Ever since I was a teenager, I listened to music when I was feeling down. Remember my obsession with ABBA a few months ago? Sometimes, I’m in the mood for some hard rock to lift me out of the doldrums, and sometimes I just look for the most depressing song possible in order to feel MORE miserable. Once you hit bottom, you can laugh, and start your way up the ladder again.
Do any of you have any really depressing songs that you just LOVE? Songs about broken hearts, suicides, and cars going off the edges of mountains?
For my money, this old song (Blue Magic’s Side Show (1974)) is one of the saddest love songs I’ve ever heard. It also makes me think about how we post about our lives on blogs for others to read — like a sideshow. Read the downer lyrics!
Hurry, hurry, step right up
See the side show in town for only fifty cents
Step right up hurry, hurry, before the show begins, my friends
Stand in line, get your ticket, I hope you will attend
It’ll only cost you fifty cents to see
What life has done to those like you and me
See the man with the broken heart, you’ll see that he is sad, he hurts so bad (so bad, so bad)
See the girl who has lost the only love she ever had
There’s got to be no sadder show to see
No doubt about it, satisfaction’s guaranteed
So let the sideshow begin
Hurry, hurry, step right up on in
Can’t afford to pass it by
Guaranteed to make you cry
Let the sideshow begin (hurry, hurry)
Hurry, hurry, step right on in
Can’t afford to pass it by
Guaranteed to make you cry
See the man who’s been cryin’ for a million years, so many tears (so many tears)
See the girl who’s collected broken hearts for souvenirs
It’s more exciting than a one man band
The saddest little show in all the land
So let the side show begin (hurry, hurry)
Hurry, hurry, step right up on in
Can’t afford to pass it by
Guaranteed to make you cry
Let the sideshow begin
Hurry, hurry, step right on in
Can’t afford to pass it by
Guaranteed to make you cry
So let the sideshow begin (hurry, hurry)
Hurry, hurry, step right on in
Can’t afford to pass it by
Guaranteed to make you cry
Fortunately, after I listened to the song a few times, it made me laugh hysterically. Who the hell sits down and writes such a depressing song?!
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I remember that song!
I think Pink Floyd takes the cake for depressing, though. I wouldn’t even risk listening to it if I were feeling depressed already.
The Smiths “I Know It’s Over” is my Blue Magic’s Side Show.
Holy crap, I can’t believe how depressing it is!
You know, I never found Pink Floyd depressing. Maybe because I never could understand the lyrics, or people were always smoking pot around me. Which is a good depressing Pink Floyd song?
Thanks, pants. Good choice with The Smiths — but still not depressing enough to take the award.
I love I Know it’s Over by the Smiths. (The Name of the Game by Abba isn’t exactly cheerful is it?).
Ok, all of Nick Cave’s No More Shall We Part.
Gomez, We haven’t turned around
Don’t Speak by No Doubt
The River, Bruce Springsteen (I’m old school)
I love the song but it’s so sad, Famous Blue Raincoat — original version
ooooooooh… and Black by Pearl Jam.
Famous Blue Raincoat — too poetic to be really depressing. More sad in a wistful way.
Pearl Jam’s “Black” coming in a close second. That depressed me.
now i’m depressed too.
sigh.
Brooklyn Bridge – The Worst That Could Happen. I freaking love that song, and it’s so sad!
Sizzle, wait until we get up to “American Pie” and the “day the music died.” Then, you’ll really be depressed.
Bre — don’t know that one. Going to check it right now to see if it passes the “misery test.”
Eleanor Rigby (Beatles) is definitely my favorite depressing song.
I love Eleanor Rigby. Beatles songs are way too melodic to depress me.
Bre — Doo Wop doesn’t make me sad. And their shirts make me chuckle.
Brooklyn Bridge – Worst That Could Happen – Music Video via Noolmusic.com
Get Video Code For Brooklyn Bridge – Worst That Could Happen – Music Video
Actually, that last song made me laugh a lot, totally ruining my miserable mood. Please, I’m asking for depressing songs only.
Bre, you must be a very happy person if that is a sad song for you! (or maybe I’m too cynical and think it is probably better that he didn’t marry that girl anyway)
As much as I love her, most songs by Sarah McLachlan are pretty depressing.
There are two songs that are the “Beaches” of the music world for me. Something about them twists my gut every time. They are: In A Lifetime by Clannad & Bono… and This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush.
OK, it didn’t take the HTML… How did you all get the videos in there??
Clannad & Bono
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2N8w_Cy9Qz0
Kate Bush
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hm901CXujEg
I listen to The Moody Blues whenever I’m feeling particularly melancholy. They never help much, but they do remind me of my dad, and I like that.
(Can I be “The Mermaid”?)
I have always loved “Side Show.”
My sophomore year of college, I made a mix tape for studying purposes. My roommates quickly started referring to it as the “depressing music mix.” Why? Because when you’re single, it can be thoroughly depressing to hear songs about people who are so in love.
Not all of them are happy in love songs though. Some of them are of the begging variety — “If You Want Me to Stay” by Sly and the Family Stone, “You Ought to Be with Me” by Al Green, “Moondance” by Van Morrison.
In high school the song that always got me was Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind.”
Oh, and The Smiths? Some of my happiest memories involve their songs.
Aimee — This is an interesting exercise for me because music is pretty personal. Your choices don’t work for me at all! Maybe I need to have male singers singing to feel the pain. Clannad is too Irish/New Agey/ethereral for my taste.
I really like Kate Bush, but — this is going to make me sound like a typical guy — but I find her really hot, so I think less about the sad song and what she looks like naked. Sorry.
Kerrianne — I once thought a cassette tape of the Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin” was sending me secret messages.
“.. when red is gray, and yellow white, but we choose what is right….”
I think this might be a good choice for a sad song, but I’m having trouble figuring out if there is some hopefulness in the song, which undercuts the sadness. I mean he does say “I love you” a hundred times while the London Symphony Orchestra plays in the background.
One of my top depressing favs is You don’t Bring me Flowers – Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand. Painfully depressing! JP/deb
JanePoe — You Don’t Bring Me Flowers is a perfect example of a song that probably speaks more to a woman than a man. Believe me, if that was the song that touched me the most, I would never tell a soul!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cG7_jheC8A&feature=related
Irina — I changed my mind. Eleanor Rigby IS depressing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boc7rnhkLAk
ha ha Neil!
OK, this is cheesy but I think This Woman’s Work REALLY gets me because of the movie She’s Having A Baby… they play that song at the danger moment of almost losing the baby. And that movie came out when I didn’t even WANT a baby. At ALL. Must be something to all those female hormones after all.
I am gonna look through my iTunes tomorrow and see if I have any more for ya.
Your post reminded me of one of the worst job tasks I ever had, while working for a radio syndicator. They had me transcribing 100 songs from each of the formats they programmed. Actually, that was kind of fun — until I got to the Country songs, which were mostly about my wife has left me, my health is bad, I’ve lost my job and my home and I’m crying in my beer. By the end of that, I was super depressed.
“Will to Love” by Neil Young
What Was It Like by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Hurt by Johnny Cash
And the Counting Crows break my heart in a dozen different ways, but Speedway from This Desert Life album is the ultimate emotional trainwreck.
Aimee — Yes, but remember, I’m a man. I’m not going to be crying over songs about flowers or babies. It should be love lost, she “done him wrong,” she married another man, his momma is sick, his team lost the big game — you know stuff like that.
Donna — I don’t know too much about country music. Hey, Southern/Texan bloggers — surely there must be several really depressing country songs…
V-grrrl — I was never crazy about the Counting Crows. Sorry.
But, holy crap. I think you are winning now. I forgot about this Johnny Cash song. This one is going to be very very hard to beat on the depression meter! I think this even goes further than I want to go…
Even more depressing, in a bad way, is William Shatner singing Frank Sinatra’s “It Was a Very Good Year.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0GAjK64VZg&feature=related
I know I’m pretty much writing to my own comments, but hey, I’m having fun. You HAVE to watch that William Shatner video. It is so funny that I forgot all about being depressed.
this one from amy grant always makes me sad. i couldn’t find a clip, but here is a link to the lyrics.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/amy+grant/cry+a+river_20007630.html
ok…country…
raining you by brad paisley
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/paisley-brad/rainin-you-16144.html
i never knew lonely by vince gill
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/gill-vince/i-never-knew-lonely-6170.html
when we were still in love by trisha yearwood
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/yearwood-trisha/when-we-were-still-in-love-9933.html
not sure how depressing these are to anyone else…i like them because they make me sad. which is depressing!
Albinoni’s Adagio in G often expresses things for me that my inner drama queen can’t find words for. The slower the better, and strings only. I once had a cello centric version that was almost 13 minutes long. Pathos with a capitol “P”
Satie’s Gymnepodie #4 is like musical valium for me when I’m stressed and anxious.
The Shatner is priceless.
Neil, my acupuncturist who is also my therapist (apparently) says that it’s best to absolutely wallow when you’re feeling down. I’m taking his advice. My wallowing songs are many but I always come back to these:
Verdi Cries, Natalie Merchant. I feel like I’m the man in 119, taking his tea alone.
Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues Nina Simone… I haven’t got the strength to get up and take another shot…
Chelsea Hotel I need you, I don’t need you…
You can tell my mood by the songs at the top of my blog entries…
I’m pitchin’ my song here…confirming when feeling sorry for myself, hey, my own dog doo ain’t so deep –
1) The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia http://www.preterhuman.net/texts/lyrics_and_music_related/unsorted_lyrics/night_the_lights_went_out_in_georgia.txt
2 bonus points to be had for that fact it was performed by Vicki Lawrence and the fact that her husband wrote the song.
3rd bonus point for this performance of – http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=21918814
It’s a jazz song.
I listen to it in the tub.
Ummm… something about watching the man she loves get married….
Damn. I’m helpful.
suicide is painless – i think once you sit listening to that song without springing up to turn it off, you know you have the blues.
I remember “Side Show”!! Janis Ian’s “At 17″ made me want to jump off of a bridge. It so captured my teenage angst.
Finally! I can contribute something!
Failure by the Swans
(http://www.lyricsdepot.com/swans/failure.html)
“Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin is the most depressing song for me – but there’s a personal reason for that. I can see how someone might find the song uplifting.
Puff the Magic Dragon.
“Miss Misery” by Elliott Smith. I never thought that song could get more depressing. Until he killed himself.
so you want me to vote for you as “best humor blog” while making me want to slash my wrists?
a weirdly depressing but brilliant (and overlooked) song is “oh candy” by cheap trick. you think it’s just another girlfriend song, but it’s about a friend killing himself. when robin zander sings candy worked so hard
at doing what he thought was right
it really really don’t mean a thing
it reminds me of my late father, who had his share of failure despite his best efforts. i get all teary every time.
and “oh candy” can be seen here.
this really was a great post, neil, now that i think about it.
I second Johnny Cash “Hurt” above but also give “Mad World” by Roland Orzabal a shot.
Stevie Wonder..All In Love Is Fair
Pink Floyd… Wish You Were Here
Patsy Kline…Crazy
Bonnie Raitt…I can’t Make You Love Me
I could go on..and on…and on….
Oh Yeah…Billie Holiday… Good Morning Heart Ache….
This is truly embarrassing, but I listen to teen pop “downer” ballads because they’re so unbelievably dumb and pouty that they invariably make me realize how silly I’m being, and pull me out of my bad mood.
I have a whole playlist that I tap into when I need to “wallow”.
And when I need a pick-up? Disco, babY!
one that always got me, were the Beatles; yesterday.
brian mcknight: one last cry.
there was a whole list of them
but i’m kinda happy now so its all hermans hermits and the duprees for me. sorry!