# Most achingly beautiful songs ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584 "2010-08-17T23:15:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/21 "2010-08-18T01:07:31Z")
Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley’s cover Dance me to the end of love, Leonard Cohen I’ve got my love to keep me warm, Billie Holiday’s cover. Winter, Tori Amos ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Keen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Commander\_Keen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Keen)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/22 "2010-08-18T01:11:33Z")
[Pavement, “Strings of Nashville”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J3chIeNbXc) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/23 "2010-08-18T01:26:31Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > > [@Sampiro](#): > > > > # [Hallelujah](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKnxmkOAj88) by Jeff Buckley Covers of Hallelujah by [Leonard Cohen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrLk4vdY28Q&feature=av2n), [k.d. lang](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTv9m8c6hnw&feature=fvst) and [Alexandra Burke](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEvJzvAsO20)- equally good. > > Small quibble: Leonard Cohen didn’t cover “Hallelujah”, so much as he wrote the thing. True that.:smack: Over recorded in recent years and overexposed due to Susan Boyle going viral, but _I Dreamed a Dream_ from _Les Mis_ is a beautiful showtune. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/24 "2010-08-18T01:32:51Z")
[“Girl with No Eyes”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ixKWmYux8) by It’s a Beautiful Day, just edging out their better known “[White Bird](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovf-UFWL-ng).” Lyle Lovett’s “[Nobody Knows Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF3KeXcRAhE)” Emitt Rhodes’s “[Lullaby](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFC_MTnpkA0).” John Prine’s "[Hello in There](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ85Hep0kD0). Just saw this in another thread: “[Feed the Birds](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrRxQVUFN4)” from **Mary Poppins** ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/25 "2010-08-18T01:41:01Z")
Speaking of “achingly beautiful” reminded me of the song “[Ache Beautiful](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFJUKIULsxk)” by Mike Roe “[Dunce Cap](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SefyImmGpKY)” by the Lost Dogs “[Why Worry](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_03uXQiz6eY)” by Dire Straits Going back a few years, “[Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWL8Y-qsJg)” by J. S. Bach And of course, the “[most beautiful song in the English language](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_Sunset#Legacy_and_accolades),” [Waterloo Sunset](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDoDaCYrEY)" by The Kinks. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/26 "2010-08-18T02:03:46Z")
This is quite old: [Donna Summer - Our Love](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=12812226). Now there’s a whole lot of stuff, certainly New Order owe a debt to this tune and Giorgio Moroder. It seems a bit old I suppose. [Here’s Charles Mingus:](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__OSyznVDOY&playnext=1&videos=8d9I7AHcd7E). This is great. I’m not entirely sure about this: Obama vs McCain vs Palin, gets a bit dull after four or five minutes: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pVYpTDtAVKA/hqdefault.jpg "Original Drum and Bass International RAVE Video Mix - 8 songs - 10 minutes (2009)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVYpTDtAVKA) ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/27 "2010-08-18T02:15:59Z")
Eva Cassidy’s [Fields of Gold.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwDYBWEDSc) I love it unapologetically. ---
**Author:** ![equinoxi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@equinoxi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/equinoxi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/28 "2010-08-18T02:28:07Z")
[Bird Gerhl](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Br07CF0qk) - Antony and the Johnsons [The Lake](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uuY4fbN_jA) : Antony and the Johnsons anything from [Sigur Ros](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqJ8hFgYwVg&feature=av2e) [play dead](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MU2VEAxUdY&feature=related) : Bjork [ask the mountain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4lAwVP8meY&feature=related) : Stina Nordenstam [Murder In Mairyland Park](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf3IyIFTXxA&feature=related) : Stina Nodenstam [Hairnet Paradise](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ANDfMGdHgs&feature=related) : Cocorosie [Tekno Love Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlTG2CI9BU4&feature=related) : Cocorosie ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/29 "2010-08-18T02:32:20Z")
[Delibes Flower Duet](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afPfzGfZwsA). Not sure if it would count since the lyrics aren’t in English and frankly I’ve no idea what they are saying (I could google but no desire to do so ). ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/30 "2010-08-18T02:33:47Z")
> [@Commander\_Keen](#): > > [Pavement, “Strings of Nashville”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J3chIeNbXc) Ah, Pavement [Summer Babe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMjlhIWxfFI) and Sonic Youth [Expressway 2 Yr Skull](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PU1pIJJGeM&feature=fvw) and [The Fall - I am Damo Suzuki](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBDdu67gtT0) and here’s a tune that has [Damo Suzuki doing his thing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeyloPWyB3I). ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/31 "2010-08-18T02:48:39Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > [Somewhere Over The Rainbow](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I) by Iz. Yes, it’s my answer to a lot of these threads. No, I’m not getting tired of it. Someone had to post it. “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley was already mentioned as well, so 2 of my favs are covered. Lots of good ones here, but no [Angel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CbAjj80NIM) yet? Here’s another of my usual suspects:“[Great Gig in the Sky](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAydj4OJnwQ)” by Pink Floyd I’ll end with this one, Van Morrison’s [“Into the Mystic”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVAnlke_xUY). ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/32 "2010-08-18T02:49:18Z")
[Clipe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqFSJbCJJ7s) by 3 sud est a Romanian band. I have no idea what it’s about. [Classical version of the same song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmEvGOSsld8) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/33 "2010-08-18T02:52:17Z")
[Both Sides Now](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niDHn59C-NA)–Judy Collins version ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/34 "2010-08-18T02:54:48Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > Good call on the Enya. Nitpick but Adiemas is by composer Karl Jenkins, not Enya. Although anything by Enya (and to a lesser extent Sarah Brightman) can be considered “achingly beautiful”. I would throw in these standard picks: [Mazzy Star - Fade Into You](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxGrPHt44ds). [Jewel - Foolish Games](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNoouLa7uxA) [Sia - Breath Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghPcYqn0p4Y) [Dido - Here With Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSu5nAQ7uZw) [Sarah McLaghlan - Building A Mystery](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWxzM9_gEo0&feature=av2e) [Sarah Brightman - Deliver Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtz8TmL1j_w) [I found this version of Por Ti Volare achingly hilarious.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6dE0DckMHY) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/35 "2010-08-18T02:58:07Z")
Schubert’s _Ave Maria_[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4vBAR4EaHY&feature=fvw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4vBAR4EaHY&feature=fvw) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/36 "2010-08-18T03:00:07Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > I’m not entirely sure about this: Obama vs McCain vs Palin, gets a bit dull after four or five minutes: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVYpTDtAVKA&feature=fvw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVYpTDtAVKA&feature=fvw) That’s “achingly beautiful”? Eye, or ear, of the beholder, I guess. Cool video at least. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/37 "2010-08-18T03:01:49Z")
Bach’s “Air on the G String” (ripped off by Procul Harem in “Whiter Shade of Pale”). ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/38 "2010-08-18T03:02:10Z")
[Vienna Teng “Lullabye for a Stormy Night”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvLXwCTk9yk) (Apologies for the glurgey video…just listen.) ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/39 "2010-08-18T03:14:28Z")
[Astral Traveling](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsiQ8YNhEnQ&feature=related), by Pharaoh Sanders Rainy Night House, by Joni Mitchell [Angel Weep for Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eQph00GiPA), by Chrissi Poland For No One, The Beatles ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584/40 "2010-08-18T03:17:10Z")
[Lamb - Gabriel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EirjdmJ5V-8&feature=related) [Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYIAfiVGluk) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-achingly-beautiful-songs-ever/550584.md?page=3)