“Blossoms Falling” - Ooberman, very pretty song.
Which version? There four different versions by Verdi, Gounod, Bach, and Schubert. Schubert is probably the best known, but I love the Bach too.
My vote goes to Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. It was the theme to the movie Somewhere In Time.
It may not be number one, but Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” deserves a mention in a thread like this.
And re the Jim Croce mention above, he wrote all of his own material. (Well, almost all. “I’ve Got a Name” is a rare exception.) Personally, I think “Age” aches more than “Time in a Bottle,” but that’s probably just me.
The Green Leaves of Summer (Dmitri Tomkin)
Private Universe, How Will You Go, She Goes On and Better Be Home Soon, by Crowded House
Lover’s Cross (Jim Croce)
And So It Goes (Billy Joel)
The Rose, as performed by Bette Midler (don’t know who wrote it)
Because (The Dave Clark Five)
We Belong (Pat Benatar)
All I Want Is You (U2)
Suo Gan - the Welsh lullaby used in Empire of the Sun
And on the classical side of the collection:
I second the nomination on Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Rach rocks.
Au fond du temple saint from The Pearlfishers (Bizet)
Summertime from Porgy and Bess (Gershwin)
There Was A Time from The Gondoliers (Gilbert & Sullivan)
O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schichi (Puccini)
Flower Duet from Lakme (Delibes)
Nat King Cole’s recording of “Stardust”.
Best song ever.
The Kinks’ Waterloo Sunset, so poignant.
It’s called Cavatina, and was “[c]omposed by Stanley Myers with John Williams”. This John Williams (who plays the song) is not the soundtrack composer, but a respected classical guitarist.
My two nominations for prettiest song: Gordon Lightfoot’s If Children Had Wings and Amy Grant’s I Will Remember You.
Cool, I’m the first to mention my favorite:
Walthz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker.
Also E Ku’u Home o Kahalu’u by Olamana
two of my favs…
Pretty Ballerina - Left Banke
Even In The Quietest Moments - Supertramp
Simple Gifts, based on a Shaker spiritual Hymn:
*'Tis the gift to be simple,
'Tis the gift to be free,
Tis the gift to come down
where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves
in the place just right,
It will be in the valley
of love and delight.
When true
simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend ,
we will not be ashamed.
To turn, turn,
will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning,
we come round right*
We’re going to have it as a hymn at our wedding.
I also like R.E.M.s Nightswimming.
We Have All The Time In The World–Louis Armstrong
from “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”
I’ll probably have to come back & make other suggestions later as I think of them, but off the top of my head:
“Tears in the Rain” by Joe Satriani
and as runner up
“Angel” by Sarah McLachlan
These two aren’t necessarily my favorite songs (although I do love them!), but for sheer stop-you-in-your-tracks beauty, I think they rank right up there.
I always love threads like this. I’ve discovered so much good music through the sdmb!
“Alice Blue Gown” as played by Wayne King and his orchestra, for prettiest melody. “You are the Everything” by REM for lyrics, though the tune is a winner, too.
‘How I made my Millions’ by Radiohead.
I was awestruck!
My current favourite song (because of its sheer beauty) is Nwahulawana by Wazimbo & Orchestra Marrabenta Star De Mocambique.
It’s been around for a while, and was in a movie too, I think. I’ve only just discovered it though.
There is a brief snippet of it available here on MP3*.
*Mods: the site is the record company’s own one, and the MP3 is only a “bite” of a few seconds’ duration.
You’re all wrong, because the prettiest song ever is Pachebel’s Kanon. End story.
Pretty? You want pretty? How about sweet honey goodness, driftingly casually devastatingly beautiful harmonies, sung by what can only be goddesses tipsy on love and the nectar of spring, which will stun you every single time you hear it performed?
I give you “Dôme épais, le jasmin” by Delibes, from the opera Lakme.
Be careful… that song’s enough to send just about anybody into a diabetic coma.
In a more pedestrian sense of pretty… hmm…
Red Right Ankle - The Decemberists
Vibrate - Rufus Wainwright
Prayer for the Paranoid - Mojave 3
Northern Sky - Nick Drake
Your Favorite Music - Clem Snide
The Blowers Daughter - Damien Rice
Sorry I came into this thread so late; I could’ve saved everybody a lot of time.
The prettiest song ever recorded is called “Angelika Suspended,” by Palm Fabric Orchestra. (That recording is near impossible to find nowadays, so you’ll have to settle for it as performed by Poi Dog Pondering.) You hear it and wonder how they could’ve ever finished writing it, without just collapsing into tears of rapture. It’s amazing to see Poi Dog perform it live, too; no matter how noisy the crowd has been, they all just stand in rapt attention as soon as the band plays this song.
“Venus de Milo” by Prince 
Nick Cave - Where the Wild Roses Grow