In the words of Elton John, "Sad songs say so much". And they do! Not only are they often great compositions, but they are a wonderful outlet when you are down or upset or just plain need a good cry! From hundreds of years ago with solemn classical pieces such as Mozart's Requiem, to the very poignant Everybody Hurts by REM.
But what is it about a song that makes it sound sad, regardless of the lyrics? Well, a lot of them tend to be played in a minor key, which is what gives that tone that seems to take a hold of your heart and give it a twist (especially when you're sad to start with!) These minor keys take things down a notch and the sound in itself sounds like failure - the sound you might hear when a love leaves, someone dies, something goes wrong, it rains Hence, the tears fall.
Here are a select few of the many millions of sad songs out there designed for you to indulge your darkest moments
In my opinion, one of the saddest songs ever recorded is Nothing Compares 2 U - originally recorded by Prince - but most recognized for its version by Sinead O'Conner. The fact that Sinead shed a tear herself while recording the video speaks for itself! The song, about lost love, the intention to move on, yet being unable to, is something most of us can probably relate to at some time in our lives. I doubt this song will age, since it doesn't really have any particular decade ring' to it, and it will forever be recognized, and after all, the loss of love will unfortunately always be a part of life, and so this song will be sobbed over many a time to come!
I believe that in every list of', there should be a Beatles song (except maybe list of worst..!) and so the saddest Beatles song I am going to have to say is Let it Be. A beautiful ballad which delivers a song bursting of words of wisdom, something to make you see a little clearer when you are down, but the tune cannot help but pry a tear from your eye, especially when things aren't going right. The solace in Paul's words that if when everything is going wrong, just, "Let it Be, There will be an answer, Let it be" And the time it was written makes it all the more emotional, since the Beatles were having such a hard time together at the end of the 1960's. Maybe Paul was delivering those words to himself more than anybody.
Somewhere over the Rainbow, sung by Eva Cassidy, is quite a melancholy take of the original. Entirely acoustic, the song immediately sounds lonely - one singer with one guitar. The pauses she makes in the middle of some sentences make it sound like the singer is pausing to contemplate the wishes she is singing about. The instrumental middle eight has such a melody to it, that the instruments and notes sound like they're sighing in defeat. Whereas it has not lost the same feel as Judy Garland put across, Eva's voice somehow carries the heartfelt wish for distant dreams, ambitions and that desire for wishes to come true - but only somewhere far away, over the rainbow.
Don Mclean's Vincent (Starry Starry Night) is a very vivid and poignant tribute to the artist Vincent Van Gogh. The song contains, like much of the painter's works, a great deal of imagery and illustration. But the song plays like a eulogy to the late artist. Starting off in the spring and summer, sketching trees and daffodils' but the song maintains a melancholy tone throughout. Soon, life moves on to autumn and winter with morning fields of amber grain, weathered faced lined in pain' suggests the passage of time, people getting older and times getting tougher. As we know, Vincent Van Gogh took his own life. Possibly the most heartbreaking line in the whole song, is "the silver thorn of bloody rose, lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow". It symbolizes something beautiful that has gone to ruin forever, such as the singer is telling of Vincent's life. The only solace provided, being This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you'. It is hard not to squeeze a tear out for this very illustrious song.
Forever Autumn was written by Justin Haywood of the Moody Blues for use on the War of the Worlds LP by Jeff Wayne. The song tells of how things will simply not be the same anymore "since you're not here" again reminding us of the loss of a loved one either because they left or because they died. It focuses, as the title suggests, on Autumn and winter - the cold and lonely seasons. "A gentle rain falls softly on my weary eyes, as if to hide a lonely tear." Sings the narrator of the song, which only makes us feel his pain and desperation at the haunting of the memory of the one who has departed.
James Blunt is a fairly new artist of the new century. Many of his songs can bring a tear to your eye, simply because of his very melodic voice and his ability to hit the high notes! One song that pops to mind when thinking of sad songs is Goodbye My Lover. I think the name really tells you where the song is headed A solo piano plays the tune, accompanied only by the occasional flute or string. This makes the tune feel isolating. Again, the song is about everything a couple goes through together, maybe focusing more on the little things that will be forever missed - "I've kissed your lips and held your hand, shared your dreams and shared your bed". But the singer has no choice but to accept that his love is gone and therefore has to say Goodbye and let go, with the hope that "as you move on, Remember me, remember us and all we used to be."
Heading back to the 1930's and my next choice is Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. Although the title may not be AS well know, everybody has probably heard the composition. It is a wonderfully emotional piece that has been used on many a TV show and movie, most notably 'Platoon'. This piece of music has a dark and dramatic feel to it, and yet a certain touching sadness. The strings alone take you through the paces, from the quiet somber beginning to the climatic crescendo and back to a calm, resigned ending. Yet throughout, you will find plenty of those moving minor keys.
Perhaps one of the saddest and heart wrenching songs of all time, covered by many artists and each as good as the next, is Old Shep. The song that tells a story about a boy and his dog who both grow up together and go through everything together, but when Shep gets old his owner has to put him down. Back when the song was written was in the days of using guns for putting animals out of their misery, making it all the more difficult. Anyone who has ever had to lose a pet knows what it is like and this song encapsulates it well. When I think of the words Sad Song' I think of Old Shep!
I could go on and on. The history of music is filled with ballads and emotive tunes. These were just a small handful of the ones that always bring a tear to my eye and a quiver to my lip!