out Loud by Melissa Manchester.
 
 The Christmas Shoes, first released in 2000, has become a perennial hit in the US and even inspired a television film starring Rob Lowe. Newsong have recorded more than 13 albums.
 
 Mr Reynolds says he first heard about it from a friend as the song she always heard in department stores during the Christmas holidays.
 
 He claimed the "diabolically depressing" song was "more depressing than The Cureâ??s entire career", and he went into shock after listening to it for the first time.
 
 He writes: "Itâ??s the most depressing song ever written because itâ??s long, criminally insufferable and, worst of all, Christmas themed, which means we will always hear it during the Yuletide season, year after year."
 
 THE MOST DEPRESSING POP SONGS
 
 Tell Laura I Love Her - Ray Peterson
 Teen Angel - Mark Dinning
 Last Kiss - J Frank Wilson And The Cavaliers
 Goodbye To Love - The Carpenters
 At Seventeen - Janis Ian
 My Immortal - Evanescence
 It Must Be Him - Vicki Carr
 One - Metallica
 Round Here - Counting Crows Lucky Man - Emerson, Lake And Palmer
 Beth - Kiss
 MacArthur Park - Richard Harris
 Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester
 In The Year 2525 - Zager And Evans
 Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg
 The Rose - Bette Midler
 Mandy - Barry Manilow
 Captain Jack - Billy Joel
 Let Her Cry - Hootie And The Blowfish
 Sam Stone - John Prine
 Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
 You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand
 In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
 Brick - Ben Folds Five
 Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition
 All By Myself - Celine Dion
 Without You - Mariah Carey
 I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
 Landslide - Smashing Pumpkins
 Send In The Clowns - Everybody
 The River - Bruce Springsteen
 The Freshmen - The Verve Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
 The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
 Maggie's Dream - Don Williams
 People Who Died - The Jim Carroll Band
 Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday
 DOA - Bloodrock
 Sylviaâ??s Mother - Dr Hook And The Medicine Show
 The End - The Doors
 Alone Again - Gilbert O'Sullivan
 Artificial Flowers - Bobby Darin
 Indiana Wants Me - R Dean Taylor
 Prayers For Rain - Cure

Frank Gallagher

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2005, 04:52:00 am »
As usual..these lists are always a classic case of 'IMHO' but how can you have list of miserable songs without Morrissey/Smiths on it, never mind topping it!!!
 
 Girlfriend in a coma, There is a light, Suffer little children....the list is endless as everyone knows!
 
 The Beautiful South can get pretty maudlin as well. One of my favourite sad songs of theirs is "Woman in the wall"

myuman

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2005, 06:27:00 am »
Yeah... even the title is Smiths... I was thinking of Girlfriend in a Coma... catchiest darned song though!

sonickteam2

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2005, 08:05:00 am »
imagine having to listen to all those songs one after another...talk about suicide....

Frank Gallagher

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2005, 08:26:00 am »
Quote
Originally posted by sonickteam3:
  imagine having to listen to all those songs one after another...talk about suicide....
Or a Wilco album!

sonickteam2

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2005, 08:29:00 am »
Quote
Originally posted by O'Mankie:
   
Quote
Originally posted by sonickteam3:
  imagine having to listen to all those songs one after another...talk about suicide....
Or a Wilco album! [/b]
dude, come on its friday, and i am leaving for Canada in 3 hours, stop trying to bum me out!  :)

HoyaSaxa03

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2005, 09:09:00 am »
well this guy obviously wanted to sell books rather than make an accurate list, so a lot of it has to be mainstream stuff that everyone's heard ... i'd have to include at least a couple of red house painters songs, maybe "lord kill the pain" and "michael," but you could really choose any of them, even their "biggest" song, "have you forgotten" is incredibly maudlin ... oh, and definitely elliott smith ... did this guy just not realize that there's an entire genre called "sadcore"?
(o|o)

Relaxer

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2005, 09:41:00 am »
What's really depressing is his confusing The Verve with The Verve Pipe. Or maybe it's a typo. Whatever.
oword

jkeisenh

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2005, 10:13:00 am »
just because lyrics are sad, that doesn't make the song sad.  look at half the magnetic fields' stuff.  so many of these songs sound sad but really don't make you feel like cutting your heart out with a spoon.

joz

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2005, 10:19:00 am »
asleep by the smiths makes me want to slit my wrists with a spoon.

K8teebug

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2005, 10:49:00 am »
The cat and the cradle and the silver spoon song always makes me cry.  Don't know the real title of it though.  
 
 And what about Fade Into You by Mazzy Star?

TimCooke

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2005, 11:04:00 am »
I would have to think that REM's "Everybody Hurts" has to be on that list.

eltee

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2005, 11:18:00 am »
Quote
Originally posted by K8teebug:
  And what about Fade Into You by Mazzy Star?
To me, that's a soothing, chill song.
 How about Blasphemous Rumours (DM)?

Bombay Chutney

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2005, 11:27:00 am »
Suicide Child - The Nuns
 
 God I hate that song.

HoyaSaxa03

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Re: Most Depressing Songs Ever
« Reply #14 on: May 06, 2005, 11:28:00 am »
Quote
Originally posted by K8teebug:
  The cat and the cradle and the silver spoon song always makes me cry.  Don't know the real title of it though.
father and son by cat stevens?
(o|o)