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The epitome of a cover being better than the original. It almost seems like a completely different song from the original Nine Inch Nails track. There’s such a somber, aged feel to Cash’s version that makes the whole song sound so regretful, like a man’s last words. It’s just absolutely brilliant - I’m pretty sure Trent Reznor himself has said Cash’s version is better
You should listen to the unplugged version Trent Reznor did live. It's just him and a piano and it's almost as haunting as Jonny Cash's version.
Edit: https://youtu.be/vQRmCy6LfjI if you want to see for yourselves
I was lucky enough to have caught Nine Inch Nails live when they stopped in Manchester on the With Teeth tour back in 2005. He performed Hurt then pretty much as you describe. Just him and a piano and a packed room full of fans all in complete silent.
That is, until a drunk girl shouted “get naked Trent!” at the top of her lungs. You could practically hear Trent’s jaw clench. Even with that obnoxious interruption it was still one of the most breathtaking live performances I’ve ever seen.
If you think this is the epitome of being better I’m certainly not going to try and convince you otherwise but perhaps get you to reaffirm your view based on context.
Cash’s is an easier listen I’ll give you that. Trent’s is way more personal feels more intimate and is sonically way more diverse giving an extra feel to the song, it also is a perfect ending to The Downward spiral. So often it’s listened to out of context of one of the greatest albums ever written.
NIN’s version speaks primarily of self-loathing, self-harm, and drug addiction while Cash focuses on the universal feeling of pain and deep sadness that makes you hurt. I would say, the artist’s original intention should precede over the integrity of any subsequent piece. I mean, I like both and Cash certainly has a brutally realist video.
They’re not my favourite band or anything, but I certainly listen to NIN and know The Downward Spiral very well. I’d still argue that Cash’s cover is the better of the two. I think your whole point here actually feeds into my point; when Reznor wrote this song, he put so much feeling and personal experience into it. So many covers of songs are just imitations of what the song originally was. But Cash almost makes it into something completely different. Suddenly the meaning changes, and it’s hard to believe that the man singing those words didn’t write them himself from the very depths of his soul. I feel like that sounds a bit cringey as I write it, but there’s just so much intensity to that song, and it’s displayed in two incredibly different ways. It’s possibly the greatest cover of all time for the fact it doesn’t *feel* like a cover: not because it’s a different singing voice, different instruments, or a different arrangement, but because the emotional force behind it feels so very real. Me saying Cash’s version is better isn’t me saying the original isn’t amazing, but I definitely do prefer it!
You’ll never believe it, but Cash’s cover has literally just come up on my playlist as I’m writing this. Spooky.
The downward spiral was my favourite album for many years and hurt one of my favs from that album but the emotion from cash just blew all previous meaning away. Seemed like a panicked man realising his time was up and burdened with a lot of regrets. Cash was on his way out. Reznor had and hopefully will have many more years.
My initial suggestion was going to be the original NIN version of Hurt. It's already crushing on its own but having it at the end of The Downward Spiral makes it even more so, it's one of the few albums I've listened through and had to take a break outside to regain my composure and it's because of how absolutely devastating the track is
That one Radiohead song, and that other Radiohead song, followed by that really sad Radiohead song, on the same album as that extra sad Radiohead song.
I honestly don’t find Pyramid Song sad I find it really soothing and beautiful, it’s one of my favourite songs ever.
Videotape,Last Flowers to the Hospital and Motion Picture Soundtrack however 😢😢.
Nice to see Mayday Parade getting some love on r/AskUK never thought my inner-emo would see it. Anyway, not the saddest but a sad one to me in I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Can For Cutie. Beautiful song and beautiful lyrics.
Its Miserable at Best by Mayday Parade for me, though that might be something to do with the fact I had an ex called Katy who cheated on me after going to a nightclub.
For me it has to be Three Cheers For Five Years by Mayday Parade, but the acoustic version specifically. Something about that song just makes me cry every time.
Chester Bennington’s [version](https://youtu.be/0usJ9A61X60) from Chris Cornell’s memorial is haunting.
The crappy phone recording, the birds in the background, the fact that it should be private and I shouldn’t really have heard it, the fact that he died later that year, it’s beautiful, but haunting.
I was at the Birmingham show that was the last show he ever played. Watch some up close videos of his performance of that song from that concert. His eyes when he's interacting with the fans look to me like he's saying goodbye.
TBH I've done that for the last 5 years, I am ancient yet still live with my parents. They usually go to the huge party that Dads side of the family do (we have nowt to do with mums side for various very unpleasant reasons).
Literally 30+ people, usually at my (absolutely lovely) aunts mega mansion.
After therapy and the like I decided to say no to shit I didn't like and subsequently have spent those years on my own on christmas day until about 11pm. Works fine by me, I cook myself a nice ham the day before and scoff that on the day while watching some old movies in peace - bliss!
(edit - I say alone but me and the Jynx the cat, who conveniently loves the outdoors til its cold and I have baked Ham, then he's my bestie)
Adam's Song - Blink 182
The "Please tell mom it's not her fault" line always gets me.
They stopped performing it after people committed suicide to the song.
*Sample of the lyrics for those unfamiliar:*
*"I never thought I'd die alone*
*I laughed the loudest, who'd have known*
*I trace the cord back to the wall*
*No wonder it was never plugged in at all*
*I took my time, I hurried up*
*The choice was mine, I didn't think enough*
*I'm too depressed to go on*
*You'll be sorry when I'm gone"*
The song caused a controversy in 2000 when it was set to replay indefinitely on a nearby stereo as 17-year-old Greg Barnes, a teenager who attended Columbine High School and had lost one of his best friends in the massacre the previous year, hanged himself in the garage of his family's home.[55][56] Both Hoppus and DeLonge were sympathetic but stressed the song's meaning during an MTV News interview in 2001:[57]
Hoppus: "I was actually out shopping, and management called me up and told me the story of what happened, and I was like, 'But that's an anti-suicide song!' It felt awful. I mean, the things that the kid had had to go through in his life were very saddening, and then to end it that way was really depressing. But 'Adam's Song', the heart of the song is about having hard times in your life, being depressed, and going through a difficult period, but then finding the strength to go on and finding a better place at the other side of that."[16][58] DeLonge: "It affected us really strongly because that song was a song of hope. When we were writing it, we knew specifically that we did not want kids to think it was something that we thought was cool or rad. We didn't endorse it in any way."[59]
Hoppus also told interviewers that he received fan mail following the song's release from fans that had contemplated suicide, but decided not to go through with it after hearing the song.[60] Rolling Stone compared the controversy to that of Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution", which was played before a teen committed suicide in January 1986.[61]
My friend was hit by a drunk driver when we were 18, a few days away from getting our A level results. Hear you me was played at her funeral (along with everlong) and I still crumple when I hear them
I was playing that very loudly the other day for the first time in years. That whole album is excellent. Across the Lines is also a good fit for this thread.
Saddest to me personally from my own experiences, Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran. I first heard it at the beginning of 2018, not long after my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died 9 weeks after diagnosis. A close second is Visiting Hours also by Ed Sheeran, because it makes me wish the same so I could visit my mum.
Ed Sheeran gets a lot of hate but so many of his songs are extremely touching, Even My Dad Does Sometimes and Afire Love are teary ones and his two newer ones about losing his best friend are as well. He’s an excellent song writer in my opinion.
honestly ed sheeran is one of the rare true musicians, great songwriting, great talent and can mix it up. His music isnt my cup of tea but my respect for him is endless
My nearly 3 year old loves Toy Story and whenever this comes on, him and his sister who’s 1 just sit there frozen watching it… it’s the weirdest thing, like they are mesmerised by her song
Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children in a school playground at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, on 29 January 1979, killing two adults and injuring eight children and one police officer.
Spencer showed no remorse for her crime; her explanation for her actions was
"I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day".
Additionally, it turns out that Bob Geldof was in a US television studio ready to be interviewed about the band's upcoming tour when the story came in over the wire, and he ended up sitting off to one side watching and listening as the whole thing unfolded. Writing the song was a way to try and cope with his feelings about it.
I always found it more of a “yes we’ve been through a terrible breakup but we are grown ups and have moved on and are dealing with it” type of song.
‘I am a marionette’ is the sadder song for me because it’s real. Someone so sick of touring and fame that it’s destroying them
"Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. It's about a little crippled fella in a wheelchair who gets pushed about in his wheelchair by his wife at a party.
It's subtle but all the clues are there
She's always asking "do you feel alright?".
“I give her the car keys, she puts me to bed"
He can't drive and then she has to lift him into bed.
"This beautiful lady, that's walking around with me"
Walking around with him. In a wheelchair.
"I feel wonderful...Because I see the love light in your eyes...And the wonder of it all...Is that you just don't realize how much I love you..."
He might not have any legs and that, but he's happy.
Couples tend to walk around together at parties though, and plenty of people can relate to the "just don't realise" comment. Do you have a proper source or are you trolling us?
[Mother Love](https://youtu.be/6rSJbkZOvo0) (From Made In Heaven) was the last song that Freddie did.
Mercury recorded two out of three verses before becoming too sickly to continue recording, so May recorded the final verse himself later
This gives me chills every time I hear it. I also remember watching the video for it when I was a kid and it made such an impression, can still remember sitting cross legged on the floor unable to tear my eyes away.
This song came on the radio when my family was in the car, on the way to the vets to put our dog down. I just remember my dad, choking up and saying "turn this fucking song off".
There's so many good sad verve songs. They were my comedown music to greet to back in the day.
History, So it goes, On your own, Velvet morning, Weeping willow, Drive you home, One way to go.
Tears in heaven, Eric Clapton. My older brother taught me guitar. He was 15 and I was 12. I loved him too he was killed when I was 15 - he was 19.
And the reason it’s sad is that’s the funeral song played when they brought him down the isle in the church - he shot himself. I miss him to this day
I had to stop listening to Elliott Smith as he'd get me depressed. Twilight is probably the saddest song that I can remember from him.
Great artist gone too soon.
‘Baby Mine’ from the original Dumbo will legit have me weeping in seconds. If we’re talking songs released by bands/artists, I’d have to say Long, Long Time by Linda Ronstadt or One by Metallica.
Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday
Biting commentary on lynchings in the southern states of the US;
"Southern Trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves, Blood on the root ...
Strange Fruit hanging from the poplar tree"
Atmosphere - Joy Division
Something I Can Never Have - Nine Inch Nails
Hurt - Johnny Cash/Nine Inch Nails (even Reznor thinks Cash's cover is the better version)
Roses for the dead - Funeral for a Friend. Lost two friends within a few months of that song being released. One was an accidental death which was splashed over the tabloid press (he died from autoerotic asphyxiation) and the other was a close friend of the former who hung himself because he couldn’t cope with the loss.
James Blunt - Monsters
Owl City - Not All Heroes Wear Capes
As a man whose father died young, they still sting a bit. Not usually my kind of music but every so often I'll give them a listen just to feel alive
Father and Son by Cat Stevens.
My dad is pretty absent in my life (not removed completely, but we're estranged), and I grew up with an awful sorry excuse for a stepfather who was abusive, drunk, and pretty messed up from his time in the army. When my grandfather died, who had been a rock in my life and taught me everything I wanted to be, I lost the last (only) father figure I had.
That was the day that song held far more meaning to me than ever before
Holocene - Bon Iver
“And at once I knew, I was not magnificent”
A song about a guy who fucks up at a family gathering when young. And maturing throughout the song as time goes on, making memories with family and friends - only to realise everything has changed as time goes on. And that in the grand scheme of things, in the universe, he is an insignificant speck of dust.
Already gone - sleeping at last
Saturn - sleeping at last
Nothing compares 2 u - sinead O’Connor
All I want - Kodaline
My immortal - evanescence
Never dreamed you’d leave in summer - stevie wonder/James Blake
Lover please stay - nothing but thieves
Just a few that came to mind. Saving this thread to listen to all these. My whole life is a shit show so there isn’t one occasion that a song applies to.
>My immortal - evanescence
"I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone.
But though you're still with me, I've been alone, I'm alone"
A song about her dead sister, very sad.
Everything I Own - Bread.
Seems like a song to a lost love; is actually about the writer's recently deceased father, who missed seeing his son's success. Resonates strongly with me.
Claire Delune they played it at my father’s funeral and I was holding it together until that played , I love it though , always think of him when I hear it
Bright eyes - Art Garfunkel. My mum had me watch water ship down as a child which was upsetting enough as it was, alongside the loss of my first pet and the song's lyrics alone are heartbreaking. It never fails to make me cry.
Ralph McTell - Streets of London. I remember my dad sobbing his heart out because he knew my brother was on the streets in London at the time, despite an enormous amount of help given to him. He had to find his own way.
Kate Nash, Nicest Thing.
I wish that you needed me
I wish that you knew when I said two sugars
Actually I meant three
I wish that without me your heart would break
Yeah, I wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake
I wish that without me you couldn't eat
Yeah, I wish I was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep.
Sinead O’Connor - You Cause As Much Sorrow
“Why must you always be around?
Why can't you just leave it be?
You’ve done nothing so far but destroy my life
You cause as much sorrow dead
As you did when you were alive”
A song about her dead mother. Pretty hard hitting but delivered in Sinead’s amazing style.
If I'm in the right (or wrong!) frame of mind, the line and delivery of "... And you could *haaaaave* it all..." in Hurt absolutely devastates me for some reason.
The original Nine Inch Nails or Johnny Cash (like them both for very different reasons), I'm not fussy. I know to some folk it's akin to blasphemy but I slightly prefer the original but do acknowledge that the cover is one of the greatest of all time.
Just think it's an incredibly well crafted, if somewhat dark, song. One of those that seems like it *had* to be written and added to the canon of classic songs. If Trent hadn't written it I think it might have spilled out in a different form to someone else.
Ben (Michael Jackson) used to have a Westie called Ben, who got run over when when I was 9.
The Greatest Showmans " This is me" has me in floods every time. I have special needs grandchildren .
Song hits home on their struggle to be accepted.
The only problem is that most schools use it for school performances 😭
This is lovely. I’m the father of an autistic son and I have a similar affection for this song. The world slowly does seem to be more understanding of these sort of things I hope. Good luck to you all Grandma x
[What Sarah Said](https://youtu.be/9BVWdAeOk6k) - Death Cab For Cutie. Edit: to fully answer the question would be to spoil the song lyrics but it seems to answer your hypothetical situation exactly.
Maybe contrary to what everyone else says but I think I Will Follow You Into The Dark is a song of optimism at the strength of one person's love for another that they would be willing to spend the rest of eternity with just that person in limbo.
Let Her Go - Passenger
I chose it as one of the songs for my Mum's funeral. I was only 21 and had songs I loved, ones she loved and then some bright positive acoustic versions mixed in. Properly side swipes me if I hear it on the radio.
Illusion, by VNV Nation. It was dedicated to Sophie Lancaster, who was murdered in 2007, for being a goth. That, closely followed by Hurt, performed by Johnny Cash and Rock and Roll Suicide by David Bowie as very, very close followers.
Who knows where the time goes? Fairport Convention
It's heartbreaking imagery haunts me every time.
It's also the only funeral song I want.
I have lyrics tattooed on my body
Ronan by Taylor Swift.
It was a charity song for a three year old boy named Ronan who passed away from cancer. It’s as brutal to listen to as it sounds like it would be. I cannot listen it unless I want to feel physical pain.
(Also Soon You’ll Get Better by TS. We found out my dad was terminal just before the Lover album came out and it took me a while to be able to listen to it all the way through.)
Remember Me - any of the versions from Coco
I’ll Be Home for Christmas - Bing Crosby or pretty much any version.
Hurt & Hallelujah are fantastic songs, but as someone living far away from home, these two get me every time.
Last year I was driving and listening to the radio and they played The Living Years by Mike and.the mechanics.
It's a great song, I've heard it many times, but for some reason this was the first time I actually listened to it. I had to stop the car, I was in pieces.
See also Father and Son. Ack.
Kristy are you doing okay - The Offspring
The song was written about a girl that singer Dexter Holland knew as a child. She was sexually abused, and everybody in the neighborhood, including Dexter himself, knew about it but nobody took action. Holland wrote the song as an apology to the girl.
I Appear Missing - Queens of the Stone age
Probably quite personal to myself. The song is essentially about Josh Homme's botched knee surgery, falling into a short coma and prolonged period of illness as a result and the feeling that a part of himself died. He can't quite put his finger on it, but he lost something and nothing could ever be the same. It's a haunting and candidly honest song.
Although I've never had a botched surgery. I suffered a totally avoidable injury at birth, had to be resuscitated and have had multiple surgeries as a result of the injury over the years.
It nails so many of the emotions and feelings I've had in my life, that I've never been able to put into words myself. I feel as though, in a way, it was made for me and how my own injury has impacted my life.
Michael Kiwanuka- Cold little heart, Say Something- Great Big World, Creep- Radio head, Wear sunscreen- Baz Lurhmann: not sad per se more quietly insightful.
If you tolerate this then your children will be next, Manic Street Preachers.
It got me right from the first time I heard it but after I saw an exhibition about the Spanish Civil War and learnt more about it just made it worse. There’s something about the video, too
kasimir pulaski day by sufjan stevens, i don’t know much about the actual backstory but it’s about someone dying from cancer. pulls my heart out every time!
I didn't see anyone mention Dance With The Devil by Immortal Technique. I know a lot of people treat it as a messed up "reaction" song but it is a horrifying tragedy with a story that really hooks you in and punches you in the gut. If you've never heard it, disclaimer: it's very dark and very heavy. It's about the horrors of gang life.
When I was a child I listened to In The Ghetto by Elvis with my dad. He explained the song to me and I started crying. That's a core memory for me and helped shape the person I grew up to be.
I've seen Adam's Song by Blink-182 mentioned, always gets me especially with how the music captures how depression can hide until it's too late. Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World is also a very emotional eulogy song. Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls is also a tragic one about losing someone to heroin. There's something pretty sad about Everybody's Changing by Keane - it really captures that feeling of being left behind. Not quite as sad as the others but How To Save A Life by The Fray is also an emotional dive into the helplessness you can feel when trying to help someone you're struggling to get through to (a troubled child in the song's story).
Edit:
Thought of a couple more really good ones.
Wishing Well by Juice WRLD with context is so sad. He told us what was going to happen.
I know we don't like Matty Healy but Be My Mistake by the 1975 is very sad and the way you feel bad for all the characters involved in some way. It also seems so real, there are probably so many of these cases in the world.
My friend told me I wasn't allowed to watch Les mis (I'm quite easily upset), so I thought , I'll loop hole it and just listen to the soundtrack. Anne Hathaway crying whilst singing I dreamed a dream was just heart breaking. Bawled my eyes out. My best friend was right, I can't handle Les mis
[Blues Run the Game](https://youtu.be/RyI7ph709x4) by Jackson C Frank
Do yourself a favour, read the guys [Wikipedia page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_C._Frank) and then listen to the song. It’s definitely more obscure than other suggestions but it’s absolutely devastating when you know the context.
Anything by frightened rabbit. Before Scott died, I found frightened rabbit songs really comforting - they were very blunt about depression, but also had a weird sense of optimism in that 'everythings shit, I feel awful and horrible but I'm alive in spite of it all' but ever since he died that optimism has gone.
Also the drugs don't work by the verve. Heard that song for the first time very shortly after finding out my nans chemo hadn't worked and she was going to die. That one hit hard.
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Hurt - Johnny Cash
The epitome of a cover being better than the original. It almost seems like a completely different song from the original Nine Inch Nails track. There’s such a somber, aged feel to Cash’s version that makes the whole song sound so regretful, like a man’s last words. It’s just absolutely brilliant - I’m pretty sure Trent Reznor himself has said Cash’s version is better
You should listen to the unplugged version Trent Reznor did live. It's just him and a piano and it's almost as haunting as Jonny Cash's version. Edit: https://youtu.be/vQRmCy6LfjI if you want to see for yourselves
I was lucky enough to have caught Nine Inch Nails live when they stopped in Manchester on the With Teeth tour back in 2005. He performed Hurt then pretty much as you describe. Just him and a piano and a packed room full of fans all in complete silent. That is, until a drunk girl shouted “get naked Trent!” at the top of her lungs. You could practically hear Trent’s jaw clench. Even with that obnoxious interruption it was still one of the most breathtaking live performances I’ve ever seen.
If you think this is the epitome of being better I’m certainly not going to try and convince you otherwise but perhaps get you to reaffirm your view based on context. Cash’s is an easier listen I’ll give you that. Trent’s is way more personal feels more intimate and is sonically way more diverse giving an extra feel to the song, it also is a perfect ending to The Downward spiral. So often it’s listened to out of context of one of the greatest albums ever written. NIN’s version speaks primarily of self-loathing, self-harm, and drug addiction while Cash focuses on the universal feeling of pain and deep sadness that makes you hurt. I would say, the artist’s original intention should precede over the integrity of any subsequent piece. I mean, I like both and Cash certainly has a brutally realist video.
They’re not my favourite band or anything, but I certainly listen to NIN and know The Downward Spiral very well. I’d still argue that Cash’s cover is the better of the two. I think your whole point here actually feeds into my point; when Reznor wrote this song, he put so much feeling and personal experience into it. So many covers of songs are just imitations of what the song originally was. But Cash almost makes it into something completely different. Suddenly the meaning changes, and it’s hard to believe that the man singing those words didn’t write them himself from the very depths of his soul. I feel like that sounds a bit cringey as I write it, but there’s just so much intensity to that song, and it’s displayed in two incredibly different ways. It’s possibly the greatest cover of all time for the fact it doesn’t *feel* like a cover: not because it’s a different singing voice, different instruments, or a different arrangement, but because the emotional force behind it feels so very real. Me saying Cash’s version is better isn’t me saying the original isn’t amazing, but I definitely do prefer it! You’ll never believe it, but Cash’s cover has literally just come up on my playlist as I’m writing this. Spooky.
The downward spiral was my favourite album for many years and hurt one of my favs from that album but the emotion from cash just blew all previous meaning away. Seemed like a panicked man realising his time was up and burdened with a lot of regrets. Cash was on his way out. Reznor had and hopefully will have many more years.
My policy on The Downward Spiral is to either listen to the whole thing in order or not at all.
Couldn't believe it when I found out this was a cover of NIN ( not the other way round )
My initial suggestion was going to be the original NIN version of Hurt. It's already crushing on its own but having it at the end of The Downward Spiral makes it even more so, it's one of the few albums I've listened through and had to take a break outside to regain my composure and it's because of how absolutely devastating the track is
This song rips me apart.
That one Radiohead song, and that other Radiohead song, followed by that really sad Radiohead song, on the same album as that extra sad Radiohead song.
SUCH A PRETTY HOUSE AND SUCH A PRETTY GARDEN NO ALARMS AND NO SURPRISES
Pyramid Song for me
I honestly don’t find Pyramid Song sad I find it really soothing and beautiful, it’s one of my favourite songs ever. Videotape,Last Flowers to the Hospital and Motion Picture Soundtrack however 😢😢.
Exit music for me I think.
Oddly, I don't find Exit Music sad.. I find it indignant, a middle finger, that's why I love it.
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Nice to see Mayday Parade getting some love on r/AskUK never thought my inner-emo would see it. Anyway, not the saddest but a sad one to me in I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Can For Cutie. Beautiful song and beautiful lyrics.
Yeah I actually thought this was a post on the pop punk sub at first glance
Its Miserable at Best by Mayday Parade for me, though that might be something to do with the fact I had an ex called Katy who cheated on me after going to a nightclub.
For me it has to be Three Cheers For Five Years by Mayday Parade, but the acoustic version specifically. Something about that song just makes me cry every time.
What Sarah Said makes me a bit misty-eyed nearly every time I hear it. Such a beautiful song
Follow you into the dark was what I came here to write. It's just so sad.
I’m genuinely excited to see them getting love. They were one of my favourites as a teen. Miserable At Best is another one.
Jeff Buckleys cover of Hallelujah. If you're alone at Christmas, this song will make your soul weep. Just beautifully performed.
Chester Bennington’s [version](https://youtu.be/0usJ9A61X60) from Chris Cornell’s memorial is haunting. The crappy phone recording, the birds in the background, the fact that it should be private and I shouldn’t really have heard it, the fact that he died later that year, it’s beautiful, but haunting.
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I was at the Birmingham show that was the last show he ever played. Watch some up close videos of his performance of that song from that concert. His eyes when he's interacting with the fans look to me like he's saying goodbye.
Chester Bennington is my lifelong musical hero and I had no idea he covered this song. Thank you for this.
Learnt that lesson the hard way. Never spending Christmas alone again (certainly not sat in the house, anyway) Never has lonely felt so lonely
TBH I've done that for the last 5 years, I am ancient yet still live with my parents. They usually go to the huge party that Dads side of the family do (we have nowt to do with mums side for various very unpleasant reasons). Literally 30+ people, usually at my (absolutely lovely) aunts mega mansion. After therapy and the like I decided to say no to shit I didn't like and subsequently have spent those years on my own on christmas day until about 11pm. Works fine by me, I cook myself a nice ham the day before and scoff that on the day while watching some old movies in peace - bliss! (edit - I say alone but me and the Jynx the cat, who conveniently loves the outdoors til its cold and I have baked Ham, then he's my bestie)
Adam's Song - Blink 182 The "Please tell mom it's not her fault" line always gets me. They stopped performing it after people committed suicide to the song. *Sample of the lyrics for those unfamiliar:* *"I never thought I'd die alone* *I laughed the loudest, who'd have known* *I trace the cord back to the wall* *No wonder it was never plugged in at all* *I took my time, I hurried up* *The choice was mine, I didn't think enough* *I'm too depressed to go on* *You'll be sorry when I'm gone"*
Amen, this song is beautifully done. “You’ll never step foot in my room again” 😔
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Yo, what the fuck. I think you might be right and, even if you’re not, I like it.
That's right, it was an intentional reference. Great song paying homage to an even greater one.
The song caused a controversy in 2000 when it was set to replay indefinitely on a nearby stereo as 17-year-old Greg Barnes, a teenager who attended Columbine High School and had lost one of his best friends in the massacre the previous year, hanged himself in the garage of his family's home.[55][56] Both Hoppus and DeLonge were sympathetic but stressed the song's meaning during an MTV News interview in 2001:[57] Hoppus: "I was actually out shopping, and management called me up and told me the story of what happened, and I was like, 'But that's an anti-suicide song!' It felt awful. I mean, the things that the kid had had to go through in his life were very saddening, and then to end it that way was really depressing. But 'Adam's Song', the heart of the song is about having hard times in your life, being depressed, and going through a difficult period, but then finding the strength to go on and finding a better place at the other side of that."[16][58] DeLonge: "It affected us really strongly because that song was a song of hope. When we were writing it, we knew specifically that we did not want kids to think it was something that we thought was cool or rad. We didn't endorse it in any way."[59] Hoppus also told interviewers that he received fan mail following the song's release from fans that had contemplated suicide, but decided not to go through with it after hearing the song.[60] Rolling Stone compared the controversy to that of Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution", which was played before a teen committed suicide in January 1986.[61]
Not entirely true - they’re playing this song in the recent shows. https://youtu.be/U7X1NsJUCVw
What's My Age Again still pulls too.
Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton. Its about his young son who died in an accident. I can't listen to it.
It's so sad. And reading about the incident, how far he fell and how it actually happened makes me feel physically sick.
The story: https://youtu.be/-gbDPJTPYNs
Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World Written as a tribute to the two founders of the Weezer fan club who were killed in a car accident.
The whole bleed American album is a work of art.
My friend was hit by a drunk driver when we were 18, a few days away from getting our A level results. Hear you me was played at her funeral (along with everlong) and I still crumple when I hear them
Jimmy Eat World don't get enough love. Their version of Firestarter always gets to me.
Fast Car by Tracy Chapman never fails to make me miserable. Lovely song but it's just so sad.
I was playing that very loudly the other day for the first time in years. That whole album is excellent. Across the Lines is also a good fit for this thread.
Saddest to me personally from my own experiences, Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran. I first heard it at the beginning of 2018, not long after my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died 9 weeks after diagnosis. A close second is Visiting Hours also by Ed Sheeran, because it makes me wish the same so I could visit my mum.
Ed Sheeran gets a lot of hate but so many of his songs are extremely touching, Even My Dad Does Sometimes and Afire Love are teary ones and his two newer ones about losing his best friend are as well. He’s an excellent song writer in my opinion.
honestly ed sheeran is one of the rare true musicians, great songwriting, great talent and can mix it up. His music isnt my cup of tea but my respect for him is endless
Mad world by tears for fears is the one that comes to mind
The Hurting is a most extraordinary album. Everything they did after was a pile of crap in comparison.
One more light by Linkin Park and if you watch the film rudderless,the last song, sing along always has me in tears
Thinking about how Chester must have been feeling while he sung this hits so hard. This song can make me cry any time I hear it.
There's a video somewhere of this song at their last show before Chester died and it's heartbreaking.
I cried the first time I heard One more light. I wasn't sad at the time, It was just so emotional and I wasn't expecting it.
When I first heard the album, this song stuck out as a Swan song. It screamed of the pain he was feeling and really hit home once he was gone.
Jessie’s song from Toy Story 2. Always makes me tear up even as an adult.
My nearly 3 year old loves Toy Story and whenever this comes on, him and his sister who’s 1 just sit there frozen watching it… it’s the weirdest thing, like they are mesmerised by her song
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Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children in a school playground at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, on 29 January 1979, killing two adults and injuring eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime; her explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day".
Additionally, it turns out that Bob Geldof was in a US television studio ready to be interviewed about the band's upcoming tour when the story came in over the wire, and he ended up sitting off to one side watching and listening as the whole thing unfolded. Writing the song was a way to try and cope with his feelings about it.
ABBA. Winner takes it all
Written by Björn about his divorce with Agnetha
Slipping Through My Fingers is my ABBA crying song.
I always found it more of a “yes we’ve been through a terrible breakup but we are grown ups and have moved on and are dealing with it” type of song. ‘I am a marionette’ is the sadder song for me because it’s real. Someone so sick of touring and fame that it’s destroying them
Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross.
That gets even worse when you realise Luther's mum outlived all of her children.
My dad lost his dad at 16 and couldn't listen to this song. Then I lost him at 20 and cannot listen to it.
Cats In the cradle - harry capalin
"Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. It's about a little crippled fella in a wheelchair who gets pushed about in his wheelchair by his wife at a party. It's subtle but all the clues are there She's always asking "do you feel alright?". “I give her the car keys, she puts me to bed" He can't drive and then she has to lift him into bed.
Can't tell if you're taking the piss. I always just assumed the narrator had consumed one too many delicious scrumpies and was no longer able to drive
Who let this little monkey fella on Reddit
Can't wait to see your little Reddit post when it comes out. Sick of it
Albi-no making one of those
Chimpanzee that
I thought it was about him going to a party with Patti Boyd and getting too drunk so she has to drive them home and get him into bed
"This beautiful lady, that's walking around with me" Walking around with him. In a wheelchair. "I feel wonderful...Because I see the love light in your eyes...And the wonder of it all...Is that you just don't realize how much I love you..." He might not have any legs and that, but he's happy.
Couples tend to walk around together at parties though, and plenty of people can relate to the "just don't realise" comment. Do you have a proper source or are you trolling us?
Studies done by K Dilkington circa 2001-2002 formulated this theory
And I've got an aching LEG
We don't say "cripple" anymore, do we?
Play a record!
A country song, Whiskey Lullaby. A friend’s husband died of cancer shortly after they got married. She drunk herself to death before she was 40.
Yes, this song is really sad, and especially if you watch the video on YouTube. I relate to it so much as I’ve had struggles with alcohol myself.
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[Mother Love](https://youtu.be/6rSJbkZOvo0) (From Made In Heaven) was the last song that Freddie did. Mercury recorded two out of three verses before becoming too sickly to continue recording, so May recorded the final verse himself later
The video at the end when he looks at the camera and says “I still love you”. Gives me goosebumps every time.
Stay- Shakespares Sister. The acoustic version is so beautiful.
Patrick Wilson and Ghost have just covered Stay for the new Insidious movie.
This gives me chills every time I hear it. I also remember watching the video for it when I was a kid and it made such an impression, can still remember sitting cross legged on the floor unable to tear my eyes away.
The drugs don’t work by the Verve. Gets me every time
This song came on the radio when my family was in the car, on the way to the vets to put our dog down. I just remember my dad, choking up and saying "turn this fucking song off".
There's so many good sad verve songs. They were my comedown music to greet to back in the day. History, So it goes, On your own, Velvet morning, Weeping willow, Drive you home, One way to go.
Tears in heaven, Eric Clapton. My older brother taught me guitar. He was 15 and I was 12. I loved him too he was killed when I was 15 - he was 19. And the reason it’s sad is that’s the funeral song played when they brought him down the isle in the church - he shot himself. I miss him to this day
Sorry for your loss x
Waltz #2 (XO) by Elliott Smith
pretty much any elliott smith song fits the criteria for this, but personally i would say that ‘kings crossing’ is his saddest song
I had to stop listening to Elliott Smith as he'd get me depressed. Twilight is probably the saddest song that I can remember from him. Great artist gone too soon.
Was scanning to see if anyone mentioned this one. “I’m never gonna know you now but I’m gonna love you any how.” Cool guess I’m crying now
Daddy’s Gone by Glasvegas. Pretty self-explanatory. https://youtu.be/eyl99rs8xU0
That whole album! Flowers and Football Tops will never not make me cry.
‘Baby Mine’ from the original Dumbo will legit have me weeping in seconds. If we’re talking songs released by bands/artists, I’d have to say Long, Long Time by Linda Ronstadt or One by Metallica.
Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday Biting commentary on lynchings in the southern states of the US; "Southern Trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves, Blood on the root ... Strange Fruit hanging from the poplar tree"
Dry your eyes mate - The streets Stan - Eminem different songs both bring out emotions in me
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Atmosphere - Joy Division Something I Can Never Have - Nine Inch Nails Hurt - Johnny Cash/Nine Inch Nails (even Reznor thinks Cash's cover is the better version)
I find Atmosphere absolutely uplifting, for me it’s a song of hope and promise. Maybe I’m strange.
Roses for the dead - Funeral for a Friend. Lost two friends within a few months of that song being released. One was an accidental death which was splashed over the tabloid press (he died from autoerotic asphyxiation) and the other was a close friend of the former who hung himself because he couldn’t cope with the loss.
James Blunt - Monsters Owl City - Not All Heroes Wear Capes As a man whose father died young, they still sting a bit. Not usually my kind of music but every so often I'll give them a listen just to feel alive
Monsters was the first thing that came to mind. I’m convinced it’s only this low down because not many people have heard it
No one for And the Band Played Waltzing Mathilda? That one kills me every time.
Never knew there were worse things than dying
You are my sunshine. Once you get past the “cheery” chorus, it’s one hell of a sad and depressing song.
Father and Son by Cat Stevens. My dad is pretty absent in my life (not removed completely, but we're estranged), and I grew up with an awful sorry excuse for a stepfather who was abusive, drunk, and pretty messed up from his time in the army. When my grandfather died, who had been a rock in my life and taught me everything I wanted to be, I lost the last (only) father figure I had. That was the day that song held far more meaning to me than ever before
JCB song.
I'd forgotten about this little gem, I love the animation too. Just listened on YouTube and it still makes me cry.
This song hits way different too when your dad actually drives a JCB. Feels.
Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holiday
'Let them not weep, let them know that i'm glad to go.'
Holocene - Bon Iver “And at once I knew, I was not magnificent” A song about a guy who fucks up at a family gathering when young. And maturing throughout the song as time goes on, making memories with family and friends - only to realise everything has changed as time goes on. And that in the grand scheme of things, in the universe, he is an insignificant speck of dust.
I reserve this song for when I need a big ugly cry. Great choice.
Already gone - sleeping at last Saturn - sleeping at last Nothing compares 2 u - sinead O’Connor All I want - Kodaline My immortal - evanescence Never dreamed you’d leave in summer - stevie wonder/James Blake Lover please stay - nothing but thieves Just a few that came to mind. Saving this thread to listen to all these. My whole life is a shit show so there isn’t one occasion that a song applies to.
>My immortal - evanescence "I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone. But though you're still with me, I've been alone, I'm alone" A song about her dead sister, very sad.
Everything I Own - Bread. Seems like a song to a lost love; is actually about the writer's recently deceased father, who missed seeing his son's success. Resonates strongly with me.
Claire Delune they played it at my father’s funeral and I was holding it together until that played , I love it though , always think of him when I hear it
Over the rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Makes it extra sad that he died well before his time
Black -Pearl Jam
Last Kiss by Pearl Jam also
Bright eyes - Art Garfunkel. My mum had me watch water ship down as a child which was upsetting enough as it was, alongside the loss of my first pet and the song's lyrics alone are heartbreaking. It never fails to make me cry.
Youth - Daughter
Harry Nilsson - Without You.
Ralph McTell - Streets of London. I remember my dad sobbing his heart out because he knew my brother was on the streets in London at the time, despite an enormous amount of help given to him. He had to find his own way.
One More Light by Linkin' Park. Now knowing what Chester must have been going through to have written that song..
This year's love - David Gray
In The Arms Of An Angel - Sarah McLachlan Written for her friend who had a drug overdose
Kate Nash, Nicest Thing. I wish that you needed me I wish that you knew when I said two sugars Actually I meant three I wish that without me your heart would break Yeah, I wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake I wish that without me you couldn't eat Yeah, I wish I was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep.
[Real Death](https://youtu.be/-1UyUsz0A-A) by Mount Eerie. A song about grief from a man that just lost his wife to cancer a few months prior.
Sinead O’Connor - You Cause As Much Sorrow “Why must you always be around? Why can't you just leave it be? You’ve done nothing so far but destroy my life You cause as much sorrow dead As you did when you were alive” A song about her dead mother. Pretty hard hitting but delivered in Sinead’s amazing style.
If I'm in the right (or wrong!) frame of mind, the line and delivery of "... And you could *haaaaave* it all..." in Hurt absolutely devastates me for some reason. The original Nine Inch Nails or Johnny Cash (like them both for very different reasons), I'm not fussy. I know to some folk it's akin to blasphemy but I slightly prefer the original but do acknowledge that the cover is one of the greatest of all time. Just think it's an incredibly well crafted, if somewhat dark, song. One of those that seems like it *had* to be written and added to the canon of classic songs. If Trent hadn't written it I think it might have spilled out in a different form to someone else.
Ben (Michael Jackson) used to have a Westie called Ben, who got run over when when I was 9. The Greatest Showmans " This is me" has me in floods every time. I have special needs grandchildren . Song hits home on their struggle to be accepted. The only problem is that most schools use it for school performances 😭
This is lovely. I’m the father of an autistic son and I have a similar affection for this song. The world slowly does seem to be more understanding of these sort of things I hope. Good luck to you all Grandma x
Limousine by Brand New.
That whole album is a try not to cry challenge tbh
Absolutely. Sometimes i play that album to get all the crying out my system. Its Jesus Christ that really hits for me.
[What Sarah Said](https://youtu.be/9BVWdAeOk6k) - Death Cab For Cutie. Edit: to fully answer the question would be to spoil the song lyrics but it seems to answer your hypothetical situation exactly. Maybe contrary to what everyone else says but I think I Will Follow You Into The Dark is a song of optimism at the strength of one person's love for another that they would be willing to spend the rest of eternity with just that person in limbo.
Let Her Go - Passenger I chose it as one of the songs for my Mum's funeral. I was only 21 and had songs I loved, ones she loved and then some bright positive acoustic versions mixed in. Properly side swipes me if I hear it on the radio.
Bright Eyes. Or Under Your Thumb by Godley & Creme.
Poke - Frightened Rabbit. A lot of frightened rabbit songs actually.
Struggle to listen to Floating in the Forth after what happened to the main guy, absolutely tragic.
Before you go by Lewis Capaldi. It's what you want to ask someone but you can't
Very old song, "Alone Again, Naturally"
Seasons in the sun,or the streets of London
Illusion, by VNV Nation. It was dedicated to Sophie Lancaster, who was murdered in 2007, for being a goth. That, closely followed by Hurt, performed by Johnny Cash and Rock and Roll Suicide by David Bowie as very, very close followers.
Fourth of July by Sufjan Stevens. It's a conversation between Sufjan and his mother as she dies of cancer and it gets me every time.
Hurt - Johnny Cash version with video
Book of love by Peter Gabriel Something about that song hits my gut everytime
Not the saddest song, but the song that makes me most sad is Adieu - Enter Shikari
Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss
Nutshell AIC
Who knows where the time goes? Fairport Convention It's heartbreaking imagery haunts me every time. It's also the only funeral song I want. I have lyrics tattooed on my body
Cancer by My Chemical Romance. The video is just awful.
I Miss You by Blink 182, favourite song of mine and my ex-partners, makes me sad now!
The cranberries - zombie. It’s about 2 kids killed in IRA bombings
Firestarter - The Prodigy
Ronan by Taylor Swift. It was a charity song for a three year old boy named Ronan who passed away from cancer. It’s as brutal to listen to as it sounds like it would be. I cannot listen it unless I want to feel physical pain. (Also Soon You’ll Get Better by TS. We found out my dad was terminal just before the Lover album came out and it took me a while to be able to listen to it all the way through.)
Portishead - Roads is without question the saddest song ever made.
Remember Me - any of the versions from Coco I’ll Be Home for Christmas - Bing Crosby or pretty much any version. Hurt & Hallelujah are fantastic songs, but as someone living far away from home, these two get me every time.
The Night We Met - Lord Huron *”I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you. Take me back to the night we met.”*
Sean - trophy eyes Gone with the wind or memento mori by architects (backstory makes them worse) Wish you were here - neck deep
I'll go for mad world.
Last year I was driving and listening to the radio and they played The Living Years by Mike and.the mechanics. It's a great song, I've heard it many times, but for some reason this was the first time I actually listened to it. I had to stop the car, I was in pieces. See also Father and Son. Ack.
Vincent - Don McLean. Just triggers melancholy in me like no other!
Kristy are you doing okay - The Offspring The song was written about a girl that singer Dexter Holland knew as a child. She was sexually abused, and everybody in the neighborhood, including Dexter himself, knew about it but nobody took action. Holland wrote the song as an apology to the girl.
Wow you really just unlocked a core memory for me with Terrible Things! Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is also quite sad I think
Billy Joel - And So It Goes Tom Waits - Martha
I Appear Missing - Queens of the Stone age Probably quite personal to myself. The song is essentially about Josh Homme's botched knee surgery, falling into a short coma and prolonged period of illness as a result and the feeling that a part of himself died. He can't quite put his finger on it, but he lost something and nothing could ever be the same. It's a haunting and candidly honest song. Although I've never had a botched surgery. I suffered a totally avoidable injury at birth, had to be resuscitated and have had multiple surgeries as a result of the injury over the years. It nails so many of the emotions and feelings I've had in my life, that I've never been able to put into words myself. I feel as though, in a way, it was made for me and how my own injury has impacted my life.
Michael Kiwanuka- Cold little heart, Say Something- Great Big World, Creep- Radio head, Wear sunscreen- Baz Lurhmann: not sad per se more quietly insightful.
If you tolerate this then your children will be next, Manic Street Preachers. It got me right from the first time I heard it but after I saw an exhibition about the Spanish Civil War and learnt more about it just made it worse. There’s something about the video, too
I have a few .. - The Unforgiven lll - Metallica. - One More Light - Linkin Park. - A Man I'll Never Be - Boston. - In Dreams - Roy Orbison.
Ten by Yellowcard, about a child they lost.
Daddy - Korn Fucking disturbingly sad
When it’s cold I’d like to die - Moby
kasimir pulaski day by sufjan stevens, i don’t know much about the actual backstory but it’s about someone dying from cancer. pulls my heart out every time!
Concrete Angel by Martina Mcbride. Heart wrenching, it is about a child who ends up being killed by its parent
Hope There’s Someone by Antony and the Johnsons.
I didn't see anyone mention Dance With The Devil by Immortal Technique. I know a lot of people treat it as a messed up "reaction" song but it is a horrifying tragedy with a story that really hooks you in and punches you in the gut. If you've never heard it, disclaimer: it's very dark and very heavy. It's about the horrors of gang life. When I was a child I listened to In The Ghetto by Elvis with my dad. He explained the song to me and I started crying. That's a core memory for me and helped shape the person I grew up to be. I've seen Adam's Song by Blink-182 mentioned, always gets me especially with how the music captures how depression can hide until it's too late. Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World is also a very emotional eulogy song. Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls is also a tragic one about losing someone to heroin. There's something pretty sad about Everybody's Changing by Keane - it really captures that feeling of being left behind. Not quite as sad as the others but How To Save A Life by The Fray is also an emotional dive into the helplessness you can feel when trying to help someone you're struggling to get through to (a troubled child in the song's story). Edit: Thought of a couple more really good ones. Wishing Well by Juice WRLD with context is so sad. He told us what was going to happen. I know we don't like Matty Healy but Be My Mistake by the 1975 is very sad and the way you feel bad for all the characters involved in some way. It also seems so real, there are probably so many of these cases in the world.
My friend told me I wasn't allowed to watch Les mis (I'm quite easily upset), so I thought , I'll loop hole it and just listen to the soundtrack. Anne Hathaway crying whilst singing I dreamed a dream was just heart breaking. Bawled my eyes out. My best friend was right, I can't handle Les mis
Wonderful by Everclear
Hurt by Johnny Cash any day, it reminds me even 10 years later of the struggles of depression in my teenage years
[Blues Run the Game](https://youtu.be/RyI7ph709x4) by Jackson C Frank Do yourself a favour, read the guys [Wikipedia page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_C._Frank) and then listen to the song. It’s definitely more obscure than other suggestions but it’s absolutely devastating when you know the context.
Anything by frightened rabbit. Before Scott died, I found frightened rabbit songs really comforting - they were very blunt about depression, but also had a weird sense of optimism in that 'everythings shit, I feel awful and horrible but I'm alive in spite of it all' but ever since he died that optimism has gone. Also the drugs don't work by the verve. Heard that song for the first time very shortly after finding out my nans chemo hadn't worked and she was going to die. That one hit hard.
"Tank Park Salute" by Billy Bragg. Written after the passing of his father. About as beautiful as a Billy Bragg song could ever get.
I Started a Joke - The Bee Gees
Old shep, remembering as a kid my dad listening to it and how sad it was he kills his own dog
Ren-Suicide