What is the saddest song?

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: open mike
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 10:22 PM

the song by Kathy Mattea "Where've You Been" often brings tears to my eye. Kate Wolf's "Give Yourself to Love" is always up-lifting.

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 10:08 PM

There aren't 'saddest', there are just heaps of 'sad'...like dead & dying kids, as in "Little Joe" and "Put My Little Shoes Away" and SO many songs of lost love, and things about lost DEAD love, like "Do You Think That I Do Not Know?".....

....and songs of leaving one's homeland.., and songs of unrequited love..(well, the good ones, anyway)..

too many to make a choice. (CERTAINLY not "Kilkelly, Ireland" ..which is "Long, & dreary" and is so overdone that I can no longer evaluate it!)

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 09:58 PM

"No More Beer From Kendal"

"The Old Pubs"

And "Dancing at Whitsun" -- I still have trouble getting through that without choking up.

Linn

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Mooh
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:37 PM

Kilkelly Ireland. Long, dreary, and tragic.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Joe_F
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:35 PM

"The Revel":

Then stand to your glasses steady.
This world is a world of lies.
Here's a sip to the dead already,
And a cup to the next that dies!

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: YOR
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:23 PM

"The Famous Final Scene" Bob Seger "Goodbye My Friend" and "Daddy's Little Girl" Karla Bonoff

Happiest sad song: "Lie In Our Graves" Dave Matthews Band

Enjoy, Roy

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: alanabit
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 11:53 AM

Not yet Greg, but somebody should pass on the idea! The image of Cohen and Dylan as miserable buggers is much overstated. There is a fair bit of wry humour in both of them. Listening to Dylan's "Mississippi" or "Most of the Time" is really down to the way you take it. If you take them at face value, they are both heartbreakers, but I like to think that he is poking fun at himself too. For me the saddest Dylan song is "If You See Her, Say Hello", because he is trying to deal with an unbearable separation and show respect for the woman at the same time. It's a tricky one, isn't it? What makes a song "sad"? A song about an unhappy love affair may be dealing with a theme which is of less importance and for fewer people than a song like "No Man's Land" or "The Flowers of the Forest". If we go along that path, we are on the way to evaluating the sadness of a song by its body count... On the happy front, Steve Knightley/Paul Downes' song "Friends" and Johnny Coppin's lovely "Never Lost for Love" always cheer me up.

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: beadie
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 11:52 AM

Saddest :: The Fields of Athon Rye

Happiest :: Variable, depending on my mood

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: greg stephens
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 11:10 AM

Has Leonard Cohen ever recorded "Your baby has gone down the plughole"?

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Hecate
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 10:54 AM

I'll add that I really like Leonard Cohen, and nominating him as miserable is in no way a criticism on my part. My parents played Leonard to me when I was very young, my folk club seems to think this explains a lot. Jon Harvison writes and sings some stonkingly miserable songs (getting back on subject) Mary Ellen Carter is a good candidate for most uplifting song, I'd probably vote for that if we were going to do something as alarmingly organised as voting.

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: GUEST,Fred Miller
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 10:51 AM

For me The Juniper Tree is both. It's from the point of view of a young girl sad to see her older sister grown and marrying, but putting a brave face on it. Sad/sad songs aren't as deeply sad as sad/happy, I think. But it's not really a been-dumped tune though. 10,000 Maniacs had a song called You'll Never Know, which was especially sad. The way I take it is that the death of an admired friend releases one from the pressure of having to live up a standard. The song swells with the feeling of that release, but is tragic, one is disappointed in one's self. Reminds me of J. Updike's story Deaths of Distant Friends. Ritchi Haven's cover of Here Comes The Sun is pretty darn happy.

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: GUEST,.gargole
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 10:42 AM

Morose Minstral Boy = the loss of youth and art to the bubble reputation of the cannon's mouth.

Elation Bethovan'sJoyful Joyful We Adore Thee in a toss up with Bach'sHallelujah Chorus

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 10:17 AM

Some more good contenders...

Saddest: "Most Of The Time" (Dylan)

Most Optimistic: "Piney Wood Hills" "Indian Cowboy In The Rodeo" "Native North American Child" "Sweet Little Vera" "He's A Pretty Good Man If You Ask Me" "97 Men/Don't Call Me Honey" (all by Buffy Sainte-Marie)

And "Oh Boy" by Buddy Holly.

How about that Buffy, eh?

- LH

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: kendall
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 09:53 AM

Saddest, The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Optomistic, The Happy Wanderer.

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Rich_and_Dee
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 09:29 AM

Saddest: "Land of the Leal" (Andy M. Stewart's version)

Stomp-your-foot-cheering-just-happy-to-be-here-happy: "Mary Ellen Carter"

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: GUEST,Lanfranc at the orifice
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 08:52 AM

It's probably classified as "Country", rather than "Folk", but I'd nominate Beth Neilsen Chapman's "Sand and Water".

Leonard Cohen is much misunderstood, imho; he can't help having a graveyard voice - I doubt if any of his detractors have ever seen him live.

Alan

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 08:07 AM

Chill Eastern Wind, by Andy Stewart

Skipjack

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Deckman
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 08:01 AM

I will offer "Mary of the Wild Moor" for saddest song! CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: GUEST,GUEST not Denzil
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:42 AM

So we have to start out with Brandy and Bon Jovi? What happened to folk music?

Subject: RE: What is the saddest song?
From: Hecate
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:27 AM

Most miserable song? "I am stretched on your grave" is fairly grim, and "Carrick Fergus" quite thoroughly depressing. Anything by Leonard Cohen has to be in with a shot. Cheerful songs? That's even harder. No, can't think of any.

Subject: What is the saddest song?
From: GUEST,Denzel
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 06:32 AM

What on your opinion is the saddest song of all time (the song you listen to after being dumbed by your boy/girl friend)? My own vote goes to Brandy's "Tomorrow".

On the contrary what do you think is the song with most positive attitude and optimism? In my opinion "It's my life" by Bon Jovi. Please share your opinion!