I made a post early in this thread, and it's been very interesting to watch the additions. I have a few additional individual pieces or songs that clearly belong in the "achingly beautiful" category: 1. Nina Simone's song in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, which I think was titled "The King of Peace Is Dead". 2. Mark Murphy's rendition of "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" from his album "Murphy Sings Kerouac", dedicated to Jack Kerouac. 3. John Coltrane's rendition of his song "Alabama", dedicated to the 4 girls killed in the bombing of the church in Montgomery, and his song "Naima", dedicated to his wife. 4. Most of Bill Evans' ballad performances. 5. Much of Joan Baez's early work. 6. Recordings of Billie Holiday with Lester Young and/or Ben Webster.