by Elliot Fogarty

Created on: August 04, 2008   Last Updated: August 25, 2008

There's a playlist on my iPod simply entitled 'Sad Songs'. Unfortunately, as relationships come and go (or maybe just go) and things don't work out quite as they should, it's becoming something I'm scrolling back to again and again. There's nothing quite like music to hit the nerve when things aren't going your way. I've picked twenty songs that for me are some of the most poignant, most touching songs I've ever had the fortune of hearing. They're also not overly common- I have no doubt people will have heard of most if not all, but in trying to avoid the more obvious choices, I've discovered this particular selection. Here are the first ten (in no particular order), with part two following soon:

1) Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah
Arguably the greatest cover version of all time, Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's ghostly epic is a genuinely haunting affair. The final note lasts for what seems like an eternity and is a heartbreaking, fitting end to a song that combines Cohen's bittersweet lyrics with a voice that sounds it has been plucked from Heaven itself. It's a fitting tribute to an artist whose life was cut tragically short.

2) Ryan Adams- Wonderwall
Another cover, and one that rivals Hallelujah in terms of being able to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It would take a brave man to cover one of the 1990s great popular ballads (in the UK at least) but Adams' version is slower, more tender and, arguably drawing on influence from Jeff Buckley- highly moving.

3) Robyn- With Every Heartbeat (Live) This live version of Robyn's 2007 dance hit strips the song of the beat and gets straight to the essentials: Infact, there's only one essential here, and that's her voice. And it hurts with every heart beat' she sings. We all know what she's talking about.

4) Mogwai- Auto Rock
The only non-lyrical entrant to the list. Think of Hoppipolla by Sigur Rs (the theme from BBC's Planet Earth') and you'll get the idea. What starts off as a simple piano loop is quickly added to by crashing drums and in the end a noise so glorious, it could well bring a tear to your eye.

5) Moby- When It's Cold I'd Like To Die-
Fans of The Soprano's will recognize this song from a particularly poignant moment in the show's history, and from the negative lyrics (such as the aforementioned title) juxtaposing with the gradually building strings, this manages to trump Moby's previous efforts of Porcelain' and Why Does My Hear Feel So Bad?' as his most achingly beautiful song.

6) The Rolling Stones-

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