# I just wrote the saddest song ever, totally by accident.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 2, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497 "2005-06-02T03:58:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497/1 "2005-06-02T03:58:53Z")

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I swear I didn’t mean to. It’s even in a major key and full of fifths and major chords! But it’s _sad_. Maybe it’s all the violins.

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**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497/2 "2005-06-02T04:02:16Z")

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I thought D Minor was the saddest key. How can the saddest song ever be in a major key?

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**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497/3 "2005-06-02T09:01:10Z")

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> [@Gorsnak](#):
>
> I thought D Minor was the saddest key. How can the saddest song ever be in a major key?

Isn’t Joni Mitchell’s _Both Sides Now_ in a major key?

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**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497/4 "2005-06-02T10:12:28Z")

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Taps is.

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497/5 "2005-06-02T10:14:57Z")

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Major-key sadness is highly effective - it provides opportunities for wistfulness, plaintiveness, reflection…it’s all about context

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**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497/6 "2005-06-02T11:08:43Z")

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> [@Gorsnak](#):
>
> I thought D Minor was the saddest key.

Yeah, “Lick My Love Pump” was in D Minor.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-wrote-the-saddest-song-ever-totally-by-accident/306497/7 "2025-08-26T00:43:33Z")

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Not familiar with that tune, but the title sounds happy.