Wistful Sad Songs

**thescot** · 16th March 10, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Lachlan09

Anyone have any songs which make you sad or a little tearful or you can imagine as a video or short film ?

One that has had me a little like this over the years is an old Jethro Tull song:-

Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die

. . .

I saw Tull in 1972 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at LSU. Thick as a Brick was pretty new, and it was a really good concert.

At least, in memory it was. That was a long time ago.

Sad songs are atracive, and remind me of the words of Gilbert Parker: "There is no refuge from memory and regreat in this life. The spirits of our foolish deeds haunt, even with repentence."

But sad songs I love are too many to count. A few of the best the come to mind are:

1. "Fire and Rain" James Taylor ("I always thought I'd see you again.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T35WXFOmwI

2. "I'm Movin' On" Rascall Flatts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1bxlDAjGCo

3. "Big Yellow Taxi" Joni Mitchell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgMEPk6fvpg (You really don't know what you've got 'til it's gone!)

4. "For the Good Times" Kristofferson but sung by Ray Price ("There's no need to watch the bridges that we're burning.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ZKIX0ICZo

5. "Misery and Gin" Merle Haggard ("looking at the world through the bottom of a glass . . .sittin' with all my friends and talkin' to myself") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNTWW1y1x0M

6. "He Stopped Lovin' Her Today" George Jones ("He stopped loving her today; they placed a wreath upon his door.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqY5exITMJo

7. "Send in the Clowns" Sondheim via Judy Collins ("don't you love farce? My fault I fear. I thought that you'd want what I want; sorry, my dear") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbRnMqRHveU

8. "Glen Coe"

9. "At Seventeen" Janis Ian ("I learned the truth at 17, that love was meant for beauty queens.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4qyIx0z_6o

10. "Whiskey Lullaby" Brad Paisley and Alison Kraus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z89hQwdxqHY

11. "Daylight Again/Find the Cost of Freedom" Crosby Stills and Nash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8z0kpgnHG8

12. "I keep Forgetting" Michael MacDonald http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvEps...rom=PL&index=7

13. "Loch Lomond" ("You tak the high road, an' I'll tak the low road..where mye and my true love will never meet again") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uZ-p-tN8Gs

14. "But Not for Me" Gershwin/Ella Fitzgerald "They're writing song of love, but not for me.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYIp1hVISkk

And the one I'm not even worthy to sing; it's a WW II song of loss and longing and heart ache when better men than we often find today--better than me, like my father and many of your fathers and grandfathers--saved us so we could self-destruct:

15. "I'll Be Seeing You" Billy Holiday version ("I'll find you in the morning sun and when the night is through, I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing you.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=566WSwwoWBY

Well, that's enough for a start. Think I'll go get a beer and cry into it.

**Bugbear** · 16th March 10, 01:35 PM

Back when I worked for a country western bar band, we played Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" on the Saturday evening of the Columbia shuttle disaster; it just happened to be in the line up. It kind of gave us all the chills.

**Lallans** · 16th March 10, 01:40 PM

1): The Londonderry Air (esp. if you know the history of the song).

2) Will Ye Go Lassie, Go?

3): The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (if you know the history of the real Confederate soldiers). Please don't flame me over some of the actual civil war issues that were way above them, those guys were superlative citizen-soldiers and often of my folk.

**thescot** · 16th March 10, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by Ted Crocker

Back when I worked for a country western bar band, we played Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" on the Saturday evening of the Columbia shuttle disaster; it just happened to be in the line up. It kind of gave us all the chills.

Yeah, sad songs--really good sad songs--are what finally made me learn to like and appreciate country music.

Your comment about "Silver Wings" reminded me of "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot. "So I'd best be on my way in the early morning rain."

And then there's "Louise" by Paul Siebel, but I like Leo Kotke's version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ1ynrFzbyY. What a sad song! "Yes and everybody knew at times she cried, But women like Louise they get by"

**Bugbear** · 16th March 10, 02:11 PM

You've also got Jazz, and there's almost too many to pick one. Duke Ellington, et al, has several.

As far as classical, I prefer Chopin for sad and emotional music.

**thescot** · 16th March 10, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by Ted Crocker

You've also got Jazz, and there's almost too many to pick one. Duke Ellington, et al, has several.

As far as classical, I prefer Chopin for sad and emotional music.

"Goodbye Porkpie Hat" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wELV7pCVUDU and "Round Midnight" come to mind for the jazz.

It begins to tell
At sometime, round midnight
I do pretty well
‘til after sundown
At supper time, I’m filled with you
But I really miss you
Round midnight

I can almost shed tears just thingking of the overture to Messiah. (I know it's actually baroque, but it's close enough.) And the 2nd movement to Beethoven's 9th has stirred my soul since they used it for Huntley and Brinkley when I was a kid. (Who remembers that?)

**wildrover** · 16th March 10, 02:40 PM

I've never thought of jazz as being sad or wistful...blues, maybe? But if you have an example...YouTube us, definitely.

I just heard a great version of Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go the other day...Clancy Bros., live, got the audience singing too IIRC...just beautiful, it got me looking for a pipe setting, or going for pen and notebook paper to do it myself.

Loch Lomond was beautifully done in that version.

There is an entire catalog of songs for blues dancing...the slow, wistful, painful ones that really encourage a girl to get snuggled up against your shoulder while you're moving together.

Here's one...it didn't even register when I saw the movie, I came across the song later and then found they snuck it in there somewhere.

Leaving on a Jet Plane, sung by Chantal Kreviazuk, on the Armageddon soundtrack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68NuTUdJX8U

Zero Hero (Do You Like the Rain), by Shaun Booker and The New Breed.
I really wish I had an mp3 for you guys, but it's on a CD I have. If you live in Ohio, she's usually in Columbus.

*edit* Hey, I found the CD:
http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/Glass...Christian_2_CD

Although, I have absolutely no idea why they categorized it as "Christian", because it frankly isn't.

**Bugbear** · 16th March 10, 03:08 PM

Coltrane's "Alabama." Holiday's, and I think this is the name, "Weep Willow Weep." It really goes on and on, don't forget Armstrong's "Black and Blue."

On a different note, Ozzy's "Goodbye to Romance," gets to me every time.

* I'll try to make that my last post for this thread.

**Mr. Kilt** · 16th March 10, 07:16 PM

"He Would Be Sixteen", by Michelle Wright.
I gave my 3-day old daughter up for adoption back in 1984 and that song really hit home for me.

**ccga3359** · 16th March 10, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by Macman

For sad, wistful songs that you could make into a video or short film? My head went right to Harry Chapin - songs like Better Place to Be, Cat's in the Cradle, W*O*L*D, Taxi . . . they all tell a poignant story or situation.

Whole heartedly agree. A Better Place To Be is my alltime favourite. It is one song I could listen to a million time and I'd still get the same feelings from it.

I surprised that noone has mentioned Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun.

What about Christmas Shoes or Johnny Cash's haunting rendition of Hurt.

I've never been a fan of Johnny cash or Country in general bus I feel that this version is an absolutly brilliant choice of song and the video heartbreaking.