25 of the most depressing songs of all time ?????

What a great idea for a thread, and an interesting list for starters. I am a bit of a one for depressing stuff - comes from growing up with Joy Division and the Cure I guess.

One of the most depressing songs I know is 'The Band Played Waltzing Matilda'. Try the version by June Tabor from her excellent 'Airs and Graces LP'. Truly moving.

Nigel

quote:

Originally posted by hungryhalibut:
What a great idea for a thread, and an interesting list for starters. I am a bit of a one for depressing stuff - comes from growing up with Joy Division and the Cure I guess.

One of the most depressing songs I know is 'The Band Played Waltzing Matilda'. Try the version by June Tabor from her excellent 'Airs and Graces LP'. Truly moving.

Nigel

I only know the version by The Pouges !

quote:

I only know the version by The Pouges !

It's not quite the same!!

Nigel

Funny - I don't find so-called depressing songs depressing, if you get my drift.

I do like the Smiths, Cure, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams etc., so that must explain it.

Andy

"Rape Me", Nirvana. Pretty hard to take. Along with most of their catalog.

Hi all,

I particularly enjoyed:

"Clocking in at over seven minutes, Total Eclipse is Wagner's Ring Cycle without the funny hats..."

Does nayone remember Kenny Everett's "World's Worst Wireless Show" on London's Capital Radio, during the mid-to-late 70's. There were such classics as Eamonn Andrews singing (for want of a better word) "The Shifting Whispering Sands", and a song entitled "I Want My Baby Back" (can't remember the artist) which was a spoof on teenage car crash songs. It included lyrics such as:

"Well, when I come too I looked around,
and thar was my baby,
and over thar was my baby,
and waaaaaay over thar was my baby..."

All wonderful stuff.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunn

Company by Ricki Lee Jones.

I do infact have a spiffing 192kbs version of the seminal "I want my baby back" by Jimmy Cross.. I also have ..Nervous Norvus... "Blood Transfusion" and the totally wonderful "Laughing Stardust Cowboys"... "Paralysed"....

Most of that 25 are just sad (as in crap, mawkish, sentimental, trite, rubbish) rather than depressing in themselves.

They missed the most depressing Cure song by country mile, the whole of Faith is more depressing than anything Robert Smith wrote in the late eighties.

Most deperessing ever - a recent candidate...

'Suicide Dad' by Vinny Peculiar.

Grandad.. Clive Dunn
Grandma.. St Winnifreds
Agadoo
Itsy teeny weeny polka dot bikini.. Timmy Mallet
The Streak... Ray Charles
Billie don't be a hero...Paper Lace
That chuffin Frog song
Any Cliff Richard xmas song
Any charity record that involves ppl jostling for position asre where their performance appears
Anything by Belle and Sebastian or the Moon and Half a sixpence..Indie?? yeah right indie twee art student schmaltz

If theres onething guaranteed to dperess me its hearing any of the above..

Beasley street-----John Cooper Clarke

Doesnt come a lot more depressing than that.

Mike.

Clapton - Tears in Heaven.

Stevedog - I need you..!!!
I used to have(well, actually still do, but it is unplayable) the vinyl of the Kenny Everett worst ever records, from whence the Juimmy Cross, Nervous Norvus and Legendry Stardust Cowboy tracks come from - Would you consider making a copy for me - in exchange I will copy the Legendry Stardust Cowboys lp onto a cd for you - it has a different version of Paralysed, if that helps tempt you....
Not sure if this will be in breach of any laws, or upset Adam - hope not - it is not the idea to breach copyright or whatever....
Cheers,
Steve, who can be contacted on sandkate at aoldotcom

Scott Walker's notorious 1995 album "Tilt" is perhaps the most depressing record ever made - but in a good way, if you know what I mean.

The record I find most wrist-slittingly depressing is the Pogues' ghastly "Fairytale of New York", a record which fills me with utter despair whenever I hear it: catastrophically awful "plastic paddy" student folk music.The fact that there are aparently thousands of people out there who think it's good is an ever greater cause for contemplating suicide.

Spandau Ballet's catalogue, the sine qua non of the embourgouisement of pop culture is also pretty depressing. "True", "Gold" "I'll Fly For You" and all their other crimes against music are a terrible reminder of just how grim the 1980s were.

And don't get me started on Van Morisson or Bruce Springsteen...

Kevin

Where the Wild Roses Grow - Nick Cave
Ode to Billie Jo - Bobby Gentry (?)

Pretty depressing both.

Jonathan

"Hello, This Is Joannie (The Telephone Answering Machine Song)" by Paul Evans.

or the one by Mark Wills "Wish You Were Here" where he sings about sending a post card to his "beloved" from the airport minutes before flying off somewhere.
The card simply says "heaven" on the front with picture of a beach and sunshine.
Well, the plane goes down, no survivors, but his wife gets a card the next day with of course "heaven" on the front and the words on the card "wish you were here, wish you could see this place, weather's nice, it's paradise etc..................."

Dark Side of the Moon, in an adolescent sort of way, pretty much in its entirety.

Wot no Richard Thompson?

"The End of the Rainbow" - written after the birth of his child, or indeed most of his catologue!

Nod

ANother Lou Reed: "Magic And Loss" from ~1991. Almost any track...

To wit:

quote:

Sitting with my back straight it becomes hard to hear;
Some people are crying it becomes hard to hear
I don't think you'd have liked it you would have made a joke;
You would have made it easier you'd say "tomorrow i'm smoke";

quote:

There are ashes split through collective guilt
People rest at sea forever
Since they burnt you up, collect you in a cup
For you the coal-black sea has no terror

quote:

I see the sword of damocles
Is right above your head
They're trying a new treatment
To get you out of bed
But radiation kills both bad and good
It can not differentiate
So to cure you they must kill you
The sword of damocles hangs above your head

A fine selection of upbeat lyrics from oor Lou.

Notably absent: Alone Again, Naturally by Gilbert O'Sullivan. And maybe James Taylor's Fire and Rain. And I'll throw in that Mike and the Mechanics song where the dude's dad dies, just for good measure.

Jim Reeves "letter to my heart"

Terry Jacks "Seasons in the Sun"

The Verve " The drugs don't work"

And absolutely any song by Dean Freedman


And lets not forget "Simply having a wonderful Christmas time" puke-laroo!

quote:

Originally posted by Yeldarb:
Jim Reeves "letter to my heart"

Terry Jacks "Seasons in the Sun"

The Verve " The drugs don't work"

And absolutely any song by Dean Freedman


And lets not forget "Simply having a wonderful Christmas time" puke-laroo!

Add to this any song by Leonard Cohen

Well, I think this is rather depressing. It's from a song called Dark Globe, by Syd Barrett, from his The Madcap Laughs album, 1970.

Oh where are you now
pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?
When I was alone you promised the stone from your heart
my head kissed the ground
I was half the way down, treading the sand
please, please, lift a hand
I'm only a person whose armbands beat
on his hands, hang tall
won't you miss me?
Wouldn't you miss me at all?

and I'm with Mike about Beasley Street. It's a sociologist's paradise, isn't it.

Willem

quote:

It's a sociologist's paradise

ex-servicement excrete.........

Excellent.

Nigel

Anyone who thinks Cohen is depressing is a mindless cretin.
If you want depressing try
"Chalet Lines" by Belle and Sebastien

Bob