Emotional / sad tracks

[rigger67]

On a serious note, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned songs either played at the funeral of a loved one or the dreaded "our song" of an ex-gf/bf/wife/hubby/partner.

For me, I find it hard to listen to Edith Piaf's .. Rien as it was the last song played at the funeral of a friend's daughter who committed suicide following a severe bout of schizophrenia a few years ago.
I'd known her all her life and she was only 20, fluent in French, studying it at the university where I was working at the time.

I thought I'd cried myself out at the actual funeral and was composing myself to leave when the ceremony came to a close, the curtains closing around her coffin .. then Piaf's voice started up and I began bawling again .. sheesh, I'm not far off it now either



But that's personal.
On purely musical terms, I've not really experienced anything like that level of sadness despite loving both Adagio and that Mahler symphony - both great shouts, btw.

Some boffin on here will no doubt explain how the descending cadences of a recidivist chord regression triggers a certain part of the brain before long though ..

[struth]

On a serious note, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned songs either played at the funeral of a loved one or the dreaded "our song" of an ex-gf/bf/wife/hubby/partner.

For me, I find it hard to listen to Edith Piaf's .. Rien as it was the last song played at the funeral of a friend's daughter who committed suicide following a severe bout of schizophrenia a few years ago.
I'd known her all her life and she was only 20, fluent in French, studying it at the university where I was working at the time.

I thought I'd cried myself out at the actual funeral and was composing myself to leave when the ceremony came to a close, the curtains closing around her coffin .. then Piaf's voice started up and I began bawling again .. sheesh, I'm not far off it now either



But that's personal.
On purely musical terms, I've not really experienced anything like that level of sadness despite loving both Adagio and that Mahler symphony - both great shouts, btw.

Some boffin on here will no doubt explain how the descending cadences of a recidivist chord regression triggers a certain part of the brain before long though ..

Yes i could. But wont go there. the worst one(played at my sons funeral still comes on radio and I have to turn off) is a robbie williams one I think. think its called Angels or sommat. takes me back to those dark days

[Sherwood]

A quick Baker's Dozen of saddish songs on my current "walkman" playlist.


1. "Let Them In" by John Gorka. Anti-war song lamenting loss of young lives.

2.Along the same anti-war lines: Elvis Costello's "Shipbuilding" by Robert Wyatt.

3. "Millworker" by Emmylou Harris. A song written by James Taylor that captures the misery of a life of drudgery.

4. "The River" by Bruce Springsteen. The death of blue collar aspirations.

5. "The Grave" by Don McLean. Still remember hearing it for the first time at my cousin's place back in 1971 when it first came out.

6. Must include a Randy Newman song so "Marie" performed by Rumer

7. "Galveston" as performed by Jimmy Webb on "10 Easy Pieces". Another anti-war song from the perspective of unwilling protagonist.

8. One from Otis Redding, "Pain in My Heart".

9. "If I Had a Gun" by Diana Jones. Difficult choosing one song from DJ as her voice has a melancholy quality that permeates all her songs.

10. Something by Scott Walker too, so it's "No Regrets"

11. No elaboration necessary: "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday.

12. No sad list would be complete without something from Laughing Len. "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Leonard Cohen

13. Finally a nod to the Beatles as songwriters. "In My Life" sung by Johnny Cash.


Geoff

[drSM]

Whoa Lotsa sad tunes to check out.
Lovely emotional bunch here . Thanks .
Will search these out.
Better get the tissue box handy

[Dynamics]

I was listening to Suo Gan (Welsh cradle song) from empire of the sun yesterday. That's a great sad song.

I remember watching the film as a 13 year old. This song is sad but reflective for me because it represents a time I will never get back to live again. Also more profoundly, a time of being younger where life was simple and easy and innocent, without complex thoughts of being an adult. This simplicity and innocence is reflected in the boy soprano voice. Also going to boarding school and the thoughts of leaving home and the seeing my mother and the trauma of repatriation, which is a theme in empire of the sun at the end when this song comes in again.

Maybe you shouldn't listen to it but in a funny sort of way it provides nourishment if that makes sense. Sorry if this is too deep.

[Haselsh1]

The most melancholy music I have is the album 'Dust and Dreams' by Camel. In true Prog Rock format it is a concept album based on the book 'The Grapes of Wrath'. This album has some incredibly haunting refrains that run through the whole piece constantly winding in and out of the main piece. Love it.

[rigger67]

The most melancholy music I have is the album 'Dust and Dreams' by Camel. In true Prog Rock format it is a concept album based on the book 'The Grapes of Wrath'. This album has some incredibly haunting refrains that run through the whole piece constantly winding in and out of the main piece. Love it.

Sounds great !
I only know Nude from them, which I love.
I'll give that a go