anything by evanescence
Death Cab for Cutie’s I will follow you into the dark
This, especially the acoustic version.
I also have a couple of self-written songs that have not made it out of my head and onto paper or other media, mostly because they’re embarrassingly maudlin, but which I hum to myself in such times.
I find Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” can be comforting when life is really dealing me a lousy hand.
“Mary Jane” by Alanis Morissettte
“Save Yourself” by Stabbing Westward
“Judith” by A Perfect Circle
Since I Fell For You - Lenny Welch (and many others), only under certain circumstances, though.
24 Hoursby Joy Division:
*Just for one moment, I heard somebody call,
Looked beyond the day in hand, there’s nothing there at all.
Now that I’ve realised how it’s all gone wrong,
Got to find some therapy, this treatment takes too long.*
What I like about it is that it’s not a quiet minor-key song, because depression isn’t always like that. The subconscious bassline keeps up the drone of depression, and the angry self-aware guitar rails against it - just like in real life.
Soul Asylum - Runaway train
Social Distortion - Ball and chain
Jane’s Addiction - Jane says
Gorrilaz - Don’t get lost in heaven/Demon Days
Dion - Abraham, Martin and John
The Shins - The past and pending
Third Eye Blind - Jumper
311 - Beyond the grey sky
John Lennon - Hold on
Anthem suggests the Angry Depression, for which punk becomes indispensable. I don’t think many realize how close punk and depression are related, and that the anger is more often than not - at least with the early punk bands - a kind of depression management thing. Black Flag is the best at this - Can’t Decide, Nothing Left Inside, Depression (duh…) etc etc etc
Then there’s Elliott Smith who I can’t fucking believe he hasn’t been mentioned yet. Dude understood depression and how to communicate his frustrations with depression (as well as addiction, etc) better than any artist I’ve ever found. Ballad of Big Nothing has always been one of my favorite song of his.
True Love
A Fond Farewell
Needle in the Hay
ETC
Then, of course, there’s Suicide Machine. Seemingly upbeat, right? Kind of jaunty? Well, it was one of the last things he ever worked on, before stabbing himself in the chest several times. Includes the lyrics “everybody’s trying to turn me into a suicide machine.”
Yea, I reach for the pure stuff…
Happy With That by Kelly Willis, which isn’t a happy song.
Seconding the Green Day. For me it’s Longview. They don’t mince words when they talk about depression.
Madonna’s ‘‘Love Tried to Welcome Me’’ (I must confess instead of spring it’s always winter/And my heart has always been a lonely hunter.)
Weezer’s album Pinkerton.
Tori Amos’ entire album Little Earthquakes. Goddamn it’s depressing. I won’t even listen to it when I’m in a good mood.
Sisters of Mercy are my go to for existential wallowing…
Some Kind of Stranger:
…Even this must pass away and
Memories may last for years but
Names are just for souvenirs
Some kind of angel let me
Look into your eyes…
Alice
…Pass the crystal spread the Tarot
In illusion comfort lies
The safest way the straight and narrow
No confusion no surprise…
I third the vote for Green Day. For me, it’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
Butthole Surfers. “Girl Passing Gas.” At least that’s what I think it’s called. Off the Hairway to Steven album.
Holy crap, I thought I would be the only one to post the song have you ever by the offspring. However only the first half is my anthem, I set the song up to just repeat the first 2:20.
Aside from that Sia - breathe me
Also several songs on the album ‘story of a life volume 1’ by harry Chapin and electroshock blues by the Eels.
Showing my age here…
Of course, it’s also really cool to listen to when I’m driving on a foggy night, or on a very quiet late night.
She pictures the broken glass
She pictures the steam
She pictures the soul
with no rip at the seams
And of course, my all time favorite song, which if you listen to the lyrics…
I suffer from clinical depression, Seasons in the Sun, Terry Jacks.
“Dogs” by Pink Floyd
James Taylor, the entire JT album. My depression go-to music since I was 18.
Man…how to pick?
It’s So Easy Not To Try—Glenn Yarbrough (from Return of the King)
Death is Not The End—Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Prospero’s Speech—Loreena McKennit…
So many more, so many worse. 