# Sad, depressing songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415 "2003-04-17T21:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/41 "2003-04-18T13:39:47Z")
I agree with the assessment of _everybody hurts_. On the opposite end, I think while the tone of the music and, to a lesser extent, the lyrics of _this ruined puzzle_ are sad, the tone of voice of the singing makes it much less sad than it potentially could be. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/42 "2003-04-18T13:53:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Super Gnat \* > That song Sarah McLachan did for Toy Story 2: _When She Loved Me_ or something like that. Always makes me tear up. Second. Coincidentally, I just this minute checked that video out to a patron with two kids in tow. It was all I could do not to ask her, “You’re not really going to let your children listen to the saddest song ever written, are you?” ---
**Author:** ![InTransit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@InTransit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InTransit)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/43 "2003-04-18T17:51:09Z")
How Would I Know (Melissa Etheridge) Less Than Strangers (Tracy Chapman) Take a Bow (Madonna) Kissing a Fool (George Michael) ---
**Author:** ![WillSantini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/44 "2003-04-18T18:00:12Z")
You’re Gone - Diamond Rio ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/45 "2003-04-18T18:04:01Z")
And So It Goes - Billy Joel At Seventeen - Janis Ian Losing It - Rush ---
**Author:** ![swannguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@swannguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swannguy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/46 "2003-04-18T18:54:12Z")
I second; Exit Music - Radiohead Teardrop - Massive Attack I would also recommend songs by CatPower (don’t know any titles by heart) and Bright Eyes (the artist not the song) ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/47 "2003-04-18T20:17:58Z")
Great songs about losing a loved one … [VNV Nation](http://www.vnvnation.com) - Forsaken _“The day you died I lost my way, the day you died I lost my mind. What am I supposed to do? Is there something more? And whose life do I lead? Whose air do I breathe? With whose skin and whose blood do I feel…?”_ [VNV Nation](http://www.vnvnation.com) - Beloved _“My Beloved, do you know how many times I’ve stared at clouds thinking that I saw you there? These are feelings that do not pass so easily, I can’t forget what we claimed as ours.”_ [Anything Box](http://www.anythingbox.com) - 65 Million Miles _"Turn away, walk away, just please don’t face me now, can’t you see all the tears just covering my frown. This emptiness is clear, you’re going home…_ …and so on. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/48 "2003-04-19T22:57:21Z")
**The Woman Downstairs** - Handsome Family **Runnin’ Out of Fools** - Aretha Franklin _or_ Neko Case **Long Black Veil** - Johnny Cash _or_ Nick Cave ---
**Author:** ![Fiat\_Lux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Fiat\_Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiat_Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/49 "2003-04-19T23:05:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by InternetLegend \* > **I agree about _Everybody Hurts_ not being particularly depressing (although Michael Stipe once said that, given his voice, he could make _You Are My Sunshine_ sound depressing)** Bu… but, _You Are My Sunshine_ **is** depressing! I mean, the singer’s sunshine has gone away, and we get the impression she isn’t coming back ---
**Author:** ![shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/50 "2003-04-19T23:15:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vl\_mungo \* > Long Black Veil - Johnny Cash _or_ Nick Cave Or Dave Matthews with Emmylou Harris ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/51 "2003-04-19T23:25:36Z")
One Time, One Night by Los Lobos always gets to me: _Four small boys playing ball in a parking lot A preacher, a teacher, and the other became a cop A car skidded into the rain Making the last little one a saint One more light goes out in America_ ---
**Author:** ![Homer\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Homer\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/52 "2003-04-20T19:57:28Z")
As mentioned earlier people were saying that r.e.m’s everybody hurts isn’t actually a ‘depressing’ song but the tone and rythem etc. make it sad, but the opposite is true to. Everclear’s ‘wonderful’ sounds like quite a happy tune, but the lyrics are very sad and depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415/53 "2003-04-20T20:17:03Z")
**Alone Again, Naturally** Gilbert O’sullivan from the late 60’s. That one was autobiographical, I believe. Someone help me with this, but didn’t he commit suicide at some point in his budding career? Q [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sad-depressing-songs/169415.md?page=2)