Sad songs- We love them- We need them

@immatthewj 

 

"Everybody Hurts"  REM

This one and "Sweetness Follows." Really struck home when my father died. 

I'm amazed that I am the first one to respond to this post with a "classical music" response, but here it is.  Gustav Mahler's "Kindertotenlieder" - "Songs on the Death of Children".  His loss is so great that he can envision the lost child entering his room.  Now, THAT is sad !  Mahler lost a daughter and the librettist lost two children before the work was written.

I guess this forum population skews toward older demographics. Nonetheless we can consider many songs by Lana Del Rey (thanks to her we have the sub-genre sadcore). Summertime Sadness is an obvious early pick but not the only one. Generally beautiful singing and compositions across many albums. Also many artists she inspired.

Closer to home (mine anyway) we have some excruciatingly sad lo-fi from Lil Bo Weep, especially Sorry. As she's no longer with us I find her stuff way too sad to listen to lately.

The one that gets me is Sufjan Stevens "Casimir Pulaski Day" In the morning when you finally go And the nurse runs in with her head hung low And the cardinal hits the window In the morning in the winter shade On the first of March, on the holiday I thought I saw you breathing All the glory that the Lord has made And the complications when I see His face In the morning in the window All the glory when He took our place But He took my shoulders and He shook my face And He takes and He takes and He takes

"No Hard Feelings" - Avett Brothers, "Children of Children" - Jason Isbell, "Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley, "Handbags and Gladrags" - Stereophonics. Each for various reasons make me a bit melancholy.