What is the saddest song?

Question

Let us find the saddest song humanity has ever produced.

We are distinguished from the other living things on our world by our ability to conceive not only of our own sorrow, but of the sorrow of others. This song should strike a chord in any person who hears it, regardless of language. In our entire history surely one song has been written to transcend border, race and creed.

What is it?

Criteria:
* Verifiable: Needs a documented resource (mp3, sheet music, etc)
* Evoke feelings of sorrow/depression/etc
* Notable: Should be a published work

Notes:
* Lyrical/Non-lyrical are both acceptable
* Nature of the song should evoke sadness, not necessarily be about the emotion itself
* Song doesn't have to be exclusively sad - great emotional impact can also be found in songs that offer hope/etc balanced with the sadness
* Sadness can be conveyed by sorrow/pain/suffering/apathy/hate/boredom/emptiness/loss/helplessness/etc

Answer 1

Avant- Suicide

Answer 2

"Love is a Catastrophe" by the Pet Shop Boys off their album Release.

Love is a catastrophe
Look what it's done to me
Brought me down here so low
stranded, nowhere to go

No concentration
just rerunning conversation
Trying to understand
how I fell into this quicksand

What happens next?
With life I'm unimpressed
Pain like a cutter's knife
Never been lonelier in my life

Who issued the instruction
for this mad act of destruction?
An end to equilibrium
Fate laughs:
Look what we've done to him!

High wind through the trees
Falling November leaves
A weak sun hanging low
Summer seems so long ago

All my former dreams
tender romantic schemes
revealed as so naive
To think I could believe

In love as the kindest law
not as a declaration of war
on my life and sanity
Now I know at last for me
love is a catastrophe

Answer 3

Jawbreaker - prefer Rites Of Spring - Deeper Than interior Husker Du - broken domicile, broken heart include - previous Envy - Crusaders arise youngsters - Shorty Glenn Pakendasen - Tongue With A Gun Jets To Brazil - Lemon Yellow Black Jimmy devour international - call It in the Air Joyce Manor - popular buddy Knapsack - beautify The backbone Mineral - Slower Moss Icon - Hate In Me Orchid - And The Cat became To Smoke Saetia - One dying wish Samiam - do no longer harm Me Sunny Day actual sources - purple Elephant Texas Is the rationalization - Blue Boy

Answer 4

Been so long, can't recall the name of song, but a little boy was in a flower shop buying roses for his mother and didn't have enough money. A good hearted customer paid for the roses for the little boy. When the man left the store he saw the little boy running toward the grave site of his mother.

There is so much more feeling in that song that I can express and wish I could remember the song, I cry EVERYTIME I hear it and I am crying right now.

Answer 5

I have got to go with Possum Jones. He Stopped Loving Her Today. Poor guy lived for his wife, lost and grieved her from then on, and then died himself. He did keep his promise though.

I'm sure this is one of theeeee saddest songs because George Jones is a very emotionally gifted singer, and that stell guitar just makes you want to crawl in a hole and sob yourself to sleep. A beautiful beautiful song.

There are a few more...

Teddy Bear, about the trucker who picks up the little boy on his CB and finds out his hardluck story...and all the truckers stop by his house to pay his momma's bills and take the kid for a ride because his daddy died in a trucking accident, and he is crippled. My god, all they need is a dog to get run over by one of the trucks and you'd almost commit suicide!

A couple more...

The Dance, by Garth Brooks...is about how it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all...implies death here, not romance. And it is personally sad for me because a little boy I knew (my college friend's brother) was a mini-cowboy and LOVED Garth Brooks. He was looking forward to the Garth show at the state fair that year, and a week before the fair, he was accidently run over by a tractor by his own dad. He was 5.

And then there is American Pie, it is upbeat music but sad in lyrics. I guess you have to know what it means to get it. It is about the Buddy Holly plane crash.

And last Freebird. Gets rockin at the end but it is a sad song, and very prophetic because he died shortly after writing it.

There is a lot of really sad classical music. Violins, English horns, and French horns are particularly sad sounding instruments.

Answer 6

Holes in the Floor of Heaven by Steve Wariner

One day shy of eight years old
when Grandma passed away
I was a broken hearted little boy
blowing out that birthday cake
how I cried when the sky let go
with a cold and lonesome rain
Mamma smiled said don’t be sad child
Grandmas watching you today

Chorus:
Cause there’s holes in the floor of heaven
and her tears are pouring down
that’s how you know she’s watching
wishing she could be here now
and sometimes if your lonely
just remember she can see
there’s holes in the floor of heaven and she’s
watching over you and me

Seasons come and seasons go
nothing stays the same
I grew up fell in love
met a girl who took my name
year by year we made a life in this sleepy little town
I thought we’d grow old together
Lord, I sure do miss her now

Chorus:
But there’s holes in the floor of heaven
and her tears are pouring down
that’s how I know she’s watching
wishing she could be here now
and sometimes when I’m lonely
I remember she can see
there’s holes in the floor of heaven and she’s
watching over you and me

Well my little girl is 23 I walk her down the aisle
it’s a shame her Mom can’t be here now
to see her lovely smile
they throw the rice I catch her eye
as the rain starts coming down
she takes my hand says daddy don’t be sad
cause I know Mamma’s watching now

Chorus:
and there’s holes in the floor of heaven
and her tears are pouring down
that’s how you know she’s watching
wishing she could be here now
and sometimes when you’re lonely
just remember she can see
there’s holes in the floor of heaven and she’s
watching over you and me


I can never listen to this without choking up!

Answer 7

I find Street Spirit (Fade Out) by Radiohead quite depressing...even reading about how the song came to be is!

Quote Thom Yorke: 'Our fans are braver than I to let that song penetrate them, or maybe they don't realise what they're listening to. They don't realise that Street Spirit is about staring the f***ing devil right in the eyes, and knowing, no matter what the hell you do, he'll get the last laugh. And it's real, and true. The devil really will get the last laugh in all cases without exception, and if I let myself think about that too long, I'd crack.'

Answer 8

And you'll get nothing, some people will list really great art, others will be retarded teenies drooling over some emo sissy from fall out boy or some such herd of goats. But, it all depends on the personla preferences, so what can you do.
Here's my vote - four, in fact, all by Joy Division, hear them and see for yourself:
Heart and Soul
Eternal
Decades
Love Will Tear Us Apart

Answer 9

3 answers:

1) "The Last Song" (Elton John)
2) "Gloomy Sunday" (Sarah McLachlan)
3) "The Glow" Bonnie Raitt

All of these can be found easily on google. If you want lyrics, just type in "lyrics" at the ent of the title when searching.

Answer 10

Blind by Lifehouse

Reason: It is really sad when we love someone yet that people slam it back to our face. The clip showed the love of a daughter to her father but I think the lyric of this song applied for man and woman relationship as well.

Answer 11

Sound of silence: Simon and Garfunkel.
Who wants to live forever: Queen.
Exile: Enya.
I'll be there: Escape Club.
Whenthe children cry: White Lion.
That was yesterday. By Foreigner.
For crying out loud: Meat Loaf.