Since I Left You - The Avalanches.
You’ll be Blessed - Elton John. Kills me every time when the hook comes around: “You’ll be blessed, you’ll have the best, I promise you that.”
Never Tear Us Apart - INXS. Just for that wailing sax solo.
When you Wish Upon a Star - from Pinnochio.
A big two thumbs up to everyone who’s put The Velvet Underground and Nick Cave.
Some others for me:
“Everything’s Fucked” by The Dirty Three
Every song by Nick Drake
“Andalucia” by John Cale
“These Days” by Nico
“Sundays” by Lucinda Williams
“I Am A Cinematographer” by Palace (I can’t remember what the band was called for that song)
“The Color and The Kids” by Cat Power
“He Was A Friend Of Mine” by The Byrds
“The Ballad of Melody Nelson” by Serge Gainsbourg
“Baby Mine” by Bonnie Raitt. This is on Stay Awake, a 1989 compilation album of various artists doing music from Disney films. This song brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it-and you owe it to yourself to check out this great collection!
“Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon. I always get goosebumps at the line “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans”.
“Take Me Home”, by Holly Cole, a cover of the Tom Waits song originally sung by Crystal Gayle on “The Heart of Saturday Night”. This comes from her album “Temptaion”, a collection of her version of Tom Waits songs.
“If I Only Had a Brain” by **Harry Connick Jr., on “22”. What a sweet song.
Nick Cave - Ship Song (Come sail your ships around me, and burn your bridges dow, you are a little mystery to me, every time you come around…) sends shivers down my spine.
Simon and Garfunkle - Sound of Silence
Beatles - Let it Be, Accross the Universe (I actually prefer the Rufus Wainright version)
Willy Porter’s entire Falling Forward CD
News, Dire Straits (always brings a tear to my eye. The guitar interlude is achingly beautiful.)
Crash and Burn, Savage Garden
The Lover After Me, Savage Garden
I Don’t Know You Anymore, Savage Garden
Rythm of the Blues, Mary Chapin Carpenter
Come on, Come on, Mary Chapin Carpenter
All of Mark Knopfler’s album, Sailing to Philedelphia.
I tend to listen to the radio a lot, so most of my favorite beautiful songs are pretty recent and/or popular.
Sensefield–Save Yourself
Seether–Fine Again
Moby–Porcelain
Radiohead–Subterranean Homesick Alien, Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box, and Idioteque
Pantera–Cemetery Gates
Res–Tsunami
Massive Attack–Teardrop
And that’s just a few. It’s amazing how so many different songs can all have the same effect on someone.
Wow… some good ones already mentioned:
“Adagio for Strings” by Barber… I’ll second/third that one.
“Fields of Gold” by Sting. Oh yeah.
Some of my own choices…
“Across the Universe” as performed by Fiona Apple.
A good song in any version, but her version is stunning.
“16 Days” by Lori Carson.
From her album Stars… it breaks my heart every time I hear it.
Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony Number 3.
I first heard it in Peter Weir’s film Fearless, but it literally catches my breath every time I hear it now… at least partially because of how it was used in the film, I’m sure.
“Flowers Become Screens” by Delerium.
So many of their songs are beautiful, but this one really gets me.
Both Avalonian and WSLer mentioned “Fields of Gold” and stylize mentioned “Time after Time.” Eva Cassidy has done great versions of those songs too . . . and I am beginning to sound obsessed.
I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt
Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes