What is the saddest song you have ever heard?

[spl]

Ben Folds Five - Brick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt5EHAqhR1c&ob=av2e

Song is about teenage abortion.

[GaijinPunch]

Hard to say if it's the saddest I've ever heard, but a recent favorite is Blood by The Middle East.

Song is the tits. I don't really care for much else by them though.

Pretty good cover

[shmuppyLove]

Oh almost forgot

U2 - With or Without You
http://youtu.be/XmSdTa9kaiQ

Edit: Shit, forgot about Running to Stand Still

Watch Bono fucking kill it live on this one:
http://youtu.be/sA00KCSDMY8

[Raytrace]

hmm that 'And Then I see a darkness' one by Bonnie Prince Billy that Johnny Cash did is pretty mega depress imo

Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain

Joy Division - Isolation

Komme, Sosser Tod

[StarCreator]

Jungle Smile - 抱きしめたい
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyPQlFSa_DI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osHYkWLF6bM (english subbed)

Been years since I last heard the song, but it's still the first thing to come to mind.

[linko9]

Waitin' Around to Die, and Marie, both by Towns Van Zandt. Pretty sad stuff. Not necessarily just because of the lyrics, they're only moderately depressing, but the music itself is just very sad.

[Sapz]

Space-Dye Vest - Dream Theater.

It's been a long time since I listened to this, but it was still the song that came to mind.

[Marc]

Listen to 'A Gentleman Caller' by Cursive. Not so much sad as plain fucking grim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW6GJIdznVM

[Ex-Cyber]

Warren Zevon - My Shit's Fucked Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHDdqubE7zQ

[xbl0x180]

It's difficult for me to classify things. I listen to many sad songs because I like a different quality in each. The first band that came to mind was Mazzy Star, though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUPyqnn-eDg

Love Hope Sandoval. Feeling of Gaze fits as a nice honorable mention in this thread.

Speaking of Sinead... Song to the Siren by Tim Buckley is not only a great tune, it's probably the only thing that's been covered as much as Love Will Tear Us Apart. The only difference is, it's been covered well.

Original by Tim Buckley
Cover by Robert Plant which is exceptional, and I'm no Plant fan in the least. This is rather recent I believe.
Re-imagined by This Mortal Coil but is really just The Cocteau Twins. Here's a shit copy of a great live version IMHO. And finally, Sinead O'Conner's version which is from 2010. It seems more of a cover of the This Mortal Coil version. All are quite good. This song has it's own fan club though... there's even a live version from George Michael on YT.

I remember "Song To The Siren" by This Mortal Coil. Man, that stuff was like Goth cakes back in high school. I didn't know it was a cover for a long time.

When it comes to sad songs, guys have the better lyrics, but girls are the ones who can just sound sad - without the need for lyrics.

Check this out:

Francis Lai's "Scene D'Amour" (from the Bilitis film score)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNFcF84uZ9c


There are also instrumentals that evoke sadness...

Patrick Juvet's "Le Theme De Laura"/"La Tristesse De Laura" and "Fascination" (from the Laura, Les Ombres De L'Ete film score)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHkqgumV3I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-Y8n6TQpno

Coincidentally, both are David Hamilton films

[mesh control]

Marissa Nadler - Thinking of You

and most Codeine songs.

It really depends on my mood though, because if I'm gonna mope around all day I'll listen to this first thing in the morning.

[chum]

lots o favs

Disco Inferno - Love Stepping Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR8kTcsgdwc

Infidel?/Castro! - (In)Voluntary Emotional Response http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYoYRSLHx9A

The Legendary Pink Dots - Slaapliedje http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6szYF857PI

Exuma - Dambala http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSNIJ5K7wk4

Shirley & Dolly Collins - A Song Story

Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun - It Is Echoing All Over the World http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAUA7L5-Rko

The Magnetic Fields - The Dreaming Moon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y10AXYGw3E

Eiko Ishibashi - Nobody There

Kurihara Masaki - Mata Ashita http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaNYsY739-o

Big Blood & the Bleedin' Hearts - Oh Country (Skin & Bones) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmKnSIKLIw0

The Motifs - Cross Paths http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbDWSqcfg1s

Lisa Germano - Cry Wolf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn-H4af9-uQ

[chum]

This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1LeXdP9 ... re=related

Brian Eno - An Ending (Ascent)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKw5mbcE7VY

Johann Johannson - The Sun's Gone Dim And The Sky's Turned Black
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv4CuIIspdE

I like your picks.

Also how did I forget:

Natural Snow Buildings - Lie There, or like, most things by them really

My Bloody Valentine - To Here Knows When

Red House Painters - 24

[NTSC-J]

"All my frieeeends...are deaaaaad..."

[njiska]

I came here to post another Cash song, Hurt.

Yeah - that one really gets to me too. You could tell by the tremble in his voice and overall vocal weakness that Mr. Cash was not much longer for this earth.. The lyrics to that one aren't exactly uplifting either. Excellent choice.

That one really is powerful stuff - I was going to post it myself when I saw the thread title.
-ud

The Nine Inch Nails original version is also quite sad, especially when you pay attention to the story told by the earlier tracks on the disc. As for the Cash version, it's easily the better of the two and even Trent Reznor acknowledged that the song was no longer really his.

Actually, now that I think of it most of the tracks recorded for American IV were rather sad and dark. Hurt, I Hung My Head (Sting did the original), I'm So Lonesome I could Cry. Even the more upbeat songs like When The Man Comes Around tell a rather tragic tale.

I can't think of a single song that's the saddest but

Nine Inch Nails - A Warm Place
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1vxJb6MQ34

A great example of sad instrumental music. A lot of Ghosts I-IV has the same tone to it.

I'm going to toss a favourite of mine into the mix. The music isn't sad, but lyrics are extremely powerful.

Billy Talent - White Sparrows - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qktrD6lbNy4

[drboom]

'Amazing Grace' gets me everytime. It almost doesn't matter who sings or plays it or on what instrument. The end of Wrath of Khan make me tear up everytime.

[mesh control]

My Bloody Valentine - To Here Knows When

The song is about fucking and

UUUUUUUHHHHH UUUUUUUHHHHH UUUUUUUHHHHH

[Obiwanshinobi]

In before Farmer in the City by Scott Walker. Not really "the saddest ever" (I can't think of music in terms of high scores), but deserves a mention all the same.

[Nate]

circuitface:

the tired country music

Well, I have to admit hearing "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert made me "well-up" the few times I heard it on the radio; then I saw the video and it was like...

This song is OVER!!!

[lilmanjs]

even though I made this, when I first heard the finished version I just felt this deep sadness:
http://soundcloud.com/lilmanjs/sadness-fills-the-void

As for other people's music:
Pupa - How: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZdGawi-zDg
That always gets to me. such sad lyrics and the music is fitting.

Foo Fighters - Walking After You(Album version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvorB7d2b8Y
such a sad song I think!

[ColonelFatso]

Harry Chapin always had a talent for heartbreaking, real ballads (usually loosely based on either first-hand or second-hand experience). Contemporary folk music at its most poignant.

Taxi

Mr. Tanner (in this case, only the review is real, to my knowledge)

W.O.L.D. (this is just an attempt on his part to get into the mind of a career DJ, but FUCK if it isn't sad)

EDIT: One more I almost forgot about: Mercenaries

[chum]

My Bloody Valentine - To Here Knows When

The song is about fucking and

UUUUUUUHHHHH UUUUUUUHHHHH UUUUUUUHHHHH

Music is a collection of sounds, I couldn't care less about what the song is "about".

[Necronopticous]

This one gets me every time.

[blackoak]

hmmm... I've never really thought of the saddest song. Definitely agree with some of the suggestions above (highwayman, hurt, various joy division, faith, a letter to elise). At different times in my life I've been enamored of all those. Actually my Dad used to play Wish and Distintegration every other day when I was a kid... I hated it then, but later played in a Cure knock-off band in high school --> me at 17

as for my choices nowadays, first and foremost:

tenshi no gijinka iv - keiji haino

What else... Disorder by Joy Division would be my choice of theirs. "Tangled up in Blue" by Bob Dylan, definitely. "I love you in your tragic beauty" or "This Could be the End" by the Legendary Pink Dots as well. "Baby Birch" by Joanna Newsom is a recent pick for the brutally honest account of an abortion.

For instrumental music, I've always felt the main themes to Chinatown and Hotaru no Haka were particularly sad. And a lot of Debussy, Shostakovich, and Satie would fit for me as well. Actually, one of the saddest musical experiences I've had in recent times was during The Little Mermaid ballet at the SFBallet, but I don't remember who the composer was (and it was tied into the performance, so. The Petrushka interpretation they did 2 years back was also devastating)

[DocHauser]

Damien Jurado - 'Medication'

http://youtu.be/HNzdhmU4RFI

Damien Jurado - 'Tonight I Will Retire'

Johnny Cash should have recorded this one, following on from 'Hurt' and 'I See a Darkness'.

http://youtu.be/6OgEta7iyhY

John Coltrane - 'Alabama'

http://youtu.be/8j_TDoOPnIA

[Marc]

The first song on the Sigur Ros () album. Forget what it called and don't have my copy to hand but man that's desolate.

[EllertMichael]

The first song on the Sigur Ros () album. Forget what it called and don't have my copy to hand but man that's desolate.

Great song. Great album. Have you seen the music video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqJ8hFgYwVg

[ratikal]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIUxwEJ-GXI

[rapoon]

Aphex Twin - #21 / Lichen

[replayme]

I've been listening to a lot of film soundtracks recently... I like these for a number of reasons:

Star Trek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgt-oCb ... ata_player

Shawshank Redemption
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByJsjIyS ... ata_player

I Am Legend
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMQaQuI0 ... ata_player

Edward Scissorhands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFmkjBqk ... ata_player

King Kong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBbYAS1lh2s