Inspired by the Story songs thread - I currently skip
’Dinner at Eight’ by Rufus Wainwright and
’Keep me in your heart’ by Warren Zevon - both for the same reason.
Years ago I was unable to get through the Gabriel/Bush duet on **‘Dont Give Up’ ** - but I reckon I could give it a shot these days.
I dont have a copy so it’s not an issue but I know I couldnt get through the Young at Heart Choir singing Coldplay’s **‘Fix You’ ** again any time soon. Blimey. It was profoundly moving. (Channel 4 in the UK showed a documentary about this choir of senior citizens who sing contemporary tunes last week.)
So is it just me? Do I need therapy? Or does anyone else have or have had songs they have to skip to avoid driving whilst sobbing with snot all over their face?
Don McLean’s “Vincent”
Well speaking of Rufus Wainwright (as he is one of the folks who covered it) Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Most beautiful song ever.
John Doe No. 24 by Mary Chapin Carpenter (about the third time I’ve mentioned this) never fails to reduce me to a puddle of tears and snot. I can’t listen to it in public.
The live performance of Whiter Shade of Pale by King Curtis - achingly beautiful sax playing; the most gorgeous I have ever heard (I believe he died shortly afterwards).
Vincent Black Lightning, by Richard Thompson. The words are a little trite, but the guitar is beautiful.
And of course practically everything ever written by Nick Drake.
Another one I’ve remembered: Blessed to be a witness by Ben Harper. This is a beautiful song in its own right, but gets me by association, since it was used as the soundtrack to a video of the tsunami we showed to visitors when I led an awareness-raising disaster tour in Thailand. It absolutely breaks me up to hear it now.
‘Fire and rain’ by James Taylor always moved me, even before I found the emotional back story:
A friend of his committed suicide, but his other friends kept it from him while he completed a major album.
And I agree about the song ‘Hallelujah’, but I like the Jeff Buckley version.
This was used in ‘The West Wing’, in the scene where CJ discovers her Secret Service agent has been killed.
I’m not a great fan of Chris Rea but It’s All Gone invariably brings a lump to the throat.
John Prine’s “The Great Compromise” just destroys me.
Mine are mostly cheese:
Morning Girl- Neon Philharmonic
Elusive Butterfly- Bob Lind
Both Sides Now- Judy Collins
Wishing on a Star- Rose Royce
I Like Dreamin’- Kenny Nolan
“Wanderin’” by James Taylor is so achingly beautiful and sad, it reduces me to a quivering puddle.
“Jesse” by Roberta Flack. Bit of a story here - my grandfather’s name was Jesse. After he died, my grandmother was sitting alone, not recovering too well. She put on an album, which just happened to be the Roberta Flack one, and this song came on.
Jesse come home, there’s a hole in the bed where we slept…
…And I’m keeping the light by the stairs
No I’m not scared, I’ll wait for you
Hey Jesse, it’s lonely, come home…"
…and she lost it. I wasn’t there, but now I’m all choked up again thinking of how devastating it must have been to hear those words at that time.
“Seeds of Love” as recorded by Loreena McKennitt.
The Flower Duet from Delibes’ opera Lakme.
“Come On, Come On”, Mary Chapin Carpenter.
“The Man Comes Around”, Johnny Cash.
Janice Ian’s At Seventeen
Ditto on Vincent
Clapton’s Tears In Heaven
Angel Of Montgomery sung by either John Prine or Bonnie Raitt
Also with the Bush/Gabriel Don’t Give Up.
I’m sure I’ll recall the others later on in the day.
This was written by Joni Mitchell, and is on her Clouds album. IMO where Collins recorded a trite ballad, the original is very beautiful (just her and a guitar; the cord structures are different and the voice and phrasing better). In fact, I once threw a record of Judy Collins’s version of this song across the room in disgust.
I recommend you seek out the original!
Home is Where the Heart Is sung by Mary Travers and (I think) Holly Near on the Peter, Paul & Mary Lifelines CD. The line about being a string on a kite…if I’m not choked up by then, that line finishes me off.
jjimm- will do! For the record, I absolutely loathe “Send in the Clowns” 
I came in to say that Send in the Clowns always does me in, knowing I was opening myself to derision. 
I think it’s the lines
that get me. A little too close to home.
From Dave Matthews’ solo CD, “Gravedigger.” Ugh. I have to skip it.
Warren Zevon’s cover of Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
Guinevere from the Camelot soundtrack.
Lyin Eyes by the Eagles has always pulled a resonant chord with me for some reason.
What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Brothers because Michael McDonald has such a totally incredible voice.