Richard Thompson has written a few.
Gin Blossoms ‘‘Found Out About You’’ is probably one of the most heartbreaking songs I know of. What gets me is the slightly bitter edge to it.
Months roll past the love that you struck dead
Did you love me only in my head?
The things you said and did to me
Seemed to come so easily
The love I thought I’d won you’d give for free…
I also came in here to nominate Reba McEntire’s version of ‘‘Cathy’s Clown,’’ a song about a woman who has to stand by and watch the man she loves be mistreated by his significant other.
You know you’ve got to stand tall
You know a man can’t crawl
And when you let her tell you lies
And you let em pass you by
You’re not a man at all
With Reba’s haunting voice, it always gets me.
Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s Walk on By, sung by Dionne Warwick. The Bacharach music elaborates and enhances the lyrics so admirably:
This is followed by a very casual, almost whistling-tune type musical bridge before the next line, indicating the singer, up to now, is still in possession of her mental equilibrium. Then comes:
On that syllable, “…bye,” a solo piano begins a dramatic three-note, downward, repeating E-D-middle C – E-D-middle C – E-D-middle C – at least a dozen times, while a female chorus chants, staccato, “Don’t’” - Stop - Don’t - Stop." [walking by]
This goes on until a new verse begins, breaking the spell. The spell created by those “Don’t Stop” chants, with the relentlessly repetitive three-note piano, to me, signifies the singer’s sudden downward psychological trajectory straight into a rut the unexpected sight of this former lover has thrown her into. When I hear it, it reminds me of the way a thought will repeat and repeat in your brain, like an endless loop of tape.
Walk on By is one of the saddest and most true-to-life songs, for me, and a song in which the music fits the words perfectly.
The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles
Ben Folds writes some particularly sad love songs.
The one that fits this thread best is perhaps Selfless, Cold and Composed
come on baby,
now throw me a right to the chin
don’t just stare like you never cared
I know you did
but you just smile
like a bank teller
blankly telling me:
“have a nice life”
Yes, Romeo and Juliet is special.
Travis Tritt’s Tell Me I Was Dreaming always gets me.
We All Fall In Love Sometimes — Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Face of Melinda by Opeth. The whole album it’s on is about the lead singer and his relationship with a girl named, you guessed it, Melinda. This song is about how they ran into each other after having not seen each other for a few years. The flame is still there, but she’s married.
Not sure about the saddest one ever, but it always gets me:
Cold day in July by the Dixie Chicks
(Links to youtube)
Her, with her head in her hands, in her barefeet, watching him drive away, ouch…
I’m Still Here By **Tom Waits *(Along with most of his other love songs).
*
You haven’t looked at me that way in years
You dreamed me up and left me here
How long was I dreaming for
What was it you wanted me for
Famous Blue Raincoat, especially as covered by Tori Amos.
Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.
A couple of very blue songs:
"Almost Blue" - Elvis Costello (The woman he’s with is a pale imitation of the woman he still wants. And nobody’s happy about it.)
Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
Theres a girl here and shes almost you
Almost all the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
Now your eyes are red from crying
Almost blue
"Once in a Very Blue Moon" - Nanci Griffith
I found your letter in my mailbox today
You were just checking if I was okay
And if I miss you, well, you know what they say
It’s just Once in a Very Blue Moon
Whiskey Lullaby - Brad Paisley & Allison Krauss.
“She put him out, like the burning end of a midnight cigarette.” I mean, who hasn’t been there…
Another vote for “Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits. What a song! Even the guitar hook near the end of the song that mirrors the “You and me babe – how about it?” lyric packs a wallop for me. You know the part I mean. Makes me think of a lonely guy calling out to his girl from the front steps of her building, knowing that she’ll never answer him.
I’d like to toss in “Coming Up Close” by 'Til Tuesday. A great song about a one night stand that felt like something much more:
“I thought just for an instant we could see the future,
I thought for once we knew what really was important”
“Coming up close,
everything sounds like “welcome home”.
Come home.
Come on home.”
Aimee Mann writes a hell of a song. Don’t let anyone tell you differently
Something’s Always Wrong by Toad the Wet Sprocket–always gets me
I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt
Back 2 Good by Matchbox 20
Ten Years Gone by Led Zeppelin…sad, and it has a great guitar hook!
Into My Arms by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The lyrics are so simple, to just write them out really doesn’t do them justice unless you can hear the emotion behind Nick’s voice when he sings them. Every time I’ve seen him live, there’s pretty much not a dry eye in the house during this song.
And then the video is just a close up on various people’s faces as they start crying. Jesus!
Ah, you beat me to it. So I shall submit Fish & Bird from the same LP. Oh, and that performance? I was there for that.
Oh hey, the whole thing is on YouTube! Frickin’ awesome!
I second 'Til Tuesday’s **Coming Up Close. ** It’s really a perfect song.
I also adore Tom Waits’ **“San Diego Serenade.” ** A beautiful song about regret and not knowing what you’ve got til it’s gone.
I just did a YouTube search. Holy Crap! That song has me reduced to a globbering mash of putty.